Blog Post #16

My dream classroom that I would want would have to be a fun and safe environment. My thoughts have changed so much since blog post #1. I have learned that technology is very helpful in the classroom. I think that children should be able to understand that technology is very important and will help them succeed in their future. The tools that I would want my class to use would have to be blogs. I have learned that students at any age can use this tool and that it could be very resourceful. I have gotten use to using the Smartboard and I really think that kids could learn better if they have a hands on visual to use. Kids today have grown up with technology like iPads and Smartphones so it would be a disadvantage to them if they came into a classroom and all you gave them to learn with was books and paper. I want to use Project Based Learning in my classroom as well. Using PBL kids would not only learn the material that has been covered but they would understand the objective better. PBL would be real important in my class. I want to use things like Skype or even Google Hangout with my students. I think that podcasts are things I would like to incorporate as well.

Activities that I would use would have to be things that I have found on Smartboard. I can teach a lesson and then have activities that would reinforce what material had been covered that day or week. I think that Padlett would be something I can have the class use as well. I could ask questions and have the class split into groups and have them brainstorm what the possible solutions would be. Then as we did in EDM310 have the different groups explain what their answers were and how they came up with the solution. I want my classroom to be inviting to everyone. If you set up a classroom that the children love and know that they are safe they will enjoy coming to class and learning.

I want to teach fourth graders. I think that each student should start off the school year by creating their own personal blog like we did in EDM310. That way parents and other students around the world can look at these blogs and see all that our class has learned. I want to set up an environment that the kids would love to come in and enjoy learning. PBL is something that I find real important and should be used. This would show that the students are comprehending what we are learning and also letting them have fun. I would like to have my classroom split into groups of no more than four per group. That way the kids can work on things together. I want to incorporate so many different things into the classroom. I can't wait to have a class and show them everything that I have learned and teach them how to us the different types of technologies. I want my future class to have every advantage that is out there to help them succeed in their own personal futures.

Project #16

Blog Post #15

iCurio- Brittnee

In the video that we were assigned Dr. Strange had a Skype session with Anthony Capps a former EDM310 student. Now Anthony is a teacher in Baldwin County. Dr. Strange asked Anthony if he would describe what iCurio was and how it helps teachers. Anthony responds by saying that it iCurio is an online tool that helps students with four main areas while searching the web. First, it allows students to safely search websites that have been filtered. This means that students can look at different things like texts, videos, and pictures and it is all safe for them to look at. Second, it is a storage unit for kids and adults. It allows students to begin learning how to start organizing. Students can create folders and save things that they are working on. It’s more like virtual organization. What I heard that was really neat was that the kids can make timelines by searching for different things that they are learning. He describes it as a directory feature for historical figures. Anthony also mentions that iCurio can be used for any grade level if the teacher is willing to show the children how to use it. I thought that it was interesting that it has a read aloud feature for anyone that has a disability.



Discovery Education- Brittnee

In the video Dr. Strange and Anthony Capps have a conversation about Discovery Education. Anthony compares Discovery Education to the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words but a video must be worth a million." Anthony goes on to tell us that whatever kind of text you give a child, you can back it up with a visual. By doing this you will get back more information from the child. You can research anything that is being taught and there will be some type of video that will bring the text to life. Dr. Strange says that he thinks that there are more listeners and watchers than readers and writers. I agree with him. Anthony also informs us that kids live Discovery Education just as much as reading.



Additional Thoughts About Lessons- Brittnee

In the video Dr. Strange has a Skype session with Anthony Capps and they talk about how a teacher should plan their year with the standards, projects and other things that need to be done through the year. Anthony tells us the lessons should be at least four layers thick. The first layer is the Lesson. This is how it fits in with your year. Anthony mentions that you should have a plan and make sure that you fit in all of your standards that you have to teach. Most importantly is that you make sure that they each get covered. The second layer is the Unit. You should plan on making sure that you start with a certain aspect and by the end of the unit the students should have complete mastery of the task you have given them. Units are usually 6-8 weeks long. The third layer is the Week. Divide up your week so you make sure that everything is getting done. Make sure that you have your week planned so that you can accomplish your goal that you have set. The last layer is the Daily lesson. It is just as important as the other layers. Find something that can grab a student attention and use it while you are teaching your lesson. At the end of the lesson measure what they have learned that day so you know where to start the next day. These four components make up one lesson and all have to be done to have a successful one.



iCurio- Amber

During the iCurio discussion between Dr. Strange and Anthony Capps I learned many useful things. iCurio is a organized way for helping students search things on the web. The unique thing about this is that it is monitored and all of the sites have been uploaded by responsible professionals which make iCurio perfect to use inside the classroom. With Google and other search engines you are taking a risk at children having access to inappropriate things on the web. With iCurio you are almost free from that worry. iCurio was designed for all grade levels and is useful for a number of things. There is no limit. If a teacher feels that her class can handle iCurio then it can be used in any grade for any activity. iCurio is such a great resource and tool for organization. In case of an emergency, as Anthony stated, you can easily close down iCurio and all of your searches and work will still be there. This is a great time saver. iCurio is definitely a good resource that I will use in my classroom. From Anthony Capps I learned that iCurio is safe, productive, and it helps make learning fun.



Discovery Education

I love how Anthony Capps starts the video with a friendly quote that I’ve heard many times before. “A picture is worth a thousand words but a video must be worth a million.” This is so true. Discovery Ed is a great tool that carries every subject you can think of. It is a great resource for inside the classroom and is very useful for students as well as teachers. It allows students to search anything and it results with videos and other useful resources to enhance your students search experience. Anthony brings up the fact about it being able to bring experts into the classroom. I think this is awesome. With today’s technology it seems that anything is possible. With the click of a button children can learn many things and be engaged while doing their work. Videos make things much more interesting and they are more productive because they not only give information; they give you a visual of the information to enhance your learning experience. Anthony Capps uses Discovery Ed to bring different texts to life. This is something I wish to do as well.



Dr. Strange’s Tips for Teachers

In this video Dr. Strange and Anthony Capps discuss tips for being a successful teacher. He begins with by saying, “Teachers should also be learners.” I believe in this as well. If you are not willing to learn how can you expect your students to learn? A teacher must also be flexible and creative. Dr. Strange gives the example of Anthony’s class when they could not use their computers because the servers were down. So the whole was on the floor painting. Anthony had to be creative and come up with a backup lesson for that day. As a teacher you can not be committed to one way of teaching and lesson planning. Things are constantly changing. Anthony brings up the fact about teachers being able to reflect on themselves. I believe this is true and needs to be done. Self evaluation is key as well. This is something we all can never get enough of but if we do it often it’ll make our work and the way we learn so much better. I will definitely use these tips while trying to become a successful teacher.



Use Technology Don’t Teach it- Hannah

The video Use Technology Don't Teach It was great! Technology is everywhere and a big part of children's daily lives. Allowing children to use technology in the classroom just enhances their learning experience. Anthony Capps introduces technology in stages. They might not get to the core of a certain piece of technology in one day but they will definitely skim the surface. Technology is an amazing way for children to express themselves and it is also green, mostly affordable, and very shareable. Anthony also emphasized that we should not expect perfection. These children are going to make mistakes because everyone makes mistakes. The most important thing is that we learn from these mistakes. It is also a good idea to try out the technology yourself first. This will make it easier to understand the questions that your students ask. Overall I thought that this a great video that helped me better understand the use of technology in the classroom.

Blog Post #14

What is ABCya.com and how can it help in the classroom?

I'm not gonna lie this had to be the hardest post that Dr. Strange asked us to do. In this post we had to make up our own instructions and answer them. It took me awhile but I finally found something that we have not discussed.

I found an online site that has a ton of educational games that can help kids learn while having fun. ABCya.com is the leader in free educational kids computer games and activities for elementary students to learn on the web. All children's educational computer activities were created or approved by certified school teachers. All educational games are free and are modeled from primary grade lessons and enhanced to provide an interactive way for children to learn. Grade level lessons incorporate areas such as math and language arts while introducing basic computer skills. Many of the kindergarten and first grade activities are equipped with sound to enhance understanding. This site was created eight years ago by an elementary teacher that just started his first year in the public school system. He talks about when he first started he thought that when he turned on his computer that he would find a desktop that had tons of games to enhance the education in the classroom. He was surprised that there were no sites for them to play games. So, he went to the principle first and quickly found out that the school didn't have the funds to use the sites that had fees so he went on a quest to make his own free educational game site. He went to many teachers and asked for their lesson plans and other resources and that's how ABCya came to be made. It now has been online for eight years now and growing increasingly popular with all schools.

I think that this site can be beneficial to my future classroom in so many different ways. First, I can use it as a center for my kids to play. I can let them play a game that goes along with what I taught that week or day. Second, It can be used as remediation for kids whether it be for them to refresh their memory or it can be used for extra help. Third, I can have the kids work in groups on some of the activities and let them write a collaborative blog post on what they learned. There are so many different ways to use this site. I also thought that it was interesting that no matter what grade or subject you needed, this site had games for them all. I want kids to have fun while learning in my classroom so if I have to take the extra mile to find neat ways for them to learn I will.

C4T #4

For my last C4T I was given Hadley Ferguson and her blog Middle School Matrix. She is a Middle School History teacher at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy.She builds her Personal Learning Network from Twitter She originally wanted to be an Elementary teacher but was offered a job at an all girls school after she had home schooled her children. She said that it was a dare so she did the home schooling thing. I was real interested in her blog because she had just recently started doing Project Based Leaning in her classroom and that is what EDM310 is all about.

In the first blog post I had read of hers was #ISTE with Students!She took students with her to a showcase that's topic was "Not Your Mother's Research Paper". The students had put together a presentation and used a source I had never heard before called NoodleTools. The girls presenting did really well at explaining the information that they had worked on which was how their way to learn and to categorize,prioritizing and creating new meanings.

My Comment was: " Hello, My name is Brittnee Heathcoe. I am a Student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I was assigned your blog and I have never heard of ISTE before it seems real interesting. I also have never heard about NoodleTools either. I can’t wait to read more!"

My second post that I read was And It Comes Together! #PBL In this post she wasn't she admits that she wasn't to sure of the Project Based Learning way to approach teaching but she was open to try it and now she really likes it. She had students get into groups of 8-9 and work on different projects. The more in the group meant that if one person slacked all the work was not put on one or two people. The finished projects that all the girls did was just amazing. They got to show their creativity and use their imagination. The items that the class made were put up for sale and each group had written speeches that had made others want to buy their creations. I really enjoyed this post because we are learning the exact thing that she is teaching her students.

My comment to her was: "Hadley, Hi, My name is Brittnee Heathcoe. I am a student at the University of South Alabama in EDM310. This post is really interesting to me because the class that I have said above is a Project Based Learning class. At first I had no clue what to expect when I started but it has been really fun to actually do different things and understand them because I did them myself. Your class did an amazing job on all the work in the pictures. I wish that we would have had larger groups in our class to take the place of the ones that were slacking. I can’t wait to read more about your experiences with PBL. Thanks! Brittnee Heathcoe"

Project #9 Final Report on PLN

I have learned so much in this class. I had no clue that I could have my own Personal Learning Network and get to actually save the things like I have done on Symbaloo. I have added some different things I have found throughout the semester. I added things like TED which we have done a lot with TED and I have really enjoyed all the videos. I have added some other educational sources like Itunes U, Moodle, abcteach,and Thinkfinity which are lesson plans. I created an EDM310 blog tile also. I'm glad we can keep up with Symbaloo, because I can come back through the years and look at many sources that I have used in this class. I have found and learned about some really great tools to use and can't wait to share them with my future class.

Project #12 Part B

Part B



Standards:

Draw points, lines, line segments, rays, angles (right, acute, obtuse), and perpendicular and parallel lines. Identify these in two-dimensional figures. [4-G1]

Classify two-dimensional figures based on the presence or absence of parallel or perpendicular lines or the presence or absence of angles of a specified size. Recognize right triangles as a category, and identify right triangles. [4-G2]

Recognize a line of symmetry for a two-dimensional figure as a line across the figure such that the figure can be folded along the line into matching parts. Identify line-symmetric figures and draw lines of symmetry. [4-G3]

Project #15 Project Based Learning Plan #3

Blog Post #13

Shane Koyczan: To this day - Brittnee

The video that I chose was To this day by Shane Koyczan. Wow! This is really an amazing video to watch. Shane Koyczan really had a hard childhood all the way until his late teenage years. It’s never nice to pick on people, even though it gets done on a regular basis to people around the world. He was left by his parents at a young age because he was told that he was not wanted. He was raised by his grandma and still picked on in his late teenage years for being overweight. He had to basically bribe people with his knowledge to have friends. Then one day he came to the realization the he didn’t need to give people the answers on homework. He gave one boy that called him names a paper that had all the wrong answers and he was happy to outsmart the boy. What can we learn from this video? We can learn that just because you are bullied or you yourself is the bully doesn’t mean that you are not worth anything. Ever hear of the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me”? This statement is NOT true, words do hurt people and especially children. I work with small kids and no matter what another child has said to them they run and tell on them. Even at a small age kids know when other kids are being mean. This is something I really want to watch for in my future class. I want to be the kind of teacher that the students can trust and wouldn’t mind telling me that another child is bullying them. Kids never forget just like Shane has not forgotten to this day.



Alison Gopnik: What do babies think?- Amber

This video is all about babies! It’s my favorite thing to discuss. I love children. Alison Gopnik does a great job explaining her views on how babies think. I agree with mostly everything she says in the video. She starts by saying that 18 month old babies actually learn quicker than we do. A question that she asks is “How do babies learn so much in such a short period of time”? My theory is because they have to! Right? The way they process information is just amazing to me. If we as adults think as babies then maybe we can learn more than we know. She did some tests on children and it showed that they even know how to experiment using hypothesis. They even test them. Children learn the most during childhood through differents ways. From experiences and playing they can learn many basic motor and mental skills. Babies learn through all of their senses – touch, sight, hearing, taste and smell. They explore things and want to handle objects and put them in their mouths to learn about them. Babies are constantly taking in information when they are awake, which means that they are learning all the time. I learned from Alison Gopnik’s video that a baby’s brain is twice as active as an adult’s brain. The first three years are of special importance. At this time the brain has the greatest potential for learning. An infant’s brain is like a sponge soaking up everything around them.



Arvind Gupta: Turning trash into toys for learning - Hannah

The video I chose was called Turning Trash into Toys by Arvind Gupta. I enjoyed this speaker very much. The reason that I chose this video was because I work at a Montessori school and one of our beliefs is that we should have toys, which we call work, made from natural materials. I know many teachers that have made tons of pieces of work out of recycled materials. Arvind Gupta is an amazing toymaker. He has been making toys for the past 30 years. I could not believe some of the toys he made out of just matchsticks, straws, and some tape. He even made an interactive model of the food chain out of just paper. One of Gupta’s goals is to incorporate this toy recycling into the classrooms. Why buy these things when you can make them for a fraction of the cost? One of the things that Gupta said that really stuck with me was, “ children want to make things, children want to do things, “ and he is exactly right. This is an amazing way for teachers to get their students involved in the lessons. Overall I found this video to be informative and inspiring. It really hit close to home. I know that I will definitely be making some of these toys in the near future.

Blog Post #12

The Importance of Creativity- Brittnee

In the video The Importance of Creativity we listen to Ken Robinson speak about why he thinks that schools kill creativity. Sir Ken Robinson keeps the audience entertained by telling stories and saying quotes that he had heard or read on a random persons shirt. He tells us that “Education is meant to take you into a future that you can’t grasp.” I think that he is trying to say that no matter how much we learn we will never catch up to all the new advancements that are being made. He even points out that in the future jobs that would normally want a regular degree will start wanting a master degree and where jobs that want a master degree will start wanting something higher. I really like that he thinks that creativity is just as important as literacy and that we should treat them with the same status. The arts are at the bottom when it comes to school, of course the main subjects are at at the top but arts should not be thrown to the side. I enjoyed the part where he said that children that have ADHD could learn through others ways like Gillian Lynne did. When she was young she turned to dance to help her. So, her mom put her in dance classes after going to a doctor about why she was not doing her work and paying attention in class. In society today kids would be diagnosed with ADHD and sent home with medicine and that would be it. I really enjoyed Ken Robinson’s video and learned that the Arts are really important and shouldn’t be tossed aside like they don't matter because they really do.



Changing Education Paradigms- Amber

In the video Changing Education Paradigms Ken Robinson speaks about how he would change the current standing of education. He takes every aspect of education and criticizes it. But in a good way! I must say I totally agree with him. For example, he asked why do we still put children in grades according to their age? Who made up the standard that all children of the same age think the same way? I don't think they do. U think if we put children in grades according to their intellectual progress that there will be no more “failing”? (Such a harsh word.) He brought up the issue about ADHD. Who's to say these children are hyperactive and have a problem? I mean what is normal anyway? Ken says, that we should be waking these children up instead of putting their minds to sleep with all the medicine they have to take. We should be waking them up letting them use what's inside of them. I think it’s a ridiculous situation. To me, changing education paradigms could mean no more standardized tests. As our class motto says, “No more burp-back education.” Our current education standard was designed for its day and age. We are past that now! Most children don't even think the same way as children did 50 years ago. But yet education has not changed. Here is a short question and answer I took from Ken's blog: Why don't we get the best out of people? Sir Ken Robinson argues that, “It's because we've been educated to become good workers, rather than creative thinkers.” This is so true. We train ourselves and our children to be good workers and shun any creativity. Why? Because creative people aren't normal to us? "We are educating people out of their creativity." Ken Robinson.



How to Escape Education’s Death Valley- Hannah

I was really excited to watch this video because my friend had told me about Ted Talks just two weeks ago. She kept raving about the videos and told me that I have to get on and watch some of them. Well she was right! I have loved most of the videos we have watched in EDM 310 but this one is by far my favorite. Sir Ken Robinson is an educational genius and a brilliant speaker. Robinson said that “children prosper best with a broad curriculum that celebrates their various talents, not just a small range of them.” This statement is huge! One of the reasons that our school systems are so unsuccessful is because we are limiting our curriculum. The school systems have based their curriculum on some cookie- cutter imaginary child and geared that curriculum towards every student. We are doing our students a huge injustice. I also really enjoyed Robinson’s views on standardized tests. He thinks that they have a time and a place, like in a doctors office. He said that when he goes the doctor he wants his results to be compared with with everyone elses but this is not always appropriate for a school setting. Robinson thinks that we have a lot to learn from other countries that actually have successful educational systems. Those schools focuses are individual teaching and learning, recognizing that it is the students who are learning, realizing that you can't improve education if you don’t get great people to teach, and delegating responsibility to a school level so that we can get the job done. Overall I thought this was an amazing video and I am excited to get more involved in Ted Talks and to see what else Sir Ken Robinson has to offer.

Project #14 Project Based Learning Plan #2

C4T #3

Dean Shareski

For my third Comment for Teachers I was given Mr. Dean Shareski. He is a digital consultant and started working for Discovery Education in 2012. In his first blog Professional Development is Not That Complicated he talks about how teachers need to be trusted with more ways to spend their time in the classroom. He says that some things that are done come across as if teachers can't be trusted, even though that is not what is implied. He talked about going to a conference and he say "I want to suggest that we’ve made professional development learning way too complicated. Partly because as leaders we want to be helpful, partly because teachers have little experience in owning their own learning and partly because we don’t trust them." My comment: Mr. Dean Shareski, I'm a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama and was assigned to read some of your blog post. This post is real interesting to me and I can't wait to read more of your blog post. After you post a comment it said that your comment is being reviewed and the comment disappears.

The Second post I read by Mr. Shareski was Whatever Happened to Joy? I absolutely loved this post and glad I got the chance to read it and watch the video of his presentation. This video shows that school can be fun and you can have a good time while learning. The video really shows that if you put time and effort into your students learning and do it in a fun and creative way they will love school and want to come to your class. I commented and told him that I loved the video and when I become a teacher I want to be fun and keep joy in my classroom so my students will want to come in and learn. Again after I commented it said that your comment is being reviewed and the comment disappears.

Project #13 Project Based Learning #1

Blog Post #11

Ms. Cassidy's approach on technology

In the video First Graders in Ms. Cassidy's Class we visit Ms. Cassidy's class in Moose Jaw, Canada. This group of first graders are introduced to many different technologies at the beginning of the school year and they use them throughout the year. I noticed she used a Smartboard and computers. She lets her kids have a blog and they also used Skype to talk with teachers and all different people in their specific work fields to discuss what subject they were learning about. I loved how the kids were so excited about talking about their blogs and wanting to share what they are learning. I think that that children should be exposed to different types of technology and be able to use them. She uses blogs to let the children write about what they were learning and then they could share the blogs with people around the world. I really wish that we could have done a C4K this summer just so we could have had the chance to look and comment on these kids blogs.

The technique I would use in my classroom would have to be blogging. I seen the kids in the video and how happy they were to have something to show for their hard work. This would give parents a chance to see how their child has improved throughout the year. To be honest I would have never thought of using a blog in a first grade class, but when I seen how much of an advantage these children have I think it is a great tool to use. The obstacles that could arise would be that we would not have enough computers in the classroom for all the kids. In a Skype interview between Dr. Strange and Ms. Cassidy she said that she did not have the funds for all of the technology that she wanted to use so she got help from the government. Getting financial help could be a way to resolve that problem. A second obstacle would be that a parent would not let their child have their pictures or names posted on the web. Ms.Cassidy tells us that she only posts the students first name and never puts the children in a picture with their names on it. Another obstacle could be when the children use the internet they don't wonder off the site and go play games. I think the only way we can get the kids to actually stay on the site would be to set boundaries at the beginning of the year and make a set of rules of what to do when using the internet. She refers to her sites and links as "safe spots" and that is the only places that the kids are allowed to go online.

There are many benefits when it comes to using Ms. Cassidy's approach to learning. I think that kids need to be technology literate as well as adults. I thought it was interesting that she was the only first grade teacher willing to take her time and teach six year olds how to use all the things she has in her classroom. She mentioned that one other teacher was going to try and start blogging but other than that she was the only one. I liked that she used blogging as a center in her class and even let the kids blog from home. I think it would be great to use a blog even to let the parents know what's going on in the classroom and what they could help their child with. I learned many valuable tips that I can use in my future classroom.