Final Post

Project 16

C4T #4 Summary

I was assigned to comment on "What Now? What Next? So What?". This particular teacher has many interesting blog posts, but the two thatI chose to comment on were: Web 3.0 and Paperless Day. Web 3.0 is a video about how the internet is evolving. This video really makes you realize just how vast technology is and how amazing the internet is. This post made me wish that I had been around when the internet first came about. How incredible that would have been!

Paperlless Day was a neat post as well. This was another video, this one detailing what the students had done on Paperless Day. I had never heard of this day prior to reading this post, but I would love to incorporate days like this in the future. It seemed that the kids really enjoyed their assignments as well. 

C4K Summary

My first C4K assignment was actually a blog consisting of a game. Everyone has played Simon before (atleast I hope so!). This class has a game of the week that they post on the blog and teachers, students, parents, etc. play and post their score to see who gets the high score. I thought that this was a very neat way to get everyone involved and looking at the blog. Once you are at a blog, you are going to look around. I thought this was a cunning way of getting people to use the blog more often!

My next post was on a student name Nicklas' blog. He was summarizing what he had read from a book called "Lunch with Lenin." I thought that this book was very intense and it really impressed me that he was able to read and understand the point of such a complex story. The book actually seemed interesting! In his summary, he was able to relate the story to his life. I thought this was great because it will make the book more meaningful than just an assignment.

This next post was my favorite! We were each assigned to comment on a students' Voki! The Voki that I commented on was Miranda. I was drawn to her Voki because it had a cute cowgirl with a very intense background that did not seem to fit. In her Voki, Miranda was able to connect the story to another book she had read, and further connect them to her own life. She said that these stories made her feel alone because she is an only child. This made me sad, so I had to tell her not to feel alone, and that you do not have to have siblings to not feel alone. I really enjoyed all of the Voki's and I want to use this in the future with my students!

My own Voki!

For my last C4K, I was assigned to comment on Amy's blog. This particular blog was a story she had made up about a wild Doberman. I thought that he story was very creative and her writing really impressed me. I found it ironic bebcause the dog's name was Rouger and my friend just got a puppy and named him Rouger!

PLN Final Report

I must say, I have completely revamped my PLN since the last progress report. I am now using iGoogle for my PLN and I love IT! I like that I am able to personalize it in every way. My background is quite possibly one of my favorite things. I am going to Disney for Christmas this year and I was able to find a background of Cinderella’s Castle! It may be silly, but this has truly been my inspiration to get through this horrible semester (not this class; I am taking 19 hours!).

I have found through my PLN that I am more of a listener than a talker. I love reading people’s blogs and I have chosen several to follow that show up on my iGoogle page. However, I have come to realize that I do not like leaving comments. I think I like simply reading the posts. I honestly did not realize this was occurring until I began typing this blog post. In addition to the blogs on my iGoogle, I also have YouTube, the weather, fun facts, a calendar, and my cute little pink piggy that I adopted.

I love reading blogs from teachers around the world. I think it is fascinating to see what they are doing with their students. I have gotten many ideas about things to do with my own students in the future. Through my PLN, I have gained a new respect and appreciation for blogging. Prior to this class and my PLN, I swore that I would never blog, but I now see the point. Not only will I continue to blog and follow people’s blogs, but my students will most certainly blog as well.

Project 15

AA #5:

Adventures in Pencil Integration:
   I really like reading John Spencer's blog posts. I think that he has a great outlook on his students and education in general. It is refreshing to read stories from an educator who truly cares, and who honestly GETS education! Spencer uses "pencils" in relation to technology, as well as his students. I love all of the personal stories that he puts in his posts as well.
   In these four posts, he gives us four different experiences. I love the sentence that he uses: She's writing the world in ink and I'm sketching it out in pencil. He uses this sentence to show that the world is changing, education is changing. We cannot have the same old practices; they will no longer work in our society and schools. Spencer is able to see the importance of change and the ability of a teacher to conform with this change. In another post, he shows the importance of teacher-student mutual respect. Your students have to be able to trust you. We have to stop and realize that learning begins with this mutual understanding and respect. I loved his post "Just Teach them To Solve for X"! This interaction is so typical. Education seems to be all about the banking system now- put information in and spit it right back. But students do not learn from this type of "education"!
 

Blog Post 13:

    ALEX stands for the Alabama Learning Exchange. This is a free online resource that teachers can use. I have actually used the ALEX website when making lesson plans for one of my classes. There are many different resources on the ALEX website alone. You can look up: the course of study for any subject, any grade, and lesson plans. They have a search tool as well as web links specific for your job (teacher, principal, etc.). There are links to further professional learning. You can create an account and build your personal workspace. There is a link for ALEXville, which will give you resources for different projects and news around the state. Last but not least, there is a "podcast treasury" that you can access that gives you many, many, subject based podcats.

    The ALEX website is extremely useful for teachers, and even pre-teachers. As I mentioned before, I have used this site to help me make a lesson plan. This site is so useful because it has almost everything you need, all in one place. The information is valid and up to date. It is very easy to understand and navigate as well. I personally love this site!

Project 16: Progress Report

I will be working with Caryn Hyatt on our final project. We have decided to create a glogster detailing online resources for elementary teachers. We are very excited for this project and both think that it will be a lot of fun to create!

Project 6: Softball Survey

My survey was a compilation of basic questions in regards to softball. There were 19 participants in this survey. The results are as follows:

1. Do you know what softball is?
	Yes 19 100% No 0 0% People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

2. Have you ever played softball?
	Yes 14 74% No 5 26% People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

3. Is softball only for girls?
	Yes 5 26% No 14 74% People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

4. Does the United States have a softball team?
	Yes 13 68% No 6 32% People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

5. What is the difference in softball and baseball?
	Gender 13 68% Field size 15 79% Baseball is better 1 5% Size of the ball 19 100% People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

6. Name one position that you can play in softball.

 

short stopcatcherpitcherpitchershortstoppitcherShortstopoutfieldfirst basepitchercenter fieldpitcher1st baseShort stopnonepitcherBattercatchercatcher, outfield, secon/third base

 

7. On a scale of 1 to 5, what is your interest in softball?
Not at all interested Very interested	1 - Not at all interested 7 37% 2 4 21% 3 4 21% 4 2 11% 5 - Very interested 2 11% People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

8. Who is Jennie Finch?

 

a softball playeron usa softball team she is the pitcherI don't knowno ideateacherfastpitch softball pitcherI have no idea.A pitcher?dont knowDon't knowno clue. I don't know.softball playerDon't kno...

 

9. Softballs are not as hard as baseballs.
	True 10 53% False 9 47% People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

10.The earliest known softball game was played in which of the following years?
	1887 4 21% 1926 10 53% 1893 2 11% 1902 3 16% People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

Number of daily responses

There were several questions that really surprised me:

3. Is softball only for girls? 26% of the respondees said yes. This really amazed me!
5. What is the difference in softball and baseball? One of the selections was "baseball is better"; it really made me laugh that one person chose this response. I have a feelings that they were just making a joke and not taking the survey seriously, so I choose not to get upset about this!
8. Who is Jennie Finch? This question seemed like a "gimmie" to me! Even if you have never heard of her, considering that it is a survey about softball, it would be a safe bet to say a softball player.
9. Softballs are not as hard as baseballs. I was ver interested to see the responses for this question: 53% said that this statement is true, which obviously it is not.

Overall, my results were pretty typical. Softball is a sport that many people do not know very much about, and it is also a sport of many assumptions. The two students who said that they have a lot of interest in softball got every question correct.

I have played softball since I was 5, so for me these questions are obvious. It was very eye opening to see the results of my survey!

C4K 3-7 Summary

The blog I was assigned to for C4K #3 was entitled Dinner Time. The picture above was drawn by Melaia, a student in this particular class. I thought this picture was wonderful! I commented that I like the fish because it is cute and very creative. I also really enjoyed all of the bright colors and patterns that she used!

The fourth blog that I commented on was Juliet's personal blog. Her most recent post was "My 2 term reflection". In this post, she simply reflected on the term, her strengths and weaknesses, what she enjoyed, etc. In her description of what she enjoyed about the term, she said she enjoyed HSIE. I was not sure what this was, so in my comment I asked if she would explain it to me. She mentioned that she enjoyed having a pen-pal. Juliet and her pen-pal have a lot in common. I never had a pen-pal growing up, and I made sure to inform Juliet of how lucky she is in that aspect!

For C4K #5 I was assigned to a student's blog in Australia! Her name is Bianca and the post that I commented on was called Animals. It was a very short post, but she informed us that she likes: birds, cats, dogs, fish,rats, dragons, pigs, cows, and ducks. She ended her post by asking what animals we like. After reading her entire blog, I noticed that she really seemed to like animals. In my comment I asked her if she had ever considered becoming a veterinarian.I then informed her of some of my favorite animals: horse, frog, cat, dog, and rabbit.

C4K #6 was by far my favorite kid blog that I was assigned to. I was given EmmieT's blog to view. Her entire blog was so well developed! The post that I commented on was Hummingbird. In the post, she details her experience of having a hummingbird cross her path and actually touch her cheek on her way to the library. I love hummingbirds, so this post was very special to me.

With C4K #7 I was assigned to "skunkshark". The post that I commented on was called My Photographs. The problem with this post is that she must have edited the picture after I had already commented! However, in the comment that I left, I told her that I enjoyed the photograph, but that I do not know anything about photography. I told the student that they should continue with photography if it is something they are interested in!

Project 13: Smartboard

Project 14: Teach Someone Something

Blog Assignment 11

Little Kids... Big Potential and Ms. Cassidy Skype:



This video was so cute! It was really great for me to actually see technology being used in the classroom, rather than just reading about how it CAN be used. I have never seen a classroom such as this one, but it is very inspirational to know that it can be done, and in elementary school, which is where I want to teach. The amount of technology this class uses is incredible. I loved that they Skype to people all around the world. I would honestly have never thought to do this with my class, but it is definitely something that I will use now that I have seen it done!

I really want to me Ms. Cassidy! It is so inspiring to see and hear an elementary teacher using so much technology in the classroom. I can only hope to have the support that she does. I think that is what I worry about the most. Many administrators do not find this amount of technology to be necessary. I also worry about the parents' reactions. Ms. Cassidy's parents all were very happy in this setting, and hopefully my parents will be as well. I think it was very obvious from the video to see how truly advanced her students are! They even seem more mature than many 1st graders!

Blog Assignment 12

Getting to Know your Classmates:

You will be assigned to a classmate for this blog. You are to create a set of questions, with a minimum of 10, to ask your partner. These questions should be used to get to know your partner, as well as to understand how they feel about the class thus far. Type the questions and write a summary of the responses. You will need to provide a picture of the classmate. This can be the picture from their blog or any other appropriate picture they provide.


       Caryn Hyatt

1. Where did you grow up?
2. How old are you?
3. What made you come to USA?
4. Did/do you play any sports?
5. Are you an only child?
6. Do you have any pets?
7. How do you feel about EDM 310?
8. Is there anything that you would change about EDM 310?
9. Has EDM 310 been difficult for you?
10. Do you think you will continue to use the things you have learned in EDM 310 after this semester?

Caryn was born in Mobile, but she grew up in Grand Bay, Alabama. She is 20 years old, but will bee 21 in January. Caryn started her college career at Faulkner. When she was done there, she decided that she wanted to stay close to home, so she choose to attend the University of South Alabama. Caryn played volleyball in middle school and would have continued to play, however, she had to quit because she hurt her knee. She comes from a large family. Caryn has four brothers and one sister. She also has a cat, his name is Bunkie.

When Caryn started taking EDM 310, she was very stressed. However, over time it has gotten a lot better and more interesting for her. She does not like the length of some of the videos though! She does not feel that  this class is difficult, just that it is a lot of work. Caryn feels that she will continue to use a lot of the things she has done in this class. She hopes that one day, her students will create their own blogs and Dr. Strange's EDM 310 students can comment on them!

C4t #3 Summary:

Post #1:
I really enjoyed following Ms. Galloway's blog. The first post that I read was "Magic Wand". In this post she discussed two articles that she had read: one about changes in education and technology in the past ten years, and one about changes in education in the nest ten years. She was taken aback by all of the changes that have happened, many that we do not even think about, for instance VCR's. The article about the changes in the future made her wonder if some of the changes were a little too ambitious, however she did enjoy the article.

I read the two articles and had many of the same reactions as Ms. Galloway. One thing that really caught my attention is that the article about the future says that we will be using 90% less paper in schools within ten years. Really?! In my comment on her post, I voiced my concerns of jobs. I think that using less paper would be incredible for schools and the environment, but I do worry that many paper companies will simply shut down and then many will loose their jobs. Overall I really enjoyed reading this post and I was honestly excited for the next post!

Post #2:


View from the "hole"



I was rather upset that Ms. Galloway had not posted a new blog. I ended up reading an old blog, entitled "The Hole". This blog is about her and her husband's first home buying experience. They were living in Thailand at the time,  but wanted to buy a home in Seattle, Washington. Which is exactly what they did! They bought a "hole" in the wall place with a great view and the perfect floor plan and from Thailand, their renovations began. They used many technologies, such as Skype, email, iPhones, etc. in order to communicate with their friends and family, who were the ones renovating for them.

Although this post had nothing to do with education or anything of the sort, I still found it interesting to read. I thought it was amazing how they were able to renovate their home from across the world. They were a part of every decision made too!

AA #3

What do you think is the most important thing Sir Ken Robinson says in this presentation?


This entire video was amazing and the whole thing was important, but in my opinion, the most important thing that he said was: we are trying to change the future by doing the same thing we have done in the past.

Is there anything you disagree with in this presentation?


He mentioned that long ago, some people thought that some kids just would not benefit from education, that they would not learn. I believe that this thought still occurs today.

How congruent are Sir Ken Robinson's positions with those which you are being taught in the College of Education. In other words, where is there agreement? Where is there disagreement?


I think many of the beliefs and ideas discussed in this video do go along with the School of Education. Diversity is very important to us, in fact it is given it's own class. We discuss special needs a great deal too, and we often wonder if ADD/ADHD is too frequently and quickly diagnosed.

What can you do to address the issues Sir Robinson raises?


I am not sure what I personally could do, but I love the issue he raises about students being categorized by their age. Is this really the most important thing? In many cases children are held back, or even pushed too far, simply because of their age and what grade they are SUPPOSED to be in. Why not just let people be in the "grade" where their academic and emotional maturity best fit? This would decrease the boredom felt by "advanced" students and would decrease the insecurities and embarassment felt by students who are "behind".


What do you think of the presentation? If you had to do a presentation with others like this, what role on your team would you like most to play?


I absolutely loved this video! The content was wonderful and the presentation was even better. I honestly did not even realize that it was an eleven minute video because I was so interested! I am not a very artsy person, so I would not want to mess up my group project. I think I would like to be the narrator. I love talking, imagine that, and I do have a decent speaking voice (maybe a little country, but none the less!).

Skype Interview

Blog #10

Morgan Bayda:
      "My schooling was interfaring with my education." Wow. This sure makes you think, huh? I am not sure that I can fully relate to Dan Brown or Morgan Bayda, but I do understand what they are saying. We truly are using an educational system that was designed for a different time. The world has change immensely, however education has not seemed to catch on so well.
    
        I do not have the same experiences that Morgan Bayda had, or at least I have not had them yet. She says that she often felt cheated in her university classes because they were either too big or too small for communication to be comfortable. I have been in classes as big as 300 people (literally) and classes as small as eight people. I never seem to have a problem speaking my mind. Perhaps that is just me, but class size has never seemed to effect me like it did Bayda.

      So much can be done over the internet. Dan Brown is right when he says that information is now free. If the education system does not start realizing this fact and changing the way things are done, I do believe that more students will do just what Brown did: drop out. Literally almost anything can be found online, so why would people pay to have someone tell you in a lecture?
    

Don't Let Them Take Pencils Home:


     Wow! This post was humorous, but rather sad at the same time. I am very glad that he stuck up to the woman! I have to wonder why people would think that students taking pencils home results in lower test scores? I would think that it would result in higher test scores! Apparently I was wrong? I have subscribed to Johnson's blog and it is now on my Google homepage. I looked forward to reading his posts in the future!


Two Questions That Can Change Your Life:


      What's my sentence? Was I better today than I was yesterday? These are the two questions from the assigned video. Both of these questions are simple and yet very powerful. I like when the video said that if you try to do too much, your life will become a gumbled paragraph, rather than a sentence. These two questions, if you follow them daily, really can change your life.


     My sentence: She helped two generations of students realize their potential.

Project #11

My Favorite Teacher:

Blog #9:

What I've Learned This Year:

     First of all, I loved reading this post because it gave me many things to look for when I become a teacher. These are things that I am almost certain the majority of first year teachers do or overlook and it will be nice to have a background!

     I think he is absolutely right; new teachers become so conserned with themselves and proving to their fellow employees that they are a good teacher, that they loose focus on what is most important: the students. It really hit me when he talked about making the perfect lesson plan and that it is never perfect. I often do not think about that, but I certainly should. I can make a lesson plan that seems perfect on paper, but that does not mean that all of my students will grasp the content simply based on the plan. Workplace drama.. I do not think that you can ever escape that. As he said, communication is key!

     I think that I was lucky growing up; I always head teachers who encouraged me to do my best, but never repremanded me when I did not meet their expectations. I know that many teachers do this, and it is sad. As he says, they are children, and neither of us are perfect. I do not think I have to worry so much about the technology aspect simply for the fact that we are being pushed to use it in our education now, while teachers who went to school even ten years ago were not. He ends the post with: "we owe it to our students." We truly do. Why else are we in the education field?

Blog #8

This is How We Dream:
In this video, Richard Miller made many good points. He showed some ways that technology can be incorporated in Language Arts, which really interested me because I had been curious about that prior to the video. He believes tat educators should discuss their ideas freely. I think this is very important in education! Teachers need to share their ideas in order to better their teachings and help students advance.
While I do understand and agree that technology can certainly speed up process time, I am not sure that I like the idea of almost everything being done by video. I was educated and practically trained to write, and write well (hopefully!). Now I have to wonder if my education, or parts of it, were a complete waste of time. Maybe that is exageration, and I'm sure that it is, but it does worry me.
I think that this idea could work though. Everyone, students, teachers, administrators, would have to adjust to this new technological education. We would all have to learn the types of technology and how each can be used and incorporated into education and the curriculum. Basically, in order for this idea to work, everyone has to want it to work and be willing to DO the work.

The Chipper Series and EDM 310 For Dummies:

EDM 310 For Dummies made me laugh, but it also confused me. I am not exactly sure what the point was in making this video? I assume that they are referring to the website as the "book"? I really am not sure as to what specific things I would want to create a video about. I have a wide range of interests, but I have a hard time coming up with something that I think anyone else would actually want to watch.

Smartboard:

Why Smartboards are a Dumb Initiative: This article discusses some of the disadvantages that the author finds with the Smartboard. His main argument is that Smartboards are "the least cost-effective way to improve learning." He does admit that these boards are cool and that they do have positives, however, these positives are not in line with the cost. The author believs that Smartboards are simply a more expensive way to continue on the same path that the education system is on now. He also believes that administrators like Smartboards because they make them look good, or so they think.

Why I Hate Interactive White Boards: Bill Ferriter, the author of this article, comes off as very brutal! He has very strong opinions on he subject of interactive white boards. In fact, he was given one in his classroom and only used it for a year before he decided that it was basically useless and gave it away. One thing that I found interesting, or rather humorous, was the opinion of Smartboards being nothing more than "expensive overhead projectors." Ferriter argues that many of these purchases are under-informed and irresponsible. The quote by Sylvia Martinez is what really stuck with me from this article: "You can't buy change. It's a process, not a purchase."

Using Electric Whiteboards In Your Classroom: While this website does not have a full article, it has annecdotal accounts of several different articles that I found very appropriate. This website gives several lists of the positives of using a Smartboard. Some of the positive arguments are: interactive, ability to accomodate, and easy to use and incorporate into the classroom. The link for this webiste is: http://www.waukeshaschools.com/WIT/smartBoard/benefits.htm

Blog Post #7

Last Lecture:

The opening to Randy Pausch's lecture was extremely moving and attention grabbing. I truly admire him for his strength and ability to encourage people through his story. It amazes me how someone who has literally been given a death sentence can be so positive and uplifting. I for one know that it is extremely possible for me to be so positive in many situations, much less in this type of situation.

In his lecture, Pausch tells us how to achieve your dreams and how to help others in doing so. He says that it is not so much about how to achieve your dreams, but more so how to live your life. I really like this theory. While I do think that this is much easier said than done, I do believe that it is a great quote to live by.

Pausch believes that teachers have the ability to help others achieve their dreams. I found this even more inspirational because, obviously, I want to be a teacher. Knowing and hearing from someone with such experience that I actually CAN make a differnce in a child's life is huge. I have always said that is the main reason that I want to become a teacher and simply knowing that it can be a reality and not just a dream is very encouraging for me.

The technique that stood out the most to me was "head fake". This is when you make a child think that they are learning one thing, when really they are learning something completely different. Using games to help children learn could be an example of this technique. I really like this technique and I think that it would be very useful in an elementary classroom.

Additional Assignment #2

1. I think that children can teach themselves SOME things. I was in a chemistry course my second semester of college. I earned a C in this course. What you have to understand about me is that I am certainly not a C student. My senior year of high school I was taking four college classes and I was in honors Chemistry. I earned an A in this course. The difference? My professors. My  high school teacher actually TAUGHT me chemistry, while my college professor thought I could do it on my own. On the other hand, I can obviously teach myself to use facebook and to send a text message.

2. I think it still depends on the subject and the specific child. Some children are capable of teaching themselves certain sunjects,
while others are not.

3. A person has to first be interested in the topic in which they are to learn. They must have the will to teach themselves.

4. Computers and internet play a huge role in teaching yourself. If you have access to the internet it is much, much easier
to learn something because of the resources available.

5. Motivation also plays a large role in teaching yourself. If you do not want to learn something, then you won't.

6. Problems or questions can be both a positive and a negative step in teaching yourself. It can be positive because it will
help you learn more and broaden your resources. However, it can be negative because having problems makes it much easier
to give up or get discouraged.

7. In order to motivate someone to learn, you have to tell them why it is important. No one is going to want to learn something
if they do not think it is relivant or if they think they will never use it.

8. I am motivated to learn because I know WHY I am learning. I am learning in order to become a teacher and to better myself; these two
things are very important to me and they are what push me to learn.

9. I think they will learn some things, but I do not think that they will fully grasp and understand the subject.

10. I teach myself technology all the time, sometimes because I want to, and sometimes because I have to. I teach myself
class things every now and then, but for the most part I have been blessed with good teachers. I always further my learning
on my own just so that I will have a better understanding of things.

11. Teachers give you the material and encouragement for learning.

12. Honestly, they most important thing I realized from this video is that teachers need to be more open to different areas
where they want to work!

13. All students can learn, they simply need the resources to do so.

Project #10: Progress Report

This is the first PLN I have ever created and I am having some what of a difficult time with this project. I created a Twitter account; my first one ever! I updated my profile and put a picture so that everyone would know exactly who I am. I followed people according to a few of my interests and I was able to find a few friends using the email search tool. I am currently following 15 people. I am still learning to navigate through twitter and figure out exactly what it is that I am doing. I will continue to learn and eventually I am sure I will be able to actually do something with my account!

Project 9a: Timetoast

C4T Teacher #2 Summary

I was assigned to comment on Middle School Matrix. I found this blog to be very interesting and this particular teacher made some very good points. The two posts that I commented on were: A Return to Imagination and Sometimes You Have to Punt.


A Return to Imagination focused on the fact that schools are changing and evolving and many teachers have not been trained for these changes. In my comments I agreed with the author that students need to be taught, but they also need to be guided towards creativity and imagination. It was a little hard for me to relate to this post because I, unlike the author, am being trained for the changes in schools.


I absolutely loved the post Sometimes You Have to Punt. In this post, the author gave a detailed writing of a scenario she had in her classroom. The students were doing a unit of maps and globes and she described the different activities in which they had to complete. She explained that sometimes the lesson does not always go as planned and in these cases you have to "punt": change your plan! It was very easy for me to understand this post and it was nice to read that things do not always go as planned, but that it is okay! I think that it is very important for teachers to adapt to their students; in my opinion, this is what makes a good teacher.

Blog #6:

The Networked Student:

     I wish that I was born 20 years later. That is the simplest way to put my reaction to this video. I cannot get over the technology that we have available to us today! It is astonishing, and a little scary, that students even as young as elementary students are using this technology to such measures. This video demonstrated the student using only SOME of the technology available to him, and yet it is still more than I knew before this class began.

      The question is asked " Why does the networked student even need a teacher?" The video gives many reasons, but one that it does not give that I think is a big factor is the fact that if the student did not have someone assigning them work, the likelyhood that the student would be doing it is very low. The sad truth is that many students do not learn about the braod range of technology until they are forced to. Only when students are forced do they finally realize the importance and magnitude of technology.

     I really liked this video because it showed how schools and classrooms really can be. It gives me a guideline of what my students COULD be doing, if I simply push them to learn and use technology.

A 7th Graders Personal Learning Environment:

After watching this video, along with others from this course, I, once again, really with that I was born 20 years later! It absolutely amazes me the things that take place now, because of technology. Prior to this course, the most technology I had used in or for a course was probably Excel or PowerPoint. This 7th grader is using technology that I, a junior in college, did not even know existed.

The Machine is Changing Us:

     This video definitely proved his point in the sense that many people have a very short attention span. I had a hard time with this video simply for the fact that it was so long! I do find certain traits in myslef relating to the MTV generation, however I cannot stand MTV. This video will make me look a little deeper at the generation of students I will be teaching so that I can better understand their world and views.

Project #8: Podcast

Blog Post #5

     The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom had some really great points. I have never seen or experienced a podcast in my educational career, so this was a good video for me to watch. It not only tells of the benefits, but along with this it tells some ways podcasts can be used in the classroom. The Learning Podcasting tutorial link was fantastic! This will be extremely beneficial when creating my own podcast. This tutorial literally tells you everything that you need to know about creating a podcast. The Judy Scharf Podcast Collection is a great tool because there is a file that you can download that has a list of benefits of podcasting in education! While this list is not very long, how many more benefits do you need written down for you before you are willing to try podcasting in your classroom?! I certainly do not need any more. I think that all of these resources will be very beneficial when creating my own podcast.

C4K #1 and #2 Summary

        I was assigned to comment on Ariana Vazquez's blog. She is an 8th grade student at Noel Elementary School. In her About Me blog I learned that she was born in Mexico and raised there until she was ten years old. Her favorite subject is science, but she likes P.E and art as well. She has four sisters, one of which is her twin. In my comment I told her briefly about my trip to Cozumel, Mexico and asked if she had ever been there. I also told her that science was my favorite subject as well and I told her about a few courses that I took in high school.

       I thought that Ariana's Manifesto blog was a very good start. Her manifesto consisted of: being respectful, being responsible, taking school more seriously, and not touching other students. My comment stated that respect and responsibility are very important in school, as well as in life. I also told her that school does take a lot of time and work, but every minute is worth it.

Blog Post #4

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please? :

     I loved this post! Dr. McLeod puts a rather humorous, obviously sarcastic, tone on a very important subject. I agree with this argument completely!Just as his kids are given the freedom to grow and become technologically literate, my children (in the future) will be given that same opportunity. Technology is not going anywhere but forward; don't put your children behind because you are personally afraid or unwilling to use technology or have your children use it. 

     Scott McLeod is the Associate Professor of Educational Administration at Iowa State University and the Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE). He is also the co-creator of the Did You Know? (Shift Happens) videos.

The iSchool Initiative:

     I personally do not have an iTouch, but my husband does- he loves it. Due to the fact that I do not have one myself, I had absolutely NO IDEA that hardly any of these tools are available to this technology's users. I think that the iSchool program sounds amazing. Not only would this program be easy and much more organized for both students and teachers, but as stated, it would be much more cost efficient. With our tiny budgets in schools today... what is the harm in trying this program?

     I read through a few of the comments that were posted on this video and I LOVED what he said to the skeptical person. This person stated that this program would not be possible, to think about all of the development money this would require, etc.  His response: It does work, and it is in many schools already. Buying a $1 Graphing Calculator App is much cheaper than a $100 real one. Overall, I loved this video. I think that this is a very innovative way of thinking about school and I think that more schools should at least give this program a shot!

The Lost Generation:

     Wow! This was a very powerful video. Short and sweet! I loved that everything she said, she was able to reverse and make it positive. I thought this technique was very eye catching and eye opening. I really enjoyed this video and I think that if it were shared with more people in my generation, people could actually see things for the way that they should, and can, be. 

Eric Whitacer's Virtual Choir:

     How incredible it would be to actually be apart of this! I found this amazing, and do not even enjoy classical music. The fact that every single one of these choir members was on their own computer, in their own home (or where ever they were) just completely blows my mind. Each member would have been watching the director on their own computer and this is a compilation of each member on their own. This is just amazing to me!

Additional Assignment #1

Students use the internet almost everyday for school work. I have had many assignments that required me to research specific things; these assignments could take days simply because I could not find everything that I needed. Google Squared and Wolfram Alpha would have been extremely helpful in many of these situations. These are both fantastic tools for students because it gives you the tools to find EVERYTHING that you need, and it is very simple to use. I unfortuneatly was not aware that either of these tools existed. I certainly would have saved a bunch of time if I had been!

I am not sure that I would change what I said about the Did You Know? project, however I can say that my view on statistics has been slightly altered. I am very quick to simply take a statistic exactly as it is stated and not think about it too much further. By completeing this excercise, I have learned that when I am given a statistic I need to actually think about what it really means rather than just taking it for what it is.

The Food for Thought article made me realize how EASY technology can be; we simply have to TRY it.

Blog #3

A Vision of Students Today:

   I thought that this video was amazing. It really sums up the college experience and the stress that many students have throughout this experience. How do all of our activities add up to 26.5 hours a day, considering there are only 24 hours in a day? Some how, that is how it always seems in my life. While my college career may not be summed up completely by this video, many of the things stated were accurate. I will not be in debt, because I am fortunate enough to have a full scholarship that pays for my books. I will not be in a profession that does not exist today. I do not spend over three hours on facebook or even the internet every day. While my life may be different, I do understand many of the things in this video.
   As college students, it seems that there is never enough minutes in the day. Never enough time to eat; never enough time to sleep; never enough time to do homework, or Lord help us, even breathe. Technology certainly can speed up the day. Teachers can say what they need to say in a PowerPoint lecture probably 10 times faster than they can write that same lecture on a chalkboard. It is true to say that the phrase that was said in 1841 about the chalkboard, could very easily have been said about the internet.

It’s Not About the Technology:

   I completely agree that technology is important, but it is not where teaching begins. In order for technology to even be used in a useful way, teachers have to lay the ground work for learning. As Hines says, many teachers in the field have been teaching for years upon years and have not partaken in any “learning”. There are new theories and skills and tools that many teachers are not aware exist. I think that it is very important for teachers to be learners, not just while they are obtaining their degree, but throughout their entire career. If I had a dime for every time I have heard the phrase “work smarter, not harder”, I would certainly be a rich woman. I agree that this is a great philosophy for teachers to live by. I love the way Hines compares teaching with the physics principle of work: if an object does not move, no matter how much force has been applied, no work has been done. You can get up and lecture and “teach” all day long, but if no students have actually learned anything, then what good have you done? This concept reminded me a lot of the “burp-back teaching” that we dislike so much in this class!
   Technology will not be effective without a good teacher. Wow! This is beyond true! I had two classes my junior year of high school that used Smart Boards. In one class, we used this piece of technology everyday; the students got to experience more interactive learning and the teacher used this board to further learning. In the other class however, the teacher did not seem to know what they were doing and therefore simply ended up using it as a projector, projecting her notes for us to see on the board rather than a projector screen. It is so important for teachers to be willing and appreciative and excited about technology in schools! While technology CAN be very important and useful, learning can be done without it. Teachers who encourage their students to be creative and critical thinkers can also prepare their students to be successful, even without technology. As Hines says, a teacher who can do this and use technology in a productive, positive way… that leads to endless possibilities!

Is It Okay To Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher? :

   Hmm; this post certainly got me thinking. With technology playing such a huge role in our society, and this role grows every day, I would venture to say that yes, a technologically illiterate teachers is equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn’t know how to read and write. As stated in the blog, this assumption may be extreme, but I do believe that it is true. Now I do not believe that every teacher should be able to use every piece of technology available, but I do believe that they should be able to use every piece of technology that they ask their students to use. How can we teach something if we ourselves do not know, or are not willing to learn?
   As Terry Freedman says: “we have to stop being so nice… some educators are potentially jeopardizing the chances of our youngsters.” We as teachers and future teachers have to remember every day that we are preparing our students for their future… not tomorrow. It really put it in a new prospective when he said that the kindergartners who started school this year will be the graduating class of 2020 (obviously this was a few years back; they would be the class of 2023). It is very easy to forget that these students are going to be our future and we have a responsibility to teach them with every resource that we can. Technology plays a huge role in our society today, but imagine the role it will play in 2023.

Gary's Social Media Count:

   The rate at which these numbers increase is absolutely incredible. You would never think that technology has such a huge role in our society, but the numbers don't lie. As a future teacher, these numbers tell me that I have to do everything that I can to become technologically literate and do everything that I can to include technology in my classroom. With students using technology as much as they do at home, if it is not used in schools then students are going to begin getting bored.

C4T #1 Summary

I was assigned to comment on Bill Ferriter's blog. My first comment was made on August 25th. His post was pretty short and sweet, simply asking the question "what do teacher leaders need from administrators?" He asked that we please help him and answer the question in a blog comment. He decided to answer his own question as the first comment on the blog. He feels that teachers need mutual respect from administrators, because often times as teachers, we have just as much skill and knowledge as principals. He states that he often feels looked down upon when he in is a room full of principals. My comment basically agreed with his comment. I stated that teachers need respect just as principals do and that we both play very important roles in education. Teachers need to be heard and they need to be given more freedom in their classroom to actually teach their students other than from a textbook.
My second post was on September 11th. His blog talked about tips from growing your blog's audience. One of his main tips was that we have to be inventive when posting our blogs because people hear and read far too much as it is, so we have to stand out in order to make a difference. He also said that we have to be brave when posting our blogs. He simply states that we need to be willing to ask the tough questions that educators love to avoid. In my comment I agreed with both of these opinions. People read and hear so much these days that we have to be creative in order to draw positive attention to our blog. Blogs are about opinions. No one honestly wants to read exactly what they want to hear. We already have our opinions, so why would we want to read it when we already know it? I feel that people need to be able to post their opinions in a professional way, without changing their opinion to please others.

Blog #2

Did You Know? :

   This video was extremely eye opening for me to watch. I think that we all subconsciously realize that all of these things are happening, we just do not think about it because it seems so normal for our world to be changing. It is apparent from this video that the United States needs to step it up when it comes to teaching and learning technology. It amazed me, and rather scared me, when they stated that China will soon be the number one speaking English country. I could go into a whole rant about the United States and our lack of other cultures, but that is a whole separate subject. It fascinates me that we, as a nation, go around thinking that we are the best country and that we have so much going for us, and then come to find out that India has more honors children than we even have children. It blows my mind that we can think so highly of ourselves and belittle other countries to such an extreme without even realizing the facts.

   Technology is advancing at such a high pace and it is obvious that we are failing to stay caught up. Technology, especially the internet, has become such a huge part of our daily lives that we fail to really see the importance. I think that we take for granter all of the things that the internet has to offer. In a matter of years, we will have a computer that is smarter and more capable than any human being on this planet... While that is a very fascinating realization, it is also a little scary in my opinion. I may be the only one thinking this, but technology makes me feel very incompetent. After watching this video, it certainly makes me want to learn as much as I can about technology.

Mr. Winkle Wakes:



   I found Mr. Winkle Wakes to be rather entertaining. At first I did not understand what the video was trying to get across, but as soon as he went into the school I understood. This video portrays the fact that schools are seriously lacking intrusion from the "outside world". Mr. Winkle was comforted by the school because it was just as he remember it from 100 years ago: nothing had changed. Many people do not view this as a problem, but it certainly is not a good thing. You see it everyday, teachers at the front of the room lecturing students of all ages. You also see students getting bored and acting out, or simply not reacting at all. It is important to let the "outside world" into our schools in order to enhance learning.

   In the classroom the Mr. Winkle walked into there was only one computer and it was obvious that it was not put to use very often. There are so many schools that do not have the funding for technology, but even the schools that do have this funding do not utilize technology to the extent that they should. I am 20 years old, and I do not remember using a computer in school until I was in high school. That is a problem. Students can learn so much from technology. Technology is obviously becoming a large part of our world and it is so important that we begin teaching children at a young age. Otherwise they will be in a technology class in college with no idea of what they are doing - just like me.

The Importance of Creativity:
 
   I have actually seen this video before in a Math for Elementary Teachers course. I think that this is a video that every education major should have to watch before they graduate. I love that he points out that we are educating students for a world that not only can we not understand, but we have no clue what it will entail. While I may not feel as strongly that creativity is as important as literacy, I do feel that it is a very important aspect of education. I think that we, as an entire nation, are so afraid of being wrong that we fail to even try. I think that Mr. Robinson is absolutely right when he states that we are "educated out of creativity". Creativity is natural in all of us, however some of us simply set it aside when we are basically told to do so.


   What did you want to be when you grew up? Well, me personally, I wanted to play softball for the United States team. That was always my dream. However, just as Mr. Robinson said in his lecture, we are taught from a very young age to basically let go of our dreams because we will never get a job doing that. But, the fact is... some people do. What if Brett Favre, Micheal Angelo, or Micheal Jackson had all let go of their dreams? We as future educators have to make sure that we inspire students and create an atmosphere where learning AND creativity can play equal roles.

Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts:

   I enjoyed this video because it was a great example in my opinion. This teacher did not know everything there is to know about technology. It is great that she is learning along with her students.Often times students feel intimidated when they feel that there teacher is so far above them in certain subjects. On the other hand, many teachers who do not know technology very well, often times simply do not utilize it in their classroom.

   The students in this video were able to learn things in an unconventional way... the teacher did not teach them. When students learn something on their own they tend to feel more accomplished and capable. Students can broaden their education when they are given the technology to do so. Not all children can learn just given pencil and paper and I think that was a great point in this video.