Sunday, June 30, 2013

Blog Post #10

Quote and self picture of Dr. Pausch
What Can We Learn About Teaching and Learning From Randy Pausch?

Randy Pausch was an amazing man and very talented. The video that we were assigned to watch was Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams at Carnegie Mellon University. In the beginning of the video Randy tells the audience that he had ten tumors in his liver and that he had about six months of good health left. This man did more things in his 47 years on Earth than most people would ever dream of doing. There are three main points that he touched on: First, Childhood Dreams. Second, Enabling the dreams of others. Third, Lessons Learned: How can you achieve your dreams or enable the dreams of others. Randy talked about his many childhood dreams that he had. Most dreams that he had did in fact come true. He did get to fly at zero gravity and be a Disney Imagineer and many others. Some things he dreamed he didn't get to do, like become an NFL football player, but that never stopped him. Unfortunately in July of 2008 Dr. Pausch passed away from Pancreatic cancer, but the many things like the Alice project will never be forgotten.

Brick wall quote
What can I learn about learning from Randy Pausch? I learned that when I'm a teacher I can't give up. Even when you hit a brick wall like Randy says,"Brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how bad we want things". Always help others reach their goal as much as you want to reach yours. He also thought that learning should be fun and I can't agree more with him. Learning should stay fun and interesting, this keeps the kids wanting to learn and excited about doing and learning new things. The one thing that stood out to me that he said was "There is nothing like watching kids have fun learning something hard." I can't wait until I become a teacher and get to help kids have fun while learning something hard.

What can we learn about teaching from Dr. Pausch? One of Dr. Pausch's mentors told him to "Never set a bar with the students when you don't know where to put it, because you will only do a disservice to them by making one." That statement alone make me think that teachers can limit their kids work if they set the bar to low. Always tell students that their work was good, but you know they can do better. Tell the students this even when their work was more than what you expected them to come up with. By telling students that they can do better than what they had turned in will make them want to try and do better on the next project or assignment given.

Smartboard Project #12

Part A

Podcast Project #9

Thom Markham- Project Based Learning

Sunday, June 23, 2013

C4T #2

Comment for Teachers #2

For my second Comment for Teachers I was given Angela Maiers. She is an Author, Speaker, Writer, and a Teacher. Her slogan is "Together we are smarter". I'm so glad to have had the chance to read and explore her blog. I even followed her on Twitter. She has such a big heart when it comes to teaching kids and telling them that they DO matter and that people DO care for them. I watched a couple of her videos and was amazed at how much she put into children. In one of her videos she talks about how she just walked around with a journal and wrote in it what she had seen throughout the day. When the kids had figured out what she was doing with her journal and that she was writing about them they started doing the same thing and kept their own. They would see her in the hallway and tell her things that they had observed, because they wanted her to write it down and keep it for future information. She travels to schools everywhere and talks to students about how they all matter. I'm so inspired by what she does and I hope to one day be an inspiration to others like she is.

The first blog I read by Angela was Two days I'll never forget. In this post she talks about how she went for two days to Downington S.T.E.M. Academy and presented her Choose2Matter speech. In this speech she talked to a bunch of teens that really didn't care to be there at first and then when she talked about how just one person can change the world. Then the students started listening and jumped on board with the whole idea. The kids split off into groups and came up with ways to try and change the world. I commented on Mrs. Maiers blog post saying, "I'm a student from South Alabama in EDM310. I'm so glad that I got the chance to read this blog. I wanted to keep on reading and watching all the videos. Just amazing! I for sure want to use this in my future classroom. All it takes is just for one person to show that they care. Great job!" I received a response from her a couple of days later saying "Brittnee, So thrilled you found the blog and joined the conversation! Way to go for choosing the most awesome, rewarding, and needed profession in the world!"

kids holding up signs saying you matter
The second blog I read was The Best Ways to Let People Know They Matter. In this blog she talks about how you need to accept that you matter. She gives a link to another blog of hers called People Know They Matter When... This blog goes on to tell different ways people can feel that they matter. I commented saying, "Hello Angela, I'm so excited to keep reading your blog post.They really inspire everyone that reads them. Children and even adults need to know that they matter and by letting them know that they do could change them in some really positive ways. I know that if just one person says a positive thing to me I feel so much happier. I can just imagine what a child feels when they know that someone takes the time out to care for them."

Blog Post #8 Collaborative

What can we learn about teaching and learning from these teachers?

"Back to the Future”- Brittnee

Mr. Brian Crosby an Elementary teacher at Agnes Risley Elementary School in Sparks Nevada has came up with some great ways to enhance his classroom. Every student in his classroom has access to a computer at their desk. He has each student create a blog to making them think “outside the box”. He gives a lesson and either makes them take pictures or video of what they learned and then embed it in their blog. Crosby teaches them active learning and in the video Back to the Future he shows us that learning doesn’t have to be boring. We can learn from him by keeping a blog and sharing it to teachers and students around the world. It can help engage students and keep them wanting to learn. This video has taught me that even though it is just an elementary class that doesn’t make them any less important to the way we are teaching and learning. All the projects that he does in his classroom helps to empower, connect, collaborate, motivate, and include children. Something else in his video that I can learn from is that when he talked about the student with Leukemia and how he connects with her every morning by using Skype to let her be a part of the class. It has never crossed my mind of what I should do if I were in that position. He mentioned two different sites that can help him one site is ed.gov and the other is whitehouse.gov. I have learned some very valuable things from Mr. Crosby and I want to use his science examples in my future classroom.

“Bozemanscience”-Amber

Mr. Paul Anderson is a science teacher in Bozeman, MT. He has created hundreds of science videos that have been viewed millions of times by students and teachers around the world. His blog is titled “Bozemanscience.” Coincidently, I subscribed to his YouTube channel a while back before even knowing he would be apart of my next blog post! Mr. Anderson is a teacher that I admire. He is always teaching and learning new things. What can I learn about teaching and learning from him? First of all, I can learn that teaching can be fun and there is nothing wrong with learning with your students. This video, "Blended learning cycle," describes that in every way. Blended learning cycle is taking mobile, online, and the classroom and blending them together. Using them all as ways to have a more productive experience. In the learning cycle students are able to explore, explain, engage, expand and evaluate all within the classroom. Paul Anderson explains the importance of questions. He says that questions are something like the hook in learning. This means to ask questions that grab the students attention. Something that stimulates them to think deeper. He uses different types of technology to engage in the blended learning cycle. I learned from Paul Anderson an amazing skill to use in my future classroom. That is, how to use the blended learning cycle.

children using computers in the classroom
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“Making Thinking Visible”- Hannah

Mr. Mark Church is a teacher that promotes visible thinking. Visible thinking is a research- based approach to learning and something that we as future teachers should know about. One of its main goals is to deepen content learning. Getting children to think out loud and in a group is one of the ways that Mark Church shows visible thinking in this video. He wants to get children involved in the subject matter and wants them to care about what they are learning. Visible thinking is about creativity and the strive for knowledge. This is a way to encourage your students to be the best learners that they can be. Visible thinking is something that I had honestly never heard of. I think that Mark Church's book, Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners, would be a very good purchase for those trying to better the overall learning and thinking atmosphere in their classroom. I cannot wait to learn more about it.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

PLN Project #9

My Symbaloo Webmix

My Personal Learning Network is composed of many different sites. I used a site called Symbaloo to keep everything in order that I am using. I'm using social networking sites as: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Skype and others. I have Padlet, Blogger, Gmail, Pinterest, Google+ and many more. I have also added some teaching sites on there as well, PBS Teachers, Edmodo, Teacher Tube, Timetoast. All of the things I have added are really great to use for this class.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Blog Post #7

teacher using a FM System for hearing impaired
What assistive technologies are available to you as a teacher? Select a few and discuss how they may be useful to you.


FM Systems- Brittnee

Students with hearing problems in a quiet environment can hear really well, but putting them in an environment that is really loud changes everything. Students that are hard of hearing use many different devices, but the one that I found that could help students would be the FM System . Kids of all ages can use these devices, because when they enter a classroom with all sorts of different noises their hearing becomes muffled and they have a hard time making out what is being said by the teacher. FM Systems are devices that uses  radio transmission to send auditory signals. This device is wireless, portable and battery operated. While the teacher is giving a lesson or talking they will have a microphone attached to a transmitter that is hooked to their body and as they talk the student will have a receiver connected to their clothing or an input cable or by connecting it to the actual hearing aid itself. I found that students will be able to hear a speaker from either 30 ft- 200 ft depending on the power of the antenna. According to the  American Speech- Language hearing association they describe the FM Systems as being like miniature radio stations operating on special frequencies. These devices can be used anywhere that has too many loud noises. Ex. movie theatre, restaurants, or even in church.    



Nova Chat- Hannah

Many children in the United States suffer from some form of communication impairment. It is my job, as a teacher, to provide them with some sort of way to better communicate. I have done the research and there are many devices that would aid in the this. My favorite one that I came across was the Nova Chat. The Nova Chat is used by people who have ALS, Autism, Down-Syndrome, and Parkinson's disease. From the outside it looks somewhat like a heavy- duty ipad. It is actually a device made specifically for children and adults with hearing or communication impairments. All you have to do is find the button that best represents what you are trying to say and push it. Nova Chat gives you the option to communicate using simple words, phrases, or even pictures. One thing that I thought was really neat is that on the Nova Chat you can use different voices to communicate. A few of the options would be a child's voice or even a British voice. The Nova Chat is also now available to communicate in Spanish. I was not completely sold on this device until I saw the video Julia Using Her ALT- Chat device. Nova Chat is a device that I would definitely want to use in my classroom.

BAT Keyboard by Infogrip-Amber

Infogrip's BAT Keyboard is a one-handed, compact input device that replicates all the functions of a full-size keyboard, but with greater efficiency and convenience. The BAT is easy to learn and use. Letters, numbers, commands and macros are simple key combinations, "chords," that you can master in no time. Best of all the BAT's unique ergonomic design reduces hand strain and fatigue for greater comfort and productivity. The BAT is the ultimate typing solution for persons with physical or visual impairments and is proven to increase productivity when used with graphic or desktop publishing software.

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Blog Post #6

Asking questions: What questions do we ask? How do we ask?



questions marks
Dr. Strange asked, What do we need to know about asking questions to be an effective teacher?

Looking at different sites about asking questions I found many different ways to become an effective teacher. Many teachers either ask open-ended or close-ended questions. In Asking better questions in the classroom Joanne Chesley talks about the differences of open and close ended questions. Open-ended questions are the best to give a class, because they involve more thinking rather than a closed-ended question that only leads to a yes or no answer. Open-ended questions let the children think a little more rather than blurting out a quick yes or no and hoping they got the answer correct. I think children need to be challenged when asked questions and it helps them to better understand the material that is being taught.

In Three Ways to Ask Better Questions in the Classroom Maryellen Weimer.PhD gives three ways to ask better questions. The first is Prepare questions, always have questions prepared before teaching the lesson that way the teacher nor the students get confused. Trying to fix a question would lead to asking another question and then getting even more confused about the whole thing. Teachers should always be prepared to answer questions that the students have. Lets be honest we do not have all the answers to every question, we are only human. The second tip is to Play with questions, this means leaving the question unanswered for a while for the students to think on it. This causes the children to want to think on the question, because they are not sure which student will be asked for the answer at the end of the lesson. The last point is to Preserve good questions, keep the good questions and save them for later this is so the teacher could ask them on a test later on or just have them for a refresher one day. I really like the three ways that she presented. I think that it would be very helpful in the future.

Project #8 Book Trailer

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Blog Post #5

Children using podcast




In The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom by Joe Dale, I leaned a lot about why we would even use podcasting. To be honest I have never really known what it was about. I learned that teachers record themselves while teaching and they upload the videos and the kids can know what's going on when they are not in school, or if they want a refresher. I enjoyed this, not only was it very informational, but it helps people understand what's going on in the classroom. It allows for differentiation in the classroom as well.

The Second one was Langwitches, I thought that this was also a very interesting blog post. The fact that children want to learn just so they can talk in the podcast and even showing the emotion in their voices as they talk is a wonderful thing. I would love to do podcasting in my future classroom, just to see how many kids really do become engaged and want to be informed on what is going on in the classroom.

The last one Judy Scharf Podcast Collection is talking about what and how to use Podcasting. Podcasting is a mix between "broadcast" and a "iPod". I really like this site, because it is informative and answers a lot of questions that a person like me would ask, not even knowing what a podcast was. I would have never thought of using it in the classroom, but I have seen that teachers should have the capability to make these for their children. This one site has helped me understand that podcasting should be brought to schools, not just to help students that have been out for personal reasons, but for children to stay engaged. Children should be encouraged in any way to learn, so by podcasting they make learning their own and make it fun for everyone involved.

Project #7- My Passion

MY PASSION IS...



MY SENTENCE IS....

Sunday, June 9, 2013

C4T #1

different social media logos
For my first C4T, I was given Steven Anderson. His blog Blogging about the Web 2.0 Connected Classroom was very interesting to me. I really enjoyed reading all the information that he had on his blog. I liked that he was blogging with children around the world he said it's possible and easy to do. I didn't know that teachers could talk to students from different places until I came into EDM310. In his first blog post, Going Global- tips and resources for Global Collaboration he talks about many ways to talk to people across the world. He loves Twitter and talks about all the reasons people should have them especially any type of educator. Skype is another tool that Mr. Anderson uses which is a video chat. Teachers and students should have all different types of resources to get connected with others around the world. I think it's a great idea to have these tools to use, especially since schools are moving to all types of different resources other than just books. Things have changed since we were little, kids are no longer going to school with just pen and paper. Now children are expected to know what a computer is and how to use it and not just for playing games on them. I liked how at the bottom of his blog he inserted links to show and talk about different tools as well. Here are some examples: QuadBlogging, Skype Classroom,Guide Management.

I commented to Mr. Anderson saying "I'm in EDM 310 and I study at the University of South Alabama" I went on telling him that I thought that using Skype in the classroom was a great idea and that I really want to use all the types of technology in my future classroom.



Google written many times
Steven Anderson's second blog post Google Tools to Check Out, was by far the best blog out of the two. Google is an amazing tool to use. He goes in detail about using Google and everything it has to offer. He even goes on to say "that Google is his favorite search engine." I agree with with Mr. Anderson, Google is the best in my opinion. I can type in anything and within seconds it provides hundreds of links that describes what I am looking for. He talks about many different things that Google has to offer like, Google keep, Google Mars and others. The one sight that really interested me was Google for Teachers . I didn't know that teachers had their own site and that no matter what you were looking for, all you have to do was search in Google for Education.

My comment to Mr. Anderson was that I am a huge supporter of Google, but I did ask him a question about Google for Teachers. I'm know that teachers share lesson plans and other things online,but is it okay to use other teachers work like that? I wouldn't want to become a teacher and then been known as plagiarizing. Would this even be considered something like that? You can find all sorts of things online and I think it's a great thing to have and use.

Project # 3 Presentation

Blog Post #4

21st Century Technology tools 21st Century Tools

Brittnee- Promethean is a company that is designed to make many different tools to help students learn. They want to take learning to the next level in the 21st Century.Their goal is to bring together data, resources, tools and expertise. I chose this program, because of the major differences they have made in bringing children together to work in groups and learn at their own pace. The more the children are engaged the better they learn. Promethean uses tools like, ActivTablet which is the same thing as an iPad and they also have an ActivBoard, this is similar to a SmartBoard. On the site you can watch videos of children learning with these tools and see that they are really understanding what the teacher is talking about. These children want to be called on to go to the board, because they want to draw or play the games that can be loaded. The tool that is most fascinating and the one that I would want to use is the ActivTable, this table is a multi-user interactive table designed to promote student collaboration, engagement and student-led learning.I chose this tool, because children use this table to help each other learn and it is a great tool to use for students to become more interactive with students. If a child does not understand something while is it being taught, they can go to the ActivTable and get help from other students.

Amber- Flipping the classroom is an amazing 21st century tool. The whole purpose of it is to make sure the teacher addresses each child's academic need. I believe that this tool really helps students learn and grasp the subject before it is taught. The object is to have each student watch a video of their own teacher explaining the lesson for the next day. Many 21st century teachers choose to flip their classroom because only 10% is application and the other 90% is teaching or concept. To me that is entirely ridiculous. That is another great example of burp back education. Also, there is not enough time for differentiation in the classroom today. This great tool allows students to watch, rewind, pause and post questions about the topic at hand if they are confused. Students who have mastered the subject may also work ahead. They are able to watch the video as many times as they want. Many teachers find that after they have flipped their classroom all students become engaged and challenged. This makes for an effective differentiation. Now instead of teaching 90% of the time, teachers realized they have more time to help children apply the skills they have learned. They also have more time to cater to every child's needs. I believe that “Flipping the classroom” is a very effective tool and I hope to use it.

Hannah- Prezi is a presentation and software tool. It allows you to turn boring slideshows into something more captivating for your audience. Many people use Powerpoint to express their ideas through presentation. Prezi is so much more than that. Prezi not only allows you to express your ideas but, but it also lets you share them on the cloud. One of my favorite parts about Prezi is all of the animation and decorative options that it gives you. The templates are really fun and interactive! I would use Prezi to present textbook information to the class. Textbooks can be so boring. This will definitely spice it up! I am also going to make it an option for my students to use Prezi to present information that we are learning in class. I chose this tool because it is great for capturing the student’s attention. I think that the students will enjoy Prezi and actually be excited to make a presentation using it. I found the tutorial on the Prezi website to be very helpful.This is a great tool and I think that every teacher should incorporate it in some way in their classroom.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Blog Post #3

Peer Review

Picture looking deeper into peer reviewIn Paige Ellis' class blog , she is trying to figure out a way to make peer review not seem to harsh. In her blog she says, "Constructive criticism is not always an easy or pleasant task, and it is something that is not always appreciated" I agree with her. Many times people just blurt out whatever comes to mind when reading something, not meaning to be hurtful to anyone. Their peers try to help when someone makes a mistake, but it can also be taken in the wrong way. Paige Ellis is concerned whether or not she should publicly or privately give her critique to her peers. Dr. Strange gets asked the question of "What she should do in her situation?". His response was “Help him/her. You are going to be a teacher. Get in some practice. We are part of a learning community. Privately or publicly. You decide. And then tell me why. That is practice too on making decisions. You will have to make them as a teacher. I think there are arguments for either choice. I have used both approaches.” He is right! We are all going to have to make the decisions on not just this kind of question, but on many others that arise in our future classrooms. She decides that it is best to do the peer review both publicly and privately.



In the video, What is Peer Editing? they talk about three main points. These points deal with what a person should do when editing something for someone else. The first point, is to always compliment the person being reviewed. Compliments should consist of what you liked about the assignment and other positive reactions you might have after reading. Second, the person should give suggestions, for example: changing word choice, giving more details, the topic went off course a bit and the sentences needed to be corrected. Suggestions will help him/her to become more aware of things that need help. Last is Correction, the the person should be corrected in things like: grammar, punctuation and spelling.

In the slideshow, Peer Edit With Perfection Tutorial they showed different ways to help a peer critique something. I think this slideshow is a great tool to use. Not only should it be used for this class, but others as well.

In the video, Writing Peer Review Top 10 Mistakes they showed kids doing a peer reviews and what not to do. I really enjoyed this video, because it was put in terms that no matter what age they could understand what not to do.



In editing my group members blog, I understand that maybe some things for example: punctuation and grammar should be talked about in a comment box. I think that real detailed things that they have to say should be in an e-mail. That way he/she could talk back and forth and give an example of what we can do to make the post correct.

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Blog Post #2

Sir Dancealot

After watching the video, I think that this whole class was put together poorly. I would never want to be the kind of teacher that teaches like Dancealot does. There are many things I would change about this class, like reading word for word from the power point. This causes the kids to lose focus, and set their minds on something else. The dance class should never have been in an actual classroom, instead it should have been done in a gym or something to that extent. The area should be big enough for the dancers to move around freely, not sitting in a desk. Dancealot should have been letting the students do the steps when he taught them, not just letting them stare at the board or fall asleep. He had many chances to let the them get up and have some type of entertainment to keep them moving, but instead he chose not to. No one should ever have to go through a class like this, no matter what age they are. I was really disappointed in the way he presented the class with the final. There was no review session or anything saying what was gonna be on the final. There should be no open book final in a dance class, because who can dance and hold a book at the same time? I know that I would not want a teacher to do that to me, so I wouldn't want to do that for any student either.

This is a picture of Students Listening to Teacher Read and being very confused.jpg
Harness Your Students Digital Mind- Amber

Harness your students digital mind is a video about technology in the classroom. Teacher Vicki Davis teaches her students to use their creativity as they use their computers. They create blogs and comment on other students blogs. They are a very interactive class and are technology savvy. I think that is important in the classroom today. Vicki Davis is a great example of a 21st century teacher. She is open minded and allows the students to teach her as well. We both have something in common. I believe in learning together instead of standing in front of a classroom teaching and having students feel inferior to me. Vicki Davis inspires me to become a open minded teacher and more importantly have FUN in the classroom.

Teaching in the 21st Century- Brittnee

I think that Kevin is right, things are changing and that everything is moving to all sorts of different types of media. Kevin Roberts is basically saying that one day teachers will no longer be needed. The video shows that children will be using computers more. Even though children will be used to using all kinds of different technology, they still need someone to show them how everything works. Using all kinds of different things in the classroom would be handy, but in some parts of the world children have never even seen a computer. That’s why we as teachers should have the knowledge of all the different types of advancements so that we can keep the kids up to date as well as ourselves. We are now a filter to education rather than the only source.


Networked Student -Hannah

Wendy Drexler's "Networked Student," served as an eye-opener for me. Everything that children will be able to do online now, and even more so in the next few years, makes me wonder if children will even need a teacher. All learning can be done online. This is if the children find reliable sources. They can communicate with the teacher and other students using any social network.

As of right now, I am not sure if I am prepared to be a teacher of the networked student. Up until the past few years, I have not been a networked student myself. I have also learned more about the use of the internet this year than I ever have. There is still so much more that I need to understand. Hopefully, by the time I graduate, I will be prepared to be a teacher of the networked student. I really enjoyed watching "A seventh Graders Personal Learning Environment." She had all of her sites organized so well. It made it so much easier for her to find everything she needed. She had her school work separated from her leisure activities. I would have to say that her PLE was more organized than mine, but it made me want to change mine for the better.