Blog Post #4

Podcasting is a series of audio files that easily conveys your ideas or messages. Until exploring the links provided and the internet for education and podcasting ideas I had a full understanding of podcasting. The impact that podcasting can have on students and the benefits that come along with it are numerous. As I explored this topic and its benefits, I found myself developing a growing interest. While looking around Langwithes's Blog I found three of my favorite podcasts or posts about using podcasting in the classroom.

The first podcast that I really enjoyed was 1st Graders Create Their Own Read Along Audiobooks. In this particular podcast, 1st Grade students helped to create and read a script based on the Magic Tree House Book, Dinosaurs Before Dark. Not only did the students participate in the recording of the podcast, they also participated in writing the script. I enjoyed listening to this podcast, because each character had a different voice and the students also used sound effects. The students gained numerous skills from this activity including writing, reading, and listening. Podcasting also encourages the students to use their creativity. It amazes me how well the first grade students did in completing this podcast on The Magic Tree House Book.

The next podcast I enjoyed listening to was another first grade classes, Flat Stanley Podcast. I believe I enjoyed listening to this podcast so much because I remember reading Flat Stanley when I was in grade school. The summer between my second and third grade year we were asked to take Flat Stanley with us wherever we went over summer vacation. The assignment was to take pictures with Flat Stanley and write a few sentences about each picture. I really enjoyed this project; therefore, I really liked listening to the places these first grade students came up with to send themselves as a version of Flat Stanley. The creativity and diversity stood out to me in this podcast. Through listening and reading about The Flat Stanley Podcast I realized that this podcast could also be used to teach geography. Students don't just learn about the place they choose, but through sharing they become aware of a variety of different places around The Earth.

Every future teacher should read the post: Its Not About the Tools Its About the Skills. Through this post the numerous skills that are taught through podcasting are brought to light. The author created this post in response to many parents asking what the point to podcasting was and why their students were not learning the basic reading, writing, math, and science skills. Just like the title sugest, it really isn't about the tools that we teach our students to use, but the skills were ensure we are teaching through using the technology that reaches our students. Just a few of the skills that are taught are auditory, communication, presentation, speaking, reading, geography, writing, organization, collaboration, and research skills. These are really just a few of the skills that students can learn through podcasting and various other technology teaching methods. Technology has become a large part of our students' lives outside of school, so why not use it to teach the students in a way they understand. using technology makes teaching relative and interactive.

Project #5: Presentation

Special Blog Post #1

WolfranAlpha Comparative Searches

Once completing a search on the comparison of the populations of China, India, and The United States, I found that all of the United States would comprise of only about 25% of the population of China or India. The results show that China has a population of 1.35 billion, India a population of 1.21 billion and the United States has 309 million people. When you look at those numbers the population of the United States seems rather small in comparison to China or India.

As one of the searches I choose to do, I searched for the fraction of the population of the United States with Crohn's Disease versus Ulcerative Colitis. I chose this search because I have Crohn's Disease and it is a topic that I have a vested interested in. The results I found were that 1 in 710 people in the United States have Crohn's Disease while 1 in 1850 have Ulcerative Colitis. I believe the number of people with Crohn's Disease is higher due to the fact that it is an incurable disease, but its cousin, Ulcerative Colitis, is a curable disease. In my second search, I searched for a comparison of the top four religions in the United States. My search results concluded that 84% of United States practices Christianity, 1.9% Judaism, 1.6% Islam, and 0.91% Buddism. I was honestly rather surprised at the results of this search. Going into the search I was convinced that Judaism, Isalm, and Buddism would have higher percentages and Christianity practiced in the United States would not be as high. I thought this due to the fact that although the United States was founded on the practices of Christianity, an ever growing diversity of our population and growing influence of other religions.

WolframAlpha can be a useful tool in classroom research, because of its versatility. I personally misunderstood the statistics in the Did You Know? Video, but I also understand the importance of interpreting statistics correctly in order for them to be effective. There are numerous ways to use this resource in the classroom and integrate it into lesson plans. I played around on the website and did some research of my own and found that they have created resources specifically for teachers. They have an area where teachers can exchange lesson plans; as well as, a blog specifically for educators. WolframAlpha would be a website that I would go to for ideas for creative lesson plans. This website is unique because students enjoy using it to find random information out. Information such as how many points a word is worth in scrabble, what their name means, or what their phone number would need to be in order to spell out a message. When students enjoy learning and interacting with technology, they are more likely to be willing to learn more. WolframAlpha is a resource I look forward to using not only in my classroom, but also for research for my own life, especially for school.

Gary Hayes Social Media Count

Using the information provided by Gary Hayes Social Media Count it is evident that the world around us is changing at an astronomical rate. Before viewing the social media count I honestly had not idea at the rate in which events occur around the world. These statistics did not necessarily surprise me, but more so they opened my eyes to the change that is occurring. If over 1.2 million new likes and comments occur in just one minute of time, then what else occurs in this time period. These statistics are important to keep in mind because as future teachers, our students our growing up in a world that is constantly changing. Our students will be apart and involved in these ever changing and growing statistics. These numbers represent a way of life and dependence on technology that our society has adopted.

The major impact that these statistics will have on teaching students that are growing up in these technological times is as teachers we will have to change the way we communicate with students. As Facebook becomes increasingly popular among the younger generations, I believe that having a classroom Facebook for communication will also be an important part of communication. Less people are calling and having face to face conversations and more are communicating through email, text messages, and even Skype. As a teacher I will make it a priority to learn the most effective way to communicate with my students and their parents. I will also take advantage of the abundant resources that are available through twitter and blogs. I have the opportunity to be a more effective teacher by using these resources. The technology is changing the way we live our lives, communicate and learn.

Blog Post #3

Peer Editing

Paige Ellis's blog post on Peer Editing was very informative and useful for me. For our first C4C assignment, I had a similar case to Paige's situation, but was unsure on how to approach it. My first instinct was to help the student out through constructive criticism. I held myself back only because I remembered Dr. Strange mentioning that we would begin peer editing this week. After reading Paige's blog post, I have determined that I will be emailing the student I was assigned to last week in order to assist them in their future endeavors. I am emailing this student, because I want to be helpful so that she will avoid making the same mistakes in future blog post. Having correct grammar is a key to establishing credibility among others that read your blog, who may have little to no prior knowledge or you. Paige Ellis's post on peer editing was very useful for me as several of my question were answered.

The video, What Is Peer Editing?, and similar PowerPoint, Peer Edit with Perfection! Tutorial, were helpful as well. What I found to be most helpful is the way in which to go about peer editing and criticizing another's blog post. They both outlines the three steps to peer editing as: 1. compliment the author, 2. give the author suggestions, and 3. correct the authors blog post. These are important to remember in order to avoid sounding mean or hateful when peer editing one's work. They also have several things to remember: be specific and stay positive. Being positive is important because many people will tune a peer out if they are negative or mean, but peer editing in a positive manner means a more receptive author. The video and PowerPoint gave me several suggestions to remember when peer editing a post made by a fellow classmate.

Assistive Technologies

The video, Assistive Technologies for Vision and Hearing Impaired Children, was inspiring. The video demonstrated students using the assistive technology equipment in the classroom. The video was also a call to action for teachers all across the world. The last scene in the video was the saying: "It is time to take the plunge, step up, and be surprised. Don't give up on the kids you can help, support, and enlighten." This video pointed out that the sky is the limit for these children and it is their future as well. As future teachers, why shouldn't we be willing to learn these adaptive technologies that will allow even more students to have a brighter future.

The Mountbatten Braille Writer was a very neat piece of technology. Before watching this video, I was unaware that such a piece of technology was available to blind students. This piece of technology allows students to type Braille including a space and return key on the machine. The machine will also connect to a PC in order to save documents. You can send files to the PC and files from the PC to the machine. The machine also incorporates an audio feature that allows the blind student to hear the text as well. This piece of assistive technology would be especially useful to allow a blind student to attend class int he regular classroom. It is pieces like this machine that encourage inclusion for all students. I would use this machine to allow the student to do his or her assignments; as well as, have the ability to use worksheets or handouts the remainder of the class receives due to the text to audio feature. This machine opens up many doors for blind students.

Art Karshmer video on his system to teach blind students Math is wonderful because it opens the door for many blind students to succeed and experience math and science courses. Without Art Karshmer invention for revolutionary system to teach math to blind students there is little to no way for them to learn math in the classroom setting. Without math, these students are also unable to learn science due to its basis and usage in mathematics. I believe that through continuing to advance his project, Art Karshmer will be able to create a system that blinds will have the ability to learn through algebra and even beyond in the future. Each school with a substantial special needs or blind student population should consider investing in just technology. This system would open many doors for these students that haven't previously been available to them.

I really enjoyed the fact that the first video on iPad technology for the blind was demonstrated by a visually impaired person. It is very interesting to see a basically unedited video of a visually impaired individual demonstrate use of the iPad and technology available to group of individuals. One of my favorite features of the video is that iBooks will read a book to the individual. Just as the visually impaired individual indicated this is invigorating for them to be able to read books and even imagine the pictures as the iPad describes the images on the page. The mom using the iPad to learn how her little boy uses the iPad as someone who is visually impaired is something that us as teachers should all be doing. As future teachers, I believe that we should all experience and experiment with assistive technology in order to have a better understanding of what our students experience. This will allow us to also teach and design lessons for them in a more effective way. Assistive technology has opened up a word of opportunities for visually impaired individuals.

Vicki Davis: Harnessing Your Students' Digital Smarts

The video, Harnessing Your Students' Digital Smarts, was very intriguing for me. Two of the first things that I noticed were that the classroom was made entirely of computers and an interactive whiteboard and that the students were probably seventh or eighth graders doing these projects. Fairly early on I also noticed that she made a point to say that as a teacher, we do not have to know everything before we teach the material. She was allowing her students to teach her what terrogramming is. She knew nothing about it before entering the classroom, but allowed her students to teach her all about it. I thought it was neat that she would not tell the students every definition or step to what she was asking. She expected them to look it up and learn themselves. Vicki Davis was creating students that would be lifelong learners.

Vicki Davis did not underestimate her students ability to complete the projects and assignments she gave them, but she was not giving them assignments to fulfill a course standard or requirement. Her projects served a dual purpose to gain a new understanding and perspective. Her students were able to interact with students from all over the world on blog and Wikis. Vicki Davis has shown me to not limit myself of what my students will have the ability to do. She has also taught me that learning from the students is just as important as teaching them. We should not be afraid to learn from our students because of roles that are assigned or because of age. We can all learn from each other as long as we are open to the idea.

Blog Post #2

Did You Know? 3.0- A John Strange 2012 Version

I found this video to be very interesting. I have seen a number of these statistics and facts before, but my eyes were opened as I was reminded of several of them. I find it particularly interesting that Americans are viewed as being behind when it come to education issues. The fact that India has more honors students than all of the K-12 students combined in the United States is alarming. In The United States we are taught English from the very start of school. We do have the option to elect to participate in learning a foreign language, but overall a majority of Americans are not fluent in more than the English language. What is alarming is that in other countries such as China they are forced to learn another language and if that continues there will be more Chinese speaking English than all American English speaking individuals. That is alarming because this means the Chinese will be able to do many more things and have a greater influence on products in America.

Another statistic that I see as rather interesting is that forty-eight hours of YouTube videos are uploaded every minute along with over 1.3 million text messages sent worldwide in that same minute. I never realized how long it took for a text message to send (18 seconds). I was wrong in thinking that text messages were sent and received instantaneously. This video points out several major issues to me. The first is that we need to place more of an emphasis on K-12 education in America in order to succeed and not allow other countries to continue to bypass us in knowledge. The second issue is that technology is ever changing and a part of everyday life. Knowing that technology is important in our culture, it is our job as teachers to ensure that our students know how to properly use the technology that is part of almost every part of life.

Mr. Winkle Wakes

This video is significant because it shows how much our culture and society have changed in a one hundred year time span. Mr. Winkle is simply overwhelmed by the amount of change and the presence of technology in just about every area of a person's life. Mr. Winkle had never seen the weird looking machinery that we use in every area today. Mr. Winkle continued to try and escape to a place where he felt comfortable and knew his surroundings, but everywhere he went he became more uncomfortable until he entered the school building.

Mr. Winkle's video showed the lack of technology that is used in school, but is widely available for use. As a future teacher, it makes me sad and frustrated that the schools have not embraced technology like every other field of America has adopted it. This video reflects poorly on the education system, because we should be teaching our students to be sucessful in their future endeavors. By ignoring the advances in society, we are setting our students up for failure. If Mr. Winkle was to fall asleep for another few years, I would want him to come visit my classroom to see how technology is being used in the classroom and that we aren't failing our students.

Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity

Ken Robinson makes very valid and intersting points regaurding creativity in the education system in his video The Importance of Creativity. Robinson got my attention when he made the statement "creativity now is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status." Creativity has been taken out of the schools in many areas and by taking creativity out of schools we are creating cookie cutter students that all do the same exact thing. Removing creativity means we are forcing the students to conform to one set of ways, ideas, and beliefs.

Ken Robinson also makes a very good point when he points out that Picasso once said "all children are born artist, the problem is remaining an artist." In today's society we are being educated out of our creativity. We are being taught that mistakes are the worst thing in life that we can do. Mistakes are some of the best learning experiences for humans. By taking creativity out of people, we are instilling in them that their is only one correct way to do things. As future teachers and those that will have a large influence on the future of the education society in America, we need to consider what Robinson pointed out that the education system is shifting beneath our feet. We also need to reconsider our view of what intelligence is. We are limiting the definition of intelligence and it is hurting our students. My challenge to future teachers is to reconsider how you will grade your students, will it be based on the fact that there is one correct answer or based on their participation? We need to nurture children's creativity in order to avoid creativity being completely removed from the future generations.

In Light of Mr. Winkle Wakes

Mr. Winkle Wakes can be considered a wake up call for the entire education system. Why are the school not embracing and taking advantage of all the wonderful technological advances available to them? As teachers we will have the option to use the latest technology to teach our students in the classroom. By teaching using the technology and allowing the students to learn then we are creating students that will be better prepared for the real world. We do not another video made simliar to Mr. Winkle Wakes because we are allowing our computers to build up dust as we have them sit there without use.

We have so many resources at our disposal to use in teaching, so why not take advantage of them? We have made major advances in the past five years alone, so imagine in ten years from now, what technology we will be using. Technology will continue to develop in the future. I have a feeling that in ten years, out classrooms will be centered around technology and electronics. There will be no need for copy machines as we switch to every students submitting all assignments, tests, and quizzes on the computer. It is exciting to think about what the future holds in regards to technology in the classroom.

PINTERESTing My Classroom

I have been a member of Pinterest for over a year now and can easily spend hours pinning ideas away on my many boards. From the very beginning I have had an education board called, "Learning in Unique Ways." I do not want my students to be taught using the old powerpoint and lecture methods that are so popular, I want to use hands on activities that allow my students to engage in learning. Pinterest is a wonderful resource for teachers, because it is an easy place for teachers across the country to share ideas for classrooms and teaching. You can find almost anything on Pinterest. Engaging students in using Pinterest is also a wonderful idea because when you give children more ownership in the work they are doing, they have pride in their work. They are also more willing to pay attention and gain from the activity if they took part in planning or picking it out. Pinterest is a wonderful way for teachers to share resources.

Project # 2- Wordle

Blog Post #1

Something About Me

My name is Lindsey Estes and I am a sophomore planning to major in Elementary Special Education. I am twenty years old and have lived in Mobile, Alabama for the past eight years. Prior to this I lived in Titusville, Florida and moved to Mobile shortly after my parents divorced. I have thoroughly enjoyed living in Mobile and attended high school at one of the local high schools, Baker High School. Through high school I also had the privilege of representing the city as an Azalea Trail Maid. I had to carefully weigh my decision involving which educational institution I would attend in order to further my education. My decision became even more complicated when my mom got engaged and began to make plans to move to Lebanon, Ohio. I had to decide whether I wanted to be close to the place I called home or close to my mom, step dad, and four brothers. I was offered a number of wonderful scholarship opportunities, but prayerfully considered my options. I toured numerous institutions from Virginia, Ohio, Mississippi, and Alabama. My strong faith in the Lord and His plans for my life are what guided my decision for college. Through many months of prayers, I made my final decision to attend South Alabama on April 30, 2011 after touring the school one last time as a possible future student. I am thrilled with my decision to attend The University of South Alabama.

As the oldest child of five children and the oldest grandchild, I have always enjoyed being the big helper with the younger children. From the time I was twelve I have been babysitting children as young as two months old. Not only have I babysat, but I currently work at a local elementary school; as well as, substitute in several of the local schools. I enjoy tutoring students in all grades and subjects. I have a passion to work with special needs children, because of my exposure and experiences working with them. Special needs children hold a special place in my heart and I look forward to learning more ways in which to assist and educate them. One of my plans is to take a mission trip in the next few years to a special needs orphanage in Eastern Europe, particularly Ukraine. Special needs children have unique gifts.

Church and family are two of the most important things in my life. I am one of the Sunday School teachers for the High School Seniors Sunday School class at Dayspring Baptist Church. Teaching these students has truly blessed me in numerous ways. I enjoy going to church every Sunday and Wednesday. Family is also a large part of my life. I have been blessed with a large and amazing family. This weekend as we celebrated my Great Grandfather's life, over forty of my family members came in town to attend his memorial service and spend time with one another. No matter what activity is happening, my family is sure to make it truly entertaining. We are loud and goofy, but these are only a few reasons that I love my family. Life is so short and is not to be taken for granted. Family is who is there for you fro the beginning, no matter the circumstances.

Future Classroom

As students, many of us remember having our most favorite teacher or the teacher that we never really liked. I want to be the teacher that every student looks forward to having as a teacher and looks forward to coming to their classroom every day. I would like to teach fourth or fifth grade and focus on math. Many school in Mobile are implementing changing classes in the fourth and fifth grade in order to better prepare the students for middle and high school. I would enjoy teaching math and science in these classrooms. I will use a variety of teaching styles in order to accommodate a majority of the students that I am teaching. I will use hands on teaching as much as possible because I believe that at a younger age it is one of the better ways to use in teaching children. I look forward to learning to teach and become a teacher as the years go continue.

The ideal students for me will be a variety of students that are from a variety of backgrounds and have numerous different learning techniques. Not only will I have typical learning children, but I will also have students that have learning difficulties and challenges. I am a firm believer in inclusion of special needs students in the regular classroom if they are able to handle the typical classroom setting. For me the ideal school would be in the rural setting and I would have ample parent involvement in my classroom. My students will enjoy coming to school because I want to make learning fun and desirable no matter if school comes easy or not for them. My students will look forward to having me as a teacher.

I plan to use a number of tools in the classroom to assist in teaching the students in learning. I would love to help in getting whatever school district I am working for a grant for iPads that can float between the classrooms in each grade to use for educational purposes. I also plan to use an interactive whiteboard in my classroom. Flashcards will be an integral part of my students study time at home and in the classrooms. Another tool I will use is interactive teaching through field trips and science experiments. I plan to use many tools to incorporate my students’ desires in learning.

As a teacher, I want my classroom to appeal to the eye. Stimulating and bright classrooms are proven to have better overall performance and happiness from those in the room. I will take use of each bulletin board in the classroom; as well as, the classroom walls to display students’ work of all kinds. My classroom will also be very organized. I will have a clean and tidy desk in which everything has its place. The students will be taught organization from the very beginning. Art and classroom supplies will be stored in pull out drawers that are accessible for the stduetns when needed. The students will sit facing the front of the room or interactive whiteboard. Ideally my classroom will also have windows in order to allow natural light to flow into the classroom. I desire to have a fun and inviting classroom where my students enjoy learning.

Dr. Pausch and Time Management

I have personally never heard of Randy Pausch or his video on Time Management. I have always been taught that time management is of the upmost importance. My step dad has a saying he always says that I was reminded of when I watched this video. He always tells us “a failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.” This is very correct and Dr. Pausch touches on this in his importance to plan and not rely on procrastination.

One of the things that I learned most from the video in the importance to plan is to not only plan, but break it down into smaller steps. Breaking down larger tasks into small ones makes it much more manageable and easier to complete. The task does not seem nearly as overwhelming. Dr. Pausch also points out that it is ok to change a plan, but this is impossible if you do not have a plan. I love to plan and be organized, but many times I have a very hard time changing plans if something does not work out. I am working on getting better on flexibility when planning. Dr. Pausch made very valid and interesting points about time management.

Test Post #1

Test Post #1