Project 15

Final PLN

There has been so much that I wanted to put on Symbaloo. I couldn't think of everything, but I did fill up my spots with what I look up the most. I have Facebook and Twitter on there of course. I added all the wiki's on my Symbaloo, but I even found a KidsWiki, which I believe will help me in the future. I put USA on there because that is my main site that I go to. I already had my sports page up and my shopping, but for quick and easy access I put Walmart, Target, and Best Buy on there. This is so I can see if they have any good deals or have any items I am looking for. I could always look and wish I had the money to buy it. I tend to get lost a lot so I made sure that I had two types of maps on there, so I used Mapquest and the Google Maps. I have been told that MyPlate is a really good resource to get our students to eat healthier, so I added MyPlate. Like I said I added a lot of buttons on there, and they all mean something to me. Every button makes my life easier, and I use it a lot. Symbaloo is now my homepage it just makes life a lot easier!

Brian Cosby

I had no idea what the video TEDxDenverEd by Brian Cosby would be about.

As I watched I was thinking oh goodness it is going to be someone lecturing! I should have known, especially from this class, that even a personal speaker can be interesting, and he was! I laughed and was engaged the entire time. I was watching and taking notes wondering what I could learn from him. I learned a lot more than what I thought I would. Brian Cosby talks and presents some very interesting points. He talks about his classes and how that they are at risk secondary language students. He shows a couple questions that he asks his students and how many got them right. To be honest it was a little upsetting that only 3 of them knew what country they lived in. Mr. Cosby showed that if you do not give up on student. Every single student is bound to surprise you and others.
Many people would have called these students of poverty and would make excuses for them not knowing some information. Mr. Cosby said that every student has the right to receive knowledge! This is what he gave each and every individual learner. As I watched this video I saw all of the ways he taught his students such as; digital cameras, blogs, interactive whiteboards, and laptops etc. He used every tool he had to make them engaged and want to learn.

Using a giant balloon filled with helium and watching it take off with the camera. Being able to blog about it and watching it in real time with Google maps is just amazing! It just proves that technology is just the future of learning.
Younger students want to be heard, recognized, and commented on. By using Skype, blogs, and other useful tools they can. This will make them want to collaborate not only in the classroom, but also outside it as well. This is what any teacher wants to work towards. This helped with Mr. Cosby’s students with writing their “High Notes” and stories about if they were the balloon with language accuracy. To all the teachers who do not want to accept the technology all I have to say is watch the proof. It really does help the students and that’s what we are working for.

A Vision of Students Today

The video A Vision of Students Today really speaks to me. I am the student that is looking at Facebook in class. I am the student that has to pay for books and never open them. We have all of the issues and problems that can be solved by using the technology that is here. By using the tools that have been given.

As a teacher, we can save our students from paying more and being less engaged in our classrooms. We can do this by letting them use the resources that they already have (Google, Facebook, Cell phones, etc.). Teachers have the power to make class interesting, they just don’t. I’m not saying it is their fault. They are told to follow a curriculum and that is what they do. I think that there is ways to make every class interesting. Instead of using books let the students make a wiki or have them make a blog. Keeping our student s separated and keeping them as individuals instead of combining them together.

C4T Final Teacher

First Week

Mrs. Edna Sackson is the publisher of “What Ed Said” website. I have had the great opportunity to comment on her blog the past couple of weeks. The First week that I read her blog she made a survey for all teachers to take. This survey is to figure out how to improve the learning and teaching environment. To take what is working for teachers and keep it and what isn’t and throw it out. I explained to her that I thought this was an amazing idea. We need teachers to come together and talk about what engages the students and what makes them want to learn more. This way that when future teachers come in they are not hit by a lot of road blocks. I explained to her that I know that everything doesn’t always work for every particular teacher, but at least we would have some sort of idea. This idea would help formulate a good teaching style to work with. I told Ms. Sackson about flipping the classroom. I asked her if she had ever heard of it, and I explained what it was. I told her that it would be a great way to get the students to be more interactive.

Second Week

The Second post that I commented on was Mrs. Sackson showing a video asking students what creativity is. She got numerous responses and all of them different. I told her that I really did enjoy her video. I thought the students were very creative in their responses and they sounded very articulate. I discussed that what one student found interesting and creative another might not. This is why creativity is so unique and personal. I think that it is sad how creativity is lost. Once the students get to middle school and high school they have to fall in line with everyone else. This just keeps thing simple for the teachers at hand, but this makes it difficult for our students. I told her that we need to have students learning the material by interacting with other students, and being able to create things.

Final C4K Summaries for November

C4K 7

On November 1st I went to Dr. Vitulli’s blog. There she was discussing how she was in Ireland and how great of a time she was having. She also was discussing some of their great art works. She asked us to interpret a painting that she saw and place it in the beginning, middle, or end of the story. I discussed how I thought the painting was during the middle of the story. I explained that the two people in the story seemed to be upset and that the gentleman was going off to war. The fair lady did not want him to go and was trying to hide her tears, so her face was turned. I got into a little more detail and said that the soldier died in battle, and at the banquet for the soldier’s death she meets another. This is only to find that her beloved wasn’t actually dead at all!

C4K 8

On November the 6th I commented on a wonderful little boy’s blog named Zeth. Zeth created a wonderful blog post that had a dozen of informational facts about Alberta. He had pictures, links, and videos on the page. He discussed about the animals and the plains that are located up there. I told him that I thought he did a great job and that I would love to know how he made it. I told him that I loved wild animals and watching them in their natural habitat. It in a sense is very peaceful and relaxing. I gave him a couple facts that I knew, such as; Alberta makes up the most populous region of Canada.

C4K 9

On November 13th I wrote a comment on Kyle P.’s Blog. On his blog he was discussing what you should do if you find out about a surprise party. You either tell them that you already knew, or you act very surprised. Kyle said do not act surprised if you are not a good actor. This could be very bad if everyone found out you were faking it. I asked him if he wrote this about himself. Maybe he had a surprised birthday party that he found out about and he thought about his choices. I explained that he was right about really only having two choices when finding out about a surprise. You don’t want to disappoint anyone because they went through all of that effort to surprise you. On the other hand if they found out you were faking it they could be very upset.

C4K 10

On November 20th I commented on Hannah’s blog. She discussed about Veteran’s Day and how it is a holiday to celebrate the soldiers protecting and serving our country. She discussed that she was proud to have someone serving in the armed forces. Also, she wants everyone to make sure that they celebrate this holiday because if it weren’t for them we wouldn’t be as free as we are now. I told Hannah that I too was also proud to have many people I know in the armed forces. I agreed with her about being able to walk around freely because so many have sacrificed their lives to make it safe for us. I gave her some factual information about how at first it was not Veteran’s Day. It originally was Armistice Day celebrated after WWI, but when WWII happened the country made it Veteran’s Day.

Final Progress Report

I have a wonderful group, which includes: Jessica Mose, Stephanie Tisdale, Anna Faggard, and myself. We have been able to communicate through text message and on the phone in order to work on our project. We have over half of it done already! We want this project to be very enjoyable to we are trying to make it humorous and serious at the same time. This is because we want our audience to be engage and be able to learn from our message. Like we have witnessed in many of our blogs if a student is not engaged they will not pay attention. We hope that this video will help future EDM 310 students. Our group will be meeting right after Thanksgiving to finish up our project.

Blog Post 12.

During the past few weeks I kept thinking about what I would have wanted Dr. Strange to do in our class. I had no idea what I would have wanted him to do. There is so much that we have learned and accomplished so far in this class. We have learned how to make book trailers, movies, how to use a green screen, blogs etc. I finally decided on what we should do after thinking for weeks. I love how IPhone, IPads, and IPods have really cool apps. Especially ones that are helpful for school! When we were asked to pick which app would be most useful I couldn’t decide. I then thought to myself “why not create my own?” and I did. We talk about how we want our students to follow what their assignments are. What is better then something that always goes with them? For my assignment I created my own App, and this is how I did it.

•I went to mobile.conduit.com

•Click Create App.
•You will be asked if you have a website click no.

•Then get started creating your app. Remember you can change the style and format of the app.
•After you have finished click Save and Continue.
•You will be brought to a new screen. You will be asked to sign in or to create a new account, please do so.
•Your app will be displayed, but not put into the market places.

Unfortunately you will not be able to have your app in the market places unless you pay for it, but it will always be saved for you if you ever do want to use it. It is quite easy and fun to do. Just make sure you have an open mind and be willing to explore! If you would like to see how mine turned out, or to get it on your mobile device you can click here

Ms. Cassidy and Blogging

Ms. Cassidy started off with 5 computers, no programs, and the Internet. She wanted to be able to incorporate the computers into the classroom some how. I mean what is the use in having computers if you don’t utilize them? So she decided to look on the Internet for something useful. Wouldn’t you know she found blogs!

She found that she could coordinate homework assignments, information, and writing assignments on one simple website. She was able to become an Internet guru and found other sites and programs to teach her students. One of these amazing and useful programs being Skype By using this program the students were able to talk to not only other students, but also different types of professionals. She described that she would have been able to do all of this without the support from the technology coordinator.
Ms. Cassidy made it known in her video that she is very pro technology! Which is great we have to move with the times. Paper and pencil is going out of style, so to speak. I had no idea what blogging was until I got into this class. I didn’t realize how much it could do for not only the students, but for the adults as well. As a parent, being able to see my son’s online portfolio would make me feel more at ease with his learning experience. This is because I would be able to see what he is learning and how well he is learning it. Not to mention he would love writing his blog. He is already starting to take my cell phone and he is only one. No, but seriously having an audience is what students strive for. They want that attention and to feel like they are doing a great job!

With positive reinforcement and ways to keep them engaged we will get father with them.
For all of those teachers who think that they can get away with teaching old school, get with the times. Technology isn’t going away EVER! We are going to have to grow with it. This means to put the pencils and paper away, and get out the laptops! If a teacher is to keep teaching their old ways then they a literally handicapping themselves and their students, which isn’t fair. Not to mention if this is going to get your students to do their work and do it without a fight why wouldn’t you take advantage of it? The students wants the whole world to see what they are working on, which means they will be working harder and making it better.
Another great thing that Ms. Cassidy mentioned in her video is that you have to start with what works for you. I love Facebook I am on it probably about 6+ times a day. I know Facebook, and when Dr. Strange mentioned this Twitter thing to me I literally said “OH GOD NO!!”

Now I feel like an idiot because it does help me in some situations. I am still not a pro, but I do see the perks in having one, so thanks Dr. Strange!
Blogs are useful in every classroom and every subject. Blogs can be used for announcements, information, and resources. There are a lot of ways to cheat in a classroom, but because they are on a class blog there is a better change there won’t be any. Blogging is just another way to view information. I think that we are going in the right direction in for learning we have to make sure that we push our students to do the right thing. They need to choose the right links to go to, write nice things to others, to learn, and have fun!

A World Where Grades Don't Exist

In the article A World Where Grades Don't Exist I think that Dr. Thrun brought up some very valiant points. I think that he is not trying to replace in classroom teaching. Instead I think that he is trying to expand the way of learning and the learning environment. Expansion, to me, doesn't mean that we need to get rid of the old material. It just means that we need to bring in some new material. I did really like the idea of not having to pay for classes, or having to pay a small fee. I don't think that anyone would have a problem with free things. As a struggling parent of one this would be a miracle.

I do agree with Dr. Thrun when he states that we should not be the ones to tell the students they whether they are doing well or not. Unfortunately the Board of Education and School Administration requires us to give grades. Now, I love technology as much as the next person, but I am not the kind of person who doesn't want a grading system. I'm not saying that I have to grade every detail, but if a student wants to know why if they turn everything in on time and they do it to the best of their ability and they get a B. What will you tell them? "I'm sorry I didn't find that you did it well enough" that just throws everything out the window. How can we expect our students to not have a grading system, and to tell them to do it to the best of their abilities.Then turn around and say I'm sorry I don't think this is the best you can do. Who are we to judge the best of their abilities?
On the other hand I do not want to be Mrs. Picky and have to have every detail broken down. I do not want to grade a piece of art work and say I'm sorry that line is not straight enough, Sally you will receive an F.

I think grades are important and essential in the classroom, so that the students know whether or not they are on the right track. Because in real life the think that they are doing their job to "the best of their ability" or "until they know how to do it" they will end up losing their job. Like I said I think that he did bring up some very good points. I just don't think that a couple of them would work for me as a student or a teacher.

Summaries for October C4K# 3,4,5,&6

C4K 3

On October 5th I commented on a student’s blog named Courtney. She discussed about how she found 9th grade more difficult than the 8th grade. She felt like she didn’t know anyone and that she was on the bottom of the totum poll again. She was thinking about what changes her quality of life, and thought about her hobbies. I explained to her that highschool is a new experience and that everyone has ups and downs. I explained that as long as she takes things one step at a time and keeps her head up she would be just fine. I explained that a lot of things could change her quality of life such as her friends, new scenery, or new teachers. It is what she does with it that will make her quality of life great.

C4K 4
On October 12th I commented on a group project about globalization. They explained that there are pros and cons to having globalization. They mainly focused on how the workers are treated and how the working conditions were. I told them that there are a lot of pros such as ways to communication, cultural, and food. I explained that working conditions are very bad, but unfortunately the only ways to change that is by consulting with the higher ups. Unfortunately we can’t change the way they are treated only they can.

C4K 5

On October 17th I commented on DJ Carmel’s blog. He was discussing a little about himself. His likes and dislikes. He explained that he liked old school rap and basketball. He didn’t have any other blog posts, so I commented on this one. I told him that I agreed with liking older school rap because it had more meaning. The words are what caught the ear of someone. Not the beat of the music. I explained that I am not good at basketball, but I do love watching it. I asked him his favorite team and told him that mine was the Celtics.

C4K 6

On October 24th I commented on Jackson’s blog. He had a discussion about a book that he had read called the “Outsiders”. He talks about a character named Sodapop and about how he is very close to his brothers and hates it when they argue. Also about his great sense of humor and his determination. When I commented on his blog I explained that I had never read the book, but I was very good at interpreting them. I guessed that he was the middle child and that he is a lover not a fighter. Also that he is great at what he does and he doesn’t let anything get in his way. I asked if Jackson had any siblings or if he was the only child.

C4T Summary Teacher #3

First post

In Ms. Diane’s first post she talked about the art of listening. How it is desperately needed in schools and in other work environments. She listed a couple of strategies that could help with increasing a students listening ability. One of the examples she gave was giving them a personal story of what happened when you didn’t listen and what was the consequence. Another was to get them into groups and have them listen to their partner and repeat their sentence. She explained that not only is it just good manners to listen, but it is also beneficial to. This could help them with their reading and listening for a longer period of time.
I explained to Ms. Diane that I agreed with her statements. I explained that I had to do some of the strategies that she was listing with my younger sister. I told her that when I am subbing there is nothing more aggravating then when a student refused to listen. Either that or bushes you off and does what he/she wants to anyway. Listening will help everyone, adults included. This is why we should start them young while their brains are easier to mold.

Second Post

In Diane’s second post she posted about how optimism is a must in the classroom. She talked about how student’s minds are changeable, so if we enforce optimism they will in turn use optimism. There are a lot of rewards to using optimism such as the student’s creativity and turning in assignments in on time. She discusses that optimism is more about the effort put into the assignment. Where as pessimism is their ability. If the student’s feel that they aren’t going to do a good job then they are not going to give the assignment any effort. This will then make their grades become lower. Diane also discusses some strategies that are helpful such as R.A.D.A.R., Deal with it, TNT, and delete. R.A.D.A.R. stands for recognize, assess, dispute, alternative, and rehearse. Deal with it means for them to take care of the problem right away. TNT stands for The Next Time, which means student’s learn from what they did wrong and fix it. And delete means to get rid of the negativity.

I wrote to Diane that I do agree with her on optimism being a must. I said that many teachers and parents do not always show their optimism, which is why students do not do well. Even if there is one person in their life showing their optimism this will help the student out. Pessimism can have a lot of consequences such as: procrastination, bad grades, and late assignments. The students do not believe that they can do better, so they do not put forth the effort. We need to be able to say to the students that they are doing a good job, and that we are proud of them. If there is no positive reinforcement why would they try to work harder? Even if there is not others in their life that show optimism there should be at least one person. One smile can make a room full of smiles. Smiling is a lot easier than a frown.

Blog Post 10

I’m a Papermate, I’m a Ticonderoga

I find the comic “I’m a Papermate. I’m a Ticonderoga” , by John T. Spencer to be very interesting. This comic literally puts in perspective of higher end technology versus lower end technology. The only thing is that it is stating the pros and cons for each.

The papermate is cheaper, but it breaks all the time. So that would be great for someone who wants to not spend a whole lot at first. The only downside is that they are going to have to keep replacing the Papermate. Now, with the Ticonderoga it states right off the bat that it is the most expensive piece of technology. The positive side is that it will not break easily and it is for “hipsters”. This means that it is the coolest thing around. So in perspective, even if a person pays for the cheaper technology now it will end up being just as expensive, with the repairing and replacing, as the higher end technology with one buy.

Mr. Spencer’s Post

When I was reading Why Were Your Kids Playing Games by Mr. Spencer it reminded me of when I sub. Students walk all over substitutes because that is what they think that can get away with. Substitute is just another word for babysitter to them, but if the teachers start leaving us something fun, such as; the “Fun Factory”, we can integrate learning and fun. This way students will be more willing to learn not only from their teachers, but also from their substitutes.

If we just give them a book and a worksheet and say “Go at it”, most of the students are going to ball it up and the piece of paper will end on the floor. I think that the principal had no right to tell the teacher how to teach his lessons. I say good for that teacher! We need more people like him because he knows what will get the kids engaged. It is almost as if the administrators do not care if the kids are engaged just if they are memorizing information. Hey I got news for you! That doesn’t work! Students do not want to be lectured all day. They get bored and frankly I would to. Give them something fun! Don’t make learning miserable!

After reading the Con Academy I asked the questions why are there teachers? I mean I know there are billions of answers out there, but what is the main answer. Oh yeah! TO TEACH!! Why would we bring in a bunch of worksheets and packets, and lets call it for what it is BUSYWORK, when we are there to teach the students?

Students do not need or want busywork they want to be engaged! They want to have fun while they are learning. In this blog post it almost seems as if the principal doesn’t respect his decisions at all. I mean come on! You have to see that this Con Artist of a man just wants your money. Yea its “free” now, but it won’t be later. Besides later may be to late! Students do not learn from worksheets and packets. They learn from interacting, visual aides, and group projects. Give them a worksheet and it will be crumpled on the floor or in the trash. Forgotten.

What Dr. McLeod thinks

I think that Dr. McLeod has made a very clear point in his post Don’t Teach Your Kids This Stuff Please . Technology is reaching new heights and there is no way to stop its growth. So instead of waging war against it, we should all just embrace it. Let us use the resources to better ourselves.

No, not everything on the internet is factual and knowledgeable, and yes there are some bad sights. But that is not all that is out there. We can make sure out students are on the computers for learning and resources not some good porno. Teachers can sort out the facts from the fiction. There are ways of preventing bad behavior and actions! If we do not use the internet then we are losing a valuable resource. When Dr. McLeod stated that his students will be the ones with a leg up in a decade he is being honest.

Project 14 Smart Board

Project 11 Under the Sea