Timetoast Timeline Instructional Project #9b

Blog Post # 6

Networked Student

By: Wendy Drexler

I can relate to the student on the video. I am also learning how to go to the different networks such as blogger, wikispaces, etc.  I then can communicate with people all around the world. People all over can read my post anytime, anywhere. I can share my thoughts and concerns and have people comment on what they believe or don’t believe.

 I also believe that it is important to have a teacher to be able to properly and effectively teach students how to use the different networks. The teacher(s) give advice on the best networks; give instruction, and insights or guidance when problems may arise.  Teachers are not just there to teach but make sure that students learn what they are being taught so in turn students will be able to carry that with them as they leave the class.

 I am still learning and will continue to learn more about networks so I can possibly carry some of the different networks that I have learned how to use and use it in my classroom. The only way that I can be prepared to be a teacher of a networked student is for me to be prepared when it comes to knowing how properly use and demonstrate the different networks. I still have a good bit to learn when it comes to all the different networks that are around today.

Mr. H’s Seventh Grade Student

The seventh grader did a great job when creating her PLE. She sure has her PLE very organized and can use it throughout her classroom experience. I really enjoyed watching and listening on how she created her PLE. She had a great idea of listing her school tiles on the bottom of her PLE and her other interests outside of school at the top. That way she would be familiar with where everything she needs for school is located. I feel like she is a very organized young lady and knows how to use technology. She sure did a great job showing how she used her PLE throughout her Science class when it came to doing presentations and looking at the agenda for her daily assignments. She also mentioned that her class was a paperless class just as EDM 310.  

Smart boards

Personally, I have never used a smart board but I have only heard good things about them. While reading Mr. Michael Staton’s post about smart boards being a dumb initiative as well as Mr. Ferriter, I have to disagree. Although they did make some very interesting points about smart boards being expensive as well as others. Only through my ears and not experience do I know that smart boards can be very useful in the classroom. Smart boards can possibly help the students be more involved and can get their attention better than just using the chalk board. Children are amazed at what they see and when using the smart board the teacher is using his or her hands to exemplify what is on the board. Children’s eyes are amazed at what is going on and using the smart board could possibly encourage the student(s) to become more engaged in the classroom or classroom activity. I have also heard that it only takes a short time to learn how to properly use a smart board and I believe that using a smart board can possibly make responsibilites on the teacher(s) easier. Teachers already have a large responsibly when teaching so I believe paying a little extra is not only worth it for the teacher but also for the student.

Here is a link that I found that had some opposing views of smart boards being a dumb initiative by Mrs. Paxon.  She commented on "Why I Hate Interactive Whiteboards" by Bill Ferriter. http://www.edweek.org/persona.html?U=930536&plckUserId=930536

I also have a link of a friend of mine that I met last semester and here you will find her thoughts of using smart boards. Scroll down until you reach the post entitled critiques of smart boards.

http://broadusbrookeedm310.blogspot.com/

C4T# 2

C4T#2 Post 1

I was assigned to read and comment on Mr. Chase’s post entitled, “Things I Know 37 of 365: I am uncool.” I really enjoyed reading his post because I could relate. In his post he talked about how in school when he was younger he felt as other students were advancing to the next level. What I mean by that is, he said that when he was being just like the other kids playing tag he saw his friends smoking. He also said how being labeled “uncool” allowed  him as a teacher to try new approaches and new projects in school and be accepted for it, even if for years he had been labeled as uncool.

I responded to Mr. Chase by saying how I admired him for being so called “uncool.” I told him how I believe that being uncool led us to where we are today. Even though we may feel as though we are walking this path alone, usually this is not the case. More than likely at some point in a person(s) life he or she may feel as though they were alone. I also mentioned how we as teachers should set examples for our students and that we should not care what others think of us, even though it may be tough at times. We must stand strong! I told Mr. Chase that whenever we have a bad day, as a teacher we can walk in the classroom and because children are so loveable they can lift our spirit, even though the children may not know that they are doing so. This is one of the beauties of teaching! Children accept us for who we are whether cool or uncool.

C4T Post # 2

I was assigned to comment on Mr. Chase’s post entitled “Things I Know 52 of 365: My classroom should be as democratic as twitter.”

Mr. Chase’s post was about how the classroom should be more democratic. He suggested that we should read the book written by Sam Chaltain’s entitled, “American Schools: The art of creating a democratic learning community.”  He also spoke about how when reading this book he thought back on how the role of democracy was used in his classroom. He also mentioned how much of the work in his classroom still has more conformity than he would like.

I responded to Mr. Chase by saying that I believe that having a more democratic classroom would be a great idea. I told him I like the fact that the teacher would then be able to hear the students' sides so to speak. I also said that I like the idea of having students' being included in certain things. I mentioned how sharing in decision making can be a great thing. It could possibly allow the students' to feel that they contributed to making the classroom a fun and good place to learn. I feel that if the student(s) feel that their ideas or opinions are valued then they will not hold back when it comes to being involved in the classroom.

C4K Summary 1,2, and 3

C4K #1 Ms. Lugrin’s  Class Blog

Asessippi ski trip

HER COMMENT

Snowboarding at asessippi was awsome becuse it was my first time and i did good for my first time.  I liked it but i didnt like the times i fell cause it hurt. I like snowboarding more then skiing. i didnt like how you have to unbukle your boot and then when you get to the top you have to bukle it back up. But that is the way to snowboard so i have to do it. that is all about my first time snowboarding.

MY COMMENT

Hello Jocelyn!!!
I really enjoyed reading your post about snowboarding. I have never been snowboarding or skiing before. I am glad that you enjoyed snowboarding. I am sure that I would fall too especially for my first time. Just think though, if you ever get to go snowboarding again you will know exactly what to do!! You will probably be a pro the next time. I am going to leave a link at the bottom of this post so you can contact me if you would like

C4K #2 Mr. St. Pierre’s Class Blog

I think 18/39 I lost track

HER COMMENT

Too bad I was absent,it is just not fair,i get sick and
and exciting things happen and I’m just not there.
Changing seats or a new assignment,
because when I absent my classroom is full of excitement.

At home I lay there sick in my bed with a thermometer stuck in my mouth
and happy not to be at school,while everything you can dream of is happening.

You get no news just the blues after listening
to a classmate that just rubs it in,boy
i wish i wasn’t absent.

MY COMMENT

Subika,
You did a really great job!! I absolutely love your poem. You are very creative. When I miss class I feel like new things happen when I am not there too. Just think though, whenever you go back you can catch up on the new things that are going on and there will be other days that new things will occur. Just keep up that creativity and you will go far

C4K #3  Ms. Helen Squire's Pt. England School’s Class Blog

HER COMMENT

My name is Htawara I am 9 years old. I come from Burma. I like school.
In the holidays I played with my cousin at my house with the ball. His name is Pambala.

MY COMMENT

Hello Htawara!!!

My name is Tiffany Blanton. I live in the state of Alabama in the U.S. I also enjoy school as well. I am going to school to be a teacher. I guess I really like school since I am going to school to be a teacher. You, just continue to enjoy school and make good grades!!! I really enjoyed reading your blog. It also excites me to know that you are from New Zealand. That is awesome!!!

Project # 10 PLN Progress Report

 

My Personal Learning Network or PLN is going great! I worked on my PLN through Symbaloo. I really like the idea of having a PLN, it makes everything so simple and allows easy access to the websites. I actually liked using Symbaloo. With making a PLN through Symbaloo, the setup was very easy. I am sure that I will add more tiles later on. I added some useful tiles that I have learned to use throughout my EDM experience. I added some of my friends blogs as well as the EDM blog. I added these blogs to be able to have easy access to them. A majority of my tiles that I added are very useful while in the EDM310 class. I also added a few education tiles and hopefully will be able to use this PLN through my entire teaching experience.

Blog Post # 5

My summary of learning to podcast

I had never really heard of or tried this so called podcasting. I can actually say that for this week's project I had a full dose on what podcasting is and how to do it. I also can say that I used a Mac for the first time working on this week's project. I have to pat my own back for that one. I don’t mean to boast but I am proud. I can now actually say that I have used a Mac, have a twitter account, have a blog, and know how to make a podcast. Boy am I getting technologically smart!!!

 

Eagles’ Nest Radio Podcast by a third grade classroom

When listening to the podcasts done by the third grade class it showed me that they are so well educated. The students were so entertaining! In episode 3 the students talked about roman culture and it taught me a few things that I did not know. When listening to episode 2, the students just stunned me just as much as before. They talked about different explorers. When listening to this podcast it brought me back to when I was in the third grade and was learning about the famous explorers that were mentioned.

One podcast that stood out to me was the one about how many sharks are being killed throughout the year. She stated that there were over 60 million being killed. I absolutely had no idea that so many are being killed. The third graders taught me some interesting things about sharks.

These third graders absolutely know what they are doing when it comes to podcasting!

Langwitches

Mrs. Tolisano with the help of Mrs. Khur came up with the idea to allow podcasting when it came to learning Language Arts. I can see that the two teachers put a good bit of work into doing this. I admire both of them for stepping up and trying out a 21^st century tool. Lately from experience, I have learned podcasting is a really neat thing. Everyone should give it a try, at least once!

These teachers are doing a fabulous job and we should follow their example and try to keep our students engaged with the new ideas, such as podcasting. The students need to get into the 21st century. How can we as teachers expect for the students to get up to date if we don't get up to date?

The Benefits of Podcasting

Mr. Joe Dale is talking about the different benefits of podcasting. Here is the list of benefits that he briefly stated:

• an effective way of interacting with students outside of the classroom
• a form of learning students of today are familiar with and therefore makes it relevant to them
• it allows for differentiation and project based learning
• students can access the higher order thinking skills in Bloom's taxonomy
• it promotes creativity and innovation
• it can offer distance learning opportunities for absent students
• the process of creating and uploading audio files is easy
• students can record role plays in character making their learning more memorable
• parents can see and hear what their children are doing at school

I like how he stated that podcasting can be used anytime and anywhere. A student or students can definitely use this to their advantage. If a teacher uses a podcast to show students the class calendar, schedule, homework, etc. this can be very helpful. The student can go on and listen anytime of the day regardless of where they may be as long as they have a computer. 

 I definitely will consider either a podcast or web page due to students being sick or other reasons kids miss school. Podcasting in my opinion would be easier because talking is easier than just typing but I guess I can include a little of both! From watching my brother’s experience with forgetting his books, homework, or just missing class I believe podcasting will possibly eliminate the stress on the students as well as the parent or guardian. This is a very creative and up to date way for parents to see what is going on in the classroom.

Project #8 Podcast

Project #9a: TimeToast Project

Project # 6 : This is My Sentence

Blog Post # 4

Don’t teach your kids this stuff. Please?

Mr. Scott McLeod is from Ames, Iowa. He is a associate professor and a CASTLE director. He posted a blog entitled, "Don't teach your kids this stuff. Please?"

When reading his blog my first response was he really dislikes technology. As I continued to read a second time, I realized exactly what he wanted his readers to understand about his post. Mr. McLeod's blog post is about how technology does have very bad negatives. Examples include; children looking at porn, chatting with people who they absolutely do not know, cyber bullying, etc. What Mr. McLeod was trying to get across is that we, as soon to be teachers should educate our students on how to properly use a computer. Being taught about how to use a computer can possible eliminate some of the problems that occur when using a computer. I also spoke about how technology (computers) can have its perks. Everything has perks and negatives but if taught how to properly use something, it can be used to our advantage.

The iSchool Initiative

The post done by the highschool senior, Travis Allen entitled, " The iSchool Initiative" is very interesting.  He makes very interesting points. He talks about a new step into helping classrooms with the advancement of technology. I see myself as a very organized person, so I like the way there are apps for certain things, such as agendas, lunch menus, grades, emailing their teachers, etc. It just seems to make everything easier. 

He did an excellent job on researching all the information on the different applications that are available and also how much it would cost for the iSchool initiative as well as the cost of school supplies now. He mentions how this initiative would help the enviroment and save the school money.With technology advancing as frequently as it is, it would not surprise me to see this iSchool initiative occur. My only question is, will elementary students be able to do this?

Lost Generation

 This video is amazing! She really caught my attention. While listening and reading along, my first view is, this story is horrifying. After she began reading the story backwards it made me smile. It is amazing to know that someone is so talented to be able to make two stories, the first being negative and the second positive, out of one just by reading it backwards.

Unfortunately, the world can always take a horrible turn and unleash all the negativities that she mentioned when she first began reading. For example, letting work become more important than children and family. This should tell us that we should take a stand and make a difference because we do not want to get to the point where we have to worry about families splitting up and work being more important than our families.





Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir and Jennifer Chamber's postI found this video to be spectacular. I did not realize at first, until reading the post that the the people performing the Lux Aurumque had never practiced together. Just knowing that the people came together through the use of the internet stuns me. It sounded so beautiful and one would think it would take weeks or months of practice in person. This video just shows how something so beautiful was put together from people all over with just the use of the interent. Technology is a powerful thing. Without it, this video or performance would not be possible.
Thank you Jennifer for becoming a blogger. Without you becoming a blogger, you probably would have never came upon this great video. Very inspiring!! Before starting this EDM310 class, I never really knew what a blog was, how to blog, or use twitter. I have always heard of blogs, blogging, twitter, etc. but never really had the urge to give it a try. Now that I am figuring out what to do I am learning lots of new things and can teach others, who may be afraid to try it out.

Teaching in the 21st Century
What does it mean to teach in the 21st century? Technology, technology, technology!!! As teachers we must make sure that students know how to properly use computers, twitter, etc. First, we should make sure we know how to properly use it before teaching the students. Technology is not the bad guy, it is the person who has no idea how to properly use it.
Computers can be very helpful but we must educate the students on where to go to the internet to find accurate information.

Children  use to look for teachers as the main source for knowledge. Now, there are so many ways to get the answers children are looking for anytime of the day. There are so many networks out there to answer the many questions that the children may have. The only problem is, is it accurate? Wikipedia for example is not a good place to look for problems. I have always been taught never to use Wikipedia and I am sure that I will pass this on to my students. 

Blog Post # 3

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today

What I learned while watching this video is that technology may distract us and cost us severely. Not only is it costing one financially but it may cost one academically. Technology may cause students’ to fail classes if he/she is not listening to the teacher because he/she’s mind is on the computer, cellphones, mp3’s, etc. This may sound a little funny but when walls are brought up on the video, I interpret it as, the walls are there year after year hearing lectures after lectures but students come in and have their computers with them, causing students to not fully listen. I interpreted it as the walls actually learn more so to speak than the students do, if that makes any sense.

I can relate to this in a way but only at home, not school. At school, I am focused on what the teacher is saying. School is so expensive and I want to make sure that I learn what is being taught so in turn I can make good grades and get closer to fulfilling my dream as a teacher. Being at home is a different story. I sometimes get distracted when doing homework because of Facebook and other common networks. Today, it is not hard to become easily distracted due to all the interesting technology that the world has to offer.

If students were to put as much effort listening to their teachers as they do with technology, the world just might be a bit more positive. Please do not misunderstand me when I say that. I do believe technology does have its positives. Technology can help teach children and much more but in turn it can be used as a negative. If one looks at it though, there are usually negatives and positives to something. Students just need to be more responsible because technology can be used to make students’ lives easier.

An article entitled, “It’s Not about the Technology,” was written by: Kelly W. Hines, (Keeping Kids First). She gave a list of the four things that teachers must recognize in order to connect with children in today’s new generation.

      1.      Teachers must be learners.

I totally agree with Mrs. Hines about this. Teachers always need to be up to date with what is going on today in order to completely connect with the students. Technology is something that changes frequently and there is always something new to be learned.

      2.     Learning and teaching are not the same thing.

This is a very good point that Mrs. Hines' makes. I totally agree with her. Anyone can get in front of the class and explain how to do something but the child must be able to display what he or she is being taught to say he or she has fully learned it.  A teacher can teach all day long and the student may not fully understand what is being taught. The child then is not learning what he or she is supposed to. I am sure there are a good bit of students that have this problem. I myself can even relate from when I was in elementary school.

3.     Technology is useless without good teaching

Again, I totally agree with Mrs. Hines. I will never understand why some teachers will not use some of the new technology equipment that cost the school a fortune. Bringing something new into the classroom besides a chalkboard brings excitement for the kids. Something new will definitely make them curious and hopefully more willing to learn and stay focused. I believe if the money is spent on something for the school, then at least try it out. Who knows? You may like it as well as the students.  

      4.     Be a 21st Century Teacher without the technology.

I do agree that technology is not everything but it is a very useful thing most of the time. When teaching years ago they did not have the technology that we have today and I believe that they were able to learn just as much or more than we have considering the different times that is. One question though, why not have the best of both worlds? By including a little technology and a little of how they were taught years ago, I am sure it can be a very positive outcome.

Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

I really liked Mr. Fisch’s quote, “If a teacher today is not technologically literate - and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more - it's equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn't know how to read and write.” I also agree with him when he says that we should also be learners to the entire technology thing. “In order to teach it, we have to do it.” We must learn how to do it. We should not just expect the children to learn, but ourselves, as well. Technology is taking over and we must stay up to date with it or else we will fall behind.

Gary Hayes Social Media Count

My first impression is wow; the numbers are changing so fast!! Just by viewing it, it just makes me realize how technology is being used all over the world and still continues to grow. Also, when viewing the numbers, in ways it scares me. I am just so afraid that with technology changing so frequently that I will not be able to keep up but who says I can’t try? I can definitely strive to. When I become a teacher I sure will do my best to keep up with the world. I do not want to be left behind in the dark, that’s for sure, and certainly do not want my students to ether.

C4T Project #3

  C4T# 1- I was assigned to read Mrs. Jo Fothergill's blog entitled, "Posterous."

   Mrs. Jo Fothergill, aka Dragonsinger wrote about the tool known as Posterous. She explained how Posterous is a tool used for blogging. She wrote about how she is a multitasker which is why she found Posterous to be very useful. She gave examples using links to show how simple and helpful Posterous really is. She explained that Posterous allows one to upload pictures, videos, and voice recordings very easily. She explained that using Posterous for a teachers' classroom would be a great idea. Posterious is a great tool and makes uploading an easy task.

       I responded to her by saying how useful Posterous really is. Posterous basically is a tool that multitasks and does the work for you. What I mean by that is that when using Posterous, it automatically uploads anything you may have instead of having to go to all the different networks and upload everything manually. Posterous just makes life simplier. Posterous works with a number of networks for example, Blogger, Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

C4T #2- Second comment for my assigned teacher, Mrs. Jo Fothergill.

Jo Fothergill’s blog post entitled, “2011” is about her new approach to changing her classroom setup. She explained how she was adding bean bags, a tent, and taking away a few desks. She also talked about how changing the setup for the classroom allows for creativity. She set up different stations throughout her classroom to allow the students to feel free to learn anywhere throughout the room.

I responded to her by saying how creative and inspiring her ideas are. I also told her how her blog brought back childhood memories.  I told her, that when I was in first grade I remembered how my teacher's room had a very creative touch and it made learning fun!  My teacher had a swing that she use to sit in and read to the class. I also explained how my teacher had little tables and chairs for us to do our work and had stations set up for each subject. I also mentioned to Mrs. Fothergill that I would never forget my first grade teacher and I want to be able for my students' to say the same. I told her that her blog just showed me that creativity does still exist and that I admired her for keeping that creativity throughout her teaching experience.

Project # 5 Google Presentation