Blog Post Assignment #10

I Want to Educate

Here I am, 42 years old a junior in college and I am a Secondary Ed/Language Arts major. Recently, someone asked me if I had always wanted to be a teacher. My answer was honest (as I tend to be) and I responded "NO! I have never wanted to be a "teacher"! I want to share what I know with teenagers and help them to gain knowledge about literature, grammar and writing. I DO NOT want to "teach" them - I want to guide them towards attaining knowledge through

learning and using what they have learned to better themselves and improve their knowledge!" I think the person I was talking to was stunned.

I have never, ever wanted to be a teacher... I have always, always wanted to share my passion for gaining knowledge with our younger generation. I do not want to stand in front of a class and lecture about what I know. I want to help the students gain knowledge through reading, practicing and doing... I know - this sounds like teaching... and to be honest, it is not really teaching... it is educating! This video tells the difference. I want to be an educator. I want to be the teacher that the students dread because of the work, but love because they get to participate in their own education. I know this works, I have seen this work - I want to be that teacher!

Maybe it is my age or maybe it is because I have finally found a place that I feel that I belong... I never realized the real difference between teaching and educating. I know now that I have always wanted to be an educator - not a teacher!

Don't Let Them Take the Pencils Home

I think I can understand what Mr. Johnson is trying to say in his blog post. I believe this problem is similar to a problem that my daughter's school is having. Some parents/teachers want the students to have laptops to further the education of the student. Administration argues that laptops would create "problems" and not solutions for the teachers. They (the administration) argue about costs and parents not making the kids responsible for the computers and all the "normal" arguments against computers in the classroom. I love the argument that the students shouldn't have to be entertained in order to learn! I think the

laptops would engage not entertain the student!

I also think that the pencils might be a metaphor for any item that is technology related. Parents (at my daughter's school) have been pushing for e-books instead of paper textbooks. It is argued that parents have to purchase textbooks (it is a private school) and purchasing an iPad or the like would pay for itself in a matter of a year. It wasn't until this summer that the students were

allowed to do their summer reading with an e-reader instead of an actual book.

I guess you can tell I get worked up about people not being willing to use technology in the classroom. If educators would allow themselves to think about ways to incorporate technology the students are already familiar with and incorporate it into a lesson plan, they may find

students to be more engaged. In return, I believe, test scores (heavens, the almighty TEST SCORE!) would increase. Thus attaining what the educator, parent, student and administrators wish. Of course.... I could be wrong, but I am going to try!

Project # 13 Smartboard Part 1

Our group divided each item of mastery between the 4 of us. We made sure that we all knew how to use the Smartboard in the ways shown on the video. Due to time constraints - we combined the clips to form one group video project.

C4T3

The Scholastic Scribe

For this C4T assignment I was assigned to The Scholastic Scribe. Today I commented on Wordless Wednesday. To be honest, I really had not a clue what she was doing! As I was reading comments and looking through her blog, I realize that the picture above speaks volumes about our educational system (or our lack of education!). As educators we need to be careful and plan well. I seriously doubt the person that painted the road didn't know how to spell. I think it was poor planning and carelessness. As future teachers we must be careful and plan well so that we do not make these same types of errors - lest people think we are uneducated! Thanks for the

"EduKAYshun"

I needed it!

This week I commented on the above photo. It speaks to the economy and to the goodness of the community. Education can be found in many different forms. I have enjoyed this blog - even though I still am not sure what she wants us to take from her blog posts. I know a picture speaks a thousand words, but I am not sure how I would use her blog examples as a tool in my classroom.

BLOG POST ASSIGNMENT #9

Mr. McClung starts off by telling us that many teachers have forgotten - who their true audience is, and are not doing the students justice by teaching lessons geared at getting the approval of their superiors versus their students. He goes on to discuss being flexible and the disappointment of not being able to teach that perfect lesson the way that he had it written, holding students to expectations that they can't meet, not being afraid of technology, listening to students and being a lifelong learner.

I agree with McClung. First of all, I agree that some teachers have forgotten how to deliver a lesson that would best benefit the students rather than creating a lesson that is to impress superiors or the norm. I also agree that content comprehension is sometimes missed or passed over too quickly. I have a different opinion about trying to create the perfect lesson. I don't think that a perfect lesson exists and I look at a lesson as simply a guide not a path set in stone. We create lesson plans to keep us on track so that we don't forget anything.

Expectation... You cannot expect people to live up to a certain standard or you will always be disappointed and so will they. You need to encourage students to set and reach for goals. You hope your students will reach higher and if there is a perceived failure that is all that it is – perceived! I completely agree on the last two of not being afraid of technology and being a lifelong learner. What else could you hope for in a teacher?

Project #11

I chose to do my short movie project on the same book I did for my book trailer! My sister teaches 1st grade at a local Mobile, Alabama school and I am hoping she will not only show the students my book trailer, but that she will also share my reading of the same book.

So, my short movie is a bit over 8 minutes long since I am reading the book to - hopefully - other children.

BLOG POST ASSIGNMENT #8

This Is How We Dream Part 1 and 2

In these two videos (Part One & Part Two), Richard Miller explains how much things have changed when it comes to writing and researching. He describes our desktop as a workshop and we use Word Processing apps to write about our research. We no longer have to go to the library we can easily use the internet to find exactly what we are looking for.
While books in the library only have so many copies, the internet is full of different copies. We are now able to share our information and while 3 people could be looking at the same book in the library, millions can be looking online at the same book. Although the internet having these sources and information is so convenient and helpful, I hope the print copies will stay around. Internet is not always reliable and often crashes. In the case that a research paper is due in a week and my computer crashes I would go to the library.
I don’t think I am completely prepared to write with multimedia, but as I continue with my school and learn new things everyday about technology, I will be ready when the time is necessary. Although I do believe I am better prepared now than I have ever been before! As an educator I must learn to do use all multimedia tools available. Technology increases day to day and when I’m a teacher my students will already know what to do or I will need to teach them how to use the technology available. I will also need to recognize when a student knows more about technology than myself and learn from the student!

Carly’s Blog

OMG! Now I am nervous about creating my assignment! What an incredible thing! When I was viewing Mr. Miller’s video, I was thinking in terms of literal typing/writing words to be read. I was not even considering the use of videos to be a means of multimedia expression. Oh - the joys of learning something new! Now my wheels are spinning!

I get the idea that Carly was like a kid in a candy store--- so many ideas in that head of hers! Now I have that same feeling. Every week I am crushed under the amount of work I have, and I always save my EDM310 stuff for last. I guess because it is the most fun, yet most time consuming. I just don’t want to be thinking about that paper or that test or anything else – just the “fun stuff”.

Now – I am going to You Tube to see what I can find! Later Gator…

Chipper and EDM 310 for Dummies

I thought both of these videos were well thought out and had extremely important points to them. The video about Chipper was pretty funny. The moral of it was that you have to always do your work and do it on time. You cannot rely on someone else to do it for you. If this is the case, you will never make it far in life. The EDM 310 video, I thought, was well produced as well as had a good point. The main idea was that this class is difficult and can make you go crazy if you do not know how to use the tools and websites. Once they learned how to use them they realized how beneficial this class will be for all classes.

I have found that I am much more open minded towards social media in the classroom than I was before! My ideas are changing for what constitutes “teaching” in a classroom. I think long term learning by using the tools that a student uses for social networking in the classroom will have a positive effect on their ability to retain the knowledge! EDM310 is changing the way I think!

Learn to Change, Change to Learn

I think this video is about the need for educational reform. One of the first statements is made about what the shape our education is in. A commentator said education was ranked behind coal mining in IT development. I am not sure if that was a good argument to use, because coal mining is a very dangerous industry and there is a huge need for IT development to keep miners safe. Miners aren't dumb by any means and they absolutely need information about where they are working. They need knowledge about earth demographics for their job and to simply stay alive in those mines.
The statement that more stimulated learning occurs outside the classroom is, I believe, true. Learning outside can be reinforced with life experiences. Learning inside is not necessarily a bad thing. A student needs to be inside too for some structured learning. That concept may never go away. I will agree with the statement that "Technology is not a choice, it has created a world." The choice to use it will happen with me and my students because I am involved with them and speaking and showing the merits that it has. There are some people that say technology is a choice for them. I feel they will eventually get left behind or just die off. Harsh statement, I know, but I believe we are seeing it happen (Baldwin County Schools, for instance). I will agree one hundred percent that teachers have to connect with other teachers. Most teachers want to engage students with learning. Having a wealth of ideas that are coming from all over the globe can keep learning fresh. Students get bored easily and having a bank of resources can help to produce a student that will have a desire to learn for the rest of his/her life. As educators, we must "Learn to change, change to learn."

As parents (or prospective parents) and educators we need to ENGAGE our students through the technology they are already familiar with and then SHOW them how to use these items for an EDUCATIONAL purpose. This is my idea... I am trying to get other teachers to "but in" to my ideas. I have been surprised that I am having so much difficulty is convincing teachers that social media is a great way to ENGAGE a student...

Project # 12 Book Trailer

I really enjoyed creating the book trailer. Although I am planning on teaching Middle/High school students, I think they would benefit by creating a book trailer themselves! Maybe I can even get my daughter's English teacher to embrace the idea!

Sit back and relax - enjoy this preview of How I Became a Pirate!

BLOG POST ASSIGNMENT #7

This video amazing and completely inspirational. Randy Pausch mentioned how he had reached his childhood dream, and he gave small tips for you to learn while hearing the story. He mentioned he had reached his dreams and now he is helping to enable the dreams of others. He said to enable dreams of others, become a professor. Being a professor may be one way to enable the dreams of others, but it is not the only way!

Mr. Pausch mentioned many skills that are useful in teaching, one being fundamentals. Fundamentals are useful for teaching; you must get the fundamentals or the fancy stuff won't work. Another tip was corrections; when somebody is doing wrong and nobody is correcting them, that means that they were given up on. Critics are good. A good quote was "experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted." The next skill is learning. Most of what we learn, we learn indirectly (or by "head fake". For example, do we really want our kids to learn a sport like football, or do we want them to learn the aspects of the game like teamwork, sportsmanship, and perseverance. That is the head fake - the skills learned behind the scene.) Another skill is leadership; you don't have to be smart but you have to know how to lead. Then the concept of the brick wall, when you are stopped by something you keep trying if you really want something. Another skill mentioned was "don't get discouraged when somebody doesn't give you what you want." You should just give them some time, and they might surprise you or impress you and change their mind. The last skill is watch the way you say things. Instead of shutting something down and say that "I don't know"; you can say "I don't have enough information, let's hear more." (Something we definitely learn in EDM310!)

How do we enable the dreams of others? This video showed a good point about how students can do better than you think. For example, when he taught that class for the first year, and the students blew him away with their projects. He didn't know what to do, so he went to his mentor and asked "what am I supposed to do, they are past what I have planned to teach?" You go into the class and tell the students "that was good, but I know you all can do better". He also mentioned that he should not just set the bar anywhere, because that can limit the child's ability. The bar can always go higher. Using videos and technology to teach people is very useful. You need to make people self-reflecting; make them push themselves.

These are lessons that show what helps you achieve these dreams. The first lesson is the role of parents, mentors, and students. They push you to achieve. The second lesson was that you must tell your students to have fun. (Most students learn quicker when they think they are "just having fun"!) The third lesson was to never lose the child-like wonder. The fourth lesson that you must help others. The fifth lesson was that loyalty is a two-way street. The sixth lesson was to never give up. The seventh lesson was how do we get people to help you. The ways to get people to help you are: you can't get there alone, tell the truth, be earnest, apologize when you screw up, focus on others and not yourself. (Hey, these are great life lessons too!) The eighth lesson was to show gratitude. The ninth lesson was don't complain, just work harder. The tenth lesson was to be good at something; it just makes you valuable. The eleventh lesson was to find the best in everybody; no matter how long you have to wait for them to show it. The twelfth lesson was to be prepared: "luck" is where preparation meets opportunity.

I really enjoyed this lesson! I used to think I was way to old to continue to pursue my dreams - no more! I will be a fantastic teacher. I will not let anyone distract me from my goals. I have been completely enjoyed learning about Mr. Pausch. I hope others will too.

Project #10

PLN (Personal Learning Network) --- A Beginning

As I was foraging through my Symbaloo I was thinking that my PLN really could use some "housecleaning"! It is CRAZY. Still, I know what is going on - unlike in my home! Yet, I have enjoyed my PLN without really realizing what I was doing. Is this the way learning should work? I am looking at my Twitter at least 3-5 times a day. This includes going and looking at #EDM310 and #edchat. Both of those I absolutely love! I get some great ideas or just points to ponder every single day.

Recently I have even taken information that I got off Twitter, copied it and sent it to teachers that are at my daughters school. Several of these teachers are amazed at the things I can do... Little do they know they can get this information too. (Unfortunately, none have asked!)

So, my PLN started with Twitter, then it grew to the teacher's blogs we have commented on so far this semester. Now I am adding Facebook pages of fellow teachers and Google+ circles! I am building relationships with perfect strangers all because of social networking! I know that building these relationships will be helpful to me in the future. When I have a problem I need a quick answer for - I will tweet my PLN! When I need research help, post it! My PLN has already served to get me out of a big jam in another class. I needed and interview subject. I had 4 fall through and my project was due in 3 days. I posted on Facebook my issue (and my frustration) I had TWO private messages telling me they wanted to help! That was in the first FIVE minutes! Thirty minutes later I was off to do my interview! That is why we have a PLN. We need other people to help us when we have a problem. We need to be there for others too. We are tomorrows educators and we need to know how to use the newest teaching tools at our disposal!

I know I am going to sound a bit childish when I say this, but I love my PLN - I hope you will create your own PLN and love it too!

Project 9b Instructional Timetoast

Mormon History

I chose to do my timeline on Mormon History for two reasons. One, because I am Mormon and two, because the history of the Mormon people is facinating - even if you do not understand the faith. The history of the Mormonism is interesting. I hope you enjoy this snip-it of instruction on the history of Mormonism.

C4K Post #2

Pointsview School Room 3

At first I didn't really understand why Dr. Strange would have us view an entire blog and then assign us just one specific blog to comment on - now I do! There is absolutely no way to just view your assigned post and comment. These kids have created an incredible blog. You must check it out!

My assignment was to comment on the Wordle Blog. Since we created a wordle ourselves at the beginning of this semester - I really enjoyed looking at their wordle. The wordle is created of words that the class feels best describes their blog and what their blog is used to learn. Notice that learning is the longest and one of the largest words. World is the other really large word. I think this wordle could be used to describe our own EDM310 Class Blog.

I commented on the wordle blog that I had created a wordle also. I complemented them on a job well done. I also made what I believe are encouraging remarks on the difficulty of learning new things and the pride one takes when those difficult tasks are completed.

Great job! Thanks for sharing!

Mrs. Gregory's 6th Grade

This week we were assigned two different students to comment on for Mrs. Gregory's class. We were assigned a number and a column and then we were told to use the "name generator" to get another student's name.

The student I was assigned was Abby. Abby's post consisted of a recipe for a science experiment. I tried the experiment and it worked! Much to my own dismay. I told Abby this too! I hope the excitement I felt at having a science experiment that actually worked showed in my post! I am so excited that it worked for me! Below you will find her recipe!

Make a a balloon blow up. We will use vinegar, baking sota, and empty water bottles.

1. You get an empty water bottle and fill it up with vinegar about half way.

2. You get a balloon and fill it up with baking sota.

3. You put the balloon on the water bottle to cover the top.

4. then the balloon should be blown on.

My second post for this week I used the "name generator" and it chose Kasey5 for me. Kasey's blog was, well... all about blogging. She stated her ideas on blogging and why she enjoyed it. I expressed how much I have enjoyed blogging in this class. I told her that sometimes when I am "playing" on Facebook I go and look to see what still needs to be done with my blog. She is doing a great job blogging and I told her so!

This week we were assigned to comment on Mr. C's Class Blog. Mr. C is none other than William Chamberlain - someone that is a part of my PLN! So I was excited to read "his" kid's blog!

I was assigned to comment on Elizabeth's blog. The week I chose to comment was a blog about Why I Write. I started by reading several of Elizabeth's posts. I then commented on the "Why I Write" post. I told her that I had read other posts and that I really loved her post on "Setting and Mood". I almost got cold while reading that post and I told her so! It was really great! Elizabeth does a great job at making you "see" what she wants you to "see"! I suggested that she continue her blog as long as she can.

I can see why Dr. Strange has us use Mr. Chamberlain as an example of a great teacher! A teacher can usually be defined by the type of work their students put forth. Mr. Chamberlain's students really put their best foot forward! I know that not every student will always do their very best and sometimes a student's very best will not be that great, but it is encouraging to see what can happen!

ROOM 9 @ PT England School

Here is Lorenzo's animation of the Dublin castle in Ireland. Well done Lorenzo!

This week I commented on Lorenzo's animation. I have attempted animation before and I had a hard time doing it! I think it would be something that would be fun to attempt again with the knowledge I currently have from this class!

Lorenzo did a great job on his presentation. It is only 23 seconds long - so you should check it out here!

BLOG POST ASSIGNMENT #6

Wendy Drexler: The Networked Student

In a video The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler the question is asked, "Why does the networked student even need a teacher?". So why does a networked student need a teacher? The student needs the teacher to be a:

• Learning Architect
• Modeler
• Network Sherpa
• Change Agent
• Synthesizer
• Connected Learning Incubator
• Learning Concierge

Wendy provides an argument that the “networked student” of the future will not only still need a teacher, but will require a teacher that fulfills a variety of new modern and contemporary roles. I think that Wendy’s vision is an important component to a redefining of learning for the future.

Innovative and creative companies create physical environments where they are able to cultivate and foster creativity, innovation, collaboration, new designs, and 21st century problem solving. If we are going to provide students with the opportunity to connect their learning networks and collaborate with one another, then we must do away with the chair/desk systems lined up neatly in cohesive and geometric rows. We must be able to teach them how to network and collaborate with others. In order to teach these things we as teachers must first learn to use these things.

Wendy's video is found below. I would encourage all students, teachers and administrators to watch the video with an open mind and complete their respective due diligence to find out more.

A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment (or PLN)

It is interesting to compare the 7th graders PLN with my own PLN. I have been working on many different websites, articles, blogs and other internet resources to produce my own PLN. I was curious at how I would use this information other than just for my own reflections. After seeing this 7th graders presentation, I see that I can use my PLN for other things than teaching. I can use it to write papers for other classes and to organize my sources for class.

This presentation made me think about what I was choosing and what I would do with the items I was putting into my PLN. I now think I will go in and edit some of my choices! Not only do some editing, but probably some rearranging too!