Final Reflection

Additional Assignment 5

I enjoyed reading more of Tom Johnson's blog. I definitely feel like I understand him more as a teacher than I did the first time that I read his blog. It took me a couple of times to really understand his use of language. He uses a lot of metaphors and is very sarcastic. I like this about him though. I like the methods he uses while teaching and those that he doesn't use, no bribing or scaring. I think that he has a lot of interesting things to say and I am glad that he has shared them with us.

Project 13: Smartboard Lesson

Project 16

For Project 16, we did a slideshow depicting the different technologies through the generations.  Enjoy!

Final Report on My PLN

I have really enjoyed using to Symbaloo to creat my PLN. On my PLN I have The Facebook and Twitter as social networking sites. I am also following quite a few people whose blogs I have enjoyed reading and would like to continue to follow after this class. These people's blogs have very useful information on them in my opinion. Some of these blogs include:
Matthew Needleman, Jeff Utecht and his blog "The Thinking Stick", Mr. Clung's blog, Dorothy Burt's blog "Manaiakalani", and Eric Langhourst's blog. I also have a few other sites on here which I was introduced to from this class and they include The ALEX website, The ACCESS website, the Google Squared website, and the Wolfram Alpha website. I hope that through my PLN I can keep in touch with these people and continue to follow them and gain knowledge that will help me in the field of education.

Summary Post C4K 9-11

I love reading the kids blogs because they are so different...you will never find two that are alike.

The first blog that I looked at was Phoebe's and she was in Gaudet 60 but I did not know her grade level. She wrote about her Halloween experience in her post. She told a story of how she went to a party and at the party there was someone dressed up as a joker that kept trying to scare her and her friends. She said that it was annoying because the person was not scary and that she just had bad breath. I think that this is so funny because from the whole night of Halloween that is what stuck out to her the most.

The next blog that I read was from Mrs. Melito's Class and I read Kelly A's blog. In the post that I read Kelly informed me about a mathematician named Andre Weil. He was a very talented mathematician and did most of his work in the area of algebraic geometry. Weil taught at a Muslim school in India, he was an author and then finally taught at Princeton. She had very good information in her post and I enjoyed learning about him.

The last post that I read was from Mrs. Huebner's Class and I read Amy's blog. In her post she had written a story called The Wild Doberman. This story was about the journey of a dog from one owner to another. The dog had run away from its first owner to what he thought was an abandon house but it turned out that the house was not abandoned. The house had an older couple that lived in it and they loved their new dog. I enjoyed reading Amy's story because she used her imagination to write it.

Summary Post C4T #4

I followed Matthew Needleman's blog titled "Creating Lifelong Learners." I really enjoyed this blog and all of the information that Mr. Needleman was able to share with me. Through this blog Mr. Needleman offers elementary teachers practical and useful tips. I read two of his posts, the first "3 ways to Download Movies from YouTube." This post gave three tips for downloading videos from YouTube to use in your classroom. He informed me of two ways the first being Zamzar.com. He suggested to use this one for only downloading a few movies and then he suggested to use browser plug-ins such as Download Helper for Firefox or Download Youtube for Safari. He says that these are best when you are trying to download a lot of movies. I have not needed to download very many movies from YouTube but I was glad to know of these tools for when I may need to.
The second post that I read of Mr. Needleman's was "Six Ways Teachers Can Improve Education This Year." I really enjoyed reading this post because it had some great tips on it that you may not always think about doing. His first tip was to greet your students at the door each morning. I think that this is a must for any teacher and if you are a teacher and do not do this you should be ashamed of yourself. In my opinion, this is something that starts anyone's day off in the right direction. His second tip was to eat in the faculty lounge. This to me was something that I would have never thought about but once he made his point about why it made perfect sense. Mr. Needleman says that if you don't eat with your faculty it is hard to be a "family" and that all teachers in a school are a "family" and this brings them closer together. His third tip was to teach authentic writing. His fourth tip was to teach art as a discipline. I fully agree with this idea as well. It is not enough to teach art only one day a week. Art allows students to be themselves and use their imagination and their creativity and this leads to higher level thinking and learning. It is crazy to me that so many schools do not allow any time for this now. It is a must in schools and should be used DAILY! His fifth tip was to incorporate multimedia into every lesson. This, too, is a must. We, as teachers, can only reach so many students by just lecturing but when we offer the information in multiple ways we are able to reach more of our students. His final tip was to teach test prep 2 minutes every day. This idea is one that I had not thought about but is a great one. We expect our students to do well on standardized tests but don't really ever prepare them to take them. Mr. Needleman says that we should teach them how to take these type tests.
I think that all teachers should read this post because it is very informative and useful. I will try to incorporate all of these ideas into my classroom when I am teaching and think that all teachers should do so as well!

Blog Post 13

For this blog post we were supposed to browse and explore the resources available to us on websites such as ALEX and ACCESS.  I really enjoyed doing this because these were sites that I knew existed but had never really taken the time to explore.  ALEX is a website that makes many resources available to the teachers in Alabama.  It was all of the state requirements and courses of study for education for all age groups and it also has an abundant supply of sample lesson plans.  This is great because it allows teachers to share their ideas with other teachers throughout the state.  ALEX also has a Professional Learning tab in which teachers can go and see what continuing education classes are being offered throughout the state and it also has links to where teachers can find new tips and tricks about the latest technology.  I would think that most teachers find this site very resourceful in their planning and I know that I will one day too! 

ACCESS is a site that I was a little less familiar with than ALEX.  The ACCESS site is a site geared more for students to use as a way of obtaining an equally challenging education no matter what the situation is.  The site says that their goal is to offer equal access to high quality instruction to improve student achievement through distance learning opportunities.  I think that this is a great site for students because it helps to bring opportunites for education to all different parts of the state.
I am really glad to see that the state is trying to provide multiple resources to our students and teachers to better the overall education of this state.  I hope that they continue to strive to do so more and more as time goes on.

Project 15

I really enjoyed this project and had so much fun working on it!  Hope you enjoy the trailer and movie!

Movie Trailer


Movie

Analysis of Project 6

I used the Google Forms application and created a survey about The Facebook.  In doing this survey I wanted to see how many people were members of The Facebook, how much time was spent on it daily, and what people's main uses for it were.  After collecting all of the surveys back, it is very evident to me that most people are members of The Facebook.  In the response I received back, 20 out of 22 people are now members.  I learned that most people use The Facebook site daily and most people use it for social networking.  The majority of the people that took the survey said that The Facebook was counterproductive to their studies, which I totally agree with.  Most of them also said that The Facebook would not be a good tool to supplement their studies with.  I enjoyed creating this survey and getting the results back from it.  I think that it shows how much our society depends on these social networking sites.  If you would like you can view the Complete Survey Results Summary here.

Blog Post 12

In this post we are supposed to come up with an idea for another blog post that we have not been assigned to do.
Blog Post ??
In this post you will need to use a connection that you have made that is on your PLN.  Explain why you are following this person, how they are potentially helpful to you in an education sense, and what you have learned from them and their blog.  Explain how you will potentially use what you have learned from their blog.

I think that this could be a really interesting blog post because it would allow you to see what type of people and connections we are making through our PLN and blogging.

Final Project Progress Report

For my final project I know that I will be working in a group with Brittany Schneider, Lisa Ferro, and Mary Mauceri! We are working on Project 15 together as well. I am excited about working with them again on this project because we all work really well together. We have not discussed exactly what we will be doing for this project because we have been so busy working on Project 15 but I know that it will be great!

Summary Post C4T #3

I followed Jeff Utecht's blog "The Thinking Stick." In his blog he presents you with a number of different things to think about as an educator. In the first post that I read of his he discusses how educators teach their students. He touches on the idea that it is not the material that has to be taught but it is the way that the material is presented and taught to the students. He says that not all students learn the same way and that teachers need to take that in to consideration and teach in a variety of ways so that all students no matter how they learn best can benefit from the lessons. This was very interesting to me because it is very true and I do not think that all teachers do a good job of remembering this when they are teaching. I hope that when I am actually in the working field I am able to remember this and use different approaches to teaching so that everyone can learn.
In his second post he made several very bold statements about the direction that the world is heading in. He said that we live in a socially connected world, whether it be Facebook or Twitter, we are connected with the whole world. He also said that we need to stop making excuses for the amount of time that we spend "connected" and just face the fact that it is the norm of society and it is expected of us to be connected in society today. He also said that the future is mobile. He said that our phones are the way that most people will be connected in the next three years if not sooner. All phones will have a mobile device built into them sooner than later.
I enjoyed following this blog. Mr. Utecht has some very interesting information on his blog and it is fascinating to read.

Teach Your Child How to Tie Their Shoes

Summary Post C4K:3-8

I have really enjoyed viewing and commenting on the kids blogs. It is so much fun to see children blogging and using the computer in ways that I would have never been able to at their ages.
The first blog that I viewed was a little boy named James and he is in the second grade. In this post he created a story about Kupe and filmed himself telling this story. In his video, it was great to see his confidence in front of the camera. It was great to see this little boy as comfortable as he was making the video.
I viewed another blog that was created by a boy named Felix and in this post Felix discussed what makes him mad and how he deals with his anger. I think that this is a great exercise for children because it is important for children to be able to identify their emotions and know how to deal with the effectively.
I also read a blog post from a little girl named Kathryn and in her post she talked about a transition that she had to make to a new school. It was great to hear her talk about the situation and what she expected and then how it all actually turned out. Kathryn was at first afraid of going to a new school but then once she got their and met the people and got to know some of her classmates she decided that it was not as bad as she thought it was going to be.
Another blog post that I read was a girl named Rebecca and in her post she gave a run down on the characters in her favorite Nintendo DS game. The game that she likes is a detective game.
I also viewed the blog of a boy named Nagrom. In his post he had uploaded a picture that he had taken and in this picture it looked as if it were pieces of boards that had been nailed together. In his post he asked what we thought of the picture. I told him that I thought it was a great picture and that it really allowed the viewer to have an open mind and see what they wanted to see in it. I think that it is great for children to have hobbies such as photography and I told him to keep up the good work.
I really have enjoyed following the blogs of these children. It is a wonderful thing to see them learning so much and being able to show how much they are learning by blogging!

Blog Post 11

In the video and the Skype interview that we watched of Ms. Cassidy and her class it is so amazing to me how she uses technology in her classroom of first graders. She incorporates so many different ways of learning into her classroom that it makes it FUN for the students. They are never bored and they are always learning...and they don't even realize it, what a great head fake. Anytime you can teach children something and they have fun learning it you have been successful. Ms. Cassidy uses blogs, wikis, Skype, and webpages in her class to teach first graders. She uses these programs to teach the alphabet, reading, and many other things that first graders are to be taught, she just teaches it in a very different way than your traditional teacher would.
I hope that when I am a teacher I am able to use all of these programs in my classroom. I think that it is really great that Ms. Cassidy has the support of her administration and fellow teachers. I think that this would be one reason that I would not be able to use these programs in my classroom, but I hope that this is not the case. I really enjoyed seeing the students learning and navigating on the internet. It is truly amazing what a 7 year old can do...children always surprise me!

Additional Assignment 3

Sir Ken Robinson: Changing Educational Paradigms
I have never watched a video with RSAnimate this was really fun to watch and also very interesting!  I definitely agree with him when he says that schools can not continue to model themselves from the past.  The educational system that we are modeling our educational system on now was created years and years ago and is becoming outdated.  Mr. Robinson's views on ADHD are so true.  I feel like every child you meet now days has ADHD and is on some type of medication, I believe that it is an epidemic!  With all of the stimulation that our children have today it is hard for them to focus on the boring teacher at school and that is why our way of educating has to change too.  We have got to find a way to get our student's attention.  This is our job as educators!  I think that his thoughts on the education system running like a factory are great.   We do do this to our children, not everyone learns well in a group and what makes us think that they can learn with 24 other children their same age!  I had never thought about this until this video but it is almost like our education limits our learning and our knowledge.  Robinson says in his video that we are constantly told that there is one answer, we are always told not to work with each other (that is cheating) and it is these ideas that limit us.  We are constantly given limits in what we can know and what we should know at a certain age...this is ridiculous...why are we limiting our children and what they can and can't do based on their age and grade level?  He really makes you think about these things.  Like I said, I really liked this presentation.  If I were to do a presentation like this I would be the narrator.

Blog Post 10

An Open Letter to Educators

In this blog post Morgan is comparing some of her lecture classes with her computer class, which is similar to our EDM 310 class. I do this same thing occasionally. It is so interesting to me how one class can make learning so interesting and fun that it doesn't even feel like I am being forced to do an assignment; I want to because it is really something that I have never done before and it is fun. While on the other hand, I have these hour long lecture classes that I dread going to and like Morgan have to force my self to literally stay awake but also how do you stay focused when you have a monotone professor talking about something he really doesn't even want to be talking about...give me a break! I think that most students feel this way!

Don't Let Them Take Pencils Home
I think that this post was great to remind teachers and people in general that in life we need to focus not on the problem but on finding a solution for the problem. It is much easier to talk about the problem over and over again than it is to find a solution to the problem...this is the problem!

Two Questions That Can Change Your Life

Two great Questions! I think that it is really great to do self evaluations, it
allows you to think about what you are doing and what is really important to you. The question "Am I better today than yesterday" is a great one to ask. If you did something today that you did not excel at or that you were not particularly proud of...there is alway tomorrow to do better. I like the idea of having a sentence to live by.  My sentence to live by is "NEVER GIVE UP!"  I think that you can do anything if you really want to and like Randy Pausch said in his final lecture...if you give up on something than you really did not want it bad enough.

Project 12- Skype Interview

Additional Assignment 2

1. What do you think? If learners are motivated, can they teach themselves?
I think that this video proves that if anyone wants to learn they can. In this video it says if there is an interest then education happens and I think that this is a very true statement.
2. If those motivated learners are kids, can they teach themselves?
Yes, in the video there were multiple examples of kids teaching themselves all sorts of information without any help.
3. What conditions are necessary for kids to teach themselves? For anyone to teach him or herself?
The only thing that is necessary for anyone to teach themselves is interest and a computer
4. What role do computers and internet access play in the process?
The computers played a very important role in the learning of these children because that is where they received all of the information but it was neat to see this happen because none of the children had ever seen a computer before but they played with it and figured out how to use it
5. What role does motivation, a desire to learn?
Motivation played a key role in this video because it was the children's desire to learn how to use the computer that sparked it all. If they had not wanted to learn how to use the computer that had been placed in their town then they would not have learned anything from this experiment.
6. What roles do a problem, a question or multiple problems or questions play in the process?
The questions were given to the children in English, which none of them new how to speak. The children used the computer to translate the question to their native language and then they were able to explore and learn all about the specific question. The question gave them a starting point and then from there the possibilities were endless!
7. How do you motivate someone to learn?
I first try to get them interested and excited about a certain subject and then go from there
8. How are you motivated to learn?
I am motivated to learn when there is a certain something that I am curious about or confused about
9. Can anyone who is not motivated to learn learn?
I do not think that a non motivated person can learn because they do not have that desire and interest so therefore they probably will not be able to retain the information that it taught to them
10. Do you teach yourself? When? Why?
Yes, all the time, it is almost a way of survival I feel like
11. What role does a teacher (either answer generally or use a specific example) play in your learning?
I think that a great example of a teacher that has sparked my interest to learn is Dr. Strange. I would have never explored and used technology in this way if he had not given me a starting point and specific things to take a look at but it is great and I have really enjoyed broadening my horizons when it comes to technology.
12. What is the most important idea,question or emotional response you take away with you as a result of watching this video?
It is really amazing to watch these children learn so much on their own and it is sad that everyone does not have the opportunity to learn. In so many cities across the world the desire and interest is there but the resources are not. Also, it upsets me to see this and then know how much we take it for granted.
13. What other questions or issues are raised by this video that should be considered and discussed by aspiring teachers?
I think that a main issue that should be discussed by teachers is the question "Would you go into one of these places that is a very undesirable teaching spot and teach if there was an interest and desire by the students? It is a tough question to answer I think.

Blog Post 9

In Mr. Clung's blog post "What I've Learned This Year" I really enjoyed all the useful knowledge he discussed about the important characteristics that a teacher must have to be successful. It is extremely helpful to have a first time teacher discuss everything that they have learned in their first year and things that they realized were more important than others. I definitely agree with him when he says that teachers must be able to communicate well with others, be flexible and reasonable in their expectations, and be able to listen. I think that the most important of these is the listening one. If you are able to listen to your students and figure out what they need and how they learn and their likes and dislikes you should have a wonderful year because after all you are there for them. I really enjoyed all the insight he gave in this post, as it will be very useful in the future!

Project 9b

Blog Post 8

This is How We Dream





In this video it is very evident to me that I am not ready to write using multimedia nor am I ready to teach students how to do this. I do however think that I will be one day. It is already very clear to me that I will not make a good teacher unless I am able to do this and I am up for the challenge. Children in schools now are already exposed to so much more technology than I was when I was in school. I think that the possibilities that we have with technology are endless and the different ways that it can be used in schools excites me and makes me look forward to learning more about how to use this great resource we have!

EDM 310 for Dummies and The Chipper Series

I love how this video was made as an infomercial, how clever. The video definitely showed how I felt about the class at first. This class can be very overwhelming if you don't keep up with your work, but if you do and you work on learning how to do each of the assignments you can really learn a whole lot about using technology. I have loved learning about different things that are available to us such as Google Docs and Forms. I would have never known how easy it could be to take a survey and gather the results if I had not learned about Forms.
The Chipper Series was funny to me. I think that it was a great way to get the point across about turning your work in on time.

Critiques of Smartboards
In the two articles that we read about the uselessness of smartboards they were both saying pretty much the same things. These interactive whiteboards do not bring enough to the classroom to justify spending thousands of dollars on them. I think that this is true unless you have a teacher that truly embraces the technology and spends lots of time coming up with lessons that allow the students to use the smartboards to their full potential. In the website Teachers Love Smartboards there is so much information about using a smartboard. This site has lesson plans divided in to grades and subjects and different games that can be played. All of the information on this site really shows how useful and educational smartboards can be in the classroom.

Project 11

Project 10

I have been slowly developing my PLN. I have started using Symbaloo to keep everything organized. I have watched A 7th Graders PLN to try to better understand what mine should involve. I have been using Facebook for years so I have added it to my PLN. I have also added the teacher's blogs that I have been assigned to follow. I have added a few miscellaneous sites that I just enjoy browsing. I hope to develop my PLN much further as the semester goes on but for right now this is what I have. As I continue I am hoping to find many more teachers to follow with useful information and tips for the teaching world. I am also going to begin looking for different artists that I can follow because I love art and painting.

Blog Post 7

This video was amazing!  Randy Pausch's lecture begins with him telling us about some of his childhood dreams and what he learned from those dreams whether or not he was able to acheive them.  Each of his childhood dreams taught him something. 
I really liked how he talked about "head fake learning."  He used the example of playing football, when you sign a child up to play football, you don't really care about them learning to play football, you want them to learn other more important things, such as teamwork, sportsmanship, and perserverence.  To me this is a great teaching method to use in a classroom, allow students to do an activity that is fun but have it teach them something more important through the process of it. 
Randy also talked about how you have to keep on trying even if you encounter obstacles along the way.  He discusses this by using the image of a brick wall and he tells the listeners that brick walls are there for us to prove how badly we want something, not to stop us.  They only stop those that don't want it bad enough.  This is a great lesson.  Keep on trying no matter how many times you get stopped along the way.
He also talked about how as a person you should try to find the best in everyone.  No matter how mad, annoying, or stupid a person is, you should always try to find and focus on what makes them a great person.  He also says the if you wait long enough people will surprise and impress you.  I think that this is such a great point to make because I think as humans we often make judgements about someone before we really know who they are and if you just wait a little bit longer you might find that they are really not that bad of a person.
Towards the end of his talk he says one thing that I really believe and try really hard to always remember.  He said "when you do the right things, good things always happen.  This is extremely important for us to remember, when you do what is right you will always come out on top eventually.
He also tells us to always listen to feedback and cherish and use it.  Another thing that he says is always be prepared, luck is where preparation meets opportunity!  I loved this lecture and was able to gain so much from it about life.  Randy Pausch was a man that lived his life to the fullest and was not going to let his illness get in the way.  I also love the way he used "head fakes" when giving this lecture.  He talked about always going after childhood dreams, helping others achieve their childhood dreams, and little lessons that he had learned in his life, but that was not what the lecture was about.  His lecture was about how to live your life, but he threw in another head fake because it was not for us...it was for his three children.

Summary Post C4T Teacher #2

I was assigned to read Dorothy Burt's blog Manaiakalani. The first post that I read was about a meeting that she held and in this meeting the objective was to teach the parent's of these students how to use the computer, internet, and all the technology that comes with it. Instead of her standing up in the front of the assembly and lecturing these adults how to use technology, she had the students teach them. This to me was a great approach because after all they know how to use it best. It also allows the parents to see how well they know how to navigate and use all of these great resources. At the beginning of this meeting she said a prayer and this prayer was very interesting to me because it asked for the parents to be open to learning about this topic and to not have preconceived ideas about the use of computers; what a great way to start a meeting concerning this topic. It is so true that a lot of older people have this preconceived idea that they cannot use a computer and this prayer seems to have helped just open their minds about the whole issue.
The second post of Mrs. Burt's that I read was a survey that she had done of all seven of the schools, which varied in age group, about how much internet access they have outside of school. She did this after a holiday when the students would have not been going to school for some period of time. In asking several questions her main goal was to see how many of the students had access to the internet, what they looked at while they were on the internet, how long they were able to stay on the internet, and how often they were able to access it. She then concluded from her responses that the older students were able to access the internet the most but that they were looking at social networking sites and gaming sites the most. She was somewhat disappointed that they did not look at different blogs and school related sites.

Mrs. Dorothy Burt's complete Blog

Project 9a (Timetoast Timeline)

Blog Post 6

The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler
In this video we learn about the Networked Student.  This student is taking a class in American Psycology.  He does not have a book and is only using his computer to take the class.  He has an instructor who is there to give him guidance but other than that he is on his own.  I think that parts of this are great and I think that parts of it are not.  I agree that everyone should learn to be an independent learner, but this is harder for some people as they need for guidance and instruction.  I think that the student can broaden what they learn in a class if they are an independent learner but some topics are so big that the students need a more direct focus, which is where the teacher would come in.  I do think that this is how much of the learning in schools will take place in the future. 

A 7th Graders Personal Learning Environment
I am amazed at what they are doing.  It is hard for me to believe that a 7th grader is doing all of this.  When I think back to when I was in the 7th grade, I was not doing anything even close to this.  I think that this is really cool.  This student's science class was completely paperless and she checked on the computer every morning to see what she needed to do for the day in this class, I think that having this kind of responsibility is great for students at this age.  It makes the child responsible for their own learning.  I do wonder about the freedom that she said they have to browse anything on the internet...I hope that there are some restrictions in place. 

C4K #1 Summary

We were assigned to read the blog of a student in Mr. Chamberlain's class at Noel Junior High School.  This was neat because they are doing the same thing that we are doing in Dr. Stange's EDM class.  My student's name is Dustin.  They were assigned to create an "About Me" post and a "Learning Manifesto" post.  In the about me post I learned that Dustin wants to either be a fireman or a tow truck driver (that is what his grandfather does).  In his learning manifesto, Dustin wrote that he was going to try to pay attention in class, do his work on time, and have a good attitude towards school.  I liked Dustin's goals for his school year because they are the same as some of my goals.

Get Your Own Free Hypster.com Playlist.

Blog Post 5



A group of students working on a podcast



The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom

This video shows its viewers several different advantages of podcasting. The first big advantage I saw was that it allows students that may be out of school for an extended period to have access to what is going on in the classroom. This is very important because it keeps students from getting too far behind. The second advantage that I saw is that it allows students to get more involved in day to day classroom learning. They are able to write out scripts and act out different topics which they may be discussing in class. Podcasting is a great way to get students to work together with their peers. It also allows parents to actually hear what is going on in their childs classroom from day to day and they are able to actually see something that their child has produced which is very neat. Overall, podcasting is a great addition to the classroom.


100 Ways to Use Your iPod to Learn and Study Better
This is a great website that has many ideas on how to use your iPod to enhance your studying. The iPod has so many applications now that can aid in almost any course of study. It offers many different types of study guides from Sparknotes to World Nomads, which aids in the study of foreign languages. It also lists different types of podcasts and audiobooks that can be downloaded to your iPod. You can download and learn Spanish from your iPod, that is pretty cool. The possibilities with an iPod are endless. iPods are everywhere now and it is amazing the amount of information that can be found and learned just by using an iPod.

Judy Scharff Podcast Collection

This is the most informative site that I have seen for podcasting.  It breaks it down for the reader beginning with the basics of what a podcast is.  It then goes on to give tips for success in creating a podcast.  Some of the tips for success are: allow students the time to really become familiar with audacity, allow the students to pick the people they are going to work with, and another is to allow them plenty of time to complete their project.  It then gives you a time schedule for creating a podcast.  I think that this is very good to see because it lets you know that for podcasts to be an effetive learning tool for students, it must be done properly and it does take time.  The site then continues on and gives topic suggestions, research suggestions, and even gives teachers a grading rubric.  This site is a great tool for teachers.

Blog Post 4

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?
I really liked this blog post. I can not tell you how many times I have heard people make comments like this. The reality of the situation is that this is INEVITABLE. If you don't allow children to use the internet, cell phones, etc. at home; they will use it elsewhere. I think that there are just as many positive things about technology as there are negative things about technology, just as with life you have to take the bad with the good. If people do not see how great it can be they will fall behind in a very rapidly changing society. Dr. McLeod is a professor at Iowa State University and he helped establish a national technology program, CASTLE, for secondary and college education. He did this to help make sure that schools were meeting the technological requirements that had been set.

The iSchool Initiative
I love this. What a great way to save money and better budget our schools money. We spend so much each year copying papers for our students. If we could cut down the budget as much as Travis was saying, then we would be able to better compensate our teachers for their hard work and they would have something to work hard for!
I feel like if this were done the correct way it could be an outstanding opportunity for children now and in generations to come!

The Lost Generation
After I watched this the first thing I said was, "Cool!" The way that this was presented to the viewer was amazing. I do believe that we can change the view that our society and the younger generation (unfortunately, my generation) has about life right now with just some effort. I find it very maddening when I see so many young people not working, not going to school, and not trying to do anything that would better their life. The problem with our society right now is that it as a whole is lazy. I think that with a little effort and concern for our countries well being we could turn it around and prove all the "experts" wrong about their predictions for the future. I do think that if we keep living and acting the way our young generation is right now that the experts will be right about their predictions.

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir
WOW! How amazing! I would have never thought that something like this could happen. To think that such a beautiful song could be created by so many people who had never practiced, or even met before! I think that this just goes to show the path that technology is taking, the opportunities are endless. If you can think it...you can do it with technology!
I can understand some of the comments and thoughts about how the use of techonolgy is taking away our social skills. But I think that no matter how much we use technology we are still having to meet and interact with people in our everyday lives and I do not think that that will ever change, no matter how much we depend on technology.

Additional Assignment #1

Before getting this assignment I had no idea about Google Squared or Wolfram Alpha. Some of the educational implications for the both of them are just to broaden peoples knowledge of facts. I had no idea that the population of China and India were so great. It is very fun and interesting to search random information and find out so much about it. You could use Wolfram Alpha in your classroom if you wanted your students to become familiar with a certain topic because it gives you everything you could possibly want to know about that topic. I like the idea of using Google Squared to compare different things, such as a countries population. Before viewing all the information given to me from these websites the "Did You Know?" video was very alarming but after viewing this information the statistics do not seem as alarming because you have to think about the statistics and what they mean before letting the "scare" you. In the "Food for Thought" article I think that it is amazing that the i pad is so user friendly!

Project #5

Blog Post 3

"A Vision of Students Today" was interesting because it made me think about all of the years of schooling that I have had up to this point and how much time I have spent sitting in a chair just listening to lectures, some of which were useful and some of which I have no recelection of.
Our lives are so busy these days with school, work, families, and just day to day activities that the comment about having 26.5 hours of things to do in a 24 hour day is very true. The only way I can get everything done that I have to do is to multi-task. I often think about how much time I am wasting when sitting in class learning some of the stuff that I am forced to learn and it makes me mad. I think that the future of education is going to change though. I think that more and more classes and information will come from technology and that more and more of our jobs wil be based on the use of technology.

"It's Not About the Technology" was a great blog post. I could not have agreed more with Ms. Hines on most everything that she discussed. It does not matter how much money we spend on technology and how great the technology is if the teachers using it do not know how to use it. If the teachers cannot use it to benefit the students then it is useless and a waste of money. This is where her comment that "teachers must be learners" is so true. If a teacher is willing to learn how to use all of this new technology and incorporate it into her teaching than her students will benefit from it.

"Is It OK to be a Technologically Illiterate Teacher" was a great blog to explore. EDM310 is the first class that has even introduced me to this kind of technology, but I still have a long way to go. I really did not have a clue that there were so many different applications and programs out there to aid in the learning process. I hope that after this class I am a little bit more literate because I do agree with his comment that all teachers should be somewhat literate. I am always willing to try and learn new things and I think that this is one of the most important things that we, as teachers, have to be able to do. If we cannot keep up with the new technology then we will never be able to understand our students because the new technology is all that they have, so for us to understand how to teach them we must know what they are doing.

Gary Hayes' Social Media Count is so cool. It is mind blowing to see these numbers rise so quickly. I think that this just shows how much we already use technology and it is only going to grow in the future. To me, as a future educator, this means that we are going to have to stay on top of all the changes in technology so that we are able to teach our students in a way which is appropriate for the times and so that they understand and learn.

Summary Post C4T #1

I have read some of Eric Langhourst's blog posts and they have been very interesting.  He is an 8th grade history teacher and the posts that I read of his were from a seminar that he attended which was at Mount Vernon.  The first post that I read talked about how Washington was not only the first President and the great general that we all know him to be but that he was also a very innovative farmer and was on the cutting edge of technology for his time period.  He was the first farmer of the time period to switch his crop from tobacco to wheat.  This was so important because it allowed him to continue to make a profit because wheat was not taxed.  Eric created a lesson plan from this experience for his 8th grade students, which I think will be very effective in teaching them more about Washington.
The second post was a very short podcast about his stay at Mount Vernon.  While at this seminar the guests were able to stay on the grounds of Mount Vernon and Eric was able to experience some of the most picturesque sunrises while sitting out on the large porch at Mount Vernon that Washington used to sit on.  It is so great that the grounds committee at Mount Vernon have made such an effort to keep the view as wonderful as it is by not allowing any high-rise buildings or condominiums to be built that would block the view.

This is one of the pictures that he took while watching the sunrise over the Potomac

Blog Post #2

The movie "Did You Know?" was extremely informative and interesting.  I did not realize how much our country has grown technologically but also how every other country in the world is growing just as fast if not faster.
The video made me really think about the future and how much our society will depend on technology.  When watching it I found it very interesting that by the year 2049 it is predicted that the computer will be smarter than the human brain. Does this mean that the need for humans in the working world will be non existent?  I also found it very interesting about the top 10 jobs in the world today were not even around 10 years ago.  It makes you wonder what kind of jobs our kids will be doing.



"Mr. Winkle Wakes" is interesting because when you think about the traditional way that schools teach there haven't been any significant changes like we have seen in the world of medicine or technology.  You go in a school and you see students sitting in desks listening to their teacher lecture and taking notes.  One would think that with the world changing as fast as it is our ways of teaching and learning would also become more updated.
I think that this class (EDM 310) is a great example to show that students don't have to sit in a desk and take notes to learn!  In my opinion, sitting in a desk and taking notes will become far less popular in the future because there are so many different ways to teach now days.



I loved this video! I have a three year old little boy and if I said that he did not have an imagination and some creativity I would be lying.  The things he says and the ideas he comes up with sometimes are amazing. He can draw something that doesn't look like anything to me but when I ask him what it is he has an immediate answer.
When you think about all of these arts that are spoken about in this video: art, music, drama, dance, and then think about some things that children love to do, they are very closely related.  My child plays pretend all day long (drama), and he loves to dance, he loves to draw, paint, and create just about anything, and he loves music whether it be listening to it or creating it with some of his toys. All of these things allow him to create something and express himself.



To allow children to explore different technologies gives them a great opportunity to learn.  I definitely agree with the teacher when she says that just giving students a pen and some paper doesn't allow ALL students to learn and succeed just a select few.  Having all of these resources is such a great opportunity for us as students but also for future generations to learn together as a group.  I loved how the students were teaching the teacher, what a great thing!  I am not a fan of classrooms that have teachers that think they know everything because in my opinion there is always something new that can be learned!

Wordle

Blog Post 1

Hello!  My name is Elizabeth Fleming.  I am originally from Birmingham, Alabama.  I am married to Beau Fleming and we have two children, Buddy and Betts.  Buddy is my son who is almost three and Betts is my daughter who just turned one.   

I started my college career at The University of Alabama, also in the Education department.  Before finishing there I moved to St. Augustine, Florida while my husband finished physical therapy school.  We then moved to Mobile and I am now here at South finishing up what I started!  When I was little my favorite thing to do was "play school" and for as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a teacher.  I always had a lot of respect for my teachers growing up because they taught me so much and I loved to learn.  I look forward to being able to do that with my own children and students.

My first love and passion is for my family.  I love spending time with my husband and children.  Anything to see a smile on their face makes me happy but I also have some other hobbies.  I love to paint.  Painting allows me to express the creative side of myself and it is very self rewarding to see the final product.  I also love the beach and being outdoors.  I enjoy playing or just watching most any sport.  I played volleyball all throughout high school and enjoy tennis as well.  Having gone to The University of Alabama and having grown up here I am a huge Alabama football fan.  Like most other women, I enjoy shopping.  I could probably make a career out of it but I do not think that my husband would be too excited about it!