Blog Post Assignment #9

What I Learned This Year 2010-2011 By: Mr. Joe McClung
Mr. McClung is a teacher who writes blog posts to summarize what he accomplishes, what he learns, and what adventures he encounters each year of his teaching career. I read the 2010-2011 school year post, this was written after his third year of teaching.
I really enjoyed reading this particular blog post by Mr. McClung. He made some great points for teachers that are not as experienced as he is. One that Mr. McClung pointed out is to remember who your boss is. He said that as teachers we do not need to get wrapped up in a "social co-worker" life, because we need to remember the reason we are in the education field, the kids. I think this is a great point. While teaching we need to realize that we maybe the only positive influence in our students' lives. If we get wrapped up in pleasing others rather than our students our job will never get done. Another point Mr. McClung made was, "don't touch the keyboard". He explained that if a co-worker helps another co-worker on a difficult task and he/she takes over while explaining the task then the other person will never learn how to do that one task. This is the same idea with students, as teachers we are there to teach the students, not do their work.

What I Learned This Year - Volume 4 By: Mr. Joe McClung
This was Mr. McClung's fourth year of teaching and he realized that he was not the teacher he use to be. He was worrying about what his co-workers thought of him and what his reputation was with them. He got into a routine with his teaching and he realized by getting into a routine his creativity was drifting away. To change himself back to the teacher he use to be he told himself that he needed to remember the rule "remember who his boss is" and not worry about what his co-workers thought of him. To bring his creativity back into the classroom he accepted new subjects to teach in the upcoming school year. Mr. McClung will now be able to construct new lesson plans and get out of the routines he got himself into.

The points that I have read in these post are beneficial to any first year teacher or twenty-fifth year teacher. Basically Mr. McClung says that as teacher we need to be there for the kids, never get into routines while teaching, and do not depend on others to do your work. I agree with all of these points. If every teacher would focus on just these three points their teaching careers will take a tremendous turn.

A Bad Case of Stripes Project #12

PLN Progress Project #10

For my PLN, I have started using Symbaloo. Symbaloo is a great tool to organize different educational or personal websites. On my Symbaloo, I have the access of twitter, Facebook, and teacher blogs. This way I can stay up to date with new teaching idea put out by the "professionals". By using Symbaloo, any websites that I come across while in college I will be able to keep in this program. You can organize the different websites by name, category, personal, or educational. Symbaloo is set up just like Google docs, I could access this program from any computer anywhere in the world and it is free. By being able to save these websites and organize them, I will be set as a first year teacher with cool new tools to show to my kids.

C4T #2 Summary

I was assigned to comment on David Truss' Pair-A-Dimes Blog.

In the first post that I commented on Mr. Truss was just starting a new job working with students and letting them experience the use of blogs. He did an activity with the students and gave them a tube of toothpaste and a paper plate. He told the students to squeeze the toothpaste out and try to put the toothpaste back in the tube. After several minutes of trying to do this, Mr. Truss stopped the students. He then explained to his students that once the toothpaste is out of the tube it cannot be put back in. He told the students that this was just like putting information on the internet; once it is put on the internet it will never be able to be taken back. That is why everyone should watch what is put on the internet. Everyone will always have an internet trail.

I told Mr. Truss who I was and that I was commenting on his blog post for my EDM 310 class. I told him that I loved the toothpaste demonstration and that my mom done this same demonstration except she talked about what comes out of someone's mouth cannot be put back in. I told Mr. Truss that this is what we are reminded of in Dr. Strange's Class. Dr. Strange tells us that we need to do our best on assignments and not say anything negative because we may be Googled by our boss one day. I then mentioned that I would share this lesson with my students whenever I became a teacher.

The second post that I commented on was a podcast. This was Mr. Truss' first podcast he had ever done. He done this podcast with a light scribe pen. He was at a conference and saw a friend of his and they conducted this podcast. In this podcast they mention how easy podcasting is, what tools can be used, and how it enables students to be exposed to higher level thinking skills.

I told Mr. Truss who I was and that this was my second comment that I would be leaving him. I told him that I enjoyed his podcast and learned several techniques that I would use whenever I became a teacher. I also told him that I was amazed at how simple podcasting is. Podcasting only requires a few tools and a speaker and you are good to go. I told Mr. Truss that I enjoyed exploring his blog and I hoped to come back and explore it more at a later date.

You can find Mr. Truss' Blog HERE!

Blog Post Assignment #8

Writing with Multimedia By: Dr. Richard E. Miller
Dr. Richard E. Miller tells us that in this century we can do any kind of research without stepping foot into a library. Our way of writing and researching is changing from day to day. Instead of using notebook paper, text books, and going to the library the only thing we have to do is sit down at a computer to conduct our search. The beauty of having computers to do research with is that we are not limited to just our University library; we are able to use several different library databases that are located on the web. Another way that writing and researching has changed is that we are not limited to just reading text, we can watch videos and look at pictures that deals with the topic we are researching.

Information that is placed on the internet can be edited any day or time, this means that whenever we are researching on the web we are presented with the most current information. Being provided with the most current information while researching enables us to turn in outstanding work. Publishing information on the web is better than writing a book about that topic. If information is published on the web it is there as soon as it is published and of course it can always be edited; if we write a book about a certain topic it may take up to two years to be published and by then the text will more than likely be out of date.

Dr. Miller's videos made a strong statement about today's technology. I thought that this video was recently made, but Dr. Strange placed it on his blog in 2009. I thought that Google Docs and blogs just recently came into being, but I was totally wrong. I am glad that I am FINALLY being introduced to all of these neat ways of researching and teaching. The education field is going to be out of this world in the next couple of years. Watch the Videos Here!

Carly Pugh's Blog Post
While reading Carly's post I was blown away by her creativity. The videos that she included on her playlist were so diverse, but yet all tied together in some way. Having a teaching philosophy and exploring it before we actually become a teacher is a brilliant thing to do. By finding different videos on YouTube and incorporating them into lesson plans will keep the students interested in what they are being taught. If the students see that a teacher is passionate about teaching then they will be passionate about learning.

Carly mentioned that she is an English major and loves the literature aspect of it. I am not as fond of literature as she is and never really liked it in high school. The reason I never really liked it was because we were reading the same ole text book and writing the same ole papers. I think if my teacher would have incorporated videos like Carly is suggesting, I would have been more engaged in learning about the literature. I think the reason we were assigned to Carly's blog post, because she and Dr. Miller were both talking about writing with multimedia. Whenever Carly becomes a teacher she wants her students to research with the internet, watch videos and then write about what they saw - this is writing with multimedia!

The Chipper Series and EDM 310 for Dummies
Needless to say, I got a good laugh whenever I watched these videos. They were so creative and they presented all types of excuses that I am sure Dr. Strange hears on a daily basis. Chipper was a great example of a student that does not dedicate all of their time to school. Chipper had better things going on in her life and could not complete her school work. This would be a great video to share with students to remind them how important it is to be dedicated to school.

If I had to create my own video about EDM 310, it would be about putting things on the internet that does not need to be posted on the internet. My video would discuss once something is posted on the internet it cannot be taken away. That is why if we have a blog or assignments that they should be completed to the best of our ability. I would make sure that the message comes across that our boss may Google us one day and whatever he/she finds could make the difference of us getting a job or not getting a job.

Learn to Change, Change to Learn
I personally cannot believe that education was ranked 55 on the IT Intensive Scale, below coal mining! That is completely absurd. The video says that children are learning more outside of school than they are in school. They are in a richer environment out of school than they are while they are in school. This blows my mind. Schools need to have the best learning environment so today's students will be able to excel in a variety of activities. The reason this video says that children are in a better environment out of school than they are whenever they are in school is because outside of school children get to have their cell phones, surf the internet, and communicate with others in various ways.

After being exposed to the new learning styles in today's classrooms, I agree with this video. Schools ban cell phones and laptops then block educational videos on the internet so that means kids are stuck with text books to read. They are not able to do adequate research at school because of all of the blocked websites. I think that since technology is changing so much, the school systems need to "Learn to Change" with the technology and the children would greatly accept that.

Scavenger Hunt 2.0
1. I created my first poll! This one is not educational, but it is in the right season! Answer it!

2. I have never used Prezi before! I think they may have used Prezi to create this presentaion. Prezi has several props to using it. Teachers are able to have a free license through using Prezi, it is called Edu Enjoy Subscription. All teacher slides can be private and you will even have your own logo. Not to mention the 500 mb of storage space!

3. The video tool that I have never used before would be Photo Peach. Photo Peach allows individuals to create a slide show in seconds. You are able to incorporate music, captions, and comments in the slide. Teachers can incorporate polls in the slide and create quiz slide shows. It is also kid friendly!

Blog Post Assignment #7

Networked Student By: Wendy Drexler
In the video, Networked Student, it describes the benefits of being a student that is allowed to use the internet instead of textbooks in his middle school classes. (I wish this was the case for me while I was in middle school or high school) This student does not have to be face to face with an actual teacher while he is doing his homework or classwork. Being a networked student, he is connected to various information from outstanding colleges and other teachers. He is also able to connect to his peers and give his own input on their blogs.
This student was able to find several research articles for his topic, American psychology, while he was searching on the internet, but the beauty of this is he could have research a different topic and got the same result. Being able to use the internet in school is such a great opportunity; not only does it give useful information, but also allows us to get familiar with technology and enables to create our own personal learning network. By creating this personal learning network, students from around the world can benefit from our blogs and we can benefit from theirs. Being connected to other students can benefit in the learning process, because we all learn from each other. Not only do we benefit from each other, but this information will stay with us for the rest of our lives. This student could have used the research he done in middle school in a college course, since he had it on his personal learning network.
With all of this being said this question may arise, Do We Still Need Teachers?, this is actually a great question. Students still need teachers, because since there is SO much information on the internet students need guidance on which information is useful and which is not. Teachers teach students how to find and use different websites to make their web-searching a success. Teachers also teach the student how to compile all of the information he/she found into a successful paper, powerpoint, or oral presentation. To answer your question, yes we still need effective teachers in today's education to teach students how to use this new way of learning effectively. Teachers will remain teachers and computers will remain a strong learning tool.
Welcome to My PLE! By: Wendy Drexler
This 7th grade student has got it going on! This style of organization and learning fascinates her and me also. She is so excited about this new way of doing Science work and creating her own personal learning network. I am also so excited to be able to learn all of these new learning styles. I only wish they were incorporated while I was in middle school or high school. Seeing students that are excited about learning, shows me there is a wonderful future ahead in the education field and I will get to be apart of it!

Project #8: Podcast- The ABC Group

Blog Post Assignment #6

The Last Lecture- Achieving Your Childhood Dreams By: Randy Pausch

Randy Pausch is such an amazing man! I was not so fond about watching this hour long video, but I was amazed by every second of it. If you have the chance to watch it, DO IT! Randy was so positive about everything going on in his life whenever he gave this speech. I cannot imagine standing up in front of hundreds of people giving his last lecture. This lecture was about his childhood dreams, enabling dreams of others, and lessons that his learned throughout his life.

Randy had several goals as a child. He did not achieve all of them, but he learned a lesson throughout all of them. Being a child I also had several dreams. Although I have achieved most of the ones I have set, I learned a lesson from most of them also. Pausch stated, 'Experience is what you get when you did not get what you wanted', this could not have been said any better. I will remember this statement whenever I start teaching. Being a first year teacher is sometimes difficult and everything will not go as planned. If I gain experience from something that goes wrong, I will remember what was done the first time and what needs to be done the second time to succeed.

Pausch mentioned ways that we could enable other's dreams. At the university Pausch taught at he was a pioneer of a virtual world class. He taught students how to create their own virtual world. This was never done at the university so Pausch had several arrows in his back. He said that whenever you pioneer something, what will go wrong-does go wrong, and that results in several arrows in the back. Pausch made this class fun for his students and it made their learning experience better. I hope to put this type of learning experience in my classroom. I want to make learning fun for my students so they will want to come to school. If school is fun for student then they will not realize that they are actually learning new skills everyday.

To be a successful teacher, you have to be a good salesman. Teachers are the most important salesman, they sale education. Two of the lessons Randy learned during his life were, learn from your students and have fun. It is important to listen to your students, because more than likely you will learn something new from them. Having fun while doing your job will allow you to enjoy your job and look forward to making a difference in your student's life.

Dr. Randy Pausch made this statement at the very end of his lecture, 'Lead your life the right way and karma will take care of itself, eventually your dream will come to you.' I think this is a very strong statement and something for others to think about. Just think about it.....

C4K Summary: September

The first student blog I commented on was Achu's blog in Buenos, Aires. He was wishing his best friend forever, Male, a happy birthday. I told Achu who I was, where I went to school, and where USA is located at. I told him that as college students we were learning how to blog like he was. I explained to him how great having a best friend was, because they were someone who could be with him for the rest of his life. I also told him I hoped that he had a great school year.

The second student blog I commented on was Jake's blog. He is in Ms. Dunlop's 4th grade class. In Jake's blog post he said some reasons that he admired his mom. Some of the reasons he admires her is that she is a heart doctor, she takes care of him, and she takes care of people with heart problems. I told Jake who I was, where I went to school, and my major. I also told Jake we are learning how to blog just like he is. In my comment I told Jake that it was so important to admire his mom and moms are important to everyone. I also told him I am a mom and that it was cool that his mom is a heart doctor.

Project #9a- TimeToast Timeline: Significant Events to U.S. Education