Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Blog Post 5, Part 2

Summary of use of a personal learning network:

I have found that using personal learning networks can be very resourceful. For mine, I used Symbaloo. They are great for staying organized and having a mass of links available at one time. They can be somewhat difficult to learn to operate, but once it is mastered, it is pretty simple.

In mine, I included links to Twitter, educational blogs, fitness tips, and more. The neat thing about these PLN's is that I can have different ones for different subjects- one for math, one for science- the list is endless. I encourage everyone to learn how to use them and actually put them to use!
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Sunday, April 19, 2015

Blog Post 13

What are other forms of educational technology? 

Many students are given iPads or other handheld tablets that they can use in the classroom. These often come with interesting software built in, but these tablets have the capability of downloading applications (or apps as they are commonly called) to use. There are many different kinds of apps, including educational ones that can be used in the classroom! Here are a few of them listed below, according to The Best Educational Apps for Kids:

1. Elmo Loves 123s- this helps children learn to count and identify numbers.
2. Disney Story Central- includes numerous ebooks that children can read
3. Fish School HD- fish teach children numbers and letters of the alphabet
4. Stack the States- helps children learn the states in the United States and their capitals
5. Habitat the Game- teaches children environmental awareness
6. Winky Think Logic Puzzles- challenging puzzles that make children think creatively

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPad

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Blog Post 12

What assistive technologies are available to you as a teacher? 

Assistive technology is technology that helps anyone with a disability perform at a better level.  There are numerous assistive technologies for people who are blind, deaf, or even cannot use their arms and legs properly. There are many apps for smartphones, computers, and iPads to help students with disabilities learn. These are used often and display here: iPad usage for the blind.

I think this is awesome that these apps are available to me. Considering I will be certified to teach special ed when I graduate college, I really have to know how to teach students with disabilities. These technologies will help make me a better teachers as I will be able to reach out to more students.

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Tuesday, April 7, 2015

C4T #3

I was assigned to Jeff Delp again for this round of comments for teachers. I love his blog! He focuses a lot on the government side of education and following policies, which really interests me. In his most recent post, The Marginalization of Children, he speaks about how it is important for each child to have the same access to education as any other student. Students should not be treated any differently because of their parents' income or any other possessions they may have. Every child deserves a quality education, and should be given one.

In my comment, I agreed with him. Children cannot help the situations they were born into, and should not be treated differently because of it. Every child deserves a great education and people devoted to ensuring that they get it.

In Jeff Delp's most reent blog post, Empathy and Difference Making Matter, he talks about how important it is for teachers to maintain a good relationship with their students. He believes that as long as teachers care and are empathetic, they will produce students who therefore turn into good people. He then uses this as a means to ask for donations for the 6:8 Project which is wanting to build an orphanage in Haiti.

http://www.jeffdelp.com/2015/04/02/empathy-and-difference-making-matter/


In my comment, I told him that we thought in very similar ways. It is very important for students and their teachers to have a good relationship. I told him that I hope that the orphanage in Haiti gets built and I'm sure it would benefit many children.

Sunday, April 5, 2015

C4K 8-10


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C4K#8
I was assigned to Jacob S's blog. His most recent post was about aardvarks. He said that they were from Africa and are nocturnal. He also said they were on Noah's ark.
In my comment, I told him that he had written a good post. I have never seen an aardvark before, but I imagine that it would be pretty neat to see one.

C4K#9
I was assigned to Gray's blog. He wrote about his upcoming PARCC test. He said that he has worked hard, and that he has confidence in himself to do well.

In my comment, I introduced myself and said that I was a student at South Alabama. I said I knew that he would do well on this test, and that the more confidence he has, the better.

C4K#10
I was assigned to Jorja's class blog. Jorja is a student from New Zealand. In his post, he talked about a class field trip that his class took to Holland Gardens. He wrote about the fun that he had, and all the fun things that could be done at Holland Gardens.

In my comment, I told him that he had written a great post. It was really neat to see the pictures from a place in New Zealand, considering I am from the United States. Holland Gardens definitely seems like a fun place to visit.

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Blog Post 11

What can we learn from these teachers?

In Back to the Future, Brian Crosby lectures on his way of giving high risk students a unique education. Most of the kids in his classroom live below the poverty line and English is considered their second language. He says it is important to use technology in the classroom to give students different opportunities. He believes that all students should be taught to develop skills in a motivational and meaningful context, not just the students that attend schools with high test scores.

In Blended Learning Cycle video by Paul Andersen, he tells how he uses the blended learning cycle in his classroom. The blended learning cycle involves online, mobile, and classroom learning- all blended together. There are five E's to remember when using this method: engage, explore, explain, expand, and evaluate. This method can be used for almost any subject. 

In Making Things Visible, students in Mark Church's classroom are required to make headlines to answer questions for certain topics. I think this is a great idea to really see if students are understanding the topic. If they are able to sum it up in their own words, they are able to understand and analyze the topic. This is also a great way to get opinions and see the different way that children think. 

Super Digital Citizens is a video by Sam Pane showing how he teaches Internet safety to his students, who all have their own laptop computers. He says it is everyone's responsibility to be a super digital citizen. He gives the class the definition of a digital citizen, and gives examples of what digital citizens should not do. He then allows the students to create their own superhero (who is a super digital citizen). They are allowed to modify their superhero however they want. They then are responsible for writing a narrative story about their superhero, which ties this project into their English language standards. I thought this was a great project and it is definitely something I want to do in my classroom. 

In Project Based Learning, teachers worked on restructuring their day to incorporate project based learning. They used technology as a tool to bring content to life in their classroom. Technology should not be an add on to regular classroom instruction, but a key way in delivering information. Kids loved using project based learning, because it gave them a chance to really take ownership of their project. Seeing other students work hard on theirs makes them want to work just as hard. 

Roosevelt Elementary's PBL Program really promotes project based learning and a more in depth learning environment. It involves a lot of teacher collaboration and them working on designing creative projects that fit into the curriculum standards. However, it is worth it. Parents of students love it! The children really show understanding and learning of 21st century skills. Even struggling children have a spark in them that is curious about the world. PBL is the way for students to ignite the spark. It takes a lot of effort to make this work, but the students' achievement is worth it.  

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Blog Post #10


What can we learn from Ms. Cassidy? 

Ms. Cassidy is an elementary school teacher from Canada. Students in her classroom use many different types of technology, such as blogs, wikis, Skype, and Nintendo DS. This is shown in Little Kids.. Big Potential.

http://learn.org/articles/Twitter_Teacher_Twitter_in_the_Classroom.htmlMs. Cassidy started using technology in her classroom a little over ten years ago. She discusses technology and its role in her teaching strategies in these videos: Part 1Part 2, and Part 3. Her students are required to write blog posts about once a week. They follow many of the same blog rules I follow in EDM 310, from writing quality posts to making positive comments on other students' blogs. They use wikis to learn about different subjects they are not familiar with. They use Skype to talk to professionals when they are not able to come speak to the students in person. They have Nintendo DS's which they are required to share with other students. Using these teaches them how to solve problems.

I think that I would enjoy using all of these in my classroom. They all seem like great tools that allow students to really expand their knowledge on subjects that may not be easily found in a textbook. Our world is so dependent on technology now that it would really benefit students to begin working on becoming technologically literate at a young age.

Technology also has some problems, and I am sure that I would encounter some in my classroom. It is easy to get off topic when you have the Internet available, as there is so much to do on it. Students must be instructed to stay on topic and focus on the task they have to do. There is also the fear of plagiarism, which is common when using the Internet. But according to Ms. Cassidy, when instructors make the work challenging enough to require students to generate their own, creative response, plagiarism and copying is nearly impossible.

Ms. Cassidy seems like an awesome teacher! I didn't realize that students as young as hers could be so advanced in technology, but she has taught them well.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

March C4K

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In Advice for Future High School Students by Ulises, he gives five points of advice for future high school students. These are to join sports or clubs, stay on top of homework, take notes, don't hang out around the wrong crowd, and to stay on top of your grades!

I told him that I was a college student at South Alabama, and that this was awesome advice. I also told him to make sure he takes the ACT, because that is where a lot of scholarship money comes from!


In Tom's post, he wrote about Samuel Jackson. He wrote about his acting history and all of the awards Samuel Jackson has won in the past. He wrote about him in honor of black history month.

I told him that I was a college student at South Alabama, and that he wrote a great post! Samuel Jackson was an awesome actor, and he definitely deserves the recognition that he was given in the post.


In Macie M's blog post on Book Project, she wrote about a book she had read titled Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson. The book was about two girls who were good friends; one was outgoing and one was shy. The outgoing friend disappeared and left the shy friend a list of things to do to help her grow as a person and face her biggest fears. In the end, the shy friend learned to really be herself.

In my comment, I introduced myself and told her she had written a great post. I told her the book sounded very good and it was something that I would be interested in reading.

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Blog Post 9

Project Based Learning

Project based learning is an awesome tool to use in the classroom! This can be done in groups or individually. Students are required to create to learn, instead of just take a test on information they have been taught. Essentials of Project Based Learning says there are seven essentials needed for this to be successful. These are a need to know, driving question, student voice and choice, 21st century skills, inquiry and innovation, feedback and revision, and a public presentation.

Project Based Learning for Teachers says that project based learning fosters inquisitiveness. It requires the student to work for a long period of time answering a deep question that calls for a creative, unique product. These questions are not just yes or no questions. Project based learning calls for meeting standards of common core while learning unique communication skills, collaboration skills, and more!

What Motivates Students? interviews different students with things that motivate them, rewards they like, and helpful activities in the classroom. If the student doesn't make good grades, they can't play baseball games, cannot go swim, or will be grounded. If they have good behavior or grades, they will get surprise rewards or classroom money. For helpful activities, they will participate in different things throughout the week, such as Music Monday, where students dance around the classroom and tell facts they have learned.

Project Based Learning and Physical Education is a post about how a PE teacher used project based learning in his classroom. He divided students into groups and asked them to create a successful exercise program for middle school students. They had open conversations with their group, and had to communicate and collaborate. They had to test drive other projects of other groups, which engaged them in physical activity. They shared data and rhetoric while presenting their own project. The teacher said he felt this was a successful project and students understood PE standards even better after it was over.

10 Sites Supporting PBL is a great resource. It has ten different websites that can be used when working with project based learning in the classroom.

http://zulama.com/resources/project-based-learning/
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Sunday, March 15, 2015

Blog Post 8

What can we learn from Randy Pausch? 

Randy Pausch is quite the inspirational educator. In Randy Pausch's Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood DreamHe had cancer at one point, but he was able to beat it, and I know it is because of his positive attitude and motivation to live a happy life. He has so much advice for future teachers and how to handle children, and it is all unique and good! He encourages educators to let children act out all their events and have an audience to act in front of. It is fun for children to act out and pretend to be someone else. He also talks about setting the bar high for your students and pushing them to achieve big goals. It is important to work to accomplish the goals that you set out for. Sometimes, there will be brick walls but you have to do your best to overcome them and conquer them. When people get frustrated with you learning, it is only because they really care about you! When people stop complaining about things that you are doing, they no longer care. 

All in all, the most important thing I took away from this was to always keep working towards my goals, and push my future students to work hard to accomplish what they want to accomplish too. Anything can be done with motivation and hard work! 

Thursday, March 12, 2015

C4T#2

Educator Jeff Delp has an awesome blog, and I have definitely enjoyed keeping up with it! He has a strong passion for education and government policy on it. He is very "real-world oriented" and has strong opinions that he is not afraid to express.

In Jeff Delp's Realities of Being a Public Educator, he talks about how necessary it is to have funding for programs that benefit children outside of education. He is an advocate for counseling services, testing services, and extra curricular programs. He recognizes that the poverty rate has risen quickly, and that children in poor areas need special services.

I agree with him. It is proven that kids in poverty benefit from extra programs. Funding should be kept to help these children exceed in and out of the classroom.

In 10 Tweets to Send to Your Elected Officials, Jeff Delp says he is frustrated with the current assault on public education. He lists 10 tweets that he recommends people should send to their elected officials in their state. They range from all kids deserving the best opportunities for quality education, to schools addressing all the needs of a child, knowing the challenges of high poverty schools before making solutions, and demonstrating respect for all of those around you!

In my comment, I agreed with him and his points! So many times people will try to fix things, yet they don't know why they are broken. Kids are the main reason we have schools, and it is so important to keep them first. I told him this was a great post, and I enjoyed reading it.




Thursday, February 26, 2015

C4K

In Saysha's blog, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, she gave a summary of a popular book, called The Fault in Our Stars. This book is about teenagers who fall in love, but also have to battle cancer. Having read the book and seen the movie, I thought her summary was very good. She did not disclose the ending, with an intention not to ruin the surprise for those who hadn't read the book.

In my comment, I wrote about how cancer has affected my family. It can be so hard to lose someone so close to you because of an illness, but it is a part of life. I told her that she had written a great post and that I hoped she would continue reading and writing about her favorite books.



In Summer's post, The Bridge From Me Too You, she summarized a book that she had read about two kids who were getting ready to go to college. They were both facing problems about what they wanted to do for their future. They were being pressured by their parents to go down paths they didn't want to go down. She didn't disclose the ending, in hopes that the reader of the blog would read the book.

In my comment, I introduced myself as a student here at South. I told her that the book sounded really interesting. It can be difficult to choose what to do after high school, but usually everything will work itself out. As a college student, I told her I could relate to the characters in the book.



Eden wrote about the current Chronicles of Narnia book that he is reading, The Silver Chair. He discussed the book and what was going on at his current page. After updating, he wrote that he would tell more on his following post about what happens next.

In my comment, I told him that I enjoyed those books when I was younger and that I hope he would like them as much as I did. They are awesome books for children and teenagers to read.



Ken from Mrs. Maslowski's class wrote about Charles Hamilton Houston and his impact on the civil rights movement. He was a lawyer and dean at Howard University. He worked to put an end to Jim Crow laws and attacked the separate but equal theory. He also worked in the NAACP and took part in almost every civil rights court case from 1930 to 1954.

In my comment,  I told him how awesome it was that we have a month where we can celebrate those who have worked so hard for equal rights for everyone. Charles Hamilton Houston was an awesome person with tremendous character. I am thankful for what he accomplished!

Blog Post 7

"Teachers won't be replaced by technology, but will be replaced by teachers who use it". Those fifteen words sum up exactly what is going on in schools today- teachers and students having to adapt to the new world that we live in. Technology has become one of the central sources for information and instruction, and must be treated as such. According to Using iMovie and the Alabama Virtual Library, kindergarten students are using iMovie, making book trailers, editing their own work, and researching assigned topics on their own. These are projects that I, as a college student, occasionally struggle with, and these children excel in! It amazes me to see their ability to learn and adapt at such a young age.




We All Become Learners says that many times, students show teachers how to use a piece of technology! (Pause for a sigh of relief!) As an educator,  I will do my best to stay up to date on the latest technology and try to implement it into my classroom. At Gulf Shores Elementary school, they exceed the expectations for using technology in the classroom. Librarians and media instructors spend time with students to teach mechanics of different programs and applications before the students use it in their classroom. This guarantees that instructional time is not wasted.
Gulf Shores Elementary School also welcomes visitors at all times, as this validates what they are doing in the classroom.

iPads are a common technological tool in the classroom. iPads promote student engagement and proficiency. There are many apps for learning, such as some for spelling, demonstrating content knowledge, and even some that can be used in a special education classroom, says iPads in the Classroom.

Top 10 Reasons to Use Technology in Education includes a multitude of reasons why it is imperative to use technology in the classroom. These range from the pure fact that students love technology to professional development. Technology has been proven to improve test scores by its ability to reach different students through different learning methods. It can remove obstacles by amplifying the teacher voice and allowing the students to see the material better. Some people refer to these mini computers as a "functional teacher" (but to me, that seems a bit drastic).

As I continue my journey to become an educator, I am well aware of what is expected of me. I must be able to address students and their learning needs with the most up to date technology and information. This seems challenging, but it is also exciting. I will be giving my students skills that they will need in our new, computerized world. I do not think it will be a problem to get students excited about learning and using technology- many times, they teach the adult how to use it first!

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Blog Post 6

I found Anthony Capp's videos very resourceful. As a former student of EDM 310, he is full of many new, exciting ideas that I can use in my classroom. In Use Tech Don't Teach It, Anthony states that he is a big advocate of using technology in the classroom- and actually using it, not just teaching it to the students. Visual aids help students learn in the classroom, and with programs like DiscoveryEd, experts can be "brought" into the classroom to enhance the learning experience. He believes that students should be made into producers, and not consumers. Although his days as a third grade teacher are long, he puts in a lot of effort and is greatly rewarded for it. Being a teacher is not just a job that takes a break in the summer. Summer is the time where most of your preparation is put in to ensure that the following school year will be a success. To me, he seems like a great teacher. He works very hard to make sure that his students are successful. 

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Blog Post #5

Personal Learning Networks

A personal learning network is a set of people or tools that you can call upon for help, professional advice, new ideas, or for any other instances where you may need assistance. 

According to Welcome to My PLE!, personal learning networks are very useful for organization. Many thoughts, ideas, facts, and opinions can be placed in one's personal learning network. These are constantly being updated and used for research, especially by students. For educators, they can be used to connect with other teachers and professionals for different techniques to use in the classroom. For me, this part is really exciting and will be extremely useful! 

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Personal learning networks are formed by creating an account with a website that provides these. (For my PLN, I used Symbaloo.) Once you hold an account, you can add many different sites to your network. These can be blogs, news sites, or research news. It is whatever YOU make it! If you are into criminal justice, you can make a criminal justice PLN. If you are into spending time outdoors, you can make a PLN for that, too! The opportunities are endless. 

I am using Symbaloo to create my PLN. I am going to add sites that stay up to date with teaching and technology. I have already created my account, and have researched many different sources I can add to it. These will mostly be teacher blogs, but there will be other sources as well.