Blog Post # 14 - - Final reflection

you must excuse my hot mess self....it's been a long and sad day for me and my fiance' :(
Thanks for all you guys did!!! Have a great rest of the summer.

-- Mary

Project # 13--Using Collaborative Tools

Being a part of Group #3 with Christie, Angyl, and Angie was the best! We had an amazing time sharing ideas together or doing 1:1 efforts for our iBook. Our group elected Curious George as a theme and got busy putting together ideas, assigning responsibilities, and collecting information. Google.com was a major contributor to our project as it was used for all of our research information and pictures. As a group I think we addressed things with any tool possible. One might ask a question via text and then the answer would be addressed with an email! It's just the craziness of our lives and just our individual selves. I can't speak for my group as a whole, but the most effective tool I found useful when collaborating with the group was text. We also chose to meet face to face, fortunately most of the time we were able to be in the lab when it was fairly quiet and easy to use more than one of the MACs to create different pieces of our iBook. Since none of us have a MAC or iPad, this allowed us to become individually familiar with the iBook software as well as the MAC in general. Also, we learned the hard way the art of "ejecting" a jump drive from a MAC which is very important to do.

Overall I think the communication between Group 3 was precise and never an issue. We always found ways to get 4 opinions regarding any ideas or decisions for our iBook within minutes. With all of the knowledge I've learned this semester, I could make a smoke singal effective and resourceful :))))))))))

FINAL PLN POST

My PLN is just awesome. There are really no other words to describe it. I started with a blank PLN page on Symbaloo some 8 wks ago and now it is filled with tiles including PBS Kids, Twitter, Denise Krebs' Blog, and EDM 310 just to name a few.




When I think back to the first day of EDM and reading pages beyond pages of work we had to do and thinking "omg, I'm not going to make it. Is this really the deciding factor of my fate as an educator?" It makes me giggle now to realize how silly I was. My problem was fear of technology. Not all technology. Take my iPhone for example, LOVES IT! Don't know what I would do without it! But, technology that I never heard of, much less used was being thrown at me with the force of an avalanche, what was I to do?!?! Slowly, but surely the information was coming together in such a way that it inspired me to seek out my own resources even before the introduction of the PLN. I had no clue what, why or when any of these blogs, websites, or organizations that I was saving in a "favorites" file would come to play in my life. Now, they're no longer a bunch of hidden stars buried beneath the tool bar on my laptop, they're serving their purpose as MY Personal Learning Network. I can't imagine ever losing site of my resources, as most of them at some point, has inspired one or more of my daily thoughts.

P.S. and provided the answer or helpful suggestions to obtain one.

Project 15--Group 3's SmartBoard Lesson

Our group selected a reading lesson from the Mobile County Public School Curriculum based on reading concepts. The Smart Board lesson was targeted towards the 4 elements of a story: Setting, Characters, Plot, Problem/Solution.

For the lesson we use The Berenstain Bears "Trouble with Pets" by Jan & Stan Berenstain.
The pictures used in our lesson can be found at the following sites: PBS Kids, The Berenstain Bears Live! , and The Official Berenstain Bears website.

The video used can be found on YouTube.com: The Berenstain Bears "Trouble with Pets" Part 1 and Part 2.

Progress Report on Final Project

Our group includes Christie Mason, Angyl White, Angelia Gafford and myself. I'll start off by saying that I adore these ladies. Even with crazy school, work and home schedules our group really puts forth 100%. We're mostly communicating via email,phone calls and text which seems to work well for all 4 of us. We've scheduled a lab day one week from today.



Focusing soley on Project # 16 is a challenge with all that I have going on towards the end of the semester but, day by day bits and pieces are coming together. I've completed the "My Sentence" video and my book trailer and selected Blog Post # 8 for my group review. I'm not sure the route I want to go with my 10 photos just yet but, I do have a few ideas. My weekend plans do include finalizing the "importance of technology" video and creating an annotated picture.

Blog Post # 12

I went back and forth with ideas for this blog assignment with the intent and hope to develop a great, useful and effective assignment. I referred to my PLN for some needed inspiration as my mind was flooding with endless possibilities. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. My impetuous migration to my "favorites tab" to search Symbaloo.com was the key to this assignment. See, I'm an elementary education major, who before taking this class, thought that the extent of "technology" in the classroom was merely the use of a Smart Board. Little did I know that there's an entire world devoted to technology in the classroom. 21st Century School Teacher is the label and the principles of "connectivism" is the definition. I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama and I am being groomed to become a part of this new revolution. Without this class teaching me the importance of technology, I might have hindered my students to some degree. A PLN meant nothing to me before the start of summer semester and now my vast web of "personal learning networks" lead me to the assignment I'm submitting.

C4T #4

For my final C4T post I was assigned Dr. Scott McLeod, who is the director of innovation at Prairie Lakes AEA in Iowa. Aside from that title, Dr. McLeod has many aliases;"blogger, associate professor,idea generator, etc". (http://scottmcleod.net/) A few weeks back we were asked to view a few of his blog posts, comment on them, and lastly write about them in our own blog. At that point, I had no clue that he would be assigned as my last C4T, but it didn't matter because I was hooked to his blog Dangerously Irrelevant instantly. From there I discovered CASTLE, The Center for Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education, where Dr. McLeod is also a director. CASTLE also has publications titled CASTLE briefs which are extremely beneficial to not only the intended audience (administrators), but the author themselves. I selected to do a CASTLE brief for another assignment in EDM and I found myself asking more questions than I had approved length for (up to 2,000 words). Since the assignment was targeted towards elementary students, I shortened it to a few questions and simply addressed a broad question. Writing that inspired me to also write an email the MCPSS Technology staff with a variety of questions, which I haven't received a reply to as of today.

The first of Dr. McLeod's posts that I commented on was titled "What does the research say about school one-to-one computing initiatives" which discussed the re-issue of (and lead me to) his CASTLE site. The re-issue contained the revised edition of the CASTLE brief template. My comment to Dr. McLeod was an introduction of myself and the reason for my comment. I then explained to him that I am still a fan of the "old fashioned" way of teaching, yet I plan to implement a large amount of technology within my classroom. I thanked him for providing a valuable blog containing many resources that encouraged me to add him to my PLN.

My 2nd comment went to the post titled "Blaming Students and Technology instead of us". In this post he addressed a comment left on another of his posts by a 12th grade, AP English teacher. Summarizing the post, the teacher stood back and observed his classroom one day and found that not one of them was engaged in the lecture being presented. He basically blamed all of the gadgets being used by his students;net books, ipods, etc on their non interest. He states that technology needs to be used properly and not in a form that causes distractions. I think he even refers to the gadgets as a "hindrance".
When explaining in my comment that I could see both sides of the story because I am a STUDENT studying to become a TEACHER, I felt like someone with the little devil on the left shoulder and the little angel on the right one. Who wins? I more or less agree with the fact that the teacher should take control of his classroom with more engaging ways of teaching the students. With him being an AP teacher, he should realize that these particular children need to be challenged not spray painted with lectures and note taking.

Blog post # 11

Ms. Cassidy's First Graders

I'm enjoying every day of EDM because I learn something new. This blog assignment is just another bread crumb on my path towards becoming an educator in the 21st century. I wasn't in shock that Ms. Cassidy's first graders were using computers, my nephew is 4 and downloaded an app on my iPhone the other day because he knows the password...go figure!!!! ha ha I was literally in awe that these tiny people were blogging!!! Really? I'm in college and only created my first blog because of EDM 310. I was just so excited watching them do lessons and write about things on their blogs not to mention actually teaching us about things too. I've never let go of the fact that children are like sponges and Ms. Cassidy's class is a great testiment to my opinion. I often encourage future teachers (such as myself) to involve your classroom at any cost. Children deserve to feel accomplishment and there's no better way to achieve that than with hands on, interactive goals.

Skype Interview with Ms. Cassidy

I think Ms. Cassidy has a lot of valid points regarding her use of technology with such a young age group. My entire experience this semester has been a huge stepping stone within my journey as a future educator. If this wasn't a require class, I don't think I wouldn't taken it. I say this only because before the last week in May, I had no desire to use massive amounts of technology within my classroom. Sure, technology is a given, it's there, it will be used but, for me, the grave extent would've been a Smart Board. Today, that is NOT the case.

For me, the #1 thing I look forward to incorperating in my future classroom will definately be blogs. While I am very opptomistic that blogging can and will allow my students better self expression and creativism, I do have some reservations. Ms. Cassidy uses this tool with her first graders and the potential that it has shows within her video. The children are writing one or two sentences on specific topics which requires the child to stop and think thus, improving their metamemory skills. She also brings up a valid point in that pencil and paper writing doesn't hold an audience like blogging. While this is true, I can also see where blogging might come with some impediments such as jealousy among classmates. Ms. Cassidy says that the program she uses records the number of page views each child's blog has. What if Sally has 150 views and Jane has 5?? Just something to think about.

Another concern I had about the blogging that Ms. Cassidy addressed very well was the privacy of the children. She makes sure to encourage them to not use their last names or post pictures. I think it's wonderful that they're learning internet etiquette at such a young age because this fashion of learning isn't going anywhere, it will just evolve into broader ways of use.

Skype would be another technology approach I would use in my classroom. The use of Skype can always beneficial no matter what age. This blog is a great example of how we used Skype to communicate with Ms. Cassidy, imagine the dullness of using an instant messenger to record the entire interview?! geez! You can actually hear and see the excitement Ms. Cassidy has discussing the engagement of her children and the various devices used in their learning process.

I think that the beneficial pros of using these approaches out weigh the cons several times over. For every con you can place 2 pros on the same plate. Technology is growing whether you like it or not so, I'm embracing this change and accpeting every resource available to me so that I can hopefully have a classroom such as Ms. Cassidy's one day.

Blog Post # 13

A Vision of Students Today

Some of the messages were spot on, but some of the students held up messages and my initial reaction was shock. Examples being: "I get 7 hours of sleep per night", "I watch 1.5 hours of t.v. per day", "I spend 2 hours eating, 2 hours on my cell phone". Literally jaw dropping because I can't think of the last time I had more than 6 hrs of sleep per night, I occasionally glance at the news in the evening between cooking, eating, and studying, 2 hours on my cell phone? PLEASE! But, the assignment states to not only view the video as a student, but think about the message that it's giving to the teachers and the universities. Unfortunately, I think some university presidents would enjoy knowing that they've sold a $200 book to a student that will never use it. It's more money in their pocket so that leads me right back to a student's perspective of "that's a total rip off!" Many of the messages suggested that no matter what is going on within the lecture or classroom, they're not paying attention to the teacher. Laptops are up and out but, students are working on non education sites. When you have an average of 115 students in your class, does that mean you give up trying to make the lecture entertaining? I would hope not. If there were more interactiveness involved with the lecture then the student, in my opinion, would be more apt to follow along, leading to a higher success rate.

How will you teach me in the 21st Century?

What I want my students to know? I want my students to know that being engaged with learning allows them the benefits of becoming a productive member of society. I would also want them to know the difference between standards and expectations as I hope they will choose to exceed the standards and rise above MY expectations.

What I want my students to be able to do? I want my students to be able to use technology effectively regardless of their age. It is simple defeat that even the smallest child can opererate technology. I hope to use that knowledge to my students' full potential.

What I want my students to experience? I want my classroom to experience the learning process from a point of view some children do not receive. That experience? Media technology!! I hope my students get to experience the rush of excitement when they use media to enhance the day's lesson. I hope for them to learn to solve a problem then transfer that knowledge to another field.


Ms. Dorothy's technology tool kit really hit home with me because before this semester I hadn't used a lot of the items. Some might think the criteria listed is much, but I think it shows that she values her educators as well as what they can offer to their students.

Mr. Webb did a wonderful job of involving Carlton with the video. I think with the great wonders of technology, this video becoming a success is masterful. It's not hard to feel that "wow" moment with Mr. Webb when you see how much fun little Carlton is having. Who would want to have a rehearsal and change up those guys chemistry? ha ha ha

C4T #3

For my C4T #3, I was assigned to follow Ms. Dianne Krause's blog "Dianne's Digital Discoveries". As a technology staff development specialist, Ms. Krause uses her time to find the most effective resources available for the teachers in her school district. In today's age as teachers are migrating towards full use in technology, Ms. Krause gives her opinions and insights regarding many different technologies. I found Ms. Krause's blog to be extremely beneficial in that it draws attention to many useful technology sites, blogs, presentations, etc..After reading her latest blog titled, "Daily Digital Discoveries 5/22/12", I immediately added her to my PLN.

In this post she discusses Zinio, the biggest online newsstand. It didn't need to play on the site or research it too much because I'm very familiar with the site. I actually use Zinio regularly because I find that I get better deals on magazine subscriptions and book buys. I can use my iPhone to read magazines/books or access them from my laptop. It beats lugging around a magazine/book any day. They also have Daily Deals where you can receive an additional 30% off certain subscriptions or books. In my remarks to Ms. Krause about this post, I simply told her the story about how I came to know about Zinio. It happened after being politely told by my fiance' that there was no way he was paying over $6 for any magazine just because it's on a rack in an airport.

My final comment was on her post Daily Digital Discoveries 5/12/12. This post links to a Prezi presentation titled "NETS for Kids" by Rebecca Amerson which shows an easily explained version of the National Educational Technology Standards that can be used by kids;Creativity, Communication, Research, Critical Thinking, Digital Citizenship, and Technology Operations. The graphics and content are laid out in a bouncy prezi that is obviously meant for adults with it's educational content but, if viewed by children they would be in awe of the colorful display and the youtube video explaining how to follow the rules of digital citizenship.

In my comment I explained to Ms. Krause how much I enjoyed her blog and that from the first visit I added her to my PLN. Her blog is truly an asset to a future teacher such as myself. With the many websites she provides the abundance of things to learn never ends. I've had her blog website in my hands for 2 wks and I've not gotten passed the first page because she has many interesting things to say about certain sites or she has shared just the sites themselves which keeps you busy either way.

Blog post # 10

Adventures in Pencil Integration





Since I had to look up what a Ticonderoga actually was, I think it's safe to say that my explanation might be a little off or possibly right on target. The cartoon displays that the "papermate" is the lesser of the two but, it's not reliable because it often breaks. Then the cartoon labels the "ticonderoga" as the most expensive tool a hipster will buy. That screams out to me, "hey, they're BOTH pencils, they're both going to break but, one will cost you $0.25 while the other will cost you over $1. You're not cool if you go with the cheaper one but, you're the most awesome person alive if you buy the way more expensive pencil...that breaks on the same day as the other guy's."






My my my...Mr. Spencer has such a uniqueness with his writing methods. He uses words metaphorically in such a way that you don't mind o.d.'ing on the abundance of content. Along with the assigned post , I read Remember pencil quests? , followed by The Con Academy, 10 points on pencils, etc...I could keep going! What I take from Mr. Spencer's blog is the integration of both pencils and technology. While, I think it's a riot how Mr. Spencer uses pencils to poke fun of technology in his posts. I especially enjoyed the post where he refers to not having an acceptable use policy for pencils but, protractors are ok! LOL I relate so well to this blog that I'm considering buying the book since I am the one who's been so fearful of using technology in the classroom. But, the longer I spend in EDM 310 the more I realize the essential need for technology in the classroom. As each week goes by when we're learning a new tool, or just reading teacher's blog posts, I feel relief knowing that 1) my students are going to LOVE working with technology and 2) EDM prepared me for the challenge. I still find it facinating that there are school systems out there that ban the use of technology inside the schools. There are so very many resources at students finger tips everyday with the use of "pencils" but, gosh darn it, I guess we'll need to get back to using that chalk.

I don't think I let the beginning of Dr. McLeod's "Don't teach your kids this stuff. Please?" fool me like I saw in several posted comments by previous EDM students. After reading, commenting, and summarizing many things in EDM this semester I knew there was NO way this was ending the way it began so I think that helped me to enjoy it on the first read. I think he used satire as a positive action to push people towards technology. Point blank. There's nothing wrong with a little constructive, smarty pants way of saying, "hey, seriously....open your eyes!"

According to http://scottmcleod.net/bio/, Dr. Scott McLeod is one of the nations's leading academic directors concerning technology leadership issues. Dr. McLeod took a LOA from his position at the University of Kentucky to serve as the Director of Innovation for Prairie Lakes Education Agency. He is one of the founding members of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE). CASTLE is an organization that oversees the technology needs of school administrators. Dr. McLeod also helped create the video series Did you know? Shift happens! You can view one of the many videos here.

Dr. McLeod has also received numerous awards such as a Leader in Learning honor, Emerging Leader by Phi Delta Kappa, being recognized as one of the National School Board Associations, 20 to Watch, as well as, many others.

You can keep up with Dr. McLeod's great ideas through his blog Dangerously Irrelevant or by purchasing his book, What School Leaders Need to Know about Digital Technologies and Social Media.

Project 15, pt 1--Smart Board demo

I totally had a "is summer semester finished yet??" moment when I incorporated writing with digital ink and cloning together. "Which number is even?" was not supposed to be the question that I cloned a bunch of 2s for. I'm not sure what I had on my mind LOL
All I can do is say sorry for that brain lapse :))))

Blog post # 9

Learning from Mr. McClung

After reading all 3 of Mr. McClung's blog post entries, I decided to write my post # 9 concentrating on his first and last posts. There is a major shift of character in Mr. McClung's writing voice between his first year teaching and this past year of teaching.



I believe he speaks many valid points in his first post but, we'll touch base on the 2 that stood out to me the most. 1) Being reasonable is a must have especially in elementary education. I must emphasis on the word especially in the previous sentence because elementary school is where kids truly learn the basics of life. Their tiny brains expand with knowledge that will carry them throughout their life and will help process harder applications in the future. Just think, you can't do chemistry without addition and subtraction, which you learn in kindergarten. That being said, holding an elementary child to a high standard is a given. As educators you want them to grasp every concept you put on their plate but, a lot of times that may not be the case. You will have children that will excel and others who will unfortunately fail. Some instances might be the way you deliever the lesson or better yet HOW you deliever the lesson. 2) Don't be afraid of technology. Wow, me, say that?! Dr. Strange had a chip implanted behind my ear the other day...JK! Seriously though, this point brings up a lot of fears I had (and to a degree still have) regarding technology. Before taking EDM 310 I was one of the future educators afraid to jump into the water as Mr. McClung puts it. I think that my fear lead to my inability to accept what technology could actually do for a student. Going back to the idea of "how you're teaching a student" might be a good place to start if a child is having difficulties picking up on something.

By the time you get to the end of Mr. McClung's final blog post, you feel his experience of becoming comfortable in his teaching skin. At this point in the game he has become a head coach, started teaching computer applications, and joined some committees. The primary focus of a teacher should always be their students and it pains me to see some educators lose sight of that focus. Many revert back to their childhood by becoming the "teacher's pet" to higher administration. I love the paragraph when he discussing being an outsider because I have witnessed with my own eyes what negativity can go on inside a teacher's lounge. When you're a substitute teacher for a high demanding private school, you can hear and see things that would frighten the flies!!!!!!! I found it best (I was an interim sub for a teacher on maternity leave a few years ago) to go about my own business and not try to fit in as well. At this point in my life, I wasn't even an education major so I was really looked down upon for NOT trying to be in a teacher's lounge clique. Just like Mr. McClung, I found it more fulfilling to be with the students during lunch because I could communicate with them on a different level while still maintaining my professionalism. It's a lot less scary than being in the classroom. I do disagree with him however on the issue of connecting with the students via social media outlets except when it comes to a classroom blog.



When he brings up Mrs. Barron's point of "don't touch the keyboard" I wanted to slap my own hand with a ruler because I am sooooo incredibly guilty of being the person who feels bad for the student who can't complete his/her work. I have unfortunately, during my subbing days, given very colorful explanations of questions that would give the answer away. I'm just that "feel sorry for you" future teacher. I know that doing this for a student doesn't benefit them at all so I'm confident that when I have my own classroom I will stray from this to the best of my ability. I haven't heard a teacher in Mobile Co use the word comfortable in a positive light in quite some time but, at any rate, becoming comfortable in the sense that Mr. McClung refers to is very common. Too often teachers stick to that 7-3 mindset and do not consider what positive influences you can have on your students by putting in more effort away from the classroom. It's so easy to create and save daily lessons and use them over and over and over again. How boring is that? Very!!! But, how easy is it for you to come to work, teach, go home, sleep, come to work, teach go home;you get the idea. I know some lessons are worth the repeat but, everything shouldn't stay the same. As adults we say "you learn something new everyday" if we find out that Krystal's uses yellow onions instead of vidalia onions, if we're learning even the slightest bit of knowledge daily, shouldn't we allow our students the same treatment?

In conclusion Mr. McClung's blog posts thoughts are probably not too far fetch from what we will experience as first year teachers. I think each of us will develop differently throughout our teaching years. Some may have a journey like his, some may not. All in all I think he's really evolved as an educator and I trust that he will continue the climb within this field.

Project 11--Short Movie

Project # 12

For project 12 I chose to make a book trailer for Danny and The Dinosaur by Syd Hoff. Just thinking about this book takes me back to childhood with memories I could never forget. I still have my worn out and pitiful copy of this book with it's pages colored on and the binding almost completely gone but, I cherish it too much to toss it out.

Blog post #8

Richard Miller- This is how we dream

On December 28th, 2008, Richard Miller, from the dept of English at Rutger's University, gave a presentation entitled "The way we teach now" to the Modern Language Association. Our assignment for Blog post # 8 was to view This is how we dream parts 1 and 2 which was a piece of his presentation. His was not the greatest lecture we've heard in EDM and I'm glad that most of our blog assignments start with "write YOUR reaction". First things first, I felt a slight sting with his opening remarks, particularly the statement "this is the time to be engaged in the work of literacy, it has never been a more important moment for this profession or for people who take reading and writing seriously." This idea for me pertains to older students who write and study as he even addressed that he wanted to discuss how literacy has changed in the universities as well as the culture. There is no way in the world I would replace pencils as the fundamental tool for writing success in my elementary classroom. Will I add greater, more sophisticated tools for success such as the SmartBoard, iPads, and computers? Absolutely!!!! But saying to replace the pencil is going a little too far for me. There is no doubt in my mind that technology is booming especially in the education field but, there are some things that need be left alone. I don't think I'm all alone with that opinion. I do appreciate all of the technology advancements that are available as I think they're very beneficial for our growth as educators.

He moves on to the fact that most text books are becoming ebooks. You can now go online to any library; local, collegiate, foreign and look at most books. How fascinating is that? I did a paper in my British lit class a few years back and I actually received feedback from a library in Wales, UK. I thought it would be a neat idea to find a library website, use their email tool and ask questions. Turns out they really do have a better understanding of british lit than we do but, hey.....we know all about Justin Bieber ok!?!?!?! cricket...cricket...still with me?

In part two of the video he discusses the power of YouTube. Every second a video is uploaded on YouTube and fortunately for students, current and future educators it doesn't take rocket science to upload a video lesson, a video presentation, etc. Richard Miller speaks the truth when he says that if this lecture were something he wrote down, it would take some time for the writings to be published, delaying someone's advantage of the lecture. Most of the things we've had the pleasure of watching for EDM 310 has come from YouTube uploads...can you imagine the knowledge we would've missed if it hadn't been for this site?






Carly Pugh-- Creativity is talent that some people have and others do not
My word. I have interacted with Carly on several occasions in the lab. She's always struck me as a super smart gal and leads with example in her Blog Post # 12. Dr. Strange asks us to evaluate how we think she comes close to Dr. Miller's hopes for writing with multi-media. I watched Dr. Miller's video 4 times..that's 1,2,3,4....@ around 12 minutes for both videos and each time the WONK..WONK..WONK..of Charlie Brown's teacher got louder and louder. While I understand his hope for the future of writing with multimedia, as I said previously, it wasn't a great lecture. If Carly's creativeness breaks down what the video was supposed to be getting at then she's got a bright future ahead of her.

The Chipper Series and EDM for Dummies
Haaaaaaaaa haaaaaaaaaaaa LOL, I'm sorry, how is one supposed to write according to the requirements in Writing a Quality Blog after watching The Chipper Series and EDM 310 for Dummies? I laughed out loud so much during the videos. I can imagine most of us have experienced every scenario once or twice during EDM but, I can vouch that I have because this course during the summer...ain't no joke!  sometimes you just have to use bad grammar. HA HA Don't get me wrong, this course is so much fun and I love learning about how technology is thriving within all educational fields but, it can be strenuous at times and I am crazy guilty of being a procrastinator such as Chipper. Although, I am NOT 100% reformed with my time management skills, I think I've truly shaped up and I always, always, always get my work completed on time. But, seriously.....can we get the book published?
I think if I had to help create or have the option to participate in creating a video, it would be something about wikispace. I recently did a project in my EPY class and I involved the use of wiki space in a project for my make believe 5th graders. I loved learning how to use the site and also what benefits it had to offer students such as reducing project time because of the improved communications and it's paperless and that's one step closer to being the best teacher you can be in the 21st century classroom!!

Learn to change, change to learn

This video fundamentally attacks the old school way of teaching but, it's actually a really great video. I am learning to keep my eyes open and embrace technology within the classroom. The more time and effort (and sobbing breakdowns because I'm exhausted) I apply to EDM 310, the more I benefit from it. I'm not just benefitting because I'm learning how to do random things on a computer but, benefitting in a way that I've not yet begun to expose and that is my ability to teach. I know that when my dream comes true and I am standing in my very own classroom, with my very own students, I will provide them a better way of learning because of technology. I'm learning to change (not transform), and changing to learn. I got chills when Stephen Hepell said, "it is the death of education, and the dawn of learning." Awesome!!!

SCAVENGER HUNT!!!

Comic Strip

Video Tool
Animoto: It supplies many useful tools for creating video presentations for the classroom. While you're 100% focused on the content of the video you're creating Animoto automatically creates a customized selection of music, video clips, and photos. You can also add text to individual photos to provide better education and entertainment to your audience. Lastly, it's simple to share a video with Animoto.

Poll Everywhere!

MY FIRST POLL

Project # 10--PLN

So far my PLN is websites I've used for various research projects in my journey to become an elementary teacher. I added useful tools for everything from grading papers to sites completely dedicated to videos created by teachers. I created a few of my own tiles that I find resourceful such as Pinterest and Dare to Care blog. I look forward to continuing to add to my PLN because as we all know education never stops!!!!!

Project 9b--Prezi

TRIANGLES,CIRCLES,SQUARES...OH MY! Shapes build our lives. on Prezi

C4T #2

On Mrs. Denise Krebs' blog you can find many great and inspiring posts about her love for being an educator and also how she can contribute to making education (with the use of technology!) a better experience for her students.

Such example can be found in her post Researcher's Workshop in which she discusses the benefits of letting her students choose a topic to research. That's not writing a research paper but, rather giving them 3 hours to submerge themselves in a particular topic. This project is similar to Genius Hour, check it out here. Her encouragement was simply "learn now, become an expert later." which I find refreshing. This type of assignment has many benefits and a great potential for success. Mrs. Krebs also notes the enthusiam of the students as they took notes while viewing History Channel dvds, youtube videos and Learning 360 clips. If a piece of information excited a student he or she would share with their neighbor or more excitedly share with the entire class. As with any project there was a required end result and while Mrs. Krebs was 100% pleased with the experience and creativity of the research, she didn't see 100% in the quality. I'll just agree with her theory that this occured because the projects were due 3 days before summer break :)

My first post to Mrs. Krebs proved to be beneficial for me. I explained that in my experience with research papers I never "learned", I just became an "expert" long enough to write about the topic due. I think she's on to something so, I encouraged her to continue this workshop for future classrooms. While I praised her "researcher's workshop" activity with her classroom I also opened a whole new can of worms within myself concerning my opinions on technology in the classroom. I'm glad that I did this because I recieved some wonderful feedback, websites, and articles from Mrs. Krebs that really opened my eyes to technology in the classroom. We also discussed the importance of "reinventing the classroom" which inspired her to continue writing a post from October '11. Which brings me to post # 2 The Reinvention of Education.

In this post Mrs. Krebs recalls being inspired to rethink how education is done. She attended ITEC11 where guest speaker Steve Hargadon, shared 3 things with the group:
1) An important idea: You matter!
Realizing that you and technology are a collective value. You're making a difference.

2) A platform: How we connect with others
Connecting with others is important--We learn from others!

3) A framework: How we get things done
Being constrained to the stereo typical way of teaching will get the job done but, opening a world of wonders for your students with the use of technology can give them and yourself the potential for success.

My final remarks on Mrs. Kreb's blog were simply that through our blog convos and websites she offered, I recieved an abundence of guidence towards becoming a 21st century educator. I'm glad that my inquisitive mind asked questions, that led to her answers, that led me to an open mind.

Blog post # 7

Could I become a teacher who adapts connectivism?

I watched Wendy Drexler's Networked Student three times. Once to make sure I didn't miss the specific sentence Dr. Strange pointed out, the second time was to listen out for specifics to jot down and the final time was to listen, uninterruptedly to the entire video. I did this because I was determined to have this be the video that helped me become more open to the way of the 21st century educator. So I watched, eyes peeled, ears AND mind opened. After the video ended I sat back and looked at all of my notes, I had 2 pages from a 5 minute video. My reaction was, "ok...I live my life just as this animated high school student does." I have classes, then I have hybrid classes. Even the classes that I take where we actually go and sit in a classroom for a lecture has online tools that hopefully further our grasp of the content. I can't tell you how many websites I have bookmarked because I learn from them. I use Google religiously to find information. I sorta Skype only it's through FaceTime on the iphone. Now these are all things I did BEFORE starting EDM310. Since then I have created my own blog, post regularly, respond to posts often, read and comment on teacher's blogs, recieve feedback from them :), use google docs, created a wordle (lord knows I'd never even heard of that phrase before EDM) All of these things are molding me into a future for becoming a teacher of connectivism.

I've been thinking long and hard about my opinions on students getting all of their lectures and assignments from teacher blogs, having no books, and toting around ipads instead of paper and pencil. I have NEVER been one to be pushed into liking anything no matter what it is. Even though I have honestly enjoyed watching every ounce of the material we've covered schooling us on 21st century education, I still kept a biased opinion that it just wasn't for me. Does that make me dumb and mean I do not know how to use technology? No, it doesn't. But, I do consider myself open minded which brings me back to my first sentence. I recieved a post today from Bailey Hammond on a recent blog that made me realize that my bias wasn't against the theory of connectivism as a whole rather having the concept consume a child's life at such a young age. When I think of my elementary students (my dream is to teach the little ones K-2) I see them using glitter, scissors, and Elmer's glue to give life to a piece of construction paper. I see them mastering how to correctly draw the letter B because we've made bats, balls, and bees together in the classroom. Does a child ages 3-6 have the capacity to use devices such as ipads, tape recorders, and cameras? Well 9 times out of 10 they do! I look at my 4 year old nephew who has been dominating his mom's iphone for at least 2.5 years. But, the downfall is when it's unavailable for him to play on, the battery may be dead, she might be on the phone OR she just tells him no because he's spent most of his day playing on the sucker. So, do I think technology belongs in the classroom even at the kindergarden level? Yes, because I believe to educate you must be entertaining. No, because I have anxiety just thinking about a student who can't write in cursive because to type on a computer or ipad, all you need are your finger tips and quick movements. But, after watching Networked Student and Welcome to my PLE I'm seeing the real benefits of a full connectivism classroom in older students.







When I stopped to think about the question "Why does the network student even need a teacher?" I immediately think about Dr. Strange and how all of the given facts for why the student would need a teacher is a characteristic of him. We rarely see him in person yet he is the most beneficial teacher I have this semester. He's taught us to put together this network of resources for learning oppourtunities, speak to experts respectfully by thanking them via twitter, etc....My life will never be the same after this semester is over. I've learned more in the past 4 weeks than I have in many other semesters. I believe KNOW implementing technology in the classroom is a must. I have already began the search to build my PLN with all the information I can on the benefits of technology in early childhood developement, any K-2 teachers that incorperate technology in their classrooms, and motivational lectures on the benefits of being a teacher of connectivism.

Thomas Suarez

The only real thing I learned from watching Thomas Suarez: A 12 year old app developer is that he's a seriously smart little man! I think he speaks volumes about the change in the world according to technology. When I was 12, I never even heard of an app on an iphone or any phone for that matter. For Thomas to be interested in creating apps isn't mind blowing this day in age but, for him to take the initiative to practice programs in other languages such as Java and Python to get the basics down so to actually go through with his interest at such a young age is exciting!! Children are benefiting from technology as we can clearly see in this video and as well as the 7th grader's PLE. Who knows, maybe Thomas will be creating apps for iSchool Initiative one day.

Project 8

Blog # 6

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

As I watched Randy Pausch's last lecture, I thought about the first time I ever heard of him. It was for a blog post we did the first of the semester and one of the questions asked by Dr. Strange was "do you know anything else about Randy Pausch?" Well, to me that didn't mean look something up, so I simply replied that I didn't know anything but, I gained a lot from the clip of his lecture. As I clicked the link in preparation for what I knew was going to be over an hour of video, I still knew nothing about Dr. Pausch. Then he started the lecture and I realized, wow! This man has passed away. Oh gosh, this video is 4 years old. I immediately thought, "dang!! He's such a joy to watch and really gives GREAT motivational speeches." As he opens immediately with jokes, slides of his cancer progression, I understand that not only does he just go out in the world and teach people to have faith to go for their dreams, he's actually a testament of what he preaches. See, I've been down in the dumps lately because I'm maxed out stressed with school this semester so after watching his last lecture, I spent a little while watching many other youtube clips of this man that had me tearing up, laughing, intrigued, speechless and mostly learning.

Before I move into the aspects of teaching he touched on I want to say that the main thing I received from this lecture was a life lesson, he said it out loud, "don't pity me." Those words, I stand by. I also stand by his theory on on the "head fake"!! Lordy who doesn't? For Dr. Pausch, his "head fake" was football. Mine is school. I remained at my job because what I do for the nurses at Providence Hospital is rewarding for me personally. Those guys and gals respect me as I do them. I decided going back to school full time, all while keeping a full time job would teach me values that I never received growing up. I was a spoiled rotten child. Mommy and Daddy can and WILL fix it all. I find a wonderful fiance', he does the same with me. I as an individual needed values and something to look forward to. Which brings me to how I will run my classroom. I believe that giving any child the opportunity to excel is what teaching is all about. You will have some children, God love them, that just aren't cut out to be scholars but, they can excel in arts, sports, etc. Pushing them to do something they enjoy teaches them determination, gives them goals, team work, things that will hopefully make them great human beings.

Brick walls are there for a reason. “They are there to separate us from the people who don’t really want to achieve their childhood dreams.” -- Randy Pausch. If this isn't the truest statement I don't know what is. I've heard this variation of words in many ways but, coming from him, it just makes so much sense. In a classroom the brick wall can be a number of things. The teacher can hit a brick wall and so can the students. For the teacher, the brick wall can be when he or she doesn't seem to be getting through to the students in a lesson. Does that mean we stop teaching? Does that mean we give up? No! That wall was there to prove how badly we want something. When a student hits a brick wall, it will probably be a little harsher. Kids are already young and impressionable so coming across something that basically knocks them down can do just that...KNOCK THEM DOWN!!!!! As educators we're taught that there will be goals and dreams that you will not reach. But, as children dreams are limitless. Dr. Pausch's last speech is so admittedly titled "Achieving your childhood dreams". I hope to be an educator who pushes a child to run so fast towards their goals and never look back.

If you can't make education for your students and yourself fun then why are you there? I know a job is a job but, if you take what you worked so hard to achieve, and make the most of it, then it has all the potential to be fun. Kids are stressful, teaching is stressful, grading papers is stressful, you will wake up on the wrong side of the bed, your students will wake up on the wrong side of the bed but you have to make the most of it. "You can not change the cards you were dealt, you can only change the way you play your hand." -- Randy Pausch. Although he used this line to describe how he intended to live everyday to the fullest, this is simply a motto to make life workable. Have fun in your classroom!!!!!!! (Randy Pausch insists he's going to have fun every day he has left, that's when the tears fell. ) Don't be an Eeyore, be a Tigger!!!!!!!!!!! Find the fun in everything. I hope that I can be the best educator possible all while making my classroom enjoyable. I wonder if Rafe Esquith ever had the pleasure of enjoying any of Randy Pausch's lectures? After reading "Teach like your hair's on fire" I have restored faith that classrooms can still be fun without being looked at like "oh that teacher just let's those kids play..blah blah" Nope!!!! We're learning, just taking a different avenue.

I will wrap up my blog by saying Randy Pausch gives so much motivation to take to your classroom. Never give up on your students, fight for them and their dreams because if becoming a great teacher is your dream, then that is most definitely a branch from that tree of dreams.

Blog post # 5

iSchool Innovative



Wow!!! Travis is a smart cookie. The simple fact that he even thinks on that level shows his maturity. I think he really did his homework and that he's got an amazing idea with iSchool Initiative. Budget cuts in schools eventually takes a toil on students' education because teachers get worn down when they have 6 class periods of 30+ students. It's an unfortunate reality but, I've witnessed first hand the pessimistic attitude of stressed teachers.

While I share a lot of the same views as Travis, I also have my reservations. I am in school to become a teacher, this idea makes me see teachers as becoming disconnected in many ways. I know that when I become a teacher, I will be hands on. I am a huge fan of technology but, I still can't get over teaching children to become so robotic. I understand that the point of iSchool is to cut costs so the school systems do not suffer so of course, I am 100% on board for this type of technology becoming the norm. I actually LOVED the statement he made at the end of the 2nd video "help us better prepare our youth for the digital world they were born into." Well if that doesn't hit the nail on the head nothing will.

Virtual Choir
I am not too proud to say that this video brought tears to my eyes. The simplistic beauty of the entire thing put me in an awe. It just goes to show you that technology can be used any time, any where.

Teaching in the 21st Century
Kevin Robert's Teaching in the 21st Century was awesome. I think he is absolutely correct with everything he discusses. I mean isn't that what we're learning about in EDM? Media advances are in everything we do. I've never been one to deny that I don't love the idea of a classroom being complete technology to the point that you're never interacting with your students but, just denying it outright is pointless. Do I think this way of teaching will affect me as a teacher in the classroom? Yes and no. While I do not agree that teachers should 100% fall back on twitter, facebook, blogs and another other technological resource, I do think that involving them within the classroom is a very smart idea. Some people (especially children in today's world) would rather be taught this way as opposed to a chalk board and a teacher. I wouldn't want to be the juggling clown trying to impress or entertain a classroom full of children. I just want to be able to affectively engage young minds on learning. Having useful computer labs, Smart Boards, webcams to maybe connect with students in another country...how cool is that? That is where I see my classroom.

Flipping the classroom
There are pros and cons to this one. It's possible that "flipping the classroom" can be useful but, is it 100% always? I can use myself as a prime example for a pro. I took a math class Spring '12 and it almost killed me! I am not good at math at all, then on top of that you throw a teacher who just assumes everyone gets it because she does. Through word of mouth I was introduced to the website Khan Academy. It is what you would expect a flipped classroom to be. Dr. Sal is literally teaching you 1:1 and it helped me in sooooooooo many ways.
Moving on to the cons. Can you trust that every child will use the videos to their advantage? Will you slack on your teaching because you know the children have the video to fall back on? Not every child can learn from a video. I mean when you think about it, it's still lecturing you, you're just not live.

Project 9a-Time Toast Timeline

Blog post # 4

Today's students are lightyears beyond students from the 1990s and 2000s. Having graduated in 2001, I can remember a time when texting wasn't the norm and when internet access was only at a desktop. Even then I thought I was "ahead of the game" because my cell phone had texting capabilities when most students in my high school did not have that. But I wouldn't hold a candle to the students of 2012. Technology is at the tip of their fingers because they can carry it in their pockets. This is why having technology in the classroom is so important because without this students become detatched and uninterested in lessons.




Ms. Tolisano creatively incorporates technology in her lessons, allowing students to learn the required curriculum while sharpening their technological skills. An example of this is her implementation of student podcasts in a lesson of the book Flat Stanley by Jim Brown. Each student has the opportunity to narrate their Flat Stanley character. While listening to the audio, I could sense the excitement in each student's voice and really grasp that they enjoy and gain a lot from the lesson.

Joe Dale's incorporation of podcasts within his blogs is an innovative tool in accommodating students and parents. The podcast helps to emphasize important points of lessons. This is especially useful to students who may need extra review or are absent from class. Podcasts also assist parents in staying on top of their children's work. I can definitely see myself incorporating this into my classroom. I am all for sharing the students progression with their parents. It's beneficial all around.

The two videos on Judy Scharf's podcast collection help me as I'm sure it did our entire group. We made sure to be familiar with the tools we used to film and create our podcast. It was also helpful to be prepared and rehearsed on your topic as it will flow easier and not look so forced. Even before we edited our podcast, and it was just video of us doing our skit, I think we all thought, "wow! Look at what we created and how much we learned just by going over the information with ourselves. Imagine the benefits of podcasting in the classroom? It is well worth taking the time and effort to understand and figure out how to use the tools to create a podcast.

project 6

Google presentation

Blog post # 3

Advice on peer editing

I agree that peer editing is a wonderful resource to use inside the classroom. Children tend to overlook places that could be improved within their own writings. If you think about it, they're looking at these words for a long time so catching grammatical or spelling errors might be skipped during the development of the writing. When students are given the opportunity to edit a peer's paper, they're more likely to develop the skills to notice where changes might improve an other's work. As a teacher, giving the classroom the task of peer editing also develops their communication skills which will be useful as they move forward in life.

The video, What is Peer Editing? , meh...so so for my taste. It didn't flow very well although I did learn the three important steps in peer editing; compliments, suggestions, and corrections. I actually enjoyed and got more from the Peer Edit tutorial. Even though there were no words or music, the material was covered very well. There was an equal breakdown of each important step to peer editing. I thought the practice paragraphs were a useful tool. Lastly, the Writing Peer Review Top 10 mistakes was a riot! I love to see young children so active and entertaining. And because the video stars elementary aged "peers" it's a great resource to explain how peer editing is a positive process.

For my personal peer edit, I will probably post any suggestion or compliments publicly. I am not a "Mean Margaret" or "Picky Patty" :) I consider myself an extremely fair person and hey, I'm NOT perfect, my suggestions might not be the best either. I do know I'm very positive so if my compliments are the only thing that inspires my peer than I have done a good job.

Adaptive Technologies

I am completely inspired by Ms. Lacey Cook and thrilled that the administration for Campbell Collegiate provides the technology for her classroom. To see Corbin using an Ipod touch and a set of headphones to engage in silent reading time is so wonderful. He doesn't have to go to another class and have someone read to him, he can stay with his classmates and remain involved. Another student, Sherae doesn't speak. She may have that handicap but, she's very intelligent having understood all of Ms. Cook's questions. Shaerae uses a technology pad to spell out her answers to questions.

Technology offers more than just access to the Internet. After viewing the video Technology in Special Education I am convinced this is a huge step in the right direction for educating Special needs students. Technology just might be the difference between can or can not for most special needs students. Some students might have a greater handicap than others and if technology keeps them blended with their peers then that's one of the greatest gifts they can receive.

There are many different variations of Autism but, a simple definition is a psychological disability in infants and young children that is often times carried over into adulthood. One characteristic in people with autism is their inability to understand or express emotions. I found the app AutismXpress in the Apple Special Education Apps and it appears to be a useful resource for special education students in that it encourages the expression the recognition and expression of emotions.

Harness your students' Digital Smarts

Ms. Vicki Davis' blog was created to encourage teachers and parents to educate students. She very much prides herself on the accomplishments she's made with students throughout the years. Her classroom uses virtual as well as a technology experience. Each week a different group of students use technology to teach their fellow classmates.

Ms. Davis has also developed a website for communication from all over called Digi-teen. Teachers and students connect via this blog to share ideas. Another educational development is the Flat Classroom Project in which students connect with other students from all over the world. The students study and expiring trends from different cultures. Together they write reports or do videos on specific topics.