Thursday, July 12, 2012
Project #13
Within this course we have intertwined many of technologies tools together. We have been assigned multiple projects in which we were instructed to explore the use of what technology has to offer. We have watched other teachers through Skype. Where we watched former classes have a one on one conversation with a teacher all the way in Canada, Mrs. Cassidy. We also were able to receive important documents through Google Docs, this is offered through Google’s services. We received updated documents as a classroom with the click of a button. I have communicated with fellow classmates through the use of Facetime to talk about our Group Projects. At first I was curious if we would really apply all these tools in everyday technology. However as a group we were allowed to receive these Docs so easily and could access them at any given time. As a group during Projects 15 and 16 we also used the collaborative tools to communicate with one another or as a group by using email,blogs, and Facetime. By seeing how much these tools had an effect on this class as well as classrooms around the world I am anxious to see the effects in my High school classroom. Technology has so much more to offer than what was previously mentioned. I know if I continue to explore and expand my Personal Learning Network (PLN) I will have the ability to take full advantage of what technology has to offer. I have also learned that the twenty first century student needs a teacher who can share their passion for techology with them. Students these days are much more technology literate and some are able to operate systems better than the teachers themselves. However it is important to always remember to stay positive and seek encouragement so that you can achieve your goals through the use of these integrative technology tools.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Final Report on PLN
When I first heard the term PLN, I had no idea what the term meant. However through the knowledge I have obtained from EDM310 I am able to define what my PLN is. I have learned about so many different things through EDM310, some of the things I have learned were completely new to me and others were just an enhancement of what I already know. Whether the knowledge is new or old, it has been shared with me for a reason. I have come to realize that technology is vital in any classroom and if a teacher makes the choice to incorporate technology into their curriculum they will reap more benefits than the teacher that does not.
By being asked to follow blogs, create my own, follow others, make podcasts and videos I have not only learned new things but explored and learned on MY OWN. I think this is a teaching style other teachers should adopt. A student will internalize the information and have a sense of self confidence by knowing they are capable of doing things by themselves. I know that I will be an advocate of technology and continue to explore new things on my own so that I can be as up to date as possible for my students sake. I can honestly say that my PLN was not only created in this class, but has also expanded in ways I never would have imagined.
By the encouragement and self responsibility placed on me early on in this class I have learned anything is possible. I am fully capable of creating and editing my own work and being able to share my knowledge with others. I have learned the only way to explore and advance in technology is to share information with others.
By being asked to follow blogs, create my own, follow others, make podcasts and videos I have not only learned new things but explored and learned on MY OWN. I think this is a teaching style other teachers should adopt. A student will internalize the information and have a sense of self confidence by knowing they are capable of doing things by themselves. I know that I will be an advocate of technology and continue to explore new things on my own so that I can be as up to date as possible for my students sake. I can honestly say that my PLN was not only created in this class, but has also expanded in ways I never would have imagined.
By the encouragement and self responsibility placed on me early on in this class I have learned anything is possible. I am fully capable of creating and editing my own work and being able to share my knowledge with others. I have learned the only way to explore and advance in technology is to share information with others.
C4T #4
Mr. Chamberlain
Mr. Chamberlain has introduced a concept within his blog post I think a lot of teachers would find helpful and need to adopt. He has formerly introduced the Ipad and iTV into his classroom and said the effects were positive, however he still was looking for that extra something. After going to a convention he purchased a Nexus 7 to add with his preexisting classroom technology. He says he hopes to create a Reflective Learning atmosphere for his future students in August.
After reading his blog post, I realized I have heard of this concept multiple times in previous assigned blog posts. His style however is a little different and I like that. He wants to not only use technology but incorporate Journals, not because his students do not have access to computers but because it will enhance their ability to learn reflectively. I like his style, I think it is important that students learn BOTH ways. Each individual student learns different. I think it is important as teachers to fulfill our duties and engage on multiple levels with our students.
Mr. Chamberlain
Mr. Chamberlains most recent blog post expresses his feelings on encouraging students and other bloggers to continue to blog. He says the encouragement commenting brings is very important. I totally agree, although i have not been blogging very long I find it very encouraging to receive feedback. Even if the feedback is just a few encouraging words, it still has the same effect. Mr. Chamberlain also says that through this week one should comment on blogs that we find resourceful. By doing so I think it would increase ones outlook on blogging by realizing that they are making a difference in some ones Personal Learning Network. I have done as Mr. CHamberlain asked and commented on a few other blogs that I have enjoyed following just to see if it would make a difference. I think it is important to encourage fellow teachers and advocates who believe in the enhancement of classrooms through technology. I hope that by encouraging others we can make others see the importance of sharing our knowledge with others.
Through my comment on this blog post, I wanted Mr. Chamberlain to see that his blog posts truly have had an influence on me. By viewing other comments I realized how much his blog had influenced others!
Mr. Chamberlain has introduced a concept within his blog post I think a lot of teachers would find helpful and need to adopt. He has formerly introduced the Ipad and iTV into his classroom and said the effects were positive, however he still was looking for that extra something. After going to a convention he purchased a Nexus 7 to add with his preexisting classroom technology. He says he hopes to create a Reflective Learning atmosphere for his future students in August.
After reading his blog post, I realized I have heard of this concept multiple times in previous assigned blog posts. His style however is a little different and I like that. He wants to not only use technology but incorporate Journals, not because his students do not have access to computers but because it will enhance their ability to learn reflectively. I like his style, I think it is important that students learn BOTH ways. Each individual student learns different. I think it is important as teachers to fulfill our duties and engage on multiple levels with our students.
Mr. Chamberlain
Mr. Chamberlains most recent blog post expresses his feelings on encouraging students and other bloggers to continue to blog. He says the encouragement commenting brings is very important. I totally agree, although i have not been blogging very long I find it very encouraging to receive feedback. Even if the feedback is just a few encouraging words, it still has the same effect. Mr. Chamberlain also says that through this week one should comment on blogs that we find resourceful. By doing so I think it would increase ones outlook on blogging by realizing that they are making a difference in some ones Personal Learning Network. I have done as Mr. CHamberlain asked and commented on a few other blogs that I have enjoyed following just to see if it would make a difference. I think it is important to encourage fellow teachers and advocates who believe in the enhancement of classrooms through technology. I hope that by encouraging others we can make others see the importance of sharing our knowledge with others.
Through my comment on this blog post, I wanted Mr. Chamberlain to see that his blog posts truly have had an influence on me. By viewing other comments I realized how much his blog had influenced others!
Blog Post #13
This video portrays what it is like to be in a classroom setting that has not adopted technology. These students are sitting in classrooms that are full of 115 students and only 26 percent of what they are learning is relevant to the tools they need in the real world. They also allow the viewer to see that only eighteen percent of their teachers know there name at school and they are $20,000 in debt. I find this so upsetting students around the world are paying for a higher education yet only finding themselves in debt before they even begin to find a job. Not to mention the money being spent on books and other materials that are not being put to use.
By seeing these messages on paper it allowed me to realize how serious this really is. I am not the only one suffering it is a worldwide epidemmic. If teachers and faculty around the world do not adopt technolgy into there classrooms we are all going to suffer. Within the video they said that technology alone can save us. I could not agree more. Technolgy is the door that will lead us to a newfound more effective style of learning in the twenty first century! In my mind people should be spending more time advocating the change, verse worrying about other things that are being shown on the news. Teaching is among one of the hardest occupations, you are responsible for molding minds of hundreds of individuals and get paid next to nothing... so why aren't administrators working to help these struggling teachers.
Miles Webb: Exemplar of Students Work with Video
Miles Webb has truly taken his time with these kids, it shows how much he believes in adding technology into a classroom because he has done this for students that are not even his. When reading and viewing the video at first I was convinced it would be another blog post about technology in the classroom. However this through me for a loop after discovering that the student Carlton was legally blind as well as the video was not rehearsed or planned out. By using the video camera it made a difference for this student. His teacher also wanted to create a Class Page after realizing how much of an impact technology has in the classroom. This was not only a 'Wow' moment for Carlton and his teacher, Miles Webb said this was a wow moment for him and one of the main reasons why he remains so passionate about technology.
Miles Webb's willingness to share his knowledge with others especially those in which he doesn't truly reap the benefits shows the depth of his personality. I would love to continue to read and follow Miles for his resources. I truly found this inspiring.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Progress Report on Final Project
As a whole our group is working together great. We have met on multiple occasions and everyone has shown up at or around the time alloted in the lab. We have moved along and are making arrangements to do more work. I expect for our groups project to be an added resource for teachers and students in Alabama and around the world. As a group we have decided for our iBook to be in the style of an Encyclopedia. we are executed to meet almost everyday this week so that we have plenty of time to wrap up our project.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Blog Post #12
Secondary Education- English Lesson on Word Choice
1) Please follow the link to The Writing Center "Lesson on Word Choice" read this lesson on Word Choice take notes so that you will have at least one resource for your assignment.
2) Watch the youtube video that can be found at the end of this post, while watching please focus in the emotions of the children, the mother, the old couple, the captain and the people loading the life boats.
3) I will assign you through a Doc provided which perspective you will be writing.
4) Write a Blog Post from the perspective assigned, consider word choice. Write towards the given audience. For example if you are assigned the mother and her kids, write a letter from her addressed to her kids explaining why she decided to lay them down for bed instead of loading the life boats. Or if you are assigned the Captain write a letter to news officials explaining why the ship sank and what precautions you have decided to take.
5) Post this to your blog, enhance your blog post by searching Google images for a photo that relates to the perspective you were assigned!
1) Please follow the link to The Writing Center "Lesson on Word Choice" read this lesson on Word Choice take notes so that you will have at least one resource for your assignment.
2) Watch the youtube video that can be found at the end of this post, while watching please focus in the emotions of the children, the mother, the old couple, the captain and the people loading the life boats.
3) I will assign you through a Doc provided which perspective you will be writing.
4) Write a Blog Post from the perspective assigned, consider word choice. Write towards the given audience. For example if you are assigned the mother and her kids, write a letter from her addressed to her kids explaining why she decided to lay them down for bed instead of loading the life boats. Or if you are assigned the Captain write a letter to news officials explaining why the ship sank and what precautions you have decided to take.
5) Post this to your blog, enhance your blog post by searching Google images for a photo that relates to the perspective you were assigned!
Blog Post #11
Watching Little Kids with Big Potential I am so amazed at these first graders!!! Who would have thought they would be capable of doing so mucn through the use of technology.They were excited to use their blogs, even more so than writing in their books because students family and friends were able to see their work and comment on their blog posts. They were encouraged to share that they were only to say nice stuff :) I loved that!! They also were allowed the use of webpages during centertime. These webpages allowed the first graders to use different pages and takes them places to learn. They are also allowed to access Wiki so that they may ask questions for help. These students also have shared and made videos with other students. This interaction is important for students to be well rounded in technology as well as being able to see other students and how they live and learn. I loved how they were able to Skype with other students and teachers around the world. Incorporating the Nintendo DS in the classroom I thought would be a hassle. However the students were adament that this allowed them to learn how to share. It also allowed them to be better problem solvers. WAtching this video truly opened my eyes, although I am not teaching this age group, it gave me some form of encouragement that my generaation of students will stil be able to apply all of these technigues. This opens the doors for students to learn from other people and students. Kathy Cassidy has been doing this for ten years she said she has always had an open mind to new technology. The thing that dissapointed me in her interview was that through the ten years of doing this with her students, she has been really the only one other than her tech. cordinator. I wish other people and her fellow teachers would see the importance of this video and the meaning behind it. I loved how our class and school name was tied with this video. This alone should be encouraging for adminitrators world wide. The world is taking for granted what trechnology has to offer, if we do not jump on the bandwagon we are only hurting ourselves and our futures.
Monday, July 2, 2012
BLOG POST #10
Why were kids playing games?
A common problem addresses within Mr. Spencer's blog post is the fact that students are not being taught vital information in the appropriate ways. Instead of "burping back" and "regurgitating" information teachers need to realize the importance of thoroughly teaching students information from different perspectives. So that they are able to learn in their own style as well as internalize the information because they know more about it that the "right" answer or definition. What are you doing?
I particularly liked this post, he empasis how people see things from different perspectives. One's definition of whats right or wrong is different from each individuals opinion on the topic being assessed. I think having an open mind to others opinions is vital to thrive in society. Not everyone sees things or thinks the same without having an open mind one may shut out something that could be beneficial to them. This post reminded me of a previous C4T I was assigned to. If information is not shared it is lost, if one does not have an open mind to others opinions that information that could have been obtained is also lost.
Don't Teach your kids this stuff please?
Mr. McLeod's blog post summarizes some of the many problems going on in the Education Programs here in the United States. BY reading his blog post he could not be more right! If we as teachers to not realize the importance of the changes being made within education and technologies advancements I fear what our future is going to look like. Will we have jobs? Will there even be a need for us? If students can access all of this information on there own, with out us having to facilitate it within a classroom setting..what is our purpose?! He answers some of these questions and more by addressing the problems at hand within his blog. Like many others we have been assigned to view or read I throughly enjoyed this one. Simple..to the point!
Scott McLeod, J.D., Ph.D., currently is serving as the Director of Innovation for Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency 8 in Iowa. He is on leave from his position as an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Kentucky. Dr. McLeod also is the Founding Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE), the nation’s only academic center dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators, and was a co-creator of the wildly popular video series, Did You Know? (Shift Happens). He has received numerous national awards for his technology leadership work, including recognitions from the cable industry, Phi Delta Kappa, the National School Boards Association, and the Center for Digital Education. In Spring 2011 he was a Visiting Canterbury Fellow at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. Dr. McLeod blogs regularly about technology leadership issues at Dangerously Irrelevant and Education Recoded and occasionally at The Huffington Post. He also just completed his first book, What School Leaders Need to Know About Digital Technologies and Social Media.
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