Final report on PLN

My PLN has grown to become my source of everything that I use on a daily basis. It is now my home screen when I go online and I have even made it my own by change the look of it.. I did not like the boring background so it changes with the seasons. As you can see, it has a winter background right now. I have learned many things about my PLN that make it easier to navigate.

Some of the things I have learned about my PLN are how to create a new tile, how to customize my tiles, how to delete or create more pages to my PLN, how to find already made tiles, and how to find already made pages for my PLN. There is a specific place that you can go that will let you use pages that people have already made. These different pages have themes so that it is easy to find what you are looking for.

All of these things that I have learned are helping me organize information better and create my own way of studying, plan for different things, and communicate with the people around me. I have already begun to suggest this web-site to others. After this class ends I will continue to use my PLN in school, my future classroom, and my everyday life.

Blog post #14

I went to Jose Picardo's educational blog. Under the resource button on this blog was a list of many resources for teachers. I was amazed at all of the things that are out there that I did not know about. I can see now that even in EDM310 we have not used a fraction of the resources that are out there for us to use. This list can also be a great resource to build my PLN.

I watched Jose Picardo's video Top ten tips for using technology in the classroom. This video gave a lot of useful information that all teachers can use. In this four minute video Jose went through a list of ten things that will help us in our future classrooms. These ten things were Use Streaming video, Use music more often, Use teleconferencing tools, create your own interactive exercises, use your interactive whiteboard more effectively, Create your own podcasts, start a blog or wiki, use social networks, use internet tools, make the most of your pupils' gadgets. All of these things are important but must be used in the right way.

Out of the ten points a few stuck out to me more than the others. One of them was using the teleconference tools. An example of this type of tool is Skype. It would be great to be able to Skype your teacher if you had questions during the weekend on any homework. Another one that stuck out to me was number ten. It said that we should make the most of our pupils' gadgets. I have always thought students should be allowed to use their cell phones in class if they use them in a way that helps them to learn the assigned material.

Blog post #13(Option 2)

In option two of blog post #13 we were asked to read the New York Times post My Teacher Is an App by Stephanie Banchero and Stephanie Simon. The article talked about the public education system becoming more cyber. Online classes have been offered by universities for years and now the trend is starting to grow in high school and even all the way down to elementary school. Many students across the nation are now taking at least one online class and the number of students taking full class loads online continue to increase as well.

There are pros and cons to online learning. Results recorded by students' test scores widely vary. Many politicians and school board higher ups would like to see more students taking all online classes. I whole heartily agree with one suggestion in the article that states that the blended class loads should be more highly endorsed. I believe that students should be expanding themselves in technology and take some classes online, however there should also be a time when students come into a structured classroom setting and be able to interact with their peers and ask questions to teachers to help with their studies.

Why We Use Metaphors

A metaphor is a figure of speech in which an implicit comparison is made between two unlike things that actually have something in common. People invent metaphors to describe things and concepts in very vivid ways. Metaphors have been used for a long time. The Bible used a specific kind of metaphor called a parable, in which a whole story based on practical situations was told to illustrate moral lessons. The comparison is made between the physical world and spiritual world. Metaphors are used to help people understand a point trying to be made.

College students sometimes concentrate too much on facts and statistics and do not look at the causes for those facts and statistics. They focus on what is right there in front of them instead of searching for any underlying meanings. The same could be said for culture and society as a whole. The only way metaphors would work better if the beginning said that this is a metaphor, because our society does not have the attitude to read things a second time and follow through. People do not want to put additional effort into anything, even if it means a gateway to greater understanding.

Project #15(Fantastic 3)

C4T #4

For part of my C4T I will be visiting Michael Smith's blog and talking about his postThe Secret to Being a Great Principal When I commented on his blog I told him how I was always very scared and intimidated by my principal. I also told him that one of my principals always looked at us like we were the lowest beings on earth and he was appointed by the gods to rule over us. After telling him a little bit about my experienced I told him that he was right about how a principal should be seen but how he or she is seen is also very important. They should want to be seen as stern but fare.


For part of my C4T I will be visiting Michael Smith's blog and talking about his post Raising students and my kid. In this post he talked about having to choose between helping build a new school or spending time watching his daughter play a basketball game. I told him that no matter what he should choose family over work because work comes and goes but family is with you forever.

Skype Interview Project # 14

C4K #10 (Part #1)

Exploring Mrs. Yollis' Classroom Blog was awesome. If someone is looking for a good example of a blog then this is the place to go. Mrs. Yollis has created a world for her class to learn and explore. She has partnered with different classes so that her class can be well rounded. This bridges the international barriers that exist between different cultures. Her kids are able to get feedback from kids around the world about their work and any questions that they might have about that person's country. Mrs. Yollis is the one that has made all of this possible for them. She also uses her blog to praise her kids for doing charitable thing and doing a great job on their work. This is one of the reasons that her blog has won so many awards.

Mrs. Yollis is also continuously learning new ways to use technology in her classroom. Unlike some teachers, she knows that she must continue to learn new things so that her teaching methods coincide with what the kids are experiencing outside the classroom.She even asks her students parents to give her ideas on things that she could improve or do differently.

One thing that makes Mrs. Yollis different is that she uses technology to make her classroom as big as she needs it to be. Her class extends across boarders and thousands of miles of ocean. She has not only made a difference in the students in her class, but students around the world. She is spreading her love and appreciation for technology around the world using her blog. Her blog has been viewed 71,972 times and EDM310's blog has been viewed by 48,816. These numbers represent 165 nations that have visited Mrs. Yollis' class blog. These numbers are very inspiring. Her blog is not just a place to talk about what her class is doing each week, but a doorway that the world needs to walk threw. This doorway leads to unlimited possibilities for future teachers and students around the world.

Blog post #12

Assignment

In the past blog posts, we have covered how we must introduce technology to young kids. This is still not good enough. Watch "A Vission of K-12 Students Today" by B. Nesbitt. What parts of this video stick out to you? Do you think that this type of education is out of reach? In your opinion, when should students begin to work with technology and be taught how it works? Follow the requirements in Writing A Quality Blog Post .

Reply To Blog Assignment

When I watched B. Nesbitts'video A Vission of K-12 Students Today I saw a lot of important points. One of things that stuck out to me was when the students talked about how long they spend watching TV, listening to iPods, reading, etc. I also saw how the kids said that they are expected to know how to do all of these things that are not taught to them in a classroom. They are learning them on their own. The kids also brought up a good point that if they learn by doing, what are they learning just sitting there?

I do not think that the teaching, that these kids need, is out of our reach. Teachers do to be inventive and use the tools that they have and the skills that students already have to create an environment of learning that encourages using technology. This type of teaching should start when kids first enter school. My nephew is only two and he knows how to change the channel on the TV, turn on the computer, play his little DS, and put a movie on to watch. If a kid can do so much before they enter school, than it should be possible for kids to begin using technology in the classroom when they start school.

Progress report for final project: Group "Fantastic 3"

We have decided to explain and show how Gmail, Blogger, Smart Board, and Symbaloo (PLN) are great resources for current teachers and those to come. We will break down each program by using Debut to show our audience how the programs work and how they can be useful to teachers.

Blog post #11

In Ms.Cassidy's videos First Graders in Ms. Cassidy's Class and Skype Video With Ms.Cassidy she exemplifies the use of technology we have been talking about through the duration of EDM 310. Her work is more than just theory. She puts the use of technology in education into practice. As a result, her classroom has become highly successful. I admire her for stepping out ten years ago and taking a chance with this work when no one else was doing it. I like how she has the links set up on her class blog so her students can make easy use of it.

I think that all teachers should take a similar approach to teaching as Ms. Cassidy. Kids have much more capability for learning than we give them credit for. I think that it is great that Ms. Cassidy has all of the support that she has gotten. One of the obstacles standing in the way of revolutionizing the American education system to be more technological is support. In order for us to change this thing, we will need support from the federal government, school districts, school administrations, and even parents. Many parents in the U.S. would be fearful of their children's safety, but if we assured them we would design it the way Ms. Cassidy has it set up, then they would come on board.

C4k (october)

In week #1 I was assigned a random student which was student number 5. I saw pics of science lab equipment and I talked about how you must use them carefully and follow directions. This week I was also assigned 6th period #23 "Jaelynn". We talked about her liking science, talking, and her friends. I told her my favorit subject and how i also like to talk.

In week #2 Giselle's Blog , I read his post about why he likes to write. I incouraged him on how great writing is and how should write everything that comes to his mind.

In week #3 Ireland by Zapahanata I looked at Zapahanata's about his home and important buildings there. He had a video of him walking to those places. He created the pictures in the video. I told him that he was doing a great job and that the only advise I could give him is to make his video slower so that you could see his pictures better.

In week #4 I went to Mr McClung's class blog and commented on their October tenth post Creating a Timeline. I watched videos about creating a timeline using time toast. I talked about how I have used time toast in EDM310. I also talked about how it makes doing work fun.