My PLN- Final Report

Of all the things I have done in this class, this is the one thing that I think will be most helpful to me in the future. Of course, it has been great learning about technology, and reading through my classmates' blogs, but this is something that I will take along with me once I become a teacher,

In my opinion, a PLN can never be complete, there are always more contacts, websites, and helpful people that you will want to add to your PLN. This is something that I think will be continuously expanding.

To start off with, in my PLN I put the basic websites I have used while taking EDM 310. For instance, I have the EDM homepage, a few of my classmates blogs (the ones I think may continue to work on their blog after class is over), my blog,  the alumni blog and blogspot.com. I also have my gmail account, for fast access.

My PLN has links to youtube, twitter,  and facebook (which are things that I do log onto and look through on a normal basis.

On my twitter account. I am following a lot of people that have educational blogs, like Dorothy Burt and Wesley Fryer. Both of these websites I have linked on my PLN.

Those are only 2 of the many websites I have found extremely interesting and helpful.

Not only do I have the social networks, I have linked ebooks,com and amazon.com. After doing my podcast on Ebooks, I have taken extra time to explore the topic and it is something I may consider once I become a teacher.

On top of all of these websites, I have linked the ALEX and ACCESS websites. Since these are also topics talked about in class, I think they they will be very helpful to me in my future career.

Like I said earlier, this is something that has just begun for me. I know that as time goes on, I will continue to ass helpful links and websites to my eductional symbaloo webmix. My PLN will continue to grow, and I will be a continual learner as I get older.

Educational Webmix on Symbaloo

Comments for Teachers- Teacher 4

Learning is Life blog

For my fourth C4T, I was assigned to the blog of Russ Goerend. His blog was titled 'Learning is Life'.

For the first comment, I read his blog post on authors purpose. Russ was explaining ways that he was trying to teach his sixth grade student's to understand about authors purpose. This, in a short explanation, is telling whether the author was trying to persuade, describe, explain, or inform with their writing.

He broke his activities down into a day to day basis, and explained what he went over each day to give his studnets a deeper understanding of authors purpose.

To me, as a future teacher, I found this very helpful. Other teachers may have a problem with this same thing for their students, and having a post like this that breaks it down and explains it so easy could really come in handy for other teachers if they are having to go into more detail with their students like he did.

The second post I commented on was about CAFE and using the Evernote on the Ipad as an alternative. This is something I have never heard of, but as a future teacher I found it very interesting. I am, like Russ, not very paper organized and after looking through all of the information about the Evernote on the Ipad, it seems like a more efficient way to keep up with your students information. It seems easy to access (as long as you do not have problems) and you do not have to tote around a huge, heavy three ring binder.

It is definitely something I will look into.

Comments for Kids 8-11

The blog I was supposed to comment on for my C4K 8 would not pull up, so I commented on a blog by a girl named Kath that was listed under my assigned student for my 9th C4K. On her blog, she was posting about a choir trip they had taken with their school. Kath said that they performed in front of crowds larger than 100 people. I know that I would have been very nervous if I was in that position. After hearing about their choir trip it seemed like they had a great time.

I found my 9th C4K the most interesting. It was a person named Jesse's blog, and they made a post on a book they had created. It was an online book, and you could actually flip the pages and everything from the computer. Jesse's book was on a cookie monster that stole cookies and hid them from everyone. In the end, cookie monster's brother stole all of cookie monster's cookies and they were forced to share them. It was very well written, it had great illustrations, and it had a good moral behind it.

This is something that I would love to do with my kids once I begin teaching. Its a great way to let them show their creativity, and it also gives them a chance to use the computer and new forms of technology.

On my 10th C4K, I read a blog post by a girl named Shelby from Mrs. Heubner's class. Her post was on a recent Skype session that was done with a Catholic school in Pennsylvania. It seemed like she found it very interesting that she was able to Sykpe with someone that was so far away. I think that Skype can be a very effective teaching tool for students, especially if you are skyping with people that was help educate you.

Shelby was lucky enough to Skype with a school that was a lot different from hers. They had uniforms, they went to school for different times, and they also learned to sing all of the states in alphabetical order. 

For my C4K 11, I read a poem called Cherries Red by a boy named Frank. Even though his poem was sort of dark and gloomy, It was very well written. According to him, the poem was about a man that committed suicide after thinking of all the people he had killed in his life. Yes, I thought this was a sort of a strange blog post at first, but it was actually very interesting.

Blog Assignment 14

Instead of doing a normal blog post this week, we had to read a post off a girl named Yasmine's blog. The post I was assigned to read was a wordle on the book Perfect Image.  Although I have never read the book, by looking at her wordle I can get a sense of what the book is about. To me, this is a great way to use a wordle, especially for children who want to get a sense of a book before they read it.

I also went through her blog and took a look at some of her other posts. I found some of them really interesting. I read a poem that she did on the winter holidays and it was very good. You would have never guessed it came from a 6th grader. I think she is a very talented writer.

After reading her poem, I also decided to read a blog post on her top 5 desserts. Of course this caught my eye becuase I am a dessert girl as well. I was not surprised to find brownies and cheesecake on her list. These are my two favorite things!

I think its wonderful that children like Yasmine are getting the chance to express themselves on their blog. They get to write about all types of things they like and feel, and to me this is very important.

Final Project 16

Additional Assignment 5

Adventures in pencil integration

Yes, I am one of the many that got completely turned around while reading the first post on "pencils." No I did not necessarily believe he was talking about pencils, but I did come out very confused. So here goes shot number 2.

Just teach them how to solve for X

This post was very thought provoking and interesting. I do believe I understand it more than I did the one about pencils. I agree with this. It takes more than just simple memorization to understand things. Using metaphors, he is allowing his students to completely understand something instead of just using it and not knowing what it really means.

Sketchy Portraits: 8th Grade Identity and Pencils

It is absolutely amazing how he can use metaphors to describe everything. A pencil is a computer, a pencil is a child. It is wonderful to read things like this; things I never thought would come together to make sense. But it does. Children are like pencils, black and white, sketchy, temporary. Especially student's at that age where they are still trying to figure themselves. Of course this can be frustrating to us, but it is something that must be understood and worked with.

He Just Likes the Class for the Pencils

This post was my favorite. No, the boy does not like the class just because of the "pencils" or the "technolgy" or the "fun stuff". It goes a lot deeper than that. I also agree that you must keep a close connection with your students. You have to have trust, respect and understanding. If you can listen to your students, you have a much better chance of getting through to them.

The Medium Shapes the Learning

To me, this post is completely relevant to our EDM 310 class. In teaching, even if you have the tools, you MUST know how they work. In order to get the full effect, you need to be aware of the best way to go about using your tools. With technology expanding and becoming more popular, you can not just have computer in the classroom and say "here ya go students." I believe this will get us no where, not if we have a certain objective we need to get across. If you have a new method of technology, you need to know HOW to use it to accomplish what you need to accomplish.

Blog Assignment 13

ALEX (Alabama Learning Exchange)
http://alex.state.al.us/index.php



ALEX was created to share educational tools and materials with teachers in Alabama. It is just a single website but it has a library of lesson plans for all subjects and grade levels, which can be posted and reviewed, and also shared between teachers. In a way, it is giving teachers a break from having to create lesson plans EVERY day. And don’t worry, the lesson plans are made to fit the Alabama Course of Study, although they can be changed to fit other states’ curriculum as well.

On the ALEX website, there is also a whole section with nothing but podcasts. This section is called the “Podcast Treasury”, and it is just a collection of podcasts that teachers created or were interested in. You can scroll through all of the new content, or you can search bases on the subject that you are interested in, like history for example.

Also on the ALEX website, there is a place where you can go to see nothing but good educational links. There are not only links for teachers and administrators; there are links for students as well. This website is pretty much all of your Google searches wrapped up in one, whether you’re looking for educational websites, good lesson plans for your class, or for podcasts that could be helpful to you as a teacher.


Access (Alabama connecting classrooms, educators, and students statewide)
http://accessdl.state.al.us/

ACCESS is a program that is designed to improve student learning through educational opportunities. ACCESS was created in 2004, and it laid out a whole list of goals and objectives that they were trying to meet even in the first year.

After reading through the ACCESS website, there were a lot of things that I found interesting. The whole point of the program is to come together to better students in Alabama. They are doing this by providing AP courses in schools for people who are interested, and they are also offering duel credit courses for college credits. I think that this is a great idea. I know that in high school, I was able to take classes for college credits and it really helped me out.

Not only are they offering more Advanced classes, they are offering more courses in general.

One thing I really found helpful is the fact that they are providing teachers with more advanced methods of technology to use in their classroom. This is something I am sure many teachers are happy about. All that means is more media tools to use to educate your students.

It seems like ACCESS is and will remain to be a good program. Although I do not know everything about it, this is something I will continue to look into.

Project 15

Blog Post 12- My instructions

Find a video, that is interesting to you, online pertaining to education and technology (that we have not already watched in EDM 310) Give the links to the videos, a summary of what they are saying, and explain why the video was important to see in a class like EDM.

Since we are in EDM, make sure the video does touch on technology in the classroom.



Learn to change, change to learn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHiby3m_RyM&feature=channel





This video starts off saying that students now days have a much more stimulating environment outside of school than they do inside school. For me, this was a completely true statement. These teachers explain how students now days learn and develop through technological devices, like social networks, internet and the computers, yet all of these items are banned when it comes to schooling. This really made me think about EDM 310 and all of the learning it promotes through the internet and other means of technology. These teachers are saying that now, technology is not an option in education. All students live with cell phones, social networks, and the internet, and its a great way for them to learn.

I love that the teachers are not just talking about the problems, they are coming up with solutions. I think it is so important that these educators understand that in order to teach your students, you have to teach yourselves and the other teachers as well. One of these teachers talks about the fact that students so not need to just memorize information for the future. They need to be able to find information and they need to be able to synthesize and validate this information.

Although I can not say I agree with every point made in this video, I think that it has some very good ideas and information. I agree, technology is not an option for future teachers. It is something that IS there and WE need to understand that and learn how to use it to teach our students th best way we possibly can.

What I learned from Project 6

After getting back my results, I realized that everyone that answered said that having knowledge of technology was important for teachers. Of all the people I surveyed, most said that they believe that they are at least a little technology literate. I also think that it is good that people said that there is still a lot to be learned and worked on when it comes to their knowledge of technology.

Since my whole survey was on technology in the classroom, I ended up learning a lot. I realized that when it comes to children blogging online, most people are wary and say that it is only alright sometimes, under certain circumstances. 

Most people also said that podcasts, like the ones we use in EDM 310, would be beneficial to students. When asked what kinds of technology they would incorporate into their classroom, I was not surprised to see that most people said they would use podcasts, blogs and powerpoints. These are the main three that I think I would also use in my classroom.

The last thing I asked was how important it was for teachers to be technology literate (on a scale from 1 to 10). I found that only one person  put less that 7 as an answer. This shows me that at least people are aware of the fact that teachers should have knowledge of computers and technology, especially since it becoming more and more popular in schools.

Summary of Responses- Project 6

Summary See complete responses

Do you think incorporating technology into the classroom is beneficial to students?
	Yes 14 100% No 0 0% People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

Do you think that it is a good idea for elementary students to record podcasts like the ones we are doing in EDM this semester?
	Yes 13 93% No 1 7% People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

Why or why not?

I think it is okay just to do voices but not videos because anyone can see the podcasts   To assist in other students learning   It allows them to interact and work as a team with other students. .I think it gets them involved and engaged in their work.    So the students can watch them and learn.interactive    I think it helps them learn if they are doing something creative with what they are learning,    It is a great way to learn about technology at a young age   It's important for students to be comfortable using technology so that they will be better prepared for new jobs.    .

When you become a teacher, what forms of technology will you incorporte into your classroom routine?
	Podcasts 9 64% Blogs 9 64% Smartboards 9 64% Social Networks for your class (facebook/twitter) 4 29% Online work 6 43% Powerpoints 10 71% Skype 1 7% None 0 0% Others 2 14% People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

As a future, do you think that smartboards will be more beneficial than powerpoints and lecture slides?
	Yes 12 86% No 2 14% People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

Explain your answer

The get the students more involved     Much more convenient   They allow more interaction..     I don't know what smartboards are.       There are more ways to use it for education.interactive      I do not think I know what smartboards are       because its not as boring   Smartboards are more interactive.  Smartboards will allow for the student to be more active        I think it might make it more interesting but that is about it.    I think they will be more beneficial because smartboards are interactive.    Plus you can still use power points on a smartboard.       I think so.      Once you know what a smartboard can do it is very interesting....

 

 

So far in EDM 310, Do you think that the projects, blog assignments, and required videos have taught you anything about techology?

 

Not really    how relevant it is today and in the future     They've showed me new options and technique I've never thought or heard of.      yes   Yeah   yes. I am more technologically literate   .yes   Yes   yes   yes   Yes   Yes,

Do you believe that it is safe for children to create a blog on the internet for everyone around the world to see?
	Yes 3 21% No 2 14% Sometimes 9 64% People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

 

 

What would you consider a "technolgy literate" teacher?

Someone who can use technology without assistance all the time    Decently so   Maybe...   I know enough to get by, but I'm learning more and more.someone who is aware of new technological advances    A teacher who knows how to use technology in the classroom    .One who knows how to use a computer and the internet    .informed about technology     Someone who can use a computer and technological tools to teach. They do not need to know how to repair a computer or program    .Knowing how to work a computer efficiently    A student who is familiar with recent technologies and can effectively implement those technologies

 

 

If you were a teaching right now, would you consider yourself a technology literate teacher?

Yes   not entirely   Yes   yes   No   yes   yes   yes   yes   yes   No   No, I think I know a lot more now than I did   Not quite there yet...   yes

 

If not, what can you do to improve your knowledge of current technology?

I do    Continue to learn      There are always new things to be learned..    Keep practicing.   yesn    If this is a if not question why is it required.   explore more   n/a   Continuing to learn new stuff about technology.   I can go to the available workshops and get more help or ask other teachers.    Keep learning from this course  

 

As a future teacher, on a scale from 1 to 10, how important would you rate knowledge of technology and the internet?
	1 0 0% 2 0 0% 3 0 0% 4 0 0% 5 1 7% 6 0 0% 7 3 21% 8 4 29% 9 4 29% 10 2 14% People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

Number of daily responses

Progress Report on Final Project

So far for our final project, I have met once with the girls in my group (Leigh, Leslie, and Hailey) and we have went over possible topics for the project. We have went over a few video ideas, but we are trying to give it a lot of thought since it is our last project. We all have been talking, and we will be meeting again next week to continue to think up ideas. We are pretty sure we will be doing another video, but nothing is set in stone yet! We are all trying to make it a good final project!

How to- Create your own Myspace page

Short Movie Project

Blog Assignment 11

First Graders in Ms. Cassidy’s Class/ Skype

I loved that Mrs. Cassidy shared this video. I think it’s great that we are able to see the way she is incorporating technology in her classroom. I never realized how much of an impact blogging can have on children. It seems like they all want to do good and write well so they can get comments. Like they said on the video, they love being able to share their work.

I think that it is so nice that not only can the teachers and classmates see it, family and friends can also see it. One child said that they get comments from their aunts and nanas. In my opinion, this is such a great way to tie in your family with your school.

The students themselves say that their writing gets better every time they post. Because they get a chance to go back and evaluate their work, they are able to see what kinds of things they need to work on.

Not only is the technology allowing them to learn, they are also able to have a good time. The children are getting chances to Skype with professionals, look through wikis, and also play the Nintendos. I wish when I was in elementary school I had a chance to do all of those things. It’s just another way to show you how far we have come over the years.

In the video with Mrs. Cassidy, I found that there really are so many ways to incorporate technology in the classroom. Like I said earlier, their class uses blogs, videos, skype, wikis, and they even have chances to play with their DS’s. The whole time, they are learning useful information in a way that us enjoyable to them,

As the semester goes on, I understand more and more of the importance of knowing about technology. It seems like no matter where we turn, things are becoming more and more advanced. I think that all teachers should have a knowledge and understanding of this. Allowing children time to post on blogs and make videos allow them to have a great, fun way to learn.

Comments for Kids 3-7

For my C4K 3, I commented on a girl named Ramona's blog. The post I commented on was a wordle that her class had to complete. They had to write a story and put it into their wordle. Her story was about pirates.

I thought that this as very interesting. Our class also had to put worldes on our blogs. I think that it is great because we are getting the chance to experience things that our students may be using in the future.

I did my C4K 4 on A child name Taylor's blog. Her and her class went on a camping trip. They got to stay up late and sleep in wagons. Taylor also said that they all got to play tug of war and go see a waterfall. I think that getting all the children together for fun activities like this is such a good idea. Not only can you learn things, but you can do it in a fun atmosphere.

For my fifth C4K, I looked through the blog of a student named Shakira from a class in Australia. She did a blog post on polar bears. It was short, colorful, and informative. Shakira just described where they live, what they eat and habits they have. I think that posting blogs like this are a great way to encourage children to learn more information about topics and then share them with friends and classmates.

After looking through the rest of her blog, I noticed a post that was on popularity and friendship. Shakira used the movie Cars to show how friendships are and what it takes, in her opinion, to have a true friendship. I thought this was very creative.

My next C4K was for a students in a classroom in Iowa. The student who's blog I looked at was Lauren. After reading one of her posts, I was a little bit confused. It was a story about a girl named Willow. After browsing through the rest of her blog, I realized that she had other posts that had other parts of the story. I took the time to read the 3 she had. Lauren writes really well and I think that using her blog to create a story is such a great idea. This is something that I know, as a teacher, I would love to do with my students.

My seventh C4K was on the blog of Chris, a 5th grade student in Mrs. Gilbert's classroom. His blog post was on what his future plans were. The post he did had a lot to do with red ribbon week. Chris said that he wants to be a football player, but he knows that he could never be a football player if he did drugs. I think that it is so good that he realizes the importance of his decisions, especially when it comes to drugs.

Comments for Teachers 3

The Thinking Stick- blog by Jeff Utecht

http://www.thethinkingstick.com/

This was another blog that I really enjoyed. It seems like Jeff is constantly hearing about new things and I think it is great that he is so eager to share his thoughts with everyone!

The first post I commented on was the growth of cells phones in places that have high levels of poverty.  From his blog post, I learned that in a short period of time, the percentage of people who have cell phones have gone up incredibly.

              “There are about 25 mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people in the least developed countries       (LDCs), according to theInformation Economy Report 2010. That’s up from just 2 per 100 a few years ago.”

I think that it is absolutely fascinating. I think it is such a great thing for people to be connected, even if it means having one cell phone per 4 or 5 people. To me,  having a way to communicate with people outside your area is very important.

The second blog I read was also about the rapid rise of technology. In this post,  Mr. Utecht was saying how strange it is to see people without cell phones, tv’s and things like that these days.  For something that has not been around too long, this is great to see. Its so good to see technolgy expanding and people learning to use it in every day life.

I completely agree,  with Mr. Utecht. Today, it is not normal to be disconnected. I am sure the majority of the population has phones and computers. It is crazy to think that this technology has come so far in such a short time.

I also agree that social networks are having more people join them. I think that they are a great way to keep in touch and I think that Facebook and Twitter are going to keep becoming more and more popular.
I am glad to see people like him that are so concerned with the growth of technology. This is something I think everyone should be aware of because I think its popularity is going to keep rising!

Additional Assignment 3

Changing Education Paradigms

I absolutely loved this! I think it is so important that he addresses the idea of the economy and education. With our economy always changing, it is hard to educate our children on things that will be important later on. I completely agree with what he was saying. A long time ago, you were told if you went to school, made good grades, and got a degree then you would have a good job and be successful. Some people do not believe this anymore. I guess it makes sense when you see people who do not graduate from high school making more money than you would someone who has a 4 year degree.  I also think it is important that he suggested the idea of ADHD, going hand in hand with school being more boring with more standardized testing. If this was true, I would love to see all of the people out West who do not have so many problems with attention disorders. There is nothing about this video that I disagreed with.

At South, a lot of these same things are going on. We no longer have people separated by gender, and we no longer separate people by age. It is not uncommon to see 30 or 40 year old people in classrooms with us younger adults learning the same things.  

I believe that as a teacher,  I can be sure to teach things in a more exciting way. Also, like Sir Ken Robinson says, teachers should encourage divergent thinking and creativity from students. Don’t teach for conformity. Encourage them while they are younger so they continue to think when they get older. More importantly, do not label and judge your students; this may only give them more of a reason to think they can not succeed.

If I were to do a project like this, I would like to be either the designer or the idea generator.

Blog Assignment 10

“What’s my Sentence?”

The two questions that can change your life

Honestly, if I had not read this blog, I know I would have never though about these two questions. The first one being, ‘What is your sentence?’ To me, this really does make sense. Like the video says, what sentence will be used to remember you? Right now, I could not tell you what my sentence was. I believe that later in life, after I have started my career in education, I may be able to tell you what my sentence is. All that I know is that hopefully, I will be able to give these children a positive, fun learning experience. I know that I want each child to want to come to class, and I want each child to push them selves as hard as hey can to do the best they can.

The other question was ‘Was I better today than I was yesterday?’ To me, this one is actually a lot easier to answer. I feel that if you are constantly educating yourself and pushing your self, then yes, you are better today than you were yesterday. If your life is a continual learning experience, and you improve yourself each day, then day by day you will find that you are growing and gaining knowledge. I think this is a sentence that teachers should ask themselves each day. If they can continually find ways to improve their skills and their teaching methods, their students will be the ones benefiting. Teachers should be constant learners, just as their students are. I believe that if each day you better yourself, you will be bettering your classroom and your students as well.

An Open Letter to Educators- Morgan Bayda

I really loved reading Morgan’s post. I too, think sometimes that some of the classes I am taking are, in a sense, “not doing me any good”. I pay so much for some of these classes, materials, and books, and then I do not even learn things that are relevant to my future career. I, like Morgan, have had the classes where you are supposed to be lectured to, read the text, and take tests. There is no interaction between the teachers and students, or between the students themselves.

To me, at least in EDM 310, we are all able to talk together when we have problems and issues, and we are also able to talk about assignments. I really believe EDM 310 has been beneficial to me. I have learned to use all types of technological tools, like PowerPoint, timetoast, wordle, and I have also learned to more efficiently use search sites and internet links. With some of my other classes, I feel as if the information I learn, like the lectures and the readings from books, will be information I lose or no longer need in a year or two. Hopefully, I will be able to successfully use these tools in the future, not only in the teaching field, but also in my personal life.

Don’t Let Them Take the Pencils Home

I think that this was a very creative idea for a blog post. If I understand right, it is not necessarily meant to be about the pencils themselves. Tom, the man in the post, is saying that completely taking something from the children (like pencils) may not solve any problems at all. He is saying that you have to use your problem to come up with better solutions to help learning. Gertrude tries to say that because of the children take the pencils home, they are thinking of the pencils are toys. Because of this, they do not use it for the things they should be. I think that it was great that instead of “Tom” agreeing with Gertrude, he proposed other solutions to the problem, like getting the parents involved in using “pencils” as learning tools as well.

In a way, this post was more confusing to me than it was educational. Yes, I think that is has a great message, but I had to re-read a few times to figure out what was really happening. I think that all teacher need to be like Tom. Use the tools you have to teach. Even if there is a problem with one of them, you can always come up with other solutions for learning.

Blog Assignment 9

What I learned this year. Blog post

I really enjoyed reading this post on the "At the Teacher'd Desk" blog. I found it to be very informative and helpful since I will be starting my career as a teacher soon. I think that Mr. McClung has made some very wonderful observations.

One thing he says is that you need to teach to your students. I know that it sounds like an obvious comment, but he is right when he says that sometimes teachers are more worried about how others are judging them, and they forget to teach towards their students. I agree, all teachers should be teaching in a way that ensures student comprehension.

Another point that he made was that you need to listen to your students. To me, this is the most important thing. If you listen to your students, they know you care about them. Like Mr. McClung said, sometimes you may be the only person who will be there to listen to them. Also, you need to make sure that you keep open communication, not only with your students, but with your coworkers as well.

Mr. McClung also stated in this post that you do not need to be too hard on yourself. Sometimes, you may get discouraged about lesson plans and activities. If they do not go right, just work harder to try to perfect them. I do not think anybody is capable of making perfect lesson plans for every single day that you teach.

Also, he stated that you need to be reasonable about your students and their achievement goals. Yes, you want to set high standards, but you do not need to punish students if they can not always achieve their goals. You need to push them to work harder and be there to help them out.

Teachers need to be life-long learners. This is a very important point. Not only will you be teaching your students, there will be times that they will be teaching you.

Since I am in EDM 310, I saved the best for last. You can not be afraid of technology. Technology is something that is available to us, and there are so many things that we can do with computers that are beneficial to our students.

I think that Mr. McClung has made some very good points. I'm so grateful that he has taken note of these things. I agree with everything he has said, and I know that these are things I will need to keep in mind when I start teaching.

The Evolution of Dr. Seuss

Additional Assignment 1

Ok for some reason I completely skipped over this on our class blog. I went back and was rereading things and I realized it has never been done.

Additional Assignment  1

2. Do at least 3 Google squared searches

My first Google squared search was on the animals. It gave me a lost of all sorts of animals, like dolphins, cats, dogs, elephants and even spiders. It gave me each of their classes, family, and species.  It is pretty interesting to see all of these together.

The second search I did on Google squared was a search of all of the presidents. Not only did it give me pictures of all the presidents, it also provided me with birthdates, hometowns, important things they did, their vice presidents, and even when they died.

The third search I did on Google squared was on the periodic table of elements. This squared all of the elements; it gave me their symbols, their atomic number and their color. It even gave me a brief description of the elements themselves.

3. Do at least 2 WolframAlpha searches

I did wolframalpha searches on dogs, and on France. It gave me an overall summary on both of these subjects.

a. What are the educational implications of searches such as Google Squared provides?

I think that this is a good tool for learning. You have all of your information in one place instead of   having to search over different websites on the internet.

b. What are the educational implications of searches such as WolframAlpha provides?This is beneficial because it gives you summaries of whatever topic you are searching. For example, I searched for France, and it gave me the mane of the repiublic,  their flag, where they are located on a map, the population, and it even gave you statistics on the ethnicities, religions, and languages. This site, like Google Squared, gives you one place where you can search and get information on everything you want.

c. Did you know about Google Squared before this assignment?

No, I had never heard of it. 

d. Did you know about Wolfram Alpha before this assignment?

No, I had not heard of it either.

e. Reread your comments about Did You Know. Have my comments altered your thinking about anything you saw, heard, read, or reported for the Did You Know assignment? If not, say so. If so, describe how in as much detail as necessary.

No it did not make me rethink. I just learned to pay more attention to the math that was used in the Did you Know video. There are a lot of things that should be paid attention to. Not just one area.

f. What did you learn from this exercise about how you react to and deal with "statistics"?

I learned that there are so many websites to go to that give you statistics. On the WolframAlpha website, it pulls up all sorts of statistics and gives you a summary of any particular subject. On the Google Squared website, you can get all of your information put into a table. As long as the statistics are up to date, I think these websites are great tools.

Food for thought- I think this is a wonderful example on how children can teach themselves without instruction. This really is a magical thing.

Blog Assignment 8

This is How We Dream

This is something that is really crazy to think about. I think it is so true when Dr. Miller is talking about technology and how it helps people talk globally, and instantly, to anyone from any part of the world.




Before days where everything was technology based, people had to rely on books and libraries to get all of their information. Of course, back then, nobody realize that it was such a slow process to receive and write down information. I know I actually thought I was getting things done fast when I could copy all the pages I wanted to. But now, we have printers which make that job so much easier. Everything is become easier as technology is becoming advanced. Dr. Miller is right; people are more likely to copy down information in a word document on their laptop than they are on a piece of paper. Furthermore, people can gain access easy with the internet and all of the sites available. It seems like to an extent there is no need to even go to a library any more. Instead of having to “check out” a book, you can just print everything you want, right offline.

Another thing is that information is always freely available online for people. If you were to go to the library and check out a book, and someone had already checked it out, you would have to wait for it to be brought back on. With the information on the internet, many people can view the same page and the same information at the same time, without a wait.

Dr. Miller talks about finding a way to be able to only use the web itself. That means no more letters, no more alphabets, just technology. This is actually sort of scary to think about. I can not imagine living in a world with no libraries and no books. It really is crazy to think that this is something that could actually happen. I know even now, technology is becoming more and more advanced as each day passes by, and before long, this whole “no alphabet” thing could really be possible.

EDM 310 is Different

Watching the Chipper video

 The message of the video is that you should do your work on time, be honest about it, and do not procrastinate.  Chipper had a problem with procrastinating and not doing her work, and she tries to persuade Dr. Strange that it is ok to be late with your work.

EDM 310 for Dummies

I think that this would actually be a good idea to have an actual EDM 310 book for dummies. In a way, that is exactly what our instruction manual is, as long as you take the time to go through and read all the information. I will admit, there have been times that I have been so confused and so stressed out about EDM, but all of the information you need is right there on the EDM 310 webpage. If you can not find it there, you can always talk to Dr. Strange, or any of the classroom helpers. They are always there to help if you get lost.

I think that both of these videos are helpful to new students. I know a lot of people feel lost, and feel confused about the class, and these videos help show that they are not alone. We have ALL felt like that at one point or another. I really liked the video on procrastination. Sometimes it really is not a problem for me to get my work in on time, and other times I am just so bogged down that I may be a little late with my posts. Unlike Chipper, I know that I should be getting my work in on time, there are just some days that I cant manage my time as good as I should, This is something I’m definitely working on and it is good to know (by reading the class blog and listening to these videos) that I am not the only one who has problems sometimes.

Smartboards- A dumb initiative?

Michael Stanton’s argument is that smartboards are a good addition to the classroom in a couple of ways, but for the cost, it is not a good way to improve learning. He claims that the smartboards are moe “media savvy” but the teacher still has to stand in front of the class, and the teacher still has a whole room of kids to keep under control.  All smartboards do is make the white board more presentable.

Another person who does not like the smartboards is Bill Ferriter. In his post, he explains that as a teacher with a smartboard, he did practically the same thing that he could have done with other tools off of the computer. He said that he used the board for a year, and he got a few creative lessons out of it, but it was practically useless.

Another good point that Mr. Ferriter made was that most administrators will say that a good classroom consists of students who are independently learning with a teacher who is there to guide them. With a smartboard, this type of independent learning is not going to be happening. You will still have a teacher in front of the class reading off a smartboard.

On the other hand…

There are other sides to the effectiveness of smartboards. One site I found who thought smartboards was beneficial was the K-12 Techsters .

The plus side of interactive smartboards

This post on the interactive whiteboards, like the posts by Mr. Ferriter, and Mr. Stanton, had very good points. Not only did they tell the advantages, they told about the disadvantages and how to turn them around.

One thing that the blog post says is that smartboards can be used for all sorts of things. They can transfer images from powerpoints or even straight from the internet. Another good thing about smartboards is that you can make interactive games for your students to participate in. This is one way to keep things interesting and fun in the classroom. The K-12 Techsters argue that having a smartboard is more likely to get students attention and keep them interested. It also provided a more enjoyable way of viewing material in comparison with a regular textbook.