Gina Phillips' EDM310 Class Blog
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
BLOG POST #14
Final Report on My PLN
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Special Post on Metaphors
- The sky was dark and angry.
- His lightning reflexes saved his life.
- His sunny face was just what I wanted to see.
The sky cannot be literally angry and no-one can have reflexes as fast as lightning; a sunny face helps us to think of the warmth of the sun and we transfer this to the character of this person. These words (metaphors) are used to express our understanding or our interpretation of the world around us as clearly as possible.
A lot of metaphors relate to nature in general.
- I think this will throw some light on the issue.
- I've made some punch with wine, fruit juice and a little brandy to break the ice.
- The agreement was hedged around by a large number of restrictions.
- That politician is a sly fox.
The use of "light", "break the ice" and "hedged" are all nature-based metaphors that are used to express how we view the world.
A lot of metaphors are based on gardens or agriculture. For example, we often use the word root to refer to the cause of a problem. It can also be used to describe something starting to grow.
- The root of this problem is Blair's decision to go into Iraq.
- If we keep on pushing this idea forward, it might actually take root.
- The Labour Party wants to have a very strong grass-roots campaign.
- After a rocky start, their romance blossomed.
- This is a thorny issue so it will take some time to sort it out.
Many metaphors relate to water.
- The ocean of his mind was awash with new ideas.
- I don't want to go out with him. He's so wet!
- Waves of disappointment swept over him.
- He watered down his proposal quite a lot and in the end it wasn't radical enough.
- My legs turned to water and I couldn't move.
Have a look at these metaphors and think about how they relate to the literal meaning.
- I swallowed his story whole, I'm sorry to say.
- Her eyes were filled with pain and I couldn't look at her.
- Taking this job is a gamble but I hope it works out well in the end.
- Hotels have sprouted up all over Thailand.
- The minutes crept by as the party was so dull!
- Bush said he would stay the course in Iraq.
- There was a huge amount of fallout over Blair's decision.
- Low interest rated fuelled the house-prices boom.
- His idea was warmly received.
- The two presidential candidates were neck and neck.
- We'd better go back to square one and start again.
- His refusal set off a chain of events that ended in his arrest.
- She made a fatal mistake when she signed the agreement.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Blog Post Assignment #13
Do not use any electronic (powered by electricity or batteries) entertainment or communicationsdevice for 24 consecutive hours. If you break this activity by using a banned device, you muststart the activity over again.What is banned:Any use of television, video records or playersComputers, tablets, notepads or similar devicesVideo cameras, audio recorders or equipment, radios, iPods, iPads, iPhones (or any cell phone),Telephones of any kind, hearing aids (if applicable)You may go to a movie in a movie theatre, participate in personal conversations, read one ormore books, attend a lecture in person. No FaceBook however for 24 hours.
My failure was complete and total!!!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Blog Post #12
I have been racking my brain trying to think of something that would be appropriate to add to the contents of this class. I like the idea of using other sources to blog about. One source would be The New Tech Network found here.
Progress Report on Final Project
Project #14 Skype Interview
C4K#10 Part 1
Friday, November 11, 2011
C4T#4
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Blog Post Assignment #11
Friday, November 4, 2011
C4K Post # 3
Won't you look up at the skyline
at the mortar block and glass
and check out the reflections
in my eyes
you see they always
used to be there
even when this all was grass
and I sang and danced
about a high-rise
you were laughing at
my helmet hat
laughing at my torch
CHORUS
Go ahead you can
laugh all you want
I got my philosophy
keeps my feet on the ground
and I trust it like the ground
and that's why my philosophy(my phil-)
it keeps me walking when I'm falling down(o-so-phy)
I see that there is evil
and I know that there is good
and the inbetweens
I never understood
won't you look at me
I'm crazy
but I get the job done
yeah I'm crazy
but I get the job done
CHORUS
I pushed you 'cause
I loved you guys
I didn't realize
you weren't having fun
I dragged you up the stairs
and I told you to fly
you were flapping your arms
you started to cry
you were too high
too high
You may take this all for granted
take the mortar, block and glass
and you forget the speech
that moved the stone
but it's really not that you can't see
the forest for the trees
you've never been out
in the woods alone
So you can laugh
all you want to
but I got my philosophy
keeps my feet on the ground
and I love you
you're my friend
but you got no philosophy
now it's time for this song to end
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Blog Post Assignment #10
Friday, October 21, 2011
Project # 13 Smartboard Part 1
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
C4T3
"EduKAYshun"
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?
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Project #11
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!
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
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."
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Project # 12 Book Trailer
Sit back and relax - enjoy this preview of How I Became a Pirate!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
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.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Project #10
Project 9b Instructional Timetoast
C4K Post #2
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!