Final Blog Post #15

C4K (November)

In week #10 I went to Ms. Yollis' class blog and read one of the Halloween stories that her students wrote. I was assigned to read The Sleeping Baby by Lexi. This little story was about how a little girl finds out that her grandmother is really a witch. I would tell you more but I want you to go to the link and read it for yourself. When I commented on her story I told her that it was a very cute story and that I liked it. I also told her that I liked how the baby in the story fell asleep and had to be woken up by an apple that had a spell on it.

In week #11 I went to Tauwhare K's blog and read her post called Jupiter. This post was a lovely story about her and her friends visiting Jupiter. In her story they encountered a monster that was so scary they ran from him. After they lost the creature they scared because they did not know their way back. One of the group members came up with a great idea to follow the footsteps in the dirt. After they got back to the ship they took off for home. At the conclusion of the story she woke up from her dream and went to school.

When I commented on her post I told her that her story was very sweet. I also told her that it was cool that she put descriptions of Jupiter in her story. I told her that it might have been a little easier to read if the letters where black. I also mentioned that she should read her post before she turns it in.

Project #16 Final Project

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.

Blog Post #10

The video Do You Teach or Do You Educate was so great. This video blew me away because in just three minutes they summed up what a teacher should be. This video also talked about the difference between a teacher and an educator. A teacher is someone that feels a student with a lot of knowledge and then sends them on their way. An educator attempts to lights a passion for learning inside of all of their students.

I want to be a educator that my students will trust. I want to teach in a way that helps kids know that success is not out of their reach. I want my kids to know that even the hardest things are achievable with a little hard work. This is how all teachers should feel.

In the post Tom Johnson's Don't Let Them Take the Pencils Home there are two educators talking about how a student should not take their pencils home. This is, of course, has a deeper meaning than just pencils. Students might use supplies such as computers at school and how but that does not mean that all students will abuse those privileges. For instance if you want a child to do a project on the computer but you do not want them to just sit there and play you can do a few different things to avoid this. Give them an activity that involves a website that students their age uses. Yo can also monitor what their doing as they are working. One other option is putting a strict time schedule on when the assignment is due. This will encourage the students to stay on task.

Another thing that I saw in this post is how it pointed out how standardized testing does not give an accurate scoring of a students knowledge. In this post one of the characters was trying do base a decision on the scores from this one test by itself. The information from this teats should be backed up by more accurate tests.

C4T comments #3 part 1-2

In the first part of my C4T I went to Michael Smith's post NCLB Made Us Better. He talked about the positve and negative things about No Child Left Behind. He talked about how it has improved us a bit and others had left comments that agreed with him. I told him that I think that NCLB has done more harm than good. I ended by asking if their was any thing that can be done or are our hands tied.


In the second part of my C4T I went to Michael Smith's post A Bad Day at School is Still a Pretty Good Day. I really enjoyed his post about how school can get a little boring and tiring. In my comment I talked about staying more positive. It is not any fun to be unhappy all the time so I am going to focus on the good and make the best of a hard situation.

Project #13 Smart Board Project

Blog post #9

For Blog Post #9 I decided to go with Mr. McClung's What I've Learned This Year 2008-2009 and What I've Learned This Past Year 2009-2010. In his first blog from 2008-2009 I saw that every teacher has to start from scratch and learn that do student teaching is completely different from being responsible for a whole group of people for real. He talked about how teachers need to be patient with their students and not try to hold them to an unreachable standard. Two of my favorite things that he talked about were how he told us that we need to learn how to communicate. Mr. McClung said that communication is a teachers greatest resource. I believe with all of my heart that this is true. The other point that I liked was when he said that we need to continue to learn. He said that we are always trying to get our students to learn but we are not willing to learn.

The second post that I read was from 2009-2010. He learned even more from his second year of teaching. A few things that stuck out to me was his ability to change the way that he teaches so that he can make his class a place of learning. He talked about how he started off his history class by giving them busy work and he new that he was not acting like the kind of teacher that he wants to be. He that something had to change. That is when he research different ways of teaching and he put a plan together that would help the kids to learn. He also talked about how we must learn to love what we teach regardless if we like that subject or not. Think of inventive ways to get your students excited about learning. One really big thing that really caught my attention was that what we learn after we know it all is the most important thing. We have the ability to learn every day of our lives but we have to let ourselves realize it.Mr. McClung reminds me that we all have so mush work that is left to be done.

Blog post #8

Richard Miller's videos were enlightening. He helps you think about reading and writing differently, then you ever have before. If you really sit down and think about it, how much has society gone digital?! The ever growing technological era we live in now has changed the way we do just about everything, including learning. Who writes with pencil and paper anymore? Not many people do. The majority of reading and research comes from the internet in this day and time. Books have now also taken on new challengers in the form Kindles and iPads.

Miller suggests that all educators should learn how to read and write with multimedia. We may be coming upon a time when books become obsolete. In the next few years we are possibly all going to be teaching with computers and other technology. We also need to learn it well enough to be able to teach it to our students. He also realizes that theses changes will not take place over time. He proposes the idea of changes in increments.

I agree with his take on incremental change. I believe there is an importance to learn the ways of multimedia, but it should come about slowly, but surely. One of the incremental changes he mentions is writing things with a print based and at the same time it being written multimedia based. For example, you could have a version printed in a book, and you can have a version posted on a blog. One thing is for sure, our society is going to continue to grow technologically. We need to grow with the times like all the other professions do.



Carly Pugh's blog post #12 was awesome. I really enjoyed reading it. The links she provided really gave her post some life. Her post was very informative, but also entertaining. She made it to where it was very easy to follow and gave the desire to keep reading.  Her post exemplified Richard Miller's lecture "How to Write with Multimedia". Her post was filled with multimedia, but it was not complicated at all.

Carly really gives us an example of how to write with multimedia. Before I read her post I was not really sure how to put Richard Miller's lecture into practice in and effective manner. Carly provided me with the formula of how to not only do it, but how to do it effectively. I now look forward to working on similar projects because it seems like fun.



The primary message ofThe Chipper Series was to not only do your work, but keep up with it and meet deadlines. It also demonstrated the importance of applying yourself to learning. If you do not do your work, then you will want to drop the course which could send your life in a downward spiral. The primary message of EDM310 for Dummies was to show that this course is not as difficult as students make it out to be. Any student can pass this course if they apply themselves to the proper steps and practice.

I would like to make a video of kids enjoying math. People make math out to be so complicated and frustrating. I want to show people that math can be fun while learning it. Yes math is very technical and precise with no room for error, but once a student figures it out it becomes less of a drudgery. Math is in the real world in every aspect no matter the field, so students might as well learn how to enjoy it.




The video Learn to Change, Change to Learn was very thought provoking. The most interesting fact that I have heard in this class was on this video. The statistic released by the U.S. Department of Commerce was based on their study on 55 industry sectors and their respective level of IT intensiveness. The Education sector ranked 55th, which is even behind coal mining. That is just shocking.

The fact that technology is on an ongoing process of growth throughout the world means that the Education sector should be ranked number one in IT intensiveness. IF the real world is growing with technology, how can a student be prepared for real life without the growth of technology in their education? I agree that the education sector should be pushing for change.

Project #11 Short Movie

Project #12 Book Review

Project #10 PLN Progress Report

This project has been my favorite by far. I thought that this project would be really hard but the web sight is very user friendly. I can see now how beneficial my PLN will be, now and when I become a teacher. I have found a lot of cool resources and I have figured out how to add my own resources. I am still working on finding people that will be helpful to my degree plan. I also want to find other math teachers that I can gain wisdom from. I believe that teachers should stick together and help one another to sec-seed. The PLN makes this possibly. You can take a look at my PLN my using the following link: My PLN

Blog post #7

Randy Pausch's last lecture on the video was great. It was very informative, but it was also very entertaining. He was a wonderful speaker. He was very upbeat and easy to listen to. He could really draw you in and make you interested in what he was talking about. He did a great job of using illustrations and examples. He used visuals very well. He livened the lecture up with humor, but never deviated from his points. I would have loved to be one of his students.

Randy's views on teaching were very interesting. He geared his classes toward working in groups on big projects. He would establish five projects a semester for his class. He would make sure there was a good mix of students that specialized in different departments. He would mix students from Art, Design, Drama, and CS randomly choosing teams per project. Each group would have two weeks to design, implement, and test their projects. At the end of each project, he would mix up the students into completely different groups for the next project on the schedule.

Randy believed in focusing his teaching on group projects because in the real world, especially in the entertainment technology field his students were in, they would work in teams. The fact that this was a master's degree also fueled his theory for the group project in his classroom. He believes in the four year's previously working on bachelor's degree, each student should have read all the books they needed to. He believed in challenging his students to work on actual projects and take what they have already learned in school and put it into practice.

I agree with his take on teaching. I will go further to say that group project learning is even great in undergraduate school. It is never too early to learn how to work in a group and how to coexist with a team. People have equal chance to learn from other students as they do with a teacher. Other people's ideas and skills can help you achieve your goals. How many times have you heard someone say something, or watch them do something and say to yourself I have never thought about it that way before? I have those experiences all the time. All and all I really enjoyed the video and hope that I can implement group projects in my own classroom one day.

C4K Summary Post(September)

I have enjoyed getting to see real students use blogs, videos, PLN's, and wiki to learn more about the world around them. I have talked to several kids.

I commented on a class about how great their letters to Lucy were. The kids were writing letters to tell Lucy buffet how happy they were and thankful for their field trip and iPads.

I commented on Andrea's, post about where she wanted to go and why. She talked about how she wanted to visit Paris. In her post she talked about how shse wanted to see their museums and learn about their history. I told her how awesome her idea was and how I hope that she gets to go one day.

I also commented on Gina's blog. I watched a video that she made about the importance of a blog. She talked about how a blog is good for showing people what you are learning and so much more. I agreed with her and told her that a blog is also great for meeting new people and learning new things.

Getting to do these C4K have been a great opportunity to see how other teachers are using this technology to improve their classroom. I hope that I am able to learn more from them so that I can use all that I have learned in my classroom.

Project #9b Wiki

Deena Martin and I did an awesome Wiki for project #9b. We hope that you enjoy it. To view Wiki please click on the link. My Friend Lucy

C4T comments #3-#4

I visited the blog of Mr. Chase and I read his post of Autodizactic. I can tell right away that he is a person that wants to make a difference in our schools. His blog post talked about how him and his team are working on changing K-12 grade libraries. He talked about wanting to challenge his team to come up with the best ideas possible. I am glad that he actually wants to take this position seriously. Someone needs to see the need for change in schools.


My second visit to Mr. Chase's blog I read about his theory about small schools are all around better learning institutions than large industrialized schools. He says that small schools help teachers function as a group better. He believes it allows them to plan together and focus on the same goal. He also suggests that they prevent any particular student from falling through the cracks because of the closer relationships with the teachers. He makes hints that he believes they should get rid of the larger schools and break them up into smaller schools for the benefit of he student and the teacher.

I responded to the post and said that I like his idea in theory, but would be to hard to pull it off. Funding would be a major obstacle. Government regulations on public education is a problem. But I do agree that smaller class settings would be more beneficial to students and their ability to learn. He has proven statistics that says smaller class settings produce higher graduation rates.

Project #8 "Podcast"

Blog post #6

       

          When watching Wendy Drexler's The Networked Student I saw and herd a lot of great information. I enjoyed how you created the video. I have never seen one done this way before. I also enjoyed the drawings of the little people. The way that you presented this information was the best way that it could have been done. If you would have tried to read every little point then people would have lost interest. This way people want to find out more for themselves.

         The story about the young boy is very relavent. You can describe one of my classses the same way. I think that the information and knowledge building tools could help any student with any subject. One of the most important parts about building your knowlege and your network is the people that you fill it with. We must open up and meet new people so that we can learn from others mistakes and knowledge. You are able to find wisdom everywhere and in everyone if you are willing to look.


           The part of the video that asked if a networking student even needs a teacher was a great ending to this video. It shows how there is still a need for teachers. The only thing that has changed is the way they teach. A teacher should not just give the dtudent everything and expect them to memorize the information. The Teacher should teach a student how to build their network, give guidance, communicate properly, distinguish between good and bad information, and so much more. All of these things are meant to help the student develop and maintain a helpful network.



           In the twenty-first century classroom, kids are using technology as a fun activity and a great learning tool. A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment is a video of how kids are being taught to use there minds and creating their own learning environment. Their learning environment should be made of their teachers, parents, sources on the computer, and any other person that has more knowledge of their particular subject.

            If I compare her learning environment to my learning network we would see some similarities and differences. A PLE is all about learning new things and a PLN is all about expanding the group of people that you know so that you can have well rounded ideas and examples for your class or place of work. For instance, I will continue to build my PLN because I will use it when I teach to have a well rounded way of conveying my lessons to my class. I will use the information that I get from my network to better my class and way of teaching. I do think that a learning environment can turn into a learn network if the person continues to use it.

Blog post #5

    Scott McLeod’s Don’t Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please? I saw a serious side and a side that was a bit humorous. He brought out good points to do with how dangerous technology can be. Even though these things are true we cannot stay away from technology. We must educate kids on how to use this great resource the correct way.

     Past students also made the point that cutting technology out of our lives is not an option. We can use school computer classes to educate children on the rewards and consequences of using the technology. If we teach kids and monitor their use of the computer then we can be aware of what they are doing and there is no room for kids to break the rules.

    Scott McLeod is a very well educated man with awards in educational technology. He is a part of the academic group that is dedicated to the technological needs of schools. He is dedicated to seeing schools become more technologically literate.

    In Travis Allen’s The iSchool Initiative and Zeitgeist Young Mind’s Entry I see a person and a team that is dedicated to changing the way our schools teach. I had the privilege of having Travis Allen as my C4T one week. I learned so much about his ideas on why schools need to chance and how this change can happen. His iSchool Initiative is a well thought out program with great potential.

    I was also blown away by his video showing all the technology that is out there waiting to be utilized. One thing about this idea is that everything that we would need to start the initiative already exists. All we must do is use it. I look forward to teaching math and using the resources available on the iPod touch.


     My very first impression of Jennifer Chamber's Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir video was how innovative the concept was. To have that many people who have never met in person sing a chorus of that complexity apart from one another is very extraordinary! This video is a very good example of how the internet can be used for anything in today's society. Today's rapid growth of technology is very impressive. Almost every situation in today's society is limitless.

    If any professional in any field says that nothing can be done in a certain situation, it is either because of a regulation or a financial barrier, not because the technology is not there. The innovative ideas of the use of the internet is constantly evolving. The more people think, the more ideas actually become possible.


    In Kevin Robert's Teaching In The 21st Century he talks about how in our world today you can not get away from technology. He also says that if we do not educate our students on the internet than they might learn from the wrong person or try to figure it out themselves. We have got to take our role as teachers and do our jobs.

     I do not know if I 100% agree with all of his points, but I do know I agree with him to a large part. I still believe that there needs to be some in class teaching on facts and information, but we can also teach them how to further their education with all the resources in technology. We need to teach them where to find good and true information, and how to look deeper into things to find answers. As technology evolves, so will teaching and we will all have to adapt to it.

Project #9a "Time Toast"

C4C comments on #2- #3

The classmate that I was assigned was Vicky Nelson. Vicky Nelson's blog We both agree that time management does not come naturally to either of us. Vicky is better than me because she is able to make a list of the things that she needs to do and she does it. I am still working on seating aside time everyday to do my work. We also agree that EDM310 is giving us a run for our money.

I also read that her father was almost diagnosed with cancer. My family has also had a run in with cancer. My grandfather died of cancer about two years ago. anyone dying from cancer is a tragedy.I hate that Randy Pausch died. He was a very intelligent man that contributed a lot to society.



This week when I went to Vicky Nelson's blog I saw comments on the ways podcasting can improve our classrooms. She made a great point that teachers can use podcasts for students that miss class. I agree completely that podcasts would be a great asset for make-up work and lectures. She also made a good point about how students could use the podcasts for more than just make-up, they could use them for their study habits. I think they could listen to the lectures multiple times and it would be a great way for them to retain the information. All and all her assessment of the article was correct in that this technology is useful for the classroom.

I also saw her comments about an article that described third graders using technology such as podcasts, blogs, and Skype. She was excited about the opportunity to use these things in her own classroom in the future. I share in her enthusiasm about this because I believe the sooner you can get kids turned on to technology, the better it will be on them later in life. She also went on to say that article she read opened her eyes to the ways she could use her iPod for studying. I think that it is great that she realized that because in actuality iPods are capable of so much more than what we use them for. Downloading and listening to music only pales in comparison to what they can do.

My Sentence Movie

C4T #1- #2

I have had the honor of conversing with Travis Allen on his blog. The past two weeks I have seen how hard working and intelligent this young man is. His ideas about making schools paperless are very well stated but they will not happen over night. I think that this is a fact that he is well aware but he will not let the difficulty of this task slow him down.

He has made short term goals that will eventually change the way school is done. His vision is one that many should jump on and follow. If I had the money I would give to his cause but for now I will show my support from my blog.

Blog post #3

Kelly W. Hines's It's Not About The Technology" really surprised me. It is not like most articles I have read about technolgy in schools. This article addresses the things that we must do before we can expect student and schools to change. I like this new look on an overdone topic. It reminds me of a Sunday school lesson that taught me to change myself if I wanted others to change.

I think that her four different ideas, to create a better learning environment without all of the technology, are well thought out and realistic. The only thing that I would have to disagree about is the part where she says that it is the teachers fault if the kids do not know the material. In some cases there are teachers who try everything to teach a child a particular thing and the child still does not know the material. This is why we can not say that it is ALWAYS the teachers fault.



Karl Fisch's Is It Okay To Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher? was a very bold blog. He is definitely not the only person that is passionate about this topic either. The comments that I read were rooting him on. I can also say that I agree with him 100%. If our children are using computers to do homework, for fun, and even in their future jobs then we need to know how to use technology to benefit them in the classroom.

As a future teacher myself, I want to use whatever I can to tech my class the curriculum. This brings me to my next point. I was blown away by his Fisch's comment about how we should not teach a subject but we should teach students and we can not do that without technology. This is so true. We must teach our students using materials that are relevant for today and things that they have grown up learning. Kids are practically handed cell phones when they are born. They tweet that they need a diaper change instead of crying. Our kids know all about computers and everything to do with them. We are supposed to teach them so we should know even more than them.




Gary Hayes's Gary's Social Media Count is not very surprising. Everyday I drive by people on their phones or I see tones of people on their computers. It just lets you know that this world has changed in the way people communicate and live. Our world is moving forward every day. Evidence of this is how quickly new technology is created.

In this type of world we can either get on the train with everyone else or get left behind with eight track tapes. A question that we should ask ourselves is, should we be ashamed of the numbers on Gary's media count? I think that it shows how far we have come and how we have accepted this world future. No one knows where this technology train will tack us.



Michael Wesch's video A Vision of Students Today almost made me cry. I just want to say well done to the people that did this video. I loved it when a video has a purpose. This video shows the world that we can not continue to do things the way they have always been don. We have to make changes that will enhance our lives.

I can relate to most of the points that this video had. I have spent way too much money on books and some of my teachers just wright a tune of information on the board and they expect us just to scribble it down and remember it. I would rather have notes on line so that I can read them before class and be better prepared.

When you start collage people tell you that you should expect to be in debt when you get out and as a student you can not make much money so you have to live off of Ramen Noodles. We have to do something to improve a students chances of surviving collage.

Project #5 Google Presentation

Blog post #2

                                         
Video #1
I can remember when only few people had cell phones. I also remember how it made me feel so special when someone sent me a letter in the mail. Some people may also remember how it took forty-five minutes for the computer to come on and the computer itself was as big as the microwave. Times have changed and now technology is the foundation of our world. In our society today if you do not have a computer or a phone then you are out of the loop. The level of technology in your life and country represents how advanced and intelligent we are as a people.
   
            Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod's video, "Did You Know 3.0", reflects the fact that according to our country's level of advancement we are very low on the list for technology, education, as well as other advancements. The video that they created is to make people aware of how advanced we are as a country compared to everyone else. Their video is very effective at making people aware of our situation and making them want to change it. I would love it if we could be as advanced as other countries and on the cutting edge of technology; however, I do not want our country to become less personal and separated from each other because of technology. I believe that we could find a happy medium.

Video #2
           That was such a crazy video. This video was a slap in the face to our school districts that the world is speeding by them on the train to play a part in this world if we do not adequately prepare them for what is out there in the real world?

In Matthew Needlemen's Mr. Winkle Wakes, he shows us the truth about our schools being outdated and irrelevant. We need to fill our schools with the technology that they will see on at their future jobs. We also must train our teachers to use technology as a resources for their classes.


Video #3
           
                      Sir Ken Robinson's The Importance of Creativity, was my favorite video so far. He is very well rounded man and he is so funny. What he talked about makes a lot of sense. Schools are focused on filling our heads with a bunch of information, and if we are not that type of student then we fail. We should all be well rounded in how we live and learn. We should encourage schools to teach and train our whole bodies and not just our heads.
           
            Mr. Robinson  also made a great point when he said "we should not be afraid to fail." If we do not try new things because we are afraid to fail, then we will never do anything worthwhile. All great artists, musicians, and CEO's started at the bottom, and had to risk failure to get to the top. We have got to let our creativity reach out past what the world says is normal.

Video #4
         
                       Cecelia Gault carries herself in this interview with Sir Ken Robinson like she is an adult. Scholastic article It is very impressive how grown up she acts. Because of how she carried herself, it makes me want to believe what she says. She also asked really good and intelligent questions about how we can improve our schools.
           
             The key to improving our future and raising kids that have an excellent education like Cecelia Gault is teaching them. To teach them we, as the computer generation, must step up and lead the generations to come. The video talks about how all of us together make up our creative world. It is going to take all of us working together to improve our curriculum and many other things in our schools.

Video #5
              Vicki Davis: Harness Your Student's Digital Smarts
                    Vicki Davis and her video Harness Your Student's Digital Smarts, was about how she has used her students' love for technology to help them to learn. She is trying to show other teachers that we can use students' knowledge of technical things to teach other students and even their own teachers a few things. Ms. Davis also encourages them to research information that they do not know. Students do not just need to depend on their teachers to tell them everything they should know, but they should research their own.
           
              This is my kind of teacher. My whole career in school, my teachers could barely turn on a computer. Everything was so old fashion. Kids have so much technology around them and schools are punishing them from using it. I agree that kids should pay attention in school, but they would pay attention if the teachers would use something other than paper to teach with. You are not going to keep kids from using their phones in schools, so we should just use this to teach them.

         

Project #2 wordle

About ME!!! Blog Assignment #1

        My name is Sarah Powell. I am Twenty two years old and I have been married for two years. I have lived in Alabama for most of my life but for four years I lived in Mississippi.One thing that is very important to me is my family. I have a very large family and we are all very close. God has blessed us so much. No matter what we are there for one another to help each other threw hard times. I have two sisters and they are both married with kids.
 After graduating from Magnolia Springs Baptist Academy I spent some time overseas. I went to South Africa and to the Philippines on missions trips so that  I could spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of these countries. This became my heart. When I returned home I began classes to get my credentials in ministry. When I became a certified minister I took a children's pastor position at a church. I am still a children's pastor today. I wanted to do even more with my life so I went to Bishop State to become a secondary math teacher. I decided to use this job as a way into countries that do not allow missionaries to minister freely. This is a very dangerous job and there is a chance that my husband and I could lose our lives. This is a risk that we are more than happy to take. We want to live our lives in such a way that people come to know Jesus as their personal savior and friend.
        My favorite thing to do is watch movies. There is nothing like cuddling up on the couch with a bucket of popcorn and a good movie. Before my best friend died we would get together and watch movies together and make cookies. This is probably one of my favorite memories about her. Some of my other favorite things are anything mint, coffee ice-cream, mashed potatoes, and my dog coco.


                                       Time Management


Randy Pausch's time management video was very informative. He spoke of how we must set goals for ourselves. He said that he gets up every morning and makes a to do list for the day, week, and semester.  Doing all of the things he suggested will defiantly give us less stress in our lives. He also talked about how procrastination is something that most Americans have to deal with. I personally always thought my mother was the worst procrastinator in the world but I guess that is not true. I would definitely suggest this video to every that I know especially my mother.


*I want to say a special thank you to Pamela Todd (Spring 2011) for Suggesting this this video to EDM 310.