Blog Post # 15

Part 1:

It's very hard to imagine what my classroom will be like in 3 years. I would like my classroom to be project based and feature a class blog. I made this decision based on being in a special group this semester. I think it would be very beneficial for the children and it would be enjoyable. I think project learning will keep students very entertained during the school year. It will be exciting for students to come in ever day excited to see what is on the class blog for the day/week. It, also, gives the students to be hands on and use technology and become familiar with it through projects.

 Hopefully, being in a project based classroom, I would have all the necessities I need such as: laptops, smartboards, cameras, and maybe iPads. I think that the tools I need for my students to be successful will be easily attained since most of the schools are using a lot of them. I would like the students to all have their own lap top so there is not always group work to be done or scheduling to see who can use the laptop when it is free.

I would, personally, like to teach kindergarten-second grade. I think it would be very beneficial for them to learn this way since it is so hands on and really gets their minds wondering about the information given to them. I'm sure parents would be hesitant at first because it is a new way of learning and not traditional paper and pencil; but I'm sure they would adapt very quickly. I would love for the younger students to be able to participate in project based learning because I've seen what it does to motivate third graders and it is absolutely amazing.

I don't think my ideas have changed from my first blog post. I have definitely changed to project based learning because it is very effective.I made the change to project based learning because I got to see first hand how much children really enjoy it and value from it. I think it is a very effective strategy of learning.

 I still want to teach kindergarten or first grade because I think those are the most valuable learning years of your life.  I still have the same ideas of my classroom being fun and enjoyable and I really think I can obtain that with project based learning. I just want to be the best teacher for my students

Part 2:

Final Reflection

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C4K April

Cody:

Cody's blog post was about a night when he got really sick and his mom took care of him. It went into a lot of detail about how he was sick and what happened throughout the night. I commented saying that he did a great job using descriptive details about what happened and that it was an interesting story. I also told him that his writing was very good and to keep up the good work!

Maddy:

Maddy's blog was about the new school year. She talked about everyone she knew going to school and where they attended school. Maddy is in grade 5 and wrote about what she was excited to learn about in grade 5. I commented saying that being in grade 5 must be exciting because you get to learn new things and that I hope grade 5 is a good year for her! I also wrote I hope she continues to blog because she is very good at it and has very good writing.

Project # 15

Final Report on PLN Project #9

My PLN is done by what I think is important for me. It was very crazy when I first started but I think that was natural. I have all of my school stuff such as Blogger and EDM310 website so I can be reminded to check it. I have social media sites to check while I procrastinate. I think this is a great tool for me and other college students because it keeps everything in one place for it to be checked and organized in your own way for personal use, which is great! I love my PLN! 

C4T #4

To Teach is Human - Part One:

This post is about how Mr. Stumpenhorst had the opportunity to hear Daniel Pink at North Central College. Mr. Pink discussed three skills from his books about business that Mr. Steumphorst thought coordinated with teaching: attunement, buoyancy, and clarity. I commented saying that these skills are very important in life and are very important when teaching. Each of these traits play a key role in being a successful teacher. I summarized my thoughts on each trait and explained why I thought they were important in teaching. I also said that this was a very informative post for using these traits and I hope to convey these traits when I become a teacher.

To Teach is Human - Part Two:
 
The second part of this post was about information asymmetry. Which is students only being able to attain information from school and teacher. Well that isn't the case anymore. Students can find information every where now! Mr. Stumpenhorst says you would think that we would not need teachers now since this is possible; but, in fact, this is when we need teachers more. I commented saying that I totally agree that teachers are needed more than ever when it comes to students finding information from other sources. I also stated that I think this is a good opportunity for teachers to step in and show students how to find the good information from the bad.

Blog Post #14

Teacher knows if you've done the e- reading:

This article is about teachers using e-books by CourseSmart; which is owned by Pearson, McGraw-Hill. These books are used for teachers to track their students progress for engaging the textbooks used for the class. They can see how many times the students access the books, if they are highlighting specific parts, etc. This is specifically used for the publishing company to make more editions of the textbooks. CourseSmart is another way of tracking students study habits. If they only open the book once before a test or if they never open it all. It's a study for teachers to improve their class and see how students are receiving the information given to them and how they apply it.

I, personally, think this system of checking students readings is very pointless in college. This method really does nothing for the students learning the information. I learn differently from the girl who sits beside me in class and the boy who sits on the other side. We are all different and wondering, whether or not we have opened a textbook we have does not help us learn it more. There are several classes in college where teachers tell you not to purchase a textbook. Textbooks are not always needed inside a college classroom because of other resources given by the professor. I think this method would be great for younger students who need the basic reading to comprehend the information. It would be great for elementary and middle school because they are assigned to read outside of the class for homework and they could be checked. It would work for younger students.

If I had to use the system, I would probably have to be talked to a lot about using the book. I have rarely used textbooks in some classes during college. I think if it was used I would feel obligated to read. I wouldn't read it because I was interested in the material but just because I knew I had to do it for a grade or whatever the circumstances are for the professor. I do not think it would be a great system for me to be a part of.

If I had the chance to interview Mr. Guardia, I would ask: what did he like about the system? Why did he choose to be a part of CourseSmart? What does he like about it? Is it more trouble for him to use than not to use?

If I could interview a student I would ask: Do you like the textbooks? Is it hard to use? What would you change about CourseSmart? Do you want to use this system? Does it help you more in the classroom?

My comment on this article would include information from this post and additional information. I would like to know why they came up with this system? or what was the real purpose of it? I would add that I think it is more time consuming for students who are already in college and trying to manage their time effectively. I do not think this is the best system they could have came up with for college students to use and maybe they should try a different approach.

Progress Report on Project # 16

I was fortunate enough to be put into a "special" group and we will be deciding on our project idea when we get together. I think it is going to be great because we all work very well together and really feed off of each others ideas and aspirations for projects. We have already come up with so many awesome ideas, I can't wait to see our final project!

Blog Post # 13

Brian Crosby:

Brian Crosby's video on his classroom was very informative in how education is changing quickly. His video showed a lot of great activities for children using different kinds of technologies. The balloon camera and them charting it on google maps was amazing and a great project. Mr. Croby's use of technology in his class are very resourceful and make a lot of sense when using it. I love how he gets the children very involved into their work and let them discover and learn through every aspect of the assignment. Another great aspect of Mr. Crosby's classroom is that his students are in a great place to learn, especially because they are in a low poverty area. It is great that these children who usually do not get to do these kind of things because of where they live, are learning to do extraordinary learning. It is great because they will be pushed in a good direction for their future. He talks about his students need to connect on their own and find information using all the resources they can find. I think it is great for children to be self motivators and learn information on their own. It is a great habit to start early in life because someone isn't always going to be there to tell you exactly what to do. I overall, liked Mr. Crosby;s video. It was very insightful on how his classroom is ran and he has great ideas.



Paul Anderson:

Mr. Anderson has a great strategy for teaching his students. It is a blended learning cycle and he calls it Q.I.V.E.R.S. Each letter stands for a specific part of the cycle to get students to learn. There is (Q)uestion, this is where you start the lesson and propose a question to the class to get them thinking. Next, there is (I)nvestigation, this is where the students investigate what they have been given. Third, is (V)ideo, students watch a video produced by the teacher. They can watch it independently and numerous times. Fourth, there is (E)laboration, this is where they do learn from reading the information and studying charts or whatever they need to comprehend the material given to them. Next, there is (R)eview, this is when teachers can meet individually or in small groups to go over the material to see if the students are comprehending what they are learning about. They should no move on to the last part if they are struggling with the information. Last, there is a (S)ummary quiz. This is where the students are assessed on the material.

I think this is a great strategy for students and the teacher to stay organized and learn information in a very structured way. The fact that there are certain steps that each student must do to obtain all the information is great. This makes sure that students are not skimming the surface of the material and really getting into it and learning. The organization is perfect for some students who have problems staying on track or not knowing what to do next when learning new material. I would use this in my classroom because it is very structured and that is perfect for students. I think another great strength of this is that students can not move on if the teachers thinks they do not know the information. This is perfect for students because it makes students learn the information because without it they can not move on until they know the material. Overall, the blended learning cycle is great for students and teachers.

Blog Post #12

Directions:

1. Go visit Mrs. Sharon Davison's Blog Kindergarten Life.

2. Find some things that interest you and write a summary of what you would use for your future classroom. This could be about a project or a blog post about what she is trying to achieve in her classroom. Make sure to put a direct link to the blog post in your summary.

3. Make sure to include a type of technology such as Smart Board, iPad, Laptop, etc. Obviously in EDM310 this is very important since we are technology base. Also, if you find a type of technology you have never heard of, share it! It could be beneficial to someone else and yourself!


Assignment:

I picked the blog Air Saver in Kindergarten. This is a blog post about how students can use the Air Saver program to interact with the entire class through the Smart Board. Mrs. Davison said this is a great way for students to collaborate with each other and share their ideas and work for everyone to see. She also does a leader of the day; which means that there is a student everyday that gets to share their work and explain it for other students. It makes each child more engaged of what their learning; it's a great idea. I think the best part about being able to connect the iPad to the Smart Board is the endless amount of education apps that are provided and can be used to help children in different subjects. You can also hook more than one iPad to it at one time. This makes the world endless for students to have hands on activity with different subjects. It would be a great center for group work and I think it would be a great individual study tool.

C4K for March

Breanna:

Breanna wrote about what if our first amendment was taken away. She talked about how she would have to be very cautious about what she did or what she said to anyone in fear of getting trouble. She also said that if we didn't have our first amendment that she probably wouldn't be Catholic or go to her Catholic school. I commented saying that I really enjoyed reading her topic and that she had some very valid points. I told her that I would  be very frustrated, as well, because I would not know exactly what I could or could not say. I also told her she wrote very well and to keep up the good work!

Venishia:

Venishia wrote about her going from middle school to high school and how it is a huge transition in her life. She also wrote about her goals she has in the future and how she is going to prepare for them in high school by taking a business course. She has decided between being either a pediatrician or a fashion designer. I commented telling her that there is nothing to be nervous about going to high school. I also told her that her ambitions in life were awesome and that I hope she reaches either one of those goals in her life.

Wyatt:

Wyatt wrote about Why do We Celebrate Easter with Eggs?! Wyatt began to explain why he thinks we celebrate Easter with eggs and bunnies. He said that back in that time people thought the world was shaped like an egg and that when Jesus rose from the dead; it meant the world had hatched. He then said that he didn't believe it was true but it made him think. I commented saying that his post made me really think how eggs and bunnies came into ties with Easter. I also told him that he made some valid points about how people thought the world was an egg and hatched so an egg is the symbol of Easter. I told him to keep up the good writing!

Shane:

Shane wrote about what does he gain from blogging with students outside of school and other places. He said that he got to see what other kids did in different communities. I commented saying that I totally agree that is cool to see what other people doing outside of where I live. But it is also amazing to see the similarities we have with each other even though we live in different places. I told him that his blog post was very good!!

C4T #3

Capturing Struggling Readers:

 This post was about capturing struggling readers. She gave a personal story about a parent from a classroom that was worried about her son and his reading level. The student felt very "out of it" because he couldn't read like his peers and he couldn't talk about the books his friends were reading because he couldn't read like them. She gave many different resources on how to help students who are struggling readers. I commented saying that this was a very informative post and that I think the resources she gave were very helpful for students. Her post was mostly about how audible books were the best source for children to use to help them to read better. I told her this was great because children can access audible books anywhere because it can be done on an iPod or iPad or any kind of tablet. This make its easier for the child to actually listen to the books because he/she can do it anywhere. Which is amazing!

Promoting Summer as a Time for Family Fun, Bonding and Learning:

This post was about her giving parents specific activities during the summer. She gives examples of how/when parents can read to their children and do other games with them to keep them learning all year long.  I commented saying that this was a great idea because students often shut their brains off when school is over and sometimes just forget everything they have learned the previous year in school. I also told her the activities she picked were very realistic for parents that work all the time. She said that parents could read to their children every morning during breakfast or even let them play online leaning games. Those are very practical for parents because they do not always know exactly what to do with children and sometimes they do not have the resources either.

Blog Post #11

Ms. Cassidy Techniques:

Ms. Cassidy had a lot of very great tips and ideas about using technology inside the classroom. I think she is a doing a fabulous job with getting her children involved in this type of learning. My mother and brothers live in Canada and I hope that one day my brothers will be doing this type of learning in their school. Ms. Cassidy does a great job providing a lot of different ways for students to interact through the internet with other students in different places. She lets them publish their work on wiki-space. That is a great way to let everyone see what kind of work the students are doing and other people can learn from it; which makes it really awesome! I think the privacy Ms. Casssidy keeps for her students is a really good idea. The internet is a great place but at the same time some people do not use the internet appropriately. It is a great way to publish their work but keep their identity limited to the public. I think I definitely have student blogs in my classroom; I hope I have all the resources available for me to do that as well. I think the students would really enjoy it because students love when people give them feedback on their work. I think it is a great mechanism to keep students striving forward with their education. It is really hard to get students to stay on task and I think giving them the opportunity to have that experience would really make them enjoy school. I think blogging is a great experience for students to broaden their horizon with their writing. Ms. Cassidy's students really enjoy writing, even though it only consists of a sentence or maybe two. She also said since they have started writing regularly, that her students have become better writers. Blogging does a lot of good things for students; they become better writers, they learn how to interact with other people, they know how to "talk" appropriately over the internet, etc. Theses are great skills that will take them far in life. I hope to one day use all of this information in my classroom.
 

Project # 14

How to Use a Smart Board Tutorial

Project # 11

This is our green screen project! I'm so glad we came together and decided to do this! It was a blast!

Blog Post # 10

Paper-mate & Ticonderoga:

In this picture that John T. Spencer drew there are two different brands of pencils but ultimately the same characteristics. The boy drawn which represents the paper mate is very nice and looks professional. As for the other boy which is the Ticonderoga he is not professional, at all. I think the point that this picture is trying to convey is that it does not matter how much something cost it is how you present your self in life. The paper mate boy looks clean and very well taken care but the pencil he represents is not expensive. The point is, is that it does not matter the amount of money you spend on something, it matters how you present your self and how people perceive you.

Why were your kids playing games?

This was a very interesting blog post written by John Spencer. This blog post contained a conversation between a teacher and his principal on how he can not have "games" in his classroom. This is obviously a strict policy in that particular school. The teacher explains and tells the principal it was, in fact, not a game but an advanced simulation. The principal does not let the teacher explain his purpose of his activity; instead he gets grilled on doing memorization for the children. In my opinion, I think this is a significant problem because everything inside a school should be based on the students and their needs to learn effectively. If a advanced simulation helps them learn something better than putting it on a piece of paper then that is how it should be done. It should not be a one-way learning street.


I Banned Pencils Today:

 I read the blog I Banned Pencils Today and it was very interesting to read. I did not have a particular reason for picking this blog; I just really liked the title and it caught my attention.  In this blog post Mr. Spencer writes about the day he banned pencils in his classroom. This was a way for students to really use their minds to solve a problem. It was more difficult because they did not have any way to record any information for the problem they were given. Mr. Spencer's purpose to this experiment was to get the students to use their highly evolved minds to solve this problem. It is amazing that we have all this technology and depend on it for so many things but Mr. Spencer is right for doing this to his students. It is a great way for students to think and get their minds motivated.

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff, Please!

This is a blog post written by Scoot McLeod, he is a blogger, author, and professor. He is also the Founding Director of UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE). I really enjoyed this post because it was very humorous and everyone needs a little funny in their life. I would have to say I am on Mr. McLeod's side. He made some very vital points. I think ignoring technology will only hurt you in the long run and, quite frankly, that is not even going to work. There is no way to avoid technology unless you live under a rock. I think people preaching pens and paper have not seen the beauty that technology holds in our world. Yes, there are some horrible things that happen on the internet; but in this case the bad out weighs the good. The internet and everything it provides for our learning is absolutely amazing and it does help us more than hurt us. Yes, we might talk a little funny or write weird but that is something we can be a little stricter on. I really enjoyed this blog post; I think Mr. McLeod is a brilliant/hilarious person! 

Project # 12

I did my book trailer on Oh, The Places You'll Go! written by Dr. Seuss. Enjoy!!

Blog Post #9

Mr. McClung's Version 4 Post:

Mr. McClung discusses some really great points on teaching at the end of his fourth year. The best advice he can give is that make sure your students are happy! He did focus a lot on how his students perceived him; but that was, of course, not a great idea. There is always going to be someone, somewhere that does not like something you do or say. This is especially hard for teachers because of the fact we have to do our jobs and do it effectively. He also made sure that his students did not resent school. This is very important because everyone has struggled with not liking school at one point in their life. I think it is very important for teachers and future teachers to make sure we make school as enjoyable as possible.  He also talks about how he lost a lot of creativity over the years because he taught the same material over and over. This is where he said his students started not to enjoy class and that was something he did not want to happen. That is why it is so important to make sure that each year; we strive to make sure our lessons are better than before and the lessons that were not so great should be revised and maybe new ones should be made. Yes, that means more work on top of the work we had before. But in the long run, our students will be happier and so will the teachers!

What I've Learned This Year (2008-2009):

This blog post was written after Mr. McClung's first year of teaching. He gives a lot of great advice. I'm just going to pick a few that really stand out for me personally. Be flexible with your lesson plans! There is never going to be a perfect lesson plan and that is okay! I think this is a problem among teachers because we do strive to be perfect and have perfect classrooms. BUT we are human and we are not perfect. So we just need to strive to be as great as possible. Mr. McClung talks about being reasonable with your students. We all hold students up to a very high standard and when they do not meet the expectations of what we think they are; we are very hard on them. He says that instead of letting them think they failed; pick the student up and tell them to try again. I think this is perfect with all aspects of life; but especially with school. We are not always going to understand everything the first time and that means we have to study harder or lok at from another perspective. Yes, school is very hard but the reward you get from accomplishing school is an amazing feeling! The last and most important piece of advice is to always listen to your students. It is very important to have a bond with your students. This means getting to know them on a personal level, as well. It is very important to listen to what a child says. I want to be the teacher that listens to her students and make sure they know I am hearing what they say, rather than just listening to them and nodding my head. Communication is a failing existence in our generation; which means that it is our job to make sure we communicate effectively with our students.

I really enjoyed reading Mr. McClung's blog posts about his teaching career! I have some great insight about what my future will hold as a teacher and I think I am up for the all the responsibilities ahead of me!

Blog Post #8

This is How We Dream:

 In this video, Dr. Miller is discussing writing with multimedia. He discusses how he began his writing by finding his love for books. He grew up in a house that had many books and he knew that one day he would want a career that dealt with books. This is really how everyone finds their niche in life. Your parents show you something and then you either latch on to it or you let it go and find something else to make you happy. It is like for everyone in their life; whether it was your parents, friend, or who ever.

Dr. Miller goes on saying that documents live a dual life. They appear in hard copy somewhere and then on the internet to remain there forever. I absolutely agree with Dr. Miller when he says that this information can be shared infinitely.This is going to be great for everyone; because not everyone can access the same in different places. I know this is already going on in some places; but when it does make it everyone I believe that it will be wonderful opportunity for students.

Collaboration has to be the part of the internet. Since I am experiencing this first hand through a special group project; I have to say that it is absolutely amazing to all be in different places and work on the same material together. It is very effective and it makes me stay on task. I love how we can all just do everything together and not have to worry about sending emails back and forth. It's so convenient. 

I really enjoyed this video and thought it was very informative on writing in the web. It shows that there many different ways to write on the web and what the writings are used for.

Blog Post #12 By Carly Pugh:

Carly does a great job explaining her reason for picking this assignment. I love her enthusiasm and  creativity on this post. It is absolutely amazing to see someone so passionate about something. I love her idea of the playlist and her specifics on what kind of videos you should put into it. It is a great idea and I think it would be great for parents to see. It explains a lot about you and how you want to teach. I think parents would really appreciate a teachers effort for doing that and it would explain how things are done inside the classroom. I think I might start making my playlist now!! It will be so beneficial for me because it will help me mold my ideas into a specific place and organize them in an effective way. I am very fortunate for this to be brought to my attention because it is beneficial to my future career.

My Video Idea:

I think if I could create any video I would want it to be about the importance of going to school and embracing embracing everything even if you are scared. I think the most important thing in life is to be open minded; not just with your views but with your education. It is very important to try new things and different ways to learn. Especially in EDM310!!! This is all different for everyone but eventually this will be the way we teach our students maybe not in this exact form but the internet will be used more and more every year in schools. I think it would be very effective to make a video on how students with open minds can take their education a step further.

I got this idea from the Chipper series. She came in with different reasons every  time to talk to Dr. Strange and every time she would say something even crazier than the time before. Her procrastination and crazy ideas set her back so far. This is a great video about procrastination and the effects it can take on your life. Chipper's life hit rock bottom before she realized that school was the only option for her and her staying on task was important.  EDM310 for dummies was very helpful on providing information on how to keep calm and organized during this class. It was a really funny video to explain it. I really enjoyed it.

Scavenger Hunt:

 Comic Strip:

The product of some insane thought in my head! Enjoy!

Animoto.com: Video Tool

This program is similar to iMovie. You can choose a style of for your video and add music or text to it. This is a good program because not everyone can access iMovie.  The best feature about this is that it can be done on a smart phone such as an Android or iPhone. I'm sorry, I lied, the absolute best feature is that it's FREE! I can not wait to use this!

polleverywhere.com: My First Poll

Kayla Sandifer Poll

C4T Post #2

A GeekyMomma's Blog: It has happened to me and it can happen to you, too!

This specific post was about your social media and or other accounts being hacked! I learned a lot about passwords and other things I did not know about when it comes to your personal information. I stated I am very guilty of thinking no one would ever hack into my account. I told her I was very glad she wrote about this because it did actually catch my attention and check some of my accounts, including my bank accounts. I also went on to tell her that I checked to see if my pin was a common used one and luckily it wasn't!

Bullying: Not Just For Children Anymore.

This post was about the how bullying is inside the work place. I commented saying that a lot of people did not know that the a lot of bullying occurs in places that children are not present. I told her it was great that she had shown the effects of bullying in the work place and that it was great she showed ways to help prevent the stress. I also went on saying that I was very fortunate to see this post because I could use this in the work environment  to know exactly how to handle a situation like that.