Project #8

Project #10

The Right Tool

          I am an elementary major and I lean more to the Math subject so I searched for tools I could use to teach Math. While researching Gliffy turned out to be an interesting and helpful tool for teachers of any grade. This tool can be used in presentation, organization or a learning project for students. Gliffy gives you options between blank templates for charts, diagrams, flowcharts, website designs and even floor plans! I feel that as a teacher I could use many of these blank templates during lectures to help students understand how to use and apply different charts and diagrams to help out in all subjects.

Blog Post #6

The Networked Student

         Wendy Drexler created The Networked Student to better explain connectivism. Connectivism is the theory in which learning occurs as part of a social network with many people connecting through technology. This video talks about a high school student with a Personal Learning Environmentsthat highly resembles students in EDM 310. EDM 310 students are learning through Personal Learning Network. This student only goes to the school one day a week and the rest is completed online. Textbooks will soon be in the past and using Connectivism will introduce students to more extensive ways to gain knowledge.

          Sites mentioned throughout the video are helpful when researching. Many of us hasn't made the connection that iTunes has access to audio and video pod-casts that are not only entertaining but also educational. In the video the student used his resources to view lectures made by different professors around the world. He can reuse information he found in blogs to educate his followers. The network student has to use information management daily. He has to be able to know the difference between his Google, Delicious, and Skype accounts. Classroom time falls around this.

          Why do we need a teacher? Why not Google it? Google has answers for just about everything but we still need teachers. Teachers are there for guidance and they help students communicate properly with the world. A teacher catches the mistakes a student would make throughout a blog whereas Google will not. A teacher also shows the student what information is worth having and sharing when Google gives students the good, the bad, and the ugly! Teachers will be around even when technology takes over. People have to have guidance, Don't they?

Blog Post #5

Krissy Venosdale's School

         Krissy Venosdale is a teacher who cares a lot for creativity in schools. She believes that once you finish learning you are finished teaching. In her example of the the perfect school Krissy Venosdale has a wonderful idea for a creative and easy flowing learning process. The school is there to grab the attention of the students with neon colors and tree houses in the library. Her school allows students to learn at their own pace and advance when ready. Krissy Venosdale's school not only focuses on the students but the teachers also by having colorful signs in parking lots to remind them of how lucky they are to be a teacher.
         I love the use of the comfortable setting she wants to give the kids.I believe that the environment in which the students are in plays a major role in how much they are interested in what they are being taught. If I could create my own school I would like to focus on teaching the students how to "learn". I would like touchscreen computers in the walls of the colorful hallways. So they have the world at their fingertips. I would like to involve the students in more hands on experiences throughout the community. That way they can get a feel of the skills being taught. I would have assistant teachers in every classroom. I would encourage students to take in consideration of their surroundings and the community in which they live. I would make the children realize that people make the world into what it is so they should take precautions of their actions.

I am a blogger

          When reading Jennifer Chambers post it made me realize the difference between a person that blogs and a "Blogger". When blogging you are doing it for one of two reasons: have to or want to. In her situation she saw something that was interesting and immediately posted it for the world to see. While doing this she realized that she didn't do it because it was an assignment but because she enjoyed hearing it and wanted to share it. A blogger post videos, articles, and information for the knowledge of knowing not because they are required to.

Eric Whitacre's choir

          Jennifer Chambers had an amazing discovery of Eric Whitacre's choir. This choir was organized completely through technolgy. It is so neat how Eric Whitacre was able to unite people from twelve different countries and create a choir that looks like they are all in the same place. The sound is magnificent but doesn't come close to the complexity of the arrangement of different videos placed together as a whole. This choir is a perfect way to show that we can be one even if we are separated over many miles.

Teaching in the Twenty First Century

         This presentation broadens the idea of teaching. What should we expect when teaching in the twenty first century? We are no longer teaching the what, when, and how. All of this can be found on the internet. Yes children can teach themselves the facts but can they really understand the concept without a teacher helping break it down? In the twenty first century teachers are wasting time if they teach the facts when the students can access them alone. Teachers should be focused on teaching children how to apply the skills they have been taught. Adults in general need to teach the younger generations how to consider the situation and determine the best decisions to make.

Flipped Classroom

         Katie Gimbar's, Dr. Lodge McCammon's, and Ms. Munafo's you tube videos were useful in explaining what flipping is. When "flipping" the teacher takes the lecture out of the classroom and sends it home and changes homework into classwork. This allows the students practice using computers, additional access to review lectures, and more time in the classroom with the teacher to go over questions. In this process the students are able to grasp more information in the same amount of time that is allowed in class during the day.
          I believe that this technique will be beneficial to my classroom and plan to use it in the future. I want to extend the time I get to interact with the kids so that I can see who needs more help on each topic. Flipping my classroom is also a good way for parents to see what their children are doing in class and they could participate more in the learning process.

Project #6 iMovie

Project # 5 Presentation

Blog Post #4

Langwitches

          Langwitches gives an example of how to create a working podcast. The podcast shown has the students reading "Dinosaurs Before Dark". While recording you can hear the excitement and enthusiasm in their voices. The students are shown following along with the recording which shows they are interested. Not only were they paying attention to the reading of the scripts but was also paying attention to the way their voices sounded on the recordings.

          I think that having students create podcast together gives them a window of creativity. They can chose how dramatic the "actor/actress" is and become that person. All students work at a different pace in reading so to have the students interact with the rest of the class as a team is an improvement for the subject. I would love to have my students create pod casts.I believe that allowing students at a young age begin with podcast is a great way to introduce them to technology.

Pod Casting with a First Grader

          The impact of the second grade students made the first graders want to create their very own podcast. The interaction of the world made an impression on them and made them want relate to the same experiences. While recording, the first graders sat back and waited their turn and was interested in everyone else's role. The podcast gives the students a chance to think about what is being read. Comprehension is a big deal for first graders.

         I think that the skills the pod cast offer is beneficial. It really makes me happy to see students excited to learn. This also gives them a chance to interact with children all over the world. I wish that I had something like this when I was in first grade. I plan to try and use this in my future classroom and I plan to bring it up to my son's teacher since it would be beneficial for their age group.

Flat Stanley

         Flat Stanley interested me because my son just received a paper for him to create his own flat Christian. The students learn a lot when reading the notes and letters sent back from family and friends. This assignments allows the students to see the differences and similarities of living conditions relatives have from us. When students complete a flat Stanley online it not only allows them to see the U.S. but different countries. This project gives them a better understanding in geography also by looking up where the people are from.

          This is such a neat idea for students to do especially for children that are young. When young children realize that "home" is so small compared to the rest of the world they take notice that their options are unlimited! I would love to use this project in my classroom one day. I am interested to see the response we receive for my son's project I could only imagine the possibilities for twenty or more students!

C4T Post #1

          Scott Mcleod's blog is up to date and ready for debate. One blog that he shared was the future of MOOCs, Massively open online courses. Dangerously Irrelevant discussed that these courses will take over universities because they are more convenient and less costly. The colleges that are able to stay open will charge students even more for tuition because less students would attend these schools. The article also suggest that while the schools slowly close they should offer extra testing facilities to provide for the students attending MOOC's. This article should make people aware of the changes that is happening before our eyes. Will we be teaching ourselves through online courses?

          Mcleod posted two videos that presented the difference in teaching today with the way students were taught in past years. Technology is on a rise. and jobs that will be offered in years to come are still in the air so how can we prepare our students for these jobs? Community Involvement and Students Approach is a good way to look at how teachers should handle the transformations that is happening before us. Community Involvement is a simple way in which the teachers of this particular community give the students a chance to give back to the people in their town. Students were able to build and make projects on their own which gave them a chance to learn the task by experience. The second video goes into detail of how teachers should let the students be creative and design projects from scratch. The men allowed the students to design their own website. Each website had interesting ideas that adults get paid for!

          I believe that both post were amazing insights as to what to expect in the future. when thinking of MOOC's I think that people will decide that they are not the best idea. Which in turn will open schools back up. I hope that these ideas don't trickle down to the elementary schools as does other ideas because what would the teachers jobs be. Would there be any jobs left? I like the thought of being able to take the classes online at a cheaper price but what is the long term effects? Are they really worth it?

          On the next blog with the students taking control I believe this has got to be the best idea yet. What better to do than to allow the students think for themselves with a little help and direction from the teacher. There is no limit as to what the students have to offer. As a teacher we should always be open to new ideas because the more creative we get the more room the students have to grow.

Special Blog Post #1

          Yes many students did misinterpret the data given in Did You Know? and I was one of them. When reading Dr. Strange's post of misinterpreting the data and discovering a few things out for myself from the Wolframalpha Search I have changed my thoughts on Did You Know? It is definitely the population of the countries that the statistics have derived from. The skills or abilities Americans have has nothing to do with the numbers that are shown in the video. I found that ranked number one in the world is China with the population of 1.35 billion people, following in second is India with 1.21 billion people and the united States comes in third with 309 million people. "It is estimated that 18 million Chinese speak English now and 300 million are learners So...if the "learners" do learn English there will be more people in China speaking English than the ENTIRE population of the United States". This statement is true since the total of the two is 318 million English speaking Chinese and there is only 309 million people in the United States but what is this saying? Nothing other than numbers and statistics, the United States is just as smart. I found that the literacy rate for the United States is 99% whereas China is 93.98% and India is only 62.75%. I also found that the United States is ranked second with Internet Usage. China is in first and India follows in third. I believe that Wolfram is a useful tool when wanting to find the statistics or numbers of any given situation. I believe that within a classroom this site should be in the favorites file. It will help not only me as the teacher stay up to date but it will give the students useful information at a click of a button.

         The Media count is an interesting tool that demonstrates the media's very own time clock. Each second the media count changes. The amount of money made worldwide is constantly on a rise with different types of technology. I can see how much time is wasted on video games just as quick as I can see how many pirated movies were made.
         This is a neat tool especially if you want to show your students how quick the world is changing. The numbers never stop. Every decision they make in life affects a number somewhere. I believe all future teachers can get a small grasp as to how quickly things change by watching the count of different topics gradually becoming larger. Whether we are prepared or not, the world is constantly transforming into the future!

Blog Post #3

Peer Editing

         The three web links;

What is Peer Editing?, Peer Edit with Perfection Tutorial, and Writing Peer Review with the Top Ten Mistakes give great detail as to how peer editing should be completed. Each website discusses the three basic steps to peer editing which are compliment, suggestions, and corrections. Each web link expresses how compliments should always stay positive. When giving suggestions one needs to be specific as to what’s wrong. One should know the best way of giving constructive criticism but also receive it.

         When watching these videos and power points I realized there are a few things I can work on. I believe the children in the video gave great examples of the people we deal with even in college classes. People are so afraid to speak their mind because of rejection but what they don’t realize often if it is taken as constructive criticism it can only make you stronger as a student.

The Mountbatten

         The The Mountbatten video made me think of Sir Ken Robinson and the thoughts he had on creativity in the classroom. This video focuses on using technology in the classroom and thinking outside the box when teaching. Every child is different whether by looks or by disabilities. This video shows how these differences shouldn’t determine how far a child’s mind can go. A student’s weakness should not hinder them from doing what other students do but instead give them a different way for them to learn.

          I believe that the thoughts that are presented in this video play a big role in education. One never knows what tomorrow holds so how can you prepare for it? Simple, open your minds to new things. If more teachers would open up to technology the students will follow. Students would become more interested in the lessons they teach.

Education for the Blind

         Technology has come a long way in the past ten years. In the three videos Teaching Math to the Blind,Ipad usage for the Blind , and Teaching Mom we can see how much easier education can be for the blind. Researchers have found that instant feedback is best when teaching a blind child. The new program for the Ipad allows the student to simply drag his or her finger across the screen and says what’s happening out loud it. Although blind people learn differently it’s easy for them to learn the simple steps of how to tap the screen a certain ways to get to what they are searching for.

         I feel that the new innovations that are offered can come in handy when teaching. The possibilities for students to learn are endless if given the right tools to work with. The Ipad for the blind can help many teachers by making it easier on them and the students when teaching. I plan to use Ipads in my classroom in the future but for all I know with technology rapidly changing they may be required by that time.

Harness Your Students Digital Smarts

         We give paper and pencils to paper and pencil students but what do we do when they are not paper and pencil people? This Video briefly describes a classroom setting that revolves around technology. Vicki Davis has set the bar for other

teachers. This teacher from a small town in Georgia has connected her students to the world through blogs and other media. She believes that her students are learning when they show that they have become comfortable with the technology they are using. She has even admitted that her students teach her from time to time which shows the students you’re never too old to learn.

         I believe that all kids do learn differently and that means you have to teach around the students individuality. I look up to Vicki Davis; her classroom is how I want mine set up. I would love for the students to come in every morning open minded ready to learn. The idea of “customizing projects” is perfect for the students that learn differently. I want them to be curious and to want to learn. As Dr. Strange would say “Learn how to learn.” If every student took the initiative to try to find out the answer there would be many more independent learners. There is so much information out there waiting to be researched. We as teachers need to push our students to acknowledge the world around us.