Sunday, March 31, 2013

Blog Post #10

I'm a Papermate. I'm a Ticonderoga Cartoon by John Spencer


I'm a Papermate. I am a Ticonderoga.

Mr. John Spencer created a very interesting cartoon entitled I'm a Papermate. I am a Ticonderoga. This cartoon can be seen above as well as in Mr. Spencers blog, Adventures in Pencil Integration . Mr. Spencer made this cartoon in a play off of the Dell versus Mac comercial. Mr. Spencer is comparing a papermate pencil to a Dell and a Ticonderoga brand pencil to a Mac. He is saying that although a Dell computer is less expensive it breaks easily and often, making it cost more. The comparison to the more expensive pencil is the Mac, which is more expensive but requires a lot less repairs and does not break as easily. The hipster reference is relavent because Mr. Spencer is making an emphasis that even a group of people that are known to buy cheaper things, spend the money on a Mac. I think that Mr. Spencer is trying to point out how much better Mac computers are than Dell computers. I have to say that as a mac user I would say I am partial to this cartoon and completely agree with Mr. Spencer's viewpoint. It took me a little while to understand the cartoon in its entirety, but once I did I really like the concept. Mr. Spencer was very clever with this cartoon concept.

Mr. Spencer's blog is named, Adventures in Pencil Integration. When one first reads the title of his blog they might think he writes all about his work with pencil and paper or what he draws. What Mr. Spencer is actually referring to is quite different. Mr. Spencer refers to is technology. Mr. Spencer actually blogs about how integrating games and technology into the classroom is a smart way to encourage student learning. The second post of Mr. Spencer's that I read was 10 Points on Pencils. Mr. Spencer is trying to open others eyes, including his supervisors to the fact that students learn best from integrating real life and practical games into learning ;as well as, allowing them to use technology. In the second post I read, Mr. Spencer said he realized there were currently no rules for multimedia usage but why create them if you didn't have rules for using the chalkboard. Mr. Spencer points out that technology is students way of communicating and social interactions these days. Mr. Spencer makes a number of valid points about using technology. The last one is the one that stands out the most. It is allowing students to learn in a creative and personalized way. You are also moving in from summative evaluations to formative evaluations. Creating a learning environment that students enjoy will create a successful and fulfilling classroom. Mr. Spencer I quite correct in pointing out that many of the things we fault technology with are actually normal or useful. For instance blaming technology on the fact that students are always on it and never worrying about others really does not make much sense when you are talking about middle schoolers who are self centered with or without it. Why have we gone to blaming technology for so many of the problems in today's society?

Dangerously Irrelevant

Dr. Scott McLeod is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading academic experts on K-12 school technology leadership issues. Dr. McLeod currently is serving as the Director of Innovation for Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency 8 in Iowa. Dr. Scott McLeod is also 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. CASTLE now has a graduate level program to educator professors on the most effective way to use technology in the education world. Mr. McLeod's blog, Dangerously Irrelevant, is all about technology leadership issues.

I read Mr. McLeod's blog post, Don't Teach Your Kids this Stuff Please. In order to fully understand this blog post you must realize that Mr. McLeod was using a sarcastic undertone in this post. In this post Mr. McLeod is really encouraging technological use in the educational realm. When he says to go ahead and ban these from use in your schools or from your children from using them but my students will be ahead of your. This is very true. The technological world is advancing beyond our comprehension. The students that have used the programs and equipment that are being widely used in the business world will be more marketable for both college and jobs. These will be the students that have a higher success rate. I believe that so many of us are afraid of technology, blame it for so many bad things, place restrictions on its usage, or shy aware from it is really all because we do not have the knowledge to properly use it. It isn't that we don't have the actual resources, we need the knowledge to have a better understanding of its capabilities. Technology is ever changing but it is our job as educators to equip our students to have the knowledge and capabilities to have a better understanding of technology. Why shy aware from such a wonderful tool when we should really take the effort to gain the knowledge to better use these resources?





Monday, March 25, 2013

Project #14


Sorry if it is dark, but I had to turn the lights off in the classroom for you to be able to see the Smartboard. What is going on on the Smartboard is the most important part of the presentation.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Blog Post #9

A teacher and her student standing beside her desk


Mr. McClung is an educator and now administrator that regularary shares his thoughts on teaching and students in his blog, At The Teacher's Desk. Mr. McClung is now the assistant principal of an elementary school after being a teacher for four years, and spending three years at the same school. Mr. McClung is a teacher that I would love to have, he wants his student to love learning and his goal is to make school enjoyable. We all have a lot to learn from him. His idea of writing a reflection after every year is an awesome idea and something I think I will start after this semester even as a student in school to be an educator. What an awesome way to look back and see what you have learned and how you have grown as an educator and person.

The first reflection of Mr. McClung’s that I read to was for the 2008 to 2009 school year. Mr. McClung makes some really good points that I need to consider as a future young teacher. This was his first year teaching and he reflects on what he learned throughout the school year. Several of the points that really stood out to me were to be flexible, be reasonable, and to listen to your students.

Lesson plans do not always go as planned and neither does life in general, so being flexible is a key to success in education. When I think of being flexible in the classroom the example I think of most is my AP Calculus teacher in high school. We were very limited on time and he had every day’s lesson planned out, but there were numerous times when we got to class and did not understand the homework from the night before. Each time he would take the time to explain and reteach the material. This ate up the time he had for the lesson plans for the day, but I learned more from him than most other teachers because he was flexible and made sure that we knew material, even if it meant his hard work on lesson plans went out the door. One of the best ways to be flexible is to take your cues from your students; if they need more work on one subject then spend that time on that topic and alter your other activities or more them to another day.

One of my favorite quotes from Mr. McClung’s first reflection is “Our job as teachers is to simply pick them up after they fail, dust them off, and encourage them to try again.” This is such a true statement because out students will not always succeed or reach our expectations. It is silly to think that every one of our students will be able to master reading by the end of first semester in kindergarten. Being reasonable also goes along with tailoring your expectations to fit each individual child. Positive encouragement and praise in the classroom is important, but so is constructive criticism. You must have a balance in order to prepare students for the future, but also encourage them to not give up.

The people that have the biggest impact on my life and that I am more willing to take suggestions from are those that listen to me first. By listening to your students you are showing that you care. Students are more willing to take interest in anything we say if we first show interest in their own lives. You may be the only sturdy person in their life at that point and they may need someone to simply ask how their morning was. The simplest gestures can show a student that you are listening and you care about them as a person and not just their education. The students that are the hardest to reach are sometimes the ones that need someone to listen the most. Be receptive to your students and what is going on in their lives. It has a huge impact on their behavior and how/what they learn. I desire to be the teacher that the students enjoy coming to my classroom because I make learning interesting and intriguing, but that I show I care about them as a person and have a relationship with each student.

The next post of Mr. McClung’s that I read was his reflection from this past school year, 2011-2012. In this post Mr. McClung focuses on defining himself and challenging himself. I really got a lot out of this post as well.

Mr. McClung made a very good point when he says that the kids are what matters to him and if they are having fun learning. As he said he committed a junior high crime and was worried about what his peers and colleagues thought of him as a teacher. It took him most of the year, but he realized that it did not really matter what they thought, only if the students were enjoying learning. This really hit me hard because even as a student, I worry about what my family and those that are close to me think of me going to school to become a teacher. Teachers are extremely important for our future and that of our own children, but I come from a family that is mainly in the medical or engineering field. I will be the first on both sides of my family to enter into the world of education. This post made me realize that I am not doing this for anyone else, but each one of my future students.

Another profound statement that Mr. McClung makes is “My goal as an educator is to do everything I can to ensure that students enjoy class and not resent school as I did as a child.” He took on a new challenge of teaching a Pre-AP course. Many times the material for these courses are harder and the course itself is more rigid because it is the very step below a college level course and in many ways resembles one. Mr. McClung challenged himself by not only taking on this new material, but making this course enjoyable. AP courses are many times seen as the hardest and least enjoyable in a high school, but he wanted to change that. I had a teacher similar to that during my senior year and I looked forward to going to his class each day. I do not want to get into a routine of teaching the same material over and over again and become so comfortable I do not want to start anything new. I want to challenge myself to stay current on what the students are enjoying outside of school and tailor my activities to fit their interest. This requires more work on my part, but if my students will learn more than it will be worth every bit!

I really enjoyed reading Mr. McClung’s blog posts and have added him to my PLN as well.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

C4T Post #2

Math: Movement, Activity, Teacher, Hands On

For Comments for Teachers Post number two I was assigned to Diane Dahl's Blog, For the Love of Teaching. Diane Dahl is a second grade teacher in Texas. She has a masters degree in Brain Based Teaching through BrainSMART at Nova Southeastern University. Mrs. Dahl has several blogs including a classroom blog that she posts the class's projects and learning. It was fun to get to know Mrs. Dahl and her classes through her blogs.

The first week I posted on her blog, For the Love of Teaching. Mrs. Dahl had a wonderful blog posts about having successful and productive math groups. Mrs. Dahl posted about her methods to successful groups. She uses an intriguing method called the Kagan Method. This is a method that her district has adopted and included peer coaching. Her ideas do not stop there, she also has a unique way for her students to check their answers, through QR Codes. What a wonderful idea that incorporates technology for the students. Students love this method. I commented to Mrs. Dahl how much I enjoyed reading her blog and all about her successful station ideas. I also shared my experiences and struggles of substituting in the classroom and group work becoming a disaster because of lack of organization and planning. I asked Mrs. Dahl is she used this structure with any other subjects and she commented back that she also uses it in science, social studies, and language arts. She said that she would be happy to answer any questions I had about the structure she uses in her classroom.

After talking with Dr. Strange, he gave me permission to also comment on Mrs. Dahl's classroom blog and explore there. On this blog, she posts more pictures and news related to the events and ongoings of her classroom. I commented on her post from March 4, about special presentations. Mrs. Dahl has a rewards system that makes it a privilege to do a special presentation on any topic using PowerPoint or another display. Students earn this privilege by displaying a positive attitude towards school and classmates, timely completion of work, and demonstrating self control.I commented on her blog post about how neat I though her rewards system was. This system rewards students, but at the same time encourages and rewards in an educational manner. This system instills in children the desire and motivation to learn more. This is really a neat concept in this day and time when so many teachers bribe students with candy and toys. Mrs. Dahl's rewards system has benefits that go beyond momentary pleasure, but lifelong learners that have pride in their work. I have really enjoyed reading Mrs. Dahl's blogs and plan to keep on following her blogs. I encourage you to go and check them out and all the resources she has to offer. 

Blog Post #8

This is How We Dream

Dreams LandscapeDr. Richard E. Miller is professor at Rutgers University that produced the This is How We Dream Parts 1 & 2 Series. I do not know what I really thought I expected from this video, but this video was not what I expected for sure! It was intriguing and intersting, but I had to watch if three times in order to get a better grasp on the material being presented. Dr. Miller was presenting while there were different images and screen shots going across the screen. This presentation by Dr. Miller is all about promoting the "writing with multi-media" effort. Dr. Miller made a very true point when he says that we do not use hardback books anymore, we use our technological devices.

We do not physically write things down anymore or publish many books. Even many of our textbooks can be bought and stored on our computers or other reading device (Kindles, tablets, and eBooks). It amazes me that a book from Carnegie University can be bought for $0.59 on Amazon. Some of the other incremental changes in technology that Dr. Miller pointed out were newspapers taking use of the internet to convey news and information or produce electronic copies of their newspaper. These incremental changes all build up to the world of multimedia that can be composed and produced.

The whole point is to teach students to produce multi-media, not just consume the world of technology. By using multimedia to produce we can view writing in real time, publish in real time, read, view, and comment all over the world all in real time. We are not waiting on publications or books any longer. Thousands of people can be viewing the same book, on the same website, at the same time all through the use of real time publication made possible by multimedia. It amazes me to sit back and look how far I have come even from the beginning of the semester. I never imagined to be writing multimedia or having the knowledge to before I began this semester, but now I picture teaching my students to write multimedia when I have my own classroom.

Carly Pugh Blog Post #12

YouTube for EducatorsCarly Pugh did a wonderful job on Blog Post #12. She was very thorough and in-depth creating her blog post and assignment. I really enjoyed looking through her YouTube channel and watching a few of the videos. I wasn't able to watch them all of the videos on the channel before preparing this blog post, but I have subscribed to her channel and plan to go back and watch more of her videos. I was able to visit all the links in her blog and she did a wonderful job, I believe she was pretty close to accomplishing what Dr. Miller was talking about in his videos. Videos are a wonderful tool to use in teaching, especially short video clips like YouTube. These videos can all be useful in the classroom. Technology can be used in a way that is either beneficial or detrimental to one's education. It is our job as teachers to show and direct students to use the technology they come in contact with in a useful manner. YouTube videos are a wonderful way to do that. Carly has now encouraged me to create my own YouTube Channel with videos that I find and I think will be useful later down the road. She did a wonderful job with this assignment!

EDM 310 is Different!

EDM 310 for DummiesBoth of videos, EDM for Dummies and The Chipper Series were both very interesting and entertaining. The students did a great job with making the videos. The EDM 310 for Dummies video was essentially a book trailer for a book EDM for Dummies. This book would be similar to the other books in the Books for Dummies Series. The idea of having such a book is a wonderful idea and I think it could help some students for sure. It would also be helpful for teachers and educators learning to blog and use similar programs as well. The book would not have to be limited to EDM students at South Alabama. The Chipper Series was a series about a student who simply did not want to put the time or effort into learning or college itself. Chipper wanted to take the easy way out of thing, including finding a career. She really did not want to have to work for it. EDM makes you work for your grade and your education. I really think this course instills in students to be lifelong learners that can teach themselves. We are not stuck repeating and memorizing facts for a test only to forget them five minutes later. You can take more than the information provided to you in EDM away from the course; you also leave having a better understanding on the real concept of learning.

The real problem most students have in EDM 310 is time management. The key to time management is also organization and many students lack these skills. These are especially important in college when you are juggling school, work, and extracurricular activities. In EDM 310, waiting until Sunday to start or look at the assignments for the week is never a good idea. I would create a video on time management. I would use a sleep-deprived student that is in jeopardy of loosing their job because they are always falling asleep at work. When the student’s boss asks him or her what is wrong, they explain that they have all this work to do and stay up late on Sundays to finish their EDM work. This video would go on to show the consequences of procrastinating on your work and not using time wisely. Not only do your grades fall, but other areas of your life are also affected.

Learn to Change, Change to Learn

Changes Next Exit
I have to say that if I had watched the video in the first week or two of EDM 310 I probably would have written a few paragraphs about how I disagreed with the post or I would have said you could only use the technology they reference in the older grades. But I watched the video this week and my outlook is completely different. I would have to say that I actually agree with a majority of the points and statements made in this video. The first fact that surprised me the most is the fact that the education sector is ranked number 55 in the United States, even below coal mining. That should really wake this country up to realize that education really is not valued. If we are at all concerned about the future of this country we need to value and invest more into the education system. This means to also be more open to teaching styles.

Students in the younger generation learn differently because of the environment they are growing up in. Instead of embracing and using what students enjoy to teach them and allow them to use them to learn, we ban them in schools and punish students if we see them. Instead of telling students that cell phones have no place in a school or that tablets aren’t allowed, why do we not show them how to use them for educational purposes. If we did this then our students would be more receptive to what we are trying to tell them. If you think about it, your favorite teacher in school was probably the teacher that embraced hands on learning and used the latest and greatest technology. If we want student’s to be receptive to use, then why not start embracing and incorporating technology into your teaching methods and styles. 

Scavenger Hunt 2.0

Edmodo is a social platform for teachers, parents, and students to use in the educational setting. It is very similar to Facebook, except created for educational usage. You can create follow categories and resources; as well as, create groups for your different classes. Edmodo recently had an article written up on Forbes website. In this article you can read more about the platform behind Edmodo. Edmodo would be a great resource to to use in the classroom. I like the concept of using this social platform because it would keep private and professional life separate. You could use Edmodo to communicate with parents and students about upcoming school and classroom events, projects, and activities. It would also be a place for others parents and students to communicate about classroom projects and other topics. This tool would connect with students because many students enjoy using social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. Edmodo would be a safe place for this to happen. You can use Edmodo through any Internet browser or apps for the Mobile phones. I created an account for Edmodo and am already enjoying exploring all the teaching resources that are available.

Animoto for educationAnimoto is a video and presentation creator. With the free or introductory package you can create 30 second short videos. Animoto gives educators a great deal, by allowing them to apply for the Plus Package for free to use. This is a great deal for teachers, because their education or classroom budgets from the school system is typically rather limited. This service allows teachers to use this resource without having to worry about taking up part of their classroom budget. This would be helpful to teachers in many ways.

Another neat tool that I found in the scavenger hunt was PollEverywhere.com. This tool allows you to create and respond to polls anywhere. You can use a mobile phone or computer to create and respond. I created my first poll questions using polleverywhere.com. I am asking the readers what they will be doing for summer break this year. You can respond by texting the corresponding answer code to the number at the top of the poll. Please respond to the poll with your answer of what you will be doing this summer. This tool is fun, easy, and simple to use. This would be a wonderful tool to use in the classroom with my students.

Discovery Education is a resourceful website that I will be able to use in many different ways when I began teaching. Discovery Education is something that every teacher should spend time exploring.

Thank you for holding on until the end of this very long blog post. There was so many great resources in this week's blog post assignment. I really could go on for hours and pages of writing about everything I learned this week. Although it took me a good length of time, it was well worth it in the end.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Blog Post #7

Randy Pausch on stage during his Last Lecture.


Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

I watched the video the first time around, and then I read the official transcript for the lecture. I read the lecture in order to have a better understanding of the lecture. I was so overwhelmed the first time I watched it, that I felt like I needed this extra time for comprehension. I can honestly say I enjoyed listening to the lecture and learning from Randy Pausch. A few of the things that I learned from listening and agree with are to always be a Tigger in life and never loose your childlike wonder; have specific dreams, do not let anything stop you; show gratitude; have loyalty and the concept of using head faking in the classroom to teach.

Always being the Tigger in life allows you to never loose your childlike wonder and at the same time have fun in everything you do. I am a huge proponent of having fun in life and making the best of what you are given. Dr. Pausch did not let the gloominess of having three to six months to live stop his positive attitude or childlike wonder. Having childlike wonder also keeps your dreams alive and keeps you reaching for more. As a child, nothing is off limits for you to dream for or have a goal of, it should continue that way as an adult. Why shouldn't we be able to pursue those dreams we had as a child? We should continue to have goals and dreams. Having fun in life, makes everything more fun. Just like Tigger in Winnie the Pooh, he has fun in everything, even if he is working. The best part about being teachers is our job is to create and make learning fun for our students; therefore, we have an excuse to have fun all the time.

Dreaming was a major portion of Dr. Pausch's lecture. He had several major dreams, including to experience zero gravity, play for the National Football League, author an article in The World Book, become an Imagineer, win a huge stuff animal, and be Captain Kirk. He never stopped reaching for those dreams until he experienced each one in some way. At one point in his lecture, he told the audience that "the best gold is sometimes at the bottom of the barrels full of crap." I only had a few dreams when I was younger, but even now I still have dreams. Through this lecture, Randy Pausch reminded me that it is good to have dreams, but it is just as important to search after them. Not to give up on reaching them, but push even harder because one day they will happen! This is a very important point to make when teaching. Many of our students might have dreams that we think are off the wall or just plain impossible and crazy, but here we are shown that they are possible. As teachers we need to encourage our students to go after them and do our part in assisting them to reach their goals. Never giving up is something that will have value beyond the classroom if we can instill it in our students.

Head faking is not a new concept, but a concept that now has a name! I now look back and see that as a child, this concept was used on me many times. I can not count how many times I watched a video or played a game that I now realize was really used to teach me something. Even in reading books, many children's books have used the concept of head faking. We think we are reading a book when really we are learning about friendship, sharing, telling the truth, or even obedience. The main concept is that the educational or real purpose is not realized by the students. When I am teaching, I want to be able to use this concept as much as possible. I believe students will actually learn more because they are having fun. Dr. Pausch even used head faking in his lecture and at the end he points this out.

I really enjoyed this lecture and learning about Dr. Pausch. There is a lot of valuable life lessons to be learned from his life. He gave this lecture on September 18, 2007 and lost his battle to cancer in July 2008. Thank you Dr. Pausch for everything that you passed on to us through this lecture.