Project #8

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For our Group Project #8 we were to do a podcast. Our group name is The Learning Leos. We chose to give a brief interview on Rafe Esquith's book There Are No Shortcuts. This interview is set up "radio style". We are only covering chapters 1, 2, 4 and the epilogue in this interview.

Our group consists of Bonnie Gaudet, Lana Brooks and me - Gina Phillips. The only work we used to complete this podcast was the book itself. Everything else is our own work.

I hope you enjoy! I certainly enjoyed the reading and making the podcast. It was a very inspiring read and the podcast was much easier than I had anticipated.

If you would like to purchase this book it is available at Amazon by clicking here.

BLOG POST ASSIGNMENT #5

Dr. Scott McLeod's

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?

Being of a "certain age" I can remember when there wasn't the internet for public usage. I remember when the Commodore 64 was "new" technology! My parents would not let

me or my older brother have one because it was a "tool of Satan". The other thing it was called was a "fad"! There were other parents around that same time frame that willingly purchased the Commodore 64 for their children and encouraged their children to use it. I think what Dr. McLeod is trying to say in his poem is that he loves the people that refuse to give their children the freedom to use technology as a learning tool. The reason he loves people that prevent their children from learning technological advances is because this gives his children a head start!

Dr. McLeod has pursued an interesting journey. It is not just his goal to educate children on technology it is his desire to educate educators on how to properly use technology. I believe his outlook on training technologically prepared educators is an advancement to our current state of educating teachers and administrators. If there were more professors that believed as Dr. McLeod and Dr. Strange our current and future educators would be more prepared for the future and the teachers would be able to better prepare our students!

Travis Allen

Travis Allen is one smart dude! Don't believe me then click on his name above and see what a creative thinker he really is! Travis has envisioned schools using existing technology to rid the school of environmentally unfriendly waste. Something I have been trying to get through to my daughter's school for a while now! Since his video and the wide spread usage of e-readers, there is no reason for schools to require paper books. I have been urging my daughter's school to use as many e-books as possible. It hasn't been until this year that they are catching on to the idea.

Travis stole my idea about 3 years before I had the idea, and I saw his video just this week. What "free thinker"! Isn't that what they called our Founding Fathers of this great nation many, many years ago. Like Travis, our Founding Fathers idealized a "new" way of governing ourselves. Isn't it time for our education system to think of "new" (please read as already existing) ways of revitalizing our educational system and to discontinue waste? I think YES!

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir

Mercy me! I watched this twice, then I went on YouTube and watched others. This is amazing! I love music so this moved me. Then, I started thinking... how could this work in the classroom? The possibilities are endless. Imagine a discussion of a novel being recorded individually then placed on one video to have a through - truly through-discussion. Or a virtual class for the day... or a virtual group book report or... well, the list could continue... Although I do love music I can see where there are possibilities for any subject, Math, Science, History, English, Music, Band, Theater... and on and on I go again. My head is swimming with ideas! Please click on the link to see the Choir.

Kevin Roberts

Teaching in the 21st Century

I truly enjoyed this presentation. I specifically enjoyed the points made about using tools the students are already familiar with and most likely already own to ENGAGE them in learning. Mr. Roberts makes many comparisons between entertainment and engagement. The one that I enjoyed the most was that entertainment uses someone else's creativity while engagement makes you creative. Educational administrators are having a hard time seeing cellular devices as useful tools in the classroom. I think that cellular devices are viewed much as graphic calculators used to be viewed in a math class or as a T.V. presentation was viewed in a history class.

If more administrations would be informed on how some of the personal technology could be used, I think they would allow cell phones in the class - if used properly. As an educator I must be open minded and always be willing to learn about the "newest fad" in technology. This is the only way educators can 1) understand the students 2) increase the desire to learn. By staying up to date on technology the students can be in awe of the teacher and the teacher can be in awe of the student's ability to be creative! My classroom will most certainly use "gizmos" and "gadgets" in the classroom, and I hope I will be allowed to use those same "gismos" and "gadgets" in my classroom assignments!

C4T2

For my second Comment 4 Teachers I was assigned to Mike Prater at Growth Through Learning. My first comment was on his blog titled "Grouping Students for Effective Learning"
I have some definite opinions about grouping students. Fortunately - I agree with Dr. Prater! Dr. Prater believes in grouping students together according to ability levels. Dr. Prater also states that group learning can really only be effective if there is a support system in place for students and teachers.

Dr. Prater brings up several problems with grouping of students. He states ways in which a Professional Learning Community will succeed and ways that a PLC will fail. While Dr. Prater doesn't have all the answers, he does make us think of some problems we, as future teachers, may have with teaching in a group environment.

I can defend the idea of group learning - as I did in my comments to Dr. Prater - because I know it can work. I have seen group teaching - a history and an English teacher collaborating on a project for students - and group learning - students working together in a group setting to complete a project. I have seen the struggles from both sides of the table. I have also seen the rewards! The teachers get to see the creativeness of their students and the students get to watch their teachers work together. This is a great example of real life experiences.

My second comment on Dr. Prater's blog was on his post titled "Engaging in the Process of Formative Assessment". The title alone overwhelmed me, so I had to choose this post to make a comment! After all - it is all about the "learning" right!? So, the reason I chose this post was because I know little to nothing about "formative assessment" or so I thought! It wasn't until I was almost done reading that I realized what formative assessment is. As Dr. Prater says in his blog:

"One of the most valuable forms of formative assessment is simply teacher observations of student mastery of content matter. Formative assessment can occur as a teacher is observing students’ work, discussion, debates, etc. and then reacting to what he or she sees."

So in essence we must pay attention to our students as we are teaching them - this will let us know if they are comprehending what we are trying to teach them. If they are not comprehending, then we must alter how we are teaching them so that they can understand and retain the information.

This post was very informative to me!

I have enjoyed Dr. Prater's blog so much that I also commented on another one of his posts. I probably do not have to comment on what I said, but the post was so compelling that I wanted to share it with all of you! This post is titled "College isn't for Everyone". I think it is important that as future teachers we realize that we are not preparing students just to continue their education in college. Some students will not be "college material". We need to understand this and teach appropriately. This does not mean that we can "dumb down" what we are teaching, but we mush understand that not everyone will go to college. Not every student will get a 4 year degree. Some students will go to a technical school. Some will go to a community college and obtain an associates degree. Others will continue to a university and gain the highest degrees possible. As future/current educators we must understand that our students will fall into one of these categories, or they may not attend any type of post secondary education. This is what Dr. Prater had to say:

I see some key areas for educators:

• Educate parents and students about career opportunities outside of the typical four-year college track.
• Remove the elitist view that some in education have. Trade school isn’t “just” trade school. Our world functions because of very skilled people who can manufacture and repair our cars, homes, roads, …. You get the idea. Additionally, our world functions because of trained service people who might have “only” a high school degree.
• Partner with those in vocational/career education and industry. They are not “dumping grounds” for anyone today. Learn those skills that students are required to have to be successful in their industry. It might not be a bad idea to spend a half-day professional development opportunity by loading high school teachers on a bus and letting them tour a career education facility!
• Provide more curricular options for students in grades 9-12. Make the learning more relevant for those who may not be interested in a four-year college track. As an example, (I’m going to step on the toes of my English teacher friends now) does the skilled auto mechanic really need to be able to analyze The Scarlett Letter? He or she needs higher-level reading and writing skills, but maybe we should rethink what form those skills take.

I really enjoyed all of Dr. Prater's postings. He is a vast wealth of knowledge and I appreciate the opportunity to learn from him!

Project 9a Individual Timetoast

BLOG POST ASSIGNMENT #4

Podcasting

This subject truly interests me. I love to learn and I have used podcasts many times in my former career. Although I have used a podcast before, I had no idea how to make a podcast or how a podcast could be used in a classroom. I was excited to learn the "how to's" of podcasting!

Langwitches

This was the beginning of my learning process and what better way to begin learning about creating a podcast that to begin at the beginning? In the blog Langwitches by Silvia Tolisano she sitting in for a first grade classroom where they are creating a read along podcast.

It is interesting that the kids really take to learning about the process of creating while they are learning. The children take an interest in re-recording their voice if they didn't like the way it sounded and that they were interested in the mechanics of the recording program. Another interesting thing that happened was that the students played with the emphasis in their voices for expressive purposes.

The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom

Mr Joe Dale explains some really great benefits of podcasting. One of things I hope I will be able to implement in my classroom is the use of a podcast mixed with a blog. I have a teenage daughter and I know that they absolutely love to see/hear themselves. I think a podcast is an intriguing thing to use in a classroom. You can get a student excited about the subject matter because you are allowing the student to be creative and you are allowing the student to be a part of the learning process for others.

Two other things I pulled from this blog. One - students can use a podcast of that day's lesson if they are absent. I love this - since my daughter sometimes misses class due to football and basketball seasons. By using a podcast the student gets to "be" in the classroom. This is important because sometimes a teacher will explain things more thoroughly in the classroom than he would when explaining the lesson to a student that missed that days lesson. This is a big plus for both the student and the teacher. The student get the identical lesson of the day and the teacher doesn't have to repeat himself! Two - parents can see/hear what their child is learning and how the child is doing in the classroom. This is exciting for me as a parent. I would be able to see/hear how my child is doing and how my child is participating in his own learning. I love all the possibilities!

Podcast Collection

Judy Schraf is a wealth of knowledge on podcasting. There is so much on her blog, you should be able to create a successful podcast just from her information! She basically organizes the usage of podcasts in your classroom. She lists possible subjects and gives and outline of how it can possibly play out in the the classroom.

My favorite thing she does it expresses multiple time that you must be able to use Audacity in order to create a good podcast. Then she gives you a helpful link. Judy Schraf is a plethora of information on using podcasting in the classroom. I really enjoyed her outline tutorial.

Project # 6 This is My Sentence

Project #5

C4K Post #1

Mose's Blog

I really have enjoyed getting to know what the student likes - today was all about the "silly sports" activity they had at school! Interesting reading. While reading Moses blog I realized that these students are learning about more than just technology and communication, they are learning how to write. Writing has been a lost art form and blogging is slowly returning that art to the forefront.

So today Moses' blog was on the silly sports they did in school. He did a great job explaining what they played and how he enjoyed each game individually. His writing is very good and he can really paint a picture with his words.

Although I really enjoyed Moses' blog today (He wrote it on 8/31), the one I enjoyed more had absolutely nothing to do with school and everything to do with the Rugby Championships. He said on his blog dated 9/9:

"Today our school is supporting the all blacks for rugby world cup. I can tell there going to beat Tonga so go all blacks."

So now I have a kinship with Moses - because one of my dearest friends is Tongan so I would have to cheer for Tonga!

Abbie's Blog

This week I commented on Mrs. Kilgo's class. The Student that I was assigned was Abbie. I made a comment on her post about her favorite desert animal. I commented that I was impressed with her statistics. I asked her where she got her statistics. I asked if she googled it. I also told her that I liked her other post she did on her favorite place. Her favorite place is Florida. My favorite place is Florida too. I told her I loved Sandestin.

I think it is important when talking to kids to make some type of connection and to let them know you understand them.

I enjoyed Abbie's blog this week!

Sean's Letter

This week I commented on St. Elmo Explorers blog. In this blog Mr. Capps' class is writing thank you notes to Ms. Lucy Buffett for her generous donation of iPads. The student I was given was Sean. He was funny. He thanked Ms. Buffett for her donation and asked her a series of questions about the weather and about how much money she had. You know - normal kid stuff!

I commented on Sean's inquisitiveness and on his concern for the weather where she lives. I also told him that as a Mom I appreciate his willingness to thank Ms. Buffett for her donation. I told him to keep up the good work and that the things he learns today will stay with him for the rest of his life. I ended by asking him is he might ask for an iPad for Christmas.

Sean's note was cute and the kids putting it into a presentation was cool too! Great Job Andy!!!

Germonie

This week I commented on Germonie's blog post. Germonie's blog post is about places you would like to visit and why. Germonie wants to go to Hawaii! I commented to Germonie that I would also love to visit Hawaii. Someday I hope to be able to go. Until then, I will have to just be happy going to the beaches close to my home.

Germonie did a great job explaining her reasons for wanting to go to Hawaii. Many of those reasons are the same as my reasons for wanting to go. Funny that there is a huge age difference, but we still want the same things!

This is what Germonie had to say about Hawaii:

"i can get massages, stay in bed, and go sky diving in the beach. Hawaii is also a place to

get your stress out and to spend time with your family. Hawaii is a romantic place to get

along with people that you love."

I do not think there could be better reasons for wishing to go to Hawaii! Thanks so much Germonie!

BLOG POST ASSIGNMENT #3

Peer Review

I have never really thought peer review ever helps. It always seems that peer review

causes more problems that it solves. After viewing Paige's blog and the other items that we read/watched. I liked the 5th graders video that showed the pros and cons of peer reviewing. Or at least the do's and don'ts of peer reviewing. It seems that most students are only interested in being "Picky Patti" instead of being truly helpful.

It's Not About the Technology

• 

Sometimes technology can be used for good other times it can be a hindrance. The great thing

about Kelly's post is that it acknowledged the good and the bad in technology.

I especially liked the list of four items that every teacher must recognize in order to effectively

teach in the 21st century. Kelly's is this:

1. Teacher's must be learners

2. Learning and teaching are not the same thing.

3. Technology is useless without good teaching.

4. Be a 21st teacher without the technology.

It would have been my wish in high school to have been able to learn about the

technology that we had at the time (which wasn't much mind you - the year was 1984!)

I am not as sure that today's teachers can teach effectively without the use of

technology in some form or fashion. Most of today's schools have some type of

technology in the classroom or at the very least in the library. If today's teachers

would take time out to further their technology education then they would have a

ton of new tools to use to get the students interested in whatever they are teaching.

If you can include something fun into education, most students are more than willing

to learn. We just have to find a way to harness new ways of getting tasks complete so

our students will be passionate about learning!

Is it Okay to be a Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

I really enjoyed Karl Fisch's blog on what to do with teachers that are not technologically literate.

I have to agree with the post - teachers and administrators that are not either technologically literate or unwilling to become literate should be forced to find other means of employment. I think what Fisch says "If a teacher today is not technologically literate - and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more - it's equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn't know how to read and write. " I would agree with this statement 100% I love what he has to say and I would recommend this article to all teacher - both future and present!

Social Media Count

Ok - so I was completely amazed at how quickly things happen in social media. Who would have thought things change so rapidly? Gary Hayes that is who! On his post it is interesting to see - I mean literally see how quickly things happen.

I am really not sure what more I can say about Mr. Hayes' post other than you MUST see it to believe it. Go and check it out, it is amazing!

A Vision of Students Today

Watching the video A Vision of Students Today was eye opening. I watched it twice just so I could understand the meaning. It is humorous to me that schools are still using some type of chalk board or white board to teach. Most of the time, the student is not paying attention! They are chatting with others in the class or they are texting on their cell phones (even though cell phones are forbidden in school!) So are those boards really working? Wouldn't some form of interactive teaching keep the students attention better?

The other thing that interested me about this video is that today's students are busy 26.5 hours per day. That means they/we are multitasking. They are multitasking a lot! It is mind boggling how little people understand the pressure that today's high school/college student is under. They are expected to do better and last longer than students 10 years ago.

The other thing that is interesting is that the job that most of college students will have when they graduate college doesn't even exist yet! Mind boggling! Go watch the video.

C4T #1 Post

For my first C4T post I posted on Teacher Tom's Blog about Knowing. I have really enjoyed all of Teacher Tom's post this week. He tends to blog almost every day and I have read all of them. The blog on Knowing was a good one - but in my opinion not as good as the one on Who Is Going to Sit in those Cubicles? Not these Kids! In this blog he talks about the kids painting. It is so awesome - the kids are given guidelines to use, but they take a lot of liberty in completing the work!

So - I commented on Knowing. In Knowing Teacher Tom talks about solving a playground problem with some preschoolers. It was interesting how he allowed the children to solve their own problems with just some guidance from him. One of the interesting things that happened was that the main child in

his blog (Jaime's daughter) was only 2 years old and was using techniques that had been taught to her older sibling. She was using these techniques and didn't understand why they weren't working. Teacher Tom allowed the youngsters to solve their own problems by gently guiding them in the direction he wished them to go.

My comments were to the point of hoping that I would be able to be a "teaching guide" instead of a "normal" teacher. Even though I am planning on teaching teenagers, I think that some of his techniques with the preschoolers would work with teenagers. I commented

that I hoped I would be able to engage students into teaching themselves and allow me to guide them in their learning. I did close by leaving my Twitter, a link to the class blog and a link to my blog.

SECOND COMMENT

The post I commented on for this week was about preschooler hitting. Teacher Tom calls any invasion of personal space "hitting" for the purpose of this post. Teacher Tom gave several suggestions for handling the "hitter" in this blog. He says that he will post helpful points for the "hittee" tomorrow. So, a list of his suggestions are as follows:

1) Stay calm

2) Use your superior physical strength to stop the hitting.

3) Normally, however, no one is very hurt and normally there is a clear offender. Keep both parties proximate, even if that requires using some "physical force."

4) Describe what you know to be true

5) Draw the connection between cause and effect

6) Now is the most difficult part: stop talking and wait. Let the children fill up that dead air. It sometimes takes awhile, especially for boys, to find words. It's during this time that children will often spontaneously "apologize" by returning the taken item or attempting to hug their crying friend. This is a genuine 2-year-old apology.

7) Respond to whatever the offender says (even if they are trying to change the subject) by repeating what you know to be true and by drawing the connection between cause and effect.

8) For me, that's the end of it, but there are many who don't consider the process complete without a formal apology.

I really appreciated what he had to say and told him so in my comment. I also told him that I appreciated his thoughts on not seeking an artificial apology out of a 2 or 3 year old. I stated that I feel parents asking toddlers to apologize to early is one of the reasons teenagers will often offer a quick "I'm sorry" when they are not really sure what they are sorry for doing.

I closed my comment my inviting him to view my blog and by thanking him for his advice to parents and teachers alike.

I must say I have enjoyed Teacher Tom's blog! Even though I am not Elementary Education major, I think some of his insight can be applied to older students too. After all - some of the "hormonal" teenagers act like 3 year olds too!

BLOG POST ASSIGNMENT #2

DID YOU KNOW 3.0

Some of the things I saw in "Did You Know 3.0" I had heard before - some I had not! What is interesting to me is that I am doing things now that I could only have dreamed of when I was in high school. As much as technology has changed in the last 25 years since I left high school , nothing surprises me! In the 1980's we had a Commodore 64 computer that we thought was "high tech". We had to use DOS to operate the dang thing. When I have shown my daughter my Commodore 64 - she just shakes her head and goes and plays on her iPhone4 which could out compute my old Commodore 64 by a long shot!

Some of the items that Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod put in the video we

re surprising. The idea that only 1 out of 2 people have had their jobs for less than 5 years. That kind of stuns me! The other thing is that 1 out of every 8 couples married last year met online. Who knew so many people were meeting online? Call me old fashion, but it is kind of strange to think of people meeting online. I don't know why I find that to be so unusual, but I do.

So - what does this all mean? I think it means that this world is always changing and we must change with it. If we are unwilling to change and embrace technology and technological advances we will be left behind in the world. I also think it means as future educators we must include technology in our classrooms as much as possible. We should use what our students use as communication in order to teach them in a manner they can understand.

Since this world is ever changing - we must change with it - or risk being left behind!

MR. WINKLE WAKES

When Mr. Winkle wakes and it is 100 years later it was enlightening to me to see that the one place he felt comfortable was in a classroom. It was sad and true at the same time!

Classrooms haven't changed in a long time. administrations are hard pressed to allow technology into the classroom. I know this from experience. It is hard to get principles and headmasters to understand that social networking and technology can be used to further a students learning process.

Mr. Winkle Wakes by Matthew Needleman is an eye opener for future educators. I think we can see where change has taken place and where change still needs to happen. I would suggest any new or existing teachers to view this video and take it to heart. I can definitely see the past in this video and see how little our educational system has changed.

Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity

I haven't enjoyed a talk as much as I did this one in a long time! The Importance of Creativity is a video that will and can change the way educators look at their students. Several things struck me. One of the main things was the way Sir Robinson talked about creativity. Often we are quick to label students that do not learn the way we think they should as "learning disabled". Just because a child doesn't learn the same way as another child doesn't mean they are not smart.

I have a personal experience to attest that labeling a child or even an adult in learning doesn't work! We tell our children that they can do or be anything they want to be then we take a breath and give them ideas! I am just as guilty as the next person. I tell my daughter to find something she loves and make a way to earn income from it! Then I give her ideas of what she can do. Should I be giving her a list? Shouldn't I just allow her to find her talents and figure out her future career on her own? As a parent - it is a struggle to know what to do. As a teacher - you have more than just one student to worry about!

Sir Robinson definitely gave me food for thought!

Cecelia Gault (Young Student in Finland) Interviews Sir Ken Robinson

How do we make sure that all students are well educated? I particularly enjoyed what

Sir Ken Robinson said about creativity. I had never really thought about mathematics or

science being a creative outlet. Parag Chordia, director of the Music Intelligence Lab at Georgia Tech says, "Is creativity just the gift of a few--just sprinkled on a few people and that's it? I would argue no, that creativity is something that we all have inside of us and what it's all about is finding out, how do we unlock that creativity?" I think that is what Chordia says is EXACTLY what Sir Robinson is trying saying.

When I heard Sir Robinson say that math and science were creative I was skeptical. I didn't understand how that could be possible. Fortunately, when someone says something that I am not sure I agree with I "Google it"! This is how I ran across Parag Chordia. I found this article from the National Science Foundation. It has changed my though processes about creativity. I had never thought about where engineers get the ideas for bridges or chemical engineers get ideas for new "concoctions"!

I guess I was just denying the creative process of mathmaticians and scientists - boy was I WRONG! They just might be more creative than the aritist and writers that create art and literature - maybe...

Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

The way Ms. Davis is running her classroom is exactly what I would envision for my

classroom. I am striving to learn how students can better use technology to learn for themselves. I like the way Ms. Davis has her students teaching some of the classes. It is my belief that teaching others is the best

way to learn something for yourself!

I am struggling to get some of my daughter's teachers to understand that technology can be their friend. I do not understand why they will not allow the students to create a class Facebook page. A place where the students can discuss their work outside of a classroom enviroment. I think this is a method that I want to incorporate into my lifelong learning. I want to empower students to learn. I want students to use any tools they have at their disposal to learn. This would include their cell phones and cameras! When I say this to my teacher friends they shake their heads and say it will never work. I say "Never say Never"! Thanks to Ms. Davis I can now say "I have proof it works!"