Tuesday, February 26, 2013
February's C4K Assignments
Week 1: Nick C.
Nick describes a photograph that he looked at. He said the flags in the picture was interesting and that he saw boats, the ocean, a fish chips sign, and a girl using a telescope. He also thinks that he saw a bird and its nest.
I told Nick that I liked the words he choose to help him describe what he saw. I asked him if he described a beach picture because he liked the beach. I also told him that he done a good job and to keep it up. He seems like he could use a bit extra help with his writing, but another teacher had already commented and suggested that he read aloud, so I only commented on the positives of his post. I wanted him to feel confident enough to keep writing and blogging.
Week 2: Lakereya
This was Lakereya’s first blog post. She told us a little about herself. She was born on 7/17/2004, and has one brother and three sisters, with another little sister on the way. She really hopes that everyone will enjoy her blog.
I told Lakereya that my name was Jeanette and I go to school at South Alabama. I asked her if she got along well with her siblings, and told her that I bet she was excited to meet the newest little sister she will have soon. I concluded by praising her writing skills, and telling her that I can’t wait to follow her blog throughout the semester. I also told her that I was very impressed and to keep up the good work.
Week 3: Kyan
Kyan’s blog post was a Google Presentation about himself. He likes video games, anime, Bruno Mars, and Lamborghini cars among other things.
I told Kyan that he done an amazing job and I was very impressed after I introduced myself. I told him that I was a fan of anime and video games as well. I asked him if he enjoyed using technology to do projects like his presentation. I explained that my favorite part about using technology was communicating and sharing with people all over the world. I encouraged him to keep up the good work.
Week 4: Harper
Harper’s blog post was about her mom. Harper says that her mom is so sweet and the best ever because she gives Harper kisses and tucks her in. They are about to move out of Grandma’s house and Harper will miss her vey much.
I told Harper hello, my name, and where I went to school. I told her that mom did sound very awesome and asked if she was excited about moving even though she would miss her grandmother. I told her that her blog was well-written and I was very impressed.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Blog Post #6
The Networked Student
There are amazing things that learners can do with technology and networking. Wendy Drexler’s video, The Networked Student, demonstrates this. There are innumerable ways in which to access information of all variety. Not only is the information readily available, most people are able to access it anywhere, at anytime.
Of course we need teachers. Just as the video states, there are many roles that a teacher will take on. We are the source that students will come to for help, guidance, and mediation. In a sense, it is our jobs to be the experts. By the time we have students of our own, we should have a well-rounded knowledge of beneficial tools for them to use. I do think that younger children should have more time with their instructors. There are many obstacles that will arise from adopting networked learning, but considering the benefits it really is worth it.
If I must answer the question of whether or not I am ready to be a networked teacher, I feel that I must answer truthfully. Currently, no, I am not. I am definitely ready to become one though. I have so much work and learning and just exploring in general to do. My knowledge of the things available is still very primitive. Obviously, this will change over time as I take more classes, study new things, and build my network. I am, however, quite confident that I will do very well for my future students. I think students deserve the very best of what we can offer them.
A 7th Grader’s PLE
My favorite thing about this video was when the student mentioned that by having freedom it inclined her to act responsibly. Awesome! She has obviously put a lot of work into developing her PLE. I was very impressed! Her PLE is ver similar to my PLN. I use Symbaloo as well. It really is a great tool.
I also have some of my personal things organized into my home webmix. I have set Symbaloo as my homepage so that everything I could possibly want to go to is right there at the tap of my finger. While I already have lots of things listed in Symbaloo, I am always searching for new things to add.
There are amazing things that learners can do with technology and networking. Wendy Drexler’s video, The Networked Student, demonstrates this. There are innumerable ways in which to access information of all variety. Not only is the information readily available, most people are able to access it anywhere, at anytime.
Of course we need teachers. Just as the video states, there are many roles that a teacher will take on. We are the source that students will come to for help, guidance, and mediation. In a sense, it is our jobs to be the experts. By the time we have students of our own, we should have a well-rounded knowledge of beneficial tools for them to use. I do think that younger children should have more time with their instructors. There are many obstacles that will arise from adopting networked learning, but considering the benefits it really is worth it.
If I must answer the question of whether or not I am ready to be a networked teacher, I feel that I must answer truthfully. Currently, no, I am not. I am definitely ready to become one though. I have so much work and learning and just exploring in general to do. My knowledge of the things available is still very primitive. Obviously, this will change over time as I take more classes, study new things, and build my network. I am, however, quite confident that I will do very well for my future students. I think students deserve the very best of what we can offer them.
A 7th Grader’s PLE
My favorite thing about this video was when the student mentioned that by having freedom it inclined her to act responsibly. Awesome! She has obviously put a lot of work into developing her PLE. I was very impressed! Her PLE is ver similar to my PLN. I use Symbaloo as well. It really is a great tool.
I also have some of my personal things organized into my home webmix. I have set Symbaloo as my homepage so that everything I could possibly want to go to is right there at the tap of my finger. While I already have lots of things listed in Symbaloo, I am always searching for new things to add.
Project #10: Finding The Right Tool
My current C4T assignment is Language Journeys, a blog by Elvira Deyamport. She recently suggested a few things to me and one of them was Edmodo. I have done a good bit of research on this tool and can’t wait to use it. I am not entirely positive that this will not be discussed in EDM 31. I have not yet heard about it from this class, and am very intrigued by it.
I plan to teach middle/high school English, so this will be a perfect way to integrate technology into my classroom. There are so many things you can do with Edmodo. One of my favorite things about Edmodo is that it can turn my classroom into a more environmentally friendly one. My students can turn in assignments electronically. I think that this is a good way to keep them excited about English class, and it will also take care of most of the organization for them. Everything will already have a proper place. I’m sure this will save me a few excuses of what happened to assignments. Besides these things, using this site will allow me to be readily available to my students even while they are at home working on individual assignments. The concepts behind using this is brilliant as well. Just by joining in discussions they are utilizing written communication skills, technological skills, interpersonal skills, etc. The list goes on and on.
There is so much to be discussed and shared about Edmodo, but for the sake of length I will simply refer you to some YouTube videos that I found extremely helpful. Jeffery Hollo created a tutorial video for teachers broken down into three parts. Here is the link for part one. Parts two and three will appear at the top of the right hand column of suggested videos. He does a very good job of explaining everything you need to know.
I plan to teach middle/high school English, so this will be a perfect way to integrate technology into my classroom. There are so many things you can do with Edmodo. One of my favorite things about Edmodo is that it can turn my classroom into a more environmentally friendly one. My students can turn in assignments electronically. I think that this is a good way to keep them excited about English class, and it will also take care of most of the organization for them. Everything will already have a proper place. I’m sure this will save me a few excuses of what happened to assignments. Besides these things, using this site will allow me to be readily available to my students even while they are at home working on individual assignments. The concepts behind using this is brilliant as well. Just by joining in discussions they are utilizing written communication skills, technological skills, interpersonal skills, etc. The list goes on and on.
There is so much to be discussed and shared about Edmodo, but for the sake of length I will simply refer you to some YouTube videos that I found extremely helpful. Jeffery Hollo created a tutorial video for teachers broken down into three parts. Here is the link for part one. Parts two and three will appear at the top of the right hand column of suggested videos. He does a very good job of explaining everything you need to know.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Friday, February 15, 2013
Blog Post #5
Who is Krissy Venosdale?
Krissy Venosdale has been teaching for the last ten years. She is currently a gifted education teacher. I want to say based on clues throughout some of her posts that she teaches in the St. Louis area. I think she has some excellent standards on what education means, and how one should go about educating. I would definitely suggest that you check out her blog here.
If I Built A School
If I built a school, the teaching styles would coincide with Ms. Venosdale’s ideas. Creativity, innovation, and collaboration would be a few of the things at the top of my list. I would also try to make the environment warm, inviting, and cozy. I would try to give the school a collegiate feel. Students will be able to choose their schedules. I would allow them more personal freedom outside of class to connect and discuss with friends over lunch or snacks. I think this will also help them develop more effective time management skills. I could go on and on and be very thorough. I could describe everything down to the color of paint in the hallways; however to compensate for time and length constrictions. I will leave it rather vague.
Virtual Choir
Wow! This was so awesome! Absolutely mind-blowing! Not only did it sound amazing, but this is truly an example of technology at its best. All of these people performed a very complex piece together completely over the internet. None of these people has met before in person, yet still managed to collaborate in order to create a stunning piece of work. While this was entirely about a virtual choir, the principle can be applied to almost anything. I think the most important thing is that this is a shared experience. You are a part of something bigger, as Mr. Whitacre says in his talk on TED. I think the world has a way of making us as individuals feel extremely small. With collaborative projects such as Mr. Whitacre’s virtual choir, people can feel as if they important, something bigger than just themselves.
Teaching In The 21st Century
I think Kevin Roberts touches some key issues. I can understand exactly where he is coming from. Times have changed. Students don’t need someone that will give them facts and dates. We are able to google anything, anytime, anywhere. We all, for the most part, have a device on our persons that allow us to access almost any knowledge in the world within a matter of moments.
I think for me, as an educator, this means I need to focus less on facts and information, and more on skills that come into play once the information has been accessed. Students need to be prepared to use technology, to harness creativity, to innovate, and think critically. They need to know what to do with the information. I think this all goes back to teaching our students to learn. If they are able to learn, to innovate, they will make use of the information that have their fingertips.
Flipped Classrooms
I think this is an amazing concept! It makes so much sense that I can’t believe we didn’t utilize this kind of system sooner. Lectures bore the mess out of me; they can be hard to follow, teachers sometimes speak too fast or too slowly, or even too monotonously. This system of educating allows students to watch lectures instead of wasting valuable class time trying to focus on what is being said. If all lectures are in video form, students are able to go back and watch them as they please. They can pause, rewind, fast forward, etc. With this step being taken care of outside of the classroom, educators can step in and use their class time as an opportunity to make sure that everyone has grasped the concepts and are correctly applying them.
The increase in time for individual (or smaller group) instruction will be the most benefical, in my opinion. I have always went to class, sat through a lecture, told myself “yep I got it”, only to get home to start homework and realize that I have no clue what I’m doing. With a flipped classroom, lectures are readily available when I need them, and I will also have time with my teacher to make sure that I am not practicing something incorrectly.
I think this is an amazing system. I will definitely utilize these methods in my classroom. I am so thankful that this was an assignment!!
Krissy Venosdale has been teaching for the last ten years. She is currently a gifted education teacher. I want to say based on clues throughout some of her posts that she teaches in the St. Louis area. I think she has some excellent standards on what education means, and how one should go about educating. I would definitely suggest that you check out her blog here.
If I Built A School
If I built a school, the teaching styles would coincide with Ms. Venosdale’s ideas. Creativity, innovation, and collaboration would be a few of the things at the top of my list. I would also try to make the environment warm, inviting, and cozy. I would try to give the school a collegiate feel. Students will be able to choose their schedules. I would allow them more personal freedom outside of class to connect and discuss with friends over lunch or snacks. I think this will also help them develop more effective time management skills. I could go on and on and be very thorough. I could describe everything down to the color of paint in the hallways; however to compensate for time and length constrictions. I will leave it rather vague.
Virtual Choir
Wow! This was so awesome! Absolutely mind-blowing! Not only did it sound amazing, but this is truly an example of technology at its best. All of these people performed a very complex piece together completely over the internet. None of these people has met before in person, yet still managed to collaborate in order to create a stunning piece of work. While this was entirely about a virtual choir, the principle can be applied to almost anything. I think the most important thing is that this is a shared experience. You are a part of something bigger, as Mr. Whitacre says in his talk on TED. I think the world has a way of making us as individuals feel extremely small. With collaborative projects such as Mr. Whitacre’s virtual choir, people can feel as if they important, something bigger than just themselves.
Teaching In The 21st Century
I think Kevin Roberts touches some key issues. I can understand exactly where he is coming from. Times have changed. Students don’t need someone that will give them facts and dates. We are able to google anything, anytime, anywhere. We all, for the most part, have a device on our persons that allow us to access almost any knowledge in the world within a matter of moments.
I think for me, as an educator, this means I need to focus less on facts and information, and more on skills that come into play once the information has been accessed. Students need to be prepared to use technology, to harness creativity, to innovate, and think critically. They need to know what to do with the information. I think this all goes back to teaching our students to learn. If they are able to learn, to innovate, they will make use of the information that have their fingertips.
Flipped Classrooms
I think this is an amazing concept! It makes so much sense that I can’t believe we didn’t utilize this kind of system sooner. Lectures bore the mess out of me; they can be hard to follow, teachers sometimes speak too fast or too slowly, or even too monotonously. This system of educating allows students to watch lectures instead of wasting valuable class time trying to focus on what is being said. If all lectures are in video form, students are able to go back and watch them as they please. They can pause, rewind, fast forward, etc. With this step being taken care of outside of the classroom, educators can step in and use their class time as an opportunity to make sure that everyone has grasped the concepts and are correctly applying them.
The increase in time for individual (or smaller group) instruction will be the most benefical, in my opinion. I have always went to class, sat through a lecture, told myself “yep I got it”, only to get home to start homework and realize that I have no clue what I’m doing. With a flipped classroom, lectures are readily available when I need them, and I will also have time with my teacher to make sure that I am not practicing something incorrectly.
I think this is an amazing system. I will definitely utilize these methods in my classroom. I am so thankful that this was an assignment!!
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Friday, February 8, 2013
Blog Post #4
Langwitches Flat Stanley Podcast
The first graders at Langwitches read Flat Stanley and then decided to go on some flat adventures themselves. With the help of their parents, the students chose a location and wrote briefly about their flat adventure there. Each student then recorded their adventures, and was combined to make their Flat Stanley podcast.
Langwitches Listening-Comprehension Podcasting
In this blog, students record sentences from the Hebrew story Purim. After they finished recording their sentences in Garageband, they connected the computer to a smart board. This allowed the students to be able to use their fingers to drag the sound clips of their sentences into the proper order. The kids were able to have lots of fun with the project and experience a hands-on approach. They are also learning to use new technology, but the post strongly emphasizes that the lesson was not about the technology. The students learned speaking and listening skills, comprehension, and collaboration to name a few.
The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom
Joe Dale presents a video clip by Doug Saunders called Podcasting In The Classroom. The clip describes the benefits of using podcasts in the classroom. Some of these benefits include: ease of use, opportunities for distance learning, and promotes creativity and innovation. Mr. Dale also provides video tutorial links on how to podcast and how to do so using garageband.
Reactions/Comments/Thoughts
There is no doubt that podcasting is a very useful educational tool. Given that English is my subject of choice, podcasting will be a fun tool to get my future students interested in the literature we learn about. I definitely plan to incorporate podcasting into my classrooms due to its effectiveness and simplicity. Podcasting will give students a genuine sense of pride and accomplishment in their work. What I find most interesting about the use of podcasting, is that the students do not even realize that they are learning much more than just the story. I think, from the view of a first or second grade student, that this would be an incredibly fun project that would mask the “dreaded” learning behind it. Also, while it promotes proficiency with many types of technology, it also teaches very basic skills such as reading, writing, speaking, and listening. With the basics covered already, it even goes a step further to add comprehension and collaboration skills. These resources will definitely be helpful when it comes time to work on my podcast assignment. The main things I learned was that I needed to be sure to speak clearly and plan what I want to say in advance. I tend to be much more comfortable writing rather than speaking. Focusing on what I want to say and how to say it beforehand will help me to be more comfortable.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
C4T Blog Post #1
For my C4T, I was assigned Connected Principals. My first comment was on ”Be More Interested Than Interesting” posted by Chris Wejr. In his blog he states that he has spent too much time trying to be interesting online and too little on being interested offline. The main thing he wants to do is focus and actually do more. He tries to emphasize that you need to be interested in the things going on around you. I’m sure this includes everything that you are involved in online as well. The main point is exactly his title, be more interested than interesting. Although his personal focus was on doing offline, the general principle is outstanding.
When I commented on this post, outside of introducing myself, I applauded his resolution to be more interested. I agreed with him, and shared my passion for helping and being interested in others. I ended by thanking him and asking if he planned to do a follow-up blog later. I am interested to see what comes from his endeavors.
Comment #2
The second blog from Connected Principals that I commented on was ”The Heart of the Matter” posted by “dkerr”. I was unable to find the author’s full name. This post proposes that we lean towards trying to identify the cause of problems for “underachieving” students. It expresses how often teachers tell their students that they need to try harder or focus more. The post states that we should take a look at our programs, assessment expectations/practices, and the way we generally approach struggling students, and then begin to make changes. The author told us that he had recently read a book called Speaking of Boys by Michael Thompson. I plan to read this, and hope that I find it as amazing and enlightening as the author of this blog post.
When I commented, I introduced my self, and explained that because I am a student in the field of education that I was able to understand this post from the view of both student and teacher. I agreed with the changes the author suggested and commended their level of passion for helping their students and trying to get to “the heart of the matter”. I also told the author that I will be following the blog and, asked if they would be willing to write a follow-up blog.
Special Blog Assignment #1
I love WolframAlpha! I had no idea this even existed before being assigned this special blog. There are astounding amounts and types of information to be found. When I done the original comparison between populations of India, China, and America, I expected to find the populations and percentages. What I didn’t expect was the extent of information readily available. Not only is the population listed, but there are also population ratios, densities, growth rates, life expectancies, and even median ages. Better still, WolframAlpha offers visuals! As they say, seeing is believing. I couldn’t wait to get started on my other two required searches, and I’ve done multiple more since then.
Search #1
I may have had a bit too much fun with this assignment! Since I ended up doing so many different searches and the uses for WolframAlpha are almost endless, I had to choose which ones to write about in my blog. For my first one, I used WolframAlpha to help pay for dinner with friends. We forgot to ask the waitress to split the bill for us! I payed for everything on my card, but still needed to know how much my friends needed to reimburse me. I am not a math person, so this was extremely nifty! I did already know that WolframAlpha was capable of this from personal research. This is what I typed in as my search phrase: $93.27, 15% tip, 4 people. Directly below this paragraph is a screenshot of my search results. You can see that I found exactly what I wanted to know (amount per person, including tip), along with lots of other information as well.
Search #2
Jeanette doesn’t seem to be common name. I have never met anyone that shares my name. So, for my second search I entered: number of people named Jeanette. WolframAlpha provided me with the estimated number of people alive named Jeanette, the population fraction, expected rank (I assume to mean name popularity), and also the most common age of these people. It is so much fun to have such unlimited access to information. I took this a step further and added “vs Summer” to my search phrase. I’ve included another screenshot below. It gave me all the same information but compared the two side by side.
How Can We Use WolframAlpha?!
There are so many ways that WolframAlpha can be used. I done a good bit of snooping around this site. I found a WolframAlpha blog that has the specific category for education! How cool, right? You can visit that blog by clicking here. More specifically, I recommend that you consider reading this blog posted by Richard Clark. In this blog, Richard shares 10 more questions that kids can answer using WolframAlpha. I was especially fond of the way it could lay out mathematics. I wouldn’t really know where to start explaining the ways in which this can be beneficial to my students, or myself. I haven’t failed to find anything I’ve searched for yet. The possibilities are endless!
Technology And Educators
I have a lot of catching up and a lot of keeping up to do. The advancements in technology just since I was a child are mind blowing. EDM 310 has really opened my eyes! I think outside of “just doing my job”, I’ll have to continuously teach myself as well. I think this same principle needs to be instilled into our students. Be a life long learner. Research outside of the box. It has already been discussed that most jobs people will hold 10 years from now do not even yet exist. How do you prepare for something like that? I say feed your intelligence, explore, be creative. Learn to learn. I think as an educator it should be a priority to enhance adaptability. Of course students need to know all of the basic things you learn through school, but I do not think that it should be put far above creativity and innovation. It is with these, I believe, that students will excel most.
Search #1
I may have had a bit too much fun with this assignment! Since I ended up doing so many different searches and the uses for WolframAlpha are almost endless, I had to choose which ones to write about in my blog. For my first one, I used WolframAlpha to help pay for dinner with friends. We forgot to ask the waitress to split the bill for us! I payed for everything on my card, but still needed to know how much my friends needed to reimburse me. I am not a math person, so this was extremely nifty! I did already know that WolframAlpha was capable of this from personal research. This is what I typed in as my search phrase: $93.27, 15% tip, 4 people. Directly below this paragraph is a screenshot of my search results. You can see that I found exactly what I wanted to know (amount per person, including tip), along with lots of other information as well.
Jeanette doesn’t seem to be common name. I have never met anyone that shares my name. So, for my second search I entered: number of people named Jeanette. WolframAlpha provided me with the estimated number of people alive named Jeanette, the population fraction, expected rank (I assume to mean name popularity), and also the most common age of these people. It is so much fun to have such unlimited access to information. I took this a step further and added “vs Summer” to my search phrase. I’ve included another screenshot below. It gave me all the same information but compared the two side by side.
How Can We Use WolframAlpha?!
There are so many ways that WolframAlpha can be used. I done a good bit of snooping around this site. I found a WolframAlpha blog that has the specific category for education! How cool, right? You can visit that blog by clicking here. More specifically, I recommend that you consider reading this blog posted by Richard Clark. In this blog, Richard shares 10 more questions that kids can answer using WolframAlpha. I was especially fond of the way it could lay out mathematics. I wouldn’t really know where to start explaining the ways in which this can be beneficial to my students, or myself. I haven’t failed to find anything I’ve searched for yet. The possibilities are endless!
Technology And Educators
I have a lot of catching up and a lot of keeping up to do. The advancements in technology just since I was a child are mind blowing. EDM 310 has really opened my eyes! I think outside of “just doing my job”, I’ll have to continuously teach myself as well. I think this same principle needs to be instilled into our students. Be a life long learner. Research outside of the box. It has already been discussed that most jobs people will hold 10 years from now do not even yet exist. How do you prepare for something like that? I say feed your intelligence, explore, be creative. Learn to learn. I think as an educator it should be a priority to enhance adaptability. Of course students need to know all of the basic things you learn through school, but I do not think that it should be put far above creativity and innovation. It is with these, I believe, that students will excel most.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Blog Post #3
I think Paige’s suggestion for this assignment was a great idea. I have been wary about commenting on other’s blogs. I feel much more confident doing so now. Most of the things in the video, in my opinion, can be utilized with basic tact.
I worked as a photographer for a while when I was 19, and I had a manager that said the customer does not have to always be right, but they can be wrong with dignity. She basically meant that it is ok to correct others, but you need to do so in a tactful manner. This can definitely be applied to peer editing.
I tried to incorporate the instructions for peer editing when I completed my C4C assignment this week. It was difficult for me to criticize certain areas of my classmates blog. I think I managed to follow all steps well, and leave a quality comment without hurting any feelings. I would actually like to utilize this a bit more now. I’m always worried about whether or not my blog posts will be up to par. I think It’d help me to feel more confident about what I’ve written if someone else were to proof and give me feedback beforehand.
Assistive Technology
I think the mountbatten is incredible. My subject of choice is English, so this will definitely come in handy should I have a student that is blind. Communication is the key to everything. This piece of technology really opens lines to better communication. The best thing about it is that the student can work on an assignment individually and then still send a worded file to the teacher. Both student and teacher will be able to easily read it.
The VoiceOver software for iPad is a wonderful advancement. Obviously, as we seen in the video, there are some kinks in the software. I think once these bugs get fixed and the software is more finely tuned, it will be much more simple to use.
These advancements, among others, will help to students with sensory disabilities interact with their classmates. These students will be able to collaborate with other students much easier.
I have never been good at math even with sight. I am rather relieved that I won’t have to worry with teaching math. Especially to those who are blind. Professor Karshmer developed a personal workspace that allows the mathematical problems to be viewed in a non-linear way.
I definitely need to do more research on assistive technology. I think as an educator I wll already have a heavy work load. I need to work on being as prepared as I can be to help my students.
Harnessing Your Students' Digital Smarts
This video by Vicki Davis was amazing. She has found a way to meet curriculum standards while still adapting it to use technology. My favorite part of the whole video was the part where she talked about her students learning terraforming. She openly admitted that she had no experience with terraforming and learned with her students.
I think this is a great way to get them interested, make them feel accomplished, and build rapport. I think the idea of learning things with your students is an incredible concept. This would surely keep everything fun and intriguing for all parties. I am looking forward to utilizing many of her principles into my own classroom.
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