Blog Post #10

I'm a Papermate. I'm a Ticonderoga.



I found this comic strip very humorous. Obviously, it reflects the PC and Mac commercials that appear on tv. I personally always loved the PC vs Mac campaigns. In this cartoon, the Papermate pencial states he is less expensive that the Ticonderoga pencil, but breaks all the time. The Ticonderoga pencil admits that he is more expensive, yet he will last longer than the Papermate. If one is familiar with the Apple commercials, one can clearly see the Papermate represents the PC and the Ticonderoga represents the Mac. I completely agree that sometimes buying the more expensive item is the best choice. I have a Mac, but a lot of my friends have PCs. I can honestly say that I will never switch from an Apple computer to a PC. There is just no comparing the two. The Macs are faster and more durable. I've had my computer for three years now and have never had any trouble with it. My friends, however, are always complaining about computer problems. Although I clearly see the resemblance to the Mac vs PC commercials, I believe this cartoon can go far beyond just pencils and computers. I can see how it is an argument between paper and technology, maps and GPS, and many other things.


Why Were Your Kids Playing Games?

In Why Were Your Kids Playing Games, John Spencer creates a dialogue between a teacher and his principal. The teacher is using a game as his teaching technique instead of a lecture. The teacher had his students involved in a mock stimulation and the students were very engaged in this game. The principal, however, did not see the positive effects of this teaching style because the goal is for the students to be able to pass the remote memorization test. He stated that the kids were not doing anything educational- they were just simply playing a game. The teacher goes on to illustrate how soldiers play games and surgeons do stimulations in the learning process of their craft. Though the teacher makes a valid point, the principal still disagrees with his methods. In the end, the principal recommends a technique for the teacher to use instead of his game. However, Mr. Spencer outwits the principal and turns the recommended methods into a game.

I really enjoyed this post because I really don't think people realize how effective using games as a teaching technique is, especially with young kids. I have found that when I make things a game with my classes, they retain the information better and also are more engaged and participate more. One thing that really stuck out to me was how the principal stated "If we want students to pass the rote memorization test, we need to focus on rote memorization skills." I hate to say it, but this is how our school systems view success these days. Simply memorizing something is not going to help kids in the long run. I can easily memorize some information, but that does not mean I understand it or that I can apply it to anything. I believe we should treat our students like future soldiers and surgeons. We need to start teaching our students how to fully comprehend and apply information to build their skills, not just teach them how to repeat information back to us.

The second post from John Spencer I read was Avoid Social Networking. In this dialogue, a HR representative explains to a school staff that they must avoid any site that allows for teachers to have social interaction with their students. Although some of the teachers name circumstances that allow them to have a positive influence on the kids (volunteering at church, teaching baseball teams, family-friend dinners), the HR representative still insists that there be no interaction with the kids if it is not school related. Finally, at the end of the dialogue, the HR representative suggests that the Board might pass a rule that states teachers can have no interaction with students outside of school.

I found this dialogue hilarious, but sadly true. There was one comment left that stated " It's a shame that satire is based on reality, because I think many, many teachers have been there." I fully believe that teachers should have as much interaction with their students as possible. In many cases, kids see their teacher more than they see their parents. Some kids get more love and care from their teachers than they get from their parents. Asking a teacher to have no interaction with a student outside of school is simply cruel. What will that student think if during school his/her teacher invests time in him, yet when he sees the teacher at Walmart, the teacher acts like they are strangers? I believe that will create problems with a child's self worth which in turn will negatively effect how they act and perform in school. I loved this post, but at the same time it makes me very angry because I know this is the case in many schools. All I can say is if I wanted to pretend like I don't know kids, I would not be going into education.


Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?

In the post Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?, Scott McCleod argues to not let kids use technology because of the dangers they could potentially be exposed to. He also sticks his nose up at students learning to read and write things on the internet. Towards the end of the blog, he stresses once more to not teach your children these things. His reason? He states he is teaching his kids about all the things he listed and ends with the statement that he can't wait to see who has a leg up in a decade or two.

Let's be honest, the world has changed a lot over the years as far as our children's safety goes. Technology has given creeps another way to prey on children. I can see why parents want to shelter their children from all the bad in the world. However, if we shelter our kids from all the bad in the world, how will they be the good in the world? How will they recognize they are being preyed on? How will they learn the way to conduct themselves on and offline? If we want our kids to be knowledgeable about how to recognize and defend themselves from online threats, we have to expose them to the web. If we just keep them in a safety bubble, once they do start using technology, they will have no idea how to safely conduct themselves. Children are less likely to abuse the privilege of technology if parents would just take the time to educate them in it. Technology is our future. A child will more than likely use technology no matter what field he or she goes into as an adult. The longer children are shielded from technology, the harder it will be to get them familiar and comfortable with it.

Dr. Scott McCleod is one of the nation's leading academic experts in K-12 school technology issues. He is currently serving as Director of Innovation for Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency 8 in Iowa. He is also the founding director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE) and co creator of the Did You Know? series.

Project #14 SMARTboard Instrucion

Project #11 Short Green Screen Movie

Project #12 Book Trailer

Blog Post #9

Mr. McClung

I really don't know what to say about the posts from Mr. McClung except for WOW! A lot of the topics he posted about really caught my attention mainly because they were things that relate to me. He said numerous things that made me think, "YES!" because I've been in the same situation he was speaking of, and I know exactly what he meant because of it. I found myself picking out so many of his points to talk about that I considered that I may have picked too many. However, when I went back over his posts to decide on a couple to write about, I found myself getting upset because I couldn't decide which ones were "good enough" to put in this post. So, I apologize for the rant I am about to go on, but there are simply too many great points that he made that I can't pick just two!

The first post I read of Mr. McClung's was Version 4 Post (2011-2012). His first point reflects on the anxiety he suddenly felt about how his peers view him as a fellow teacher. Do they approve of the way he handles things? How do they view him as a teacher? He writes about how he found himself extremely worried about his peers views on him- something he has never worried about before. He then goes on to explain how he has only ever really worried about how his students and superiors view him. He states, "The truth is I have gotten to where I am in my career by following one rule, and that is are the kids having fun? Worrying about perception of adults has never done anything positive for me, but making sure that my kids are taken care of and enjoying class has done wonders for me." I love this statement. I won't lie, over the past few months I have worried about how other teachers will view me when I'm not only in their room student teaching, but when I'm in control of a class of my own. When I go shadow teachers at a school, I can't help but think about the years of experience they have and how I will have none. Will I do things right? Will they view me as just an unprepared newbie who has no idea what she is doing? Suddenly, I found myself really nervous about this, and I even second guessed whether I really wanted to go into education. I caught myself comparing myself to these teachers and thought, "I don't know if I can do this." While reading Mr. McClung's post, however, it hit me. I'm not teaching my fellow teachers- I'm teaching my students. My fellow teachers aren't the ones I'm trying to ignite a passion for learning in- it's my students. Also, I want to be the teacher every parent wants their child to have. I want my classroom to be the classroom that all the parents request their child be in. That's not going to happen by worrying about what my peers think of me. That's going to happen by how I interact with my students. So, in all this post really helped me to shed that worry.



In his post about the 2008-2009 year, Mr. McClung speaks of how we have to be reasonable with our students. We can't get down when they don't live up to our expectations because, after all, they are just children. We can't scold them for them for not coming through for us. We have to pick them up, dust them off, and encourage them so more. This lesson proved true for me this week. I teach a 2 year old preschool class. The main thing I try to teach them are their ABCs (how to recognize, write, and sound out the letter) and their 123s (how to write,count to the number, and recognize the number). In the past few weeks, I noticed I have been getting very aggravated with my kids because when I ask them what a letter is, they just shout out the first letter that comes to mind, which for some reason is always either G or T. I really developed the mind frame of, "they aren't really getting it so I'm just going to let them do their worksheet and not harp on it anymore." For about three weeks my frustration grew with each class. However, they really stuck it to me Thursday. This week we went over the letter W. Like always, I held up a picture of the letter W and asked what letter it is. Like always they said T and G. Thursday I decided to take them out in the hall, and at my church on the preschool hall, we have big pictures with writings on the halls that talks about creation. I lined them up in front of one of these pictures and asked them to find a W. And they did! In fact, they found all the W's on every picture on the hall! I was shocked, really. So, to add to Mr. McClung's advice, don't scold your students for not getting something because maybe, just maybe, they are comprehending more than they let on.

And Mr. McClung did not stop there!

In Mr. McClung's 2009-2010 reflection, he gives the advice to find a school mom. Find someone who has been there a few years and can show you the ropes and vouch for you. This is AWESOME advice. I teach numerous classes at my church, and I have a church mom (Belinda). I go to her with every new idea I have, and she helps me make that idea a reality. She is in charge of the preschool department, so having her on my side really makes every plan I have way easier to fulfill. Also, she brings to light things in my plans that I haven't thought of. She is the one I always go to for guidance, and a great relationship has been built between us. Through her trusting me, all the other church staff trusts me. Mr. McClung isn't just talking to hear himself talk when he says get a school mom. It really is one of the most beneficial tools not only a new teacher can have but any new employee in general.

Don't expect others to be as excited about change as you are. This is a lesson that I have been having to deal with myself lately. At my church on Wednesday nights, we have two classes for preschool aged children. One is Mission Friends where they learn about missionaries. The other is Little Praisers where they sing songs. Quite frankly, the classes are boring. All the kids do is come in and do a craft and sing. It's the same thing over and over again each week. However, when I talk about changing the curriculum to something more energetic and enjoyable, I get noses stuck up at me because we have to go by the book or we will die. We've been going by this book's curriculum for 25 years and we can't change it now! Just like Mr. McClung says in his 2010-2011 refection, there will always be those people who say, "This will not work." I'm much like Mr. McClung. I'm very open to new things especially when the old way of doing things is no longer working. I love how Mr. McClung says to not "allow others to stifle your own excitement and joy that you experience in teaching or any other facet of life for that matter." I've developed new ideas for Mission Friends and Little Praisers and have had them rejected by the teachers. It sucked. I was really excited and just figured they would be too. Yet even though they aren't, I refuse to let them ruin my excitement for my new ideas. Change is a necessity, and when the time comes that those people realize that, I will be standing there jumping up and down with my new ideas and encouraging them to come up with some!

So, that's my rant. I think I will have to have venting sessions like this more often. Blogging about yearly reflections is definitely on my list of things to do when I become a teacher! Not only is it a good way to be able to look back on your years of teaching, but it really can help future teachers. I feel like I will more than likely start my yearly reflections this year with my preschool class! I mean, why wait?

Blog Post #8

This is How We Dream

The videos by Dr. Miller, This is How We Dream Parts 1 and 2, pretty much just reemphasized the views I already have on learning. Throughout the videos, Dr. Miller stresses that teachers don't need to just teach through reading and writing informations, but through videos, audio clips, presentations, ect. as well. Visual and auditory resources can be better learning tools for students than the boring, everyday method of reading and writing everything. I feel this gives students a much needed break. It also provides diversity in the classroom, and that diversity will prevent the students from becoming bored and uninterested in school. Also, I think it is important for educators to realize that not all students learn the same. Yes, some learn effectively by reading and writing the information. However, some students learn better by having a visual or auditory aid. Using multimedia is a great way to cater to all the students' needs.

I love the idea of collaboration while producing videos and multimedia. I believe educators should work with other educators, whether it be educators in the same school or educators on the other side of the world, to develop new ideas for helping students learn. Surely of all the teachers in the world, one of them has come up with an effective way to teach students about a particular subject. Educators can rely on each other for new ideas and insights, and also how to produce these videos and media presentations.

I feel it's important to incorporate as many different resources and media as possible. Like I previously stated, reading and writing everything everyday can get boring; yet, watching videos every day can too. Teachers should be able to develop a curriculum that uses an equal amount of each. Teachers should approach each lesson in a different way so students can be exposed to different types of learning.


Carly Pugh

In her blog post, Carly writes about ways to get students more interested in the teachings. I thought this post was amazing, and her ideas were magnificent. Two of her statements really stuck out to me. The first was "I know it's a long shot, but someone needs to push kids and make them think, what if they were the next Steve Jobs or Einstein or Arnold Schwartzenegger the Governator, even?". I'm a firm believer in pushing kids to their fullest potential. All children are capable of being great, but without someone there to encourage, challenge, and motivate them, they will slowly just settle for ordinary. I want to treat each of my students like he or she is the next big thing. The second statement I really enjoyed was, "Not everyone loves to read as much as I and some others do, maybe it takes getting them interested in the story and the characters, and then the words that paint that picture". I personally LOVE to read, and I honestly get really annoyed with people who don't like to read. If I find a good book, I want to share it with others. So when I come across someone who simply doesn't like to read, it gets to me because I know what they're missing. For that reason, Carly's statement about getting people interested in the story and then the words really stuck out to me. It changed my way of thinking. I feel I have really gained from reading her post because of this one statement. She has shown me a different way to handle those people and ultimately my future students.

To get students engaged, one has to use something engaging. With the tech saviness of today's world, there is nothing more engaging than media resources. In my opinion, Carly Pugh did a great job expressing this and giving resources to use in her post. I really enjoyed how she included more information that one would generally give. The vastness of the information allows for one to definitely find a video that suits him or her. Dr. Miller would be very impressed.


EDM 310 is Different

I absolutely loved the videos for this assignment. They were so humorous and really had me engaged the whole time. Although I loved the Chipper Series and EDM310 for Dummies, I can honestly say I don't really know how they feel. I've actually really enjoyed this class and never felt overwhelmed with the work. I've surprisingly caught myself several times eager to see what the next blog post is going to be about. Yes, at first the amount of time I had to put into EDM 310 was nerve racking, but by the second week I wasn't too worried about it. This class has allowed me to start writing and thinking for myself again. For three years I've majored in biomedical sciences. You can't really think for yourself and come up with your own ideas in the subjects of that degree because it's either this certain way or you die. It's refreshing for me to be able to come up with my own conclusion about something rather than having to know the conclusion that has to be made or I am wrong. I also think a lot of the reason I haven't thought this is the class from hell is because I've already been in those classes! I would rather do a blog post than physics or chemistry homework any day!

I really liked the Chipper Series. The moral that I really took from it was you have to take responsibility for your own future. Your success depends on no one but yourself. You aren't always going to have a teacher holding your hand every step of the way, and that is one concept I don't believe students understand. They depend solely on the instructor for everything and don't learn how to take things into their own hands. It really makes students lazy. The Chipper character portrayed this extremely well in this series. She went from being in school to being a garbage lady simply because she didn't take the initiative to do things for herself. The real world was hard for her because she was never taught to be responsible. I hope every student who watches this video gets a lesson out of it.


Learn to Change, Change to Learn

In this video, the statement is made that in this day and age, children do not learn just at school but in many places. These places giving children information can range from the home to communities to the internet. School should be a place where students can validate all this information and learn how to use it in the real world. I cannot agree more.

The truth is, most students know how to use a computer better than adults. Also, we live in a technological world. One cannot escape it, and it is only going to get more technologically advanced. With that being said, educators have a duty to teach their students how to use this new way of learning. They need to show their students how to use a computer as a resource for finding information rather than simply as a way to update a Facebook status. As an educator, it's your job to teach your student how to not only succeed in your class, but also how to take that information, apply it, and succeed in future tasks. If educators don't start teaching their students how to succeed in technology, they are failing as educators simply because no matter what profession those students go in, the chances of them being required to be technologically literate is greater than not.


Scavenger Hunt 2.0



Edmodo

Edmodo is a social networking site for teachers and students. All I can say about it is WOW! It's set up a little like facebook is, and I absolutely love this site. I signed up as a teacher and clicked the 'Discover' tab once I got on my homepage. From there, I started exploring and typed in human anatomy. Tons of resources from science experiments to digital models of the body came up. I looked through some of them and they were all very interesting. I will definitely be using this site! You can follow other educators and see what resources they are using as well. I'm very glad I found this!



Animoto

I chose this video tool because it seemed like an easy and fun tool to make videos without being very time consuming. I feel using videos to teach can be very beneficial because it gives kids a break from the books. I watched some of the videos provided about ways teachers are using Animoto in their classrooms, and I loved them! Animoto automatically analyzes music, pictures, ect and orchestrates the video for you. This allows for the teacher to focus on how he or she wants to present the video which takes a lot off the educators plate. It seems like a very useful resource!

Poll Everywhere

I created a poll using Poll Everywhere. It was really easy. All I was required to do was enter the questions and how I would like for the answers to be set up. It's a quick and easy way for teachers to create and share polls.

Summary of C4T Comments #2

Summary of C4T #1

My C4T was to comment on Larry Ferlazzo's blog. Mr. Ferlazzo's blog posts are full of useful websites pertaining to anything one can think of. For my first comment, I chose to comment on his post National Grammar Day Resources. This post was full of websites dedicated to grammar practice. There were sites that offered games, quizzes, audio feedback, and more.

Summary of my comment

I found this blog very useful. I haven't had grammar practice since I was in high school; therefore, this was a great refresher for me. I also found this list of sites beneficial for me as a future educator. I was very grateful for his resources.

Summary of C4T #2

My second comment was on Larry Ferlazzo's blogpost Easily Make Animations with Sketch Star. This site was full of games that allows kids to use painting to get practice with shapes, drawings, ect. It really seems like something young children will enjoy.

Summary of my comment

I played on Sketch Star for a little while and absolutely loved it. I told Mr. Ferlazzo I know so many young kids who will love this program, and I can't wait to share it with them. I thanked him for posting the link, and I plan on exploring the program more over the next few days.

Blog Post #7

Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams



First off, I would just like to comment on how big of an inspiration Randy Pausch is. He is such a gifted speaker, and I wish I had had the opportunity to attend one of his lectures. He really knew how to engage his audience and keep their attention on what he was saying. His use of humor and relating things to his own personal experiences really helped keep me focused on the video instead of daydreaming or halfway listening. I found myself not even aware of the time, and the video did not seem like it was over an hour long. I hope one day to be half the speaker he was.

In this video, Randy Pausch focuses a lot on childhood dreams. He states some of the dreams he had growing up, and recounted stories on how they played out during his life. He spoke of how he accomplished these dreams (or didn't accomplish) and the road it took to fulfill them. The journeys he took to make each of his dreams a reality were truly inspirational. He then goes on to tell how we can help others accomplish their dreams.

One thing that really stuck out to me in this lecture was his quote "brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want things." I absolutely love this. So many times people think that because something didn't work out for them, that means they need to give up and find something else to do. That's so far from the truth. Brick walls should motivate us. They are a driving force to make us work harder to achieve the goals and dreams we have for ourselves. I do agree with Mr. Pausch in the sense that brick walls are needed to stop the ones who don't really want what's behind that brick wall. If no one ever hit a brick wall on his/her road to success, there would be tons of people in fields who simply do not have the passion for what they are doing. I believe there is a difference in wanting something and having a passion for something. Everyone can want something, but it takes passion and dedication to get that something. Passion is what makes us work hard and put all of our time into something. People passionate about their jobs are the people who are most successful. I personally love when I come across a brick wall. Like Randy Pausch stated, brick walls let us prove how badly we want something. I always know if I truly want something or not because when I hit that brick wall, if I can simply shrug and say "oh well" and give up, then I obviously didn't want that something enough to work for it. But for those things I want more than anything, I strive to bring down that brick wall. And when I do, there's no greater feeling in the world.

Another thing that really stuck out to me was how Mr. Pausch stressed to look for the good in people. Countless times he stated to never give up on someone because eventually they will surprise you. I value this advice. I believe as educators, we should never give up on our students. I know some kids are hard to handle and seem like they don't care; however, maybe that kid sitting in the back who never talks is the next Steve Jobs. Sometimes all kids need is encouragement and someone who expresses that he or she care for them and wants them to succeed. I also take this advice outside the classroom. I have personally had contact with people who were just hateful (for what reasons I do not know). However, I never repaid hate with hate. I always tried my best to be nice and see the good in them. Eventually, those people did come around and surprise me one day by actually being civil human beings. I can't stress how much I love this advice so I'll just say it again- "find the best in everybody; no matter how long you have to wait for them to show it."

The third thing I really enjoyed was his segment on how to get people to help you. His advice was to be honest, be earnest, apologize when you screw up, focus on others and not yourself, and to realize you can't get somewhere alone. Throughout his lecture, I noticed he always had someone to help him. He had an awesome career but he always had to get help or approval at some point. When he got that help, he always gave back by helping his students. It seemed that eventually, his dream was to help others accomplish their dreams. He always raised the bar for his students and pushed them to do better. He truly seems like he was a great mentor, and I hope his legacy will encourage other educators to be the best they can be.

Project #9- PLN Progress Report

Prior to EDM 310, I didn't know what a personal learning network was. However, after seeing the positive effects of having a PLN, I've been developing one of my own. It's still in its beginning stages, but I've already found myself relying on it more and more.

I teach a 2 year old preschool class, and I've been looking for new tracing worksheets to use with the kids to teach them to write their ABCs and 123s. I've come across quite a few stay-at-home moms' and teachers' blogs that post all kinds of fun worksheets to do with kids to help their writing. I've been using them for the past two weeks and I can already tell a difference in my students penmanship! My excitement prompted me to continue searching, and I have found numerous more blogs with activities to use with preschoolers.

My PLN also includes Twitter and Pintrest. I follow educational inspirations like Krissy Vensodale on twitter, and I have special boards on pintrest dedicated to children.

My PLN definitely needs some work, but hopefully by the next progress report it will be expanded to twice the size now!

#1 Summary of C4K

Summary of C4K #1

For my first C4K, I was assigned to comment on Jackson's blog post. He is a student in Mr.Cometti's 9th grade IB World History class at Robertsdale High School. I commented on his post Imperialism. In this post, he talks about what imperialism is and also the areas that were greatly affected by it. He also talks about why certain countries wanted to take over other countries. He had some humor in his post which made reading about history more enjoyable.

Summary of my comment

In my comment, I told Jackson I haven't been in a world history class for three years and his post was a good refresher for me. I had not even thought of imperialism in years before I read his post, and I had forgotten what it really was. I praised his use of humor while explaining the reasons for some countries being taken over by imperialism and wished him good luck in his class.


Summary of C4K #2

My second C4K assignment was to comment on Nicholas' blog for Mr. Sapia's class. In his post, he talks about the homework Mr. Sapia assigns. He stresses the fact that sometimes his teacher doesn't assign homework because he feels it is important for his students to have time to be kids and not spend all their time on homework. However, when he does assign homework, he tries to make it enjoyable. Nicholas states some of the computer homework assignments and what his favorite homework games are. He also states that he is aware the homework Mr. Sapia is assigning is beneficial to his learning.

Summary of my comment

I told Nicholas I was thankful he listed some of his favorite homework websites because I found it beneficial for me as a future teacher to know what types of homework kids like and actually enjoy doing. I loved reading his blogpost because I could tell he really has respect for his teacher, and I want my students to feel that way towards me. I encouraged him to keep up the good work and wished him well with his homework assignments!


Summary of C4K #3

My third C4K was to comment on Te Puawai's blog for Miss King's class. Te Puawai is in year six at PT England School. From her blog, I can tell she likes the outdoors. In her post she talked about how during the first week of school her teacher took her class on a walk around Omaru Creek. She loved this adventure because she was able to see wildlife such as tadpoles and all kinds of plants.

Summary of my comment

In my comment to Te Puawai, I told her how much I enjoyed reading about her first week of school. I also said how I wish I would have been able to take nature walks like her class did when I was in school. I related to her because I love walking around creeks and pond and observing the animals in plants that call the land home. I wished her good luck in her studies and told her that I hoped the rest of year six is as great as the first week was.


Summary of C4K#4

My final C4K for February was to comment on Delicia's blog for her 10th grade English class. Her post is a summary of a story she has read about a girl who lost all of her friends. She feels alone and like she doesn't belong anymore. The girl hides in a closet because she felt the closet was like her in a sense that it too had no purpose or name.

Summary of my comment

I found this story a little sad. I commented on how unfortunately many kids (and adults) feel the same way the girl in the story feels. I asked her the name of the story she was blogging on so I could read up on it. Finally, I wished her luck in her English class.

Project #8 Podcast (Video)