Blog Post 15

Final Project Geocaching

Final Report on PLN

Ok! My PLN has evolved immaculately! It has grown so enormous that sometimes it's hard to keep up! I am following so many professional scholars and educators that I highly recommend for all education majors! For example, I just got off of Twitter and the last follower that posted is a baldwin county librarian who is also an instructional designer with an informative webpage with all sorts of creative ideas and helpful hints for anything you could imagine. Her last post was a link to pedagogical considerations for developing an online tutorial! Something I'm sure I'll be needing help with one of these days! I'm also a dancer/dance teacher/choreographer and I follow inspirational dancers who keep me on my toes (get it? lol) and never let me forget how dance can feed the sole. Along with education learning and dance leaders I also follow religious inspirators to keep my spirit in check ; ) These things take up a multitude of my PLN space and are constantly adding to my brain power with their posts, videos, pictures, links, and powerful happenings that follow them around (I created a word for the "postable" products... "postable"). Love it! Twitter is also used for advertising and broadcasting important news! When I graduate, you better believe within the first 5 minutes of being done with school I will Tweet about receiving my diploma and completing another chapter in my book!

C4T #4 Summary

Blogging About the Web 2.0 Connected Classroom

First I commented on Skype in the classroom in which I am a huge fan of! This post was mainly about how Skype is a valuable tool that many teachers discovered can break down the walls of their classroom. Steven Anderson, the creator of this blog, is looking toward getting teachers started with Skype and connecting their classroom to the outside world. A short and sweet (but helpful) Skype video accompanied this post to further explain the benefits of Skype. I totally concur with the points Mr. Anderson was making and how well Skype can be used for collaborative educational purposes. I believe it can truly broaden the horizon for children and administrators who are willing to accept and work with it. For example, one thing I plan to do with my kids is get them communicating with a person (student/teacher) from another country! Not only will it be a friend, a peer, or an advisor for certain things, but also an educational tool to experience and hopefully break language barriers, chance to see other cultures, etc. and so forth! The possibilities are endless! So, guess you can say I'm pro Skype!


Next, I read a post titled What's wrong with Google telling me everything?. Love this post! This one really striked my fancy because I Google EVERYTHING these days! I google definitions of words for school papers or just socialization purposes. I google meaningless things or religious things, health facts and calories, holidays, recipes, anything imaginable! The possibilities are endless with google and I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing as long as you search thoroughly and properly. However, I am concerned about relationships and the effect it may have on peoples connections with one another. For example, before google I would just go to my parents for answers to my questions, and if they didn't know then I would go to another person (friend, family member, wise elder, etc) who I thought would know. Sometimes I would even seek out a stranger for information, leading to a new friendship/acquaintance. Whether significant or not it usually led to a great conversation of some sort or more information that I didn't know (either about that person or the topic at hand). Interesting none-the-less. Isn't this what life is all about? Connecting with people, bonding, building relationships, learning from someone more experienced? I think it is and believe it to be a crucial part of human development. If we go to google (I'm guilty of this) those connections or lack there of, are only made with the computer thus not fully reaching the potential that the "question asking task" could reach... taking away our bonding, relationship building, and even friendship establishments. With teachers, if the child came to ask a question, you may learn important information about the child that you would never have otherwise surfaced. It's a window of opportunity (the question asking to a person as opposed to a computer that is).
So... I guess what I'm saying is that Google has it's pros and cons (just like everything in the world). We should just be weary of the extent to which we rely on the internet, and always search for a useful source!
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Blog Post 13

Alabama Learning Exchange
The Alabama Learning Exchange is a website for educational purposes. This website can assist you in so many educational areas. Teachers can post and share their lesson plans to ALEX, to broaden and expand their learning world. I have already used this tool to create a lesson plan for my future class and I'm not even a teacher yet!. It also offers "courses of study," allowing you to choose the grade and subject for further detail and shows you the basic curriculum of what they should be going through. Secondly, it has all sorts of weblinks for teachers, administrators and even students to lead you in the direction you would like to go. Furthermore, ALEX has a "personal workspace" option for you to add whatever it is you want, a search engine to maximize your assistance, "professional learning," where you can go to the ends of the educational systems and which ever department you might need, and last but not least a "podcast treasury" with any kind of podcast you can imagine... and it's free! So as you can see, ALEX is such a professional, reliable and available source for helping, informing, entertaining, teaching, learning and so much more! I love this website and think it absolutely brilliant! I am so thankful to have a site where anyone can go and leave or post a lesson plan, find a lesson plan, clear up any confusion about the educational system, help manage a classroom and teach closer to the curriculum. It is such a beneficial website, everyone should check it out!

ACCESS Distance Learning
"Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, and Students Statewide" is incredible! This website provides classroom courses and teachers via technology. Its' goal is to create equity through additional educational offerings for all Alabama Public High School students. It has announcements, and support centers and like ALEX has weblinks to offer. This site is very informative, easy to navigate, and figure out what you're looking for. Like ALEX, I feel it was well created and does a great job of getting it's point across to the public... which I believe to be a positive and helpful educational tool to the outside world.

Progress Report for Final Project

I am working with my favorite, Jessica Battles! She and I were both inspired by Dr. Strange's geocaching comment in his video of how to get started for our final project. We have decided on geocaching because we both have a little experience in this and feel that it can be a great learning tool to incorporate geography and GPS technology. We haven't yet decided on a location or what we are going to leave for the next geocacher to retrieve but we are so stoked to get started and believe it will be a great final project!

Project 15- Book Trailer

C4K #7,8,9,10 (Summary Post for April)

C4K#10

Jaden's Awesome Blog
This kid Jaden is awesome! Hence his "awesome blog." He demanded quality posts on his blog which I respected tremendously, on his 3rd grade level. His post was about a Clippers vs. Mavericks basketball game that was pretty exciting. The Clippers were winning when the game started off but then the Mavericks took the lead making a final score of Mavericks 106, Clippers 100 (so close). You could feel the excitement through Jaden's post which made for a great topic and post in the end! Plus he added questions for his readers at the end to ensure their connection and engagement to the material! He did a fantastic job!

C4K#9
Mrs. Yollis' Classroom Blog
Mrs. Yollis is an inspiration, even through my computer screen! She has been teaching a combination of classes and grades for 24 years and exudes this happiness on her blog! She currently teaches 3rd grade and says "she enjoys working alongside parents to bring out the best in their children!" I loved this! Most teachers say, "I love kids" or "I want to better the educational system" or "I want to help the intellectual growth of our future generation" but I have never heard of it in a way as this, in COMBINATION with parents. Like teamwork or a partnership! Beautiful! Her blog is very neat and organized with links at the top to direct you to what you are looking for. There is an intro to her and to her bloggers (her 3rd grade class), a video on how to comment, and some other helpful links to show a little bit of what they do in class and how they go about it. So, Mrs. Yollis uses her blog to teach students of course, and to get them blogging and technologically advance them for this 20th century, but also to communicate with the parents of her class and show them the work their children have been doing, and projects, or books they're reading, etc. Mrs. Yollis' instructional purposes for and on her blog are very informative and easy to follow (which I love) and also direct and to the point for her liking. She is straightforward with correct grammar, punctuation, etc and stresses the significance for this on her blog. Mrs. Yollis not only involves students and parents in her blog but also classes and people from around the world. She posted clocks of specific timezones of contacts that they communicate and/or keep up with! For example she has a clock with Los Angeles' time, and underneath that is a separate clock of Mr. Salsich's time, and then under that one is the time for Tanzania! How cool is that? If I were a 3rd grader I would love that part of the blog! This blog is very professional in that it appeals to the student and parent involvement, while also connecting them to technology and communication of peers, people, places and things around the world! What a great window of opportunity for these student's educational foundation!

C4K#8
I was assigned to take a look at a Voki which is a free service that allows you to create personalized speaking avatars and use them on your blog, profile and in email addresses. You can make one that looks just like you and then add a message for it to speak! So cool! You better believe I'll be utilizing this Voki so be looking for it to miraculously appear in the near future!

C4K #7
I also was assigned a link to an Australian student's blog where she only had one video, so I just commented on that one, unsure of what else to do...
Anyway 2 female Australian students posted a video of them singing a "Rainforest Song" about the importance of it's health and existence on this planet, the beautiful things it has to offer, and how it's a home for so many plants and animals and all sorts of living creatures! They also brought to the table the pain that the Rainforest goes through, making it's devastation very real to me as a viewer! I commented back how much I enjoyed their singing and piano talents, the words that were sung, and being able to feel for the Rainforest. Not only was this a project in which they learned a lot from, I'm sure, but also they have the ability to inspire people and ideas with this tiny school project and anything else they encounter in the future! It was great!

C4K #6
I just watched a video on German Gnomes from Mr. Mclung's class blog! Two male students in his class provided intermission entertainment for a World Language Festival that their school held! They danced around for a few minutes, dressed as gnomes, and got the audience involved. I couldn't really hear the music or the singing over the audience, but the audiences entertainment and involvement was the purpose of the gnome dance, so I have to say... mission accomplished!

Blog Post 12

In Blog Post #12, our instructions are to create an assignment for a blog post that our professor would have created, including the instructions to go with the assignment. Not only do we get to create an assignment but we also have to DO the assignment (a double whammy as I like to say). This is a FABULOUS idea, probably my favorite Dr. Strange assignment yet!

ASSIGNMENT
The assignment is to describe your perfect, ideal, technologically savvy, futuristic classroom. It can be anything you want. Make sure to include the grade you are teaching, the shape and color of the room, all the gadgets you wish to use, the style and shape of the furniture/desks, the tools available for your students and anything you may concoct. Also, attach a photo, or design your own layout of your room, something visual that can make your dream become a reality for everyone else to see!

MY EXAMPLE
My perfect room would most definitely be one with technologically advanced media systems and options in it!
1. First, I would have a robot as a class aid. This robot could do any task from cleaning to tutoring to taking a disruptive child to the principals office.

2. Next, all of the kids desks would have touch screen desks (like an ipad, only in desk form)! And of course they can perform any function a student might need from keyboard typing to surfing the internet, being a notepad for taking notes, connecting to my board if I need them to, having a Skype option, anything imaginable. I would have one too, along with a similar board (much more advanced than a Smartboard) for notes and lectures and classroom instructions.

3. The room would have movie screen walls that are constantly posting proper media, pictures, notes or whatever goes with what the activity we are partaking in at the time. But windows are mandatory, as to not give the children a headache, so the screen/walls are moveable and the windows have remote control black out shades that are easily maneuvered up and down as needed.

4. In this perfect world we would also have on hand any supplies, tools, etc from the past (just like today's classroom) in case our technology fails for some reason and we need a plan B.
5. Also, you can't have a perfect classroom without instruments available for the kids, easels for their artwork, a science lab in the corner, letters on the ceiling that change with the topic of conversation (so #s for math and President's faces for history, so on and so forth). Any of these may cause distractions, so of course I control all of the stimuli with just a swift push of a button!

6. I would love it if there could be holes in the floor just big enough for each of the students' desks, that way if we wanted to stretch or have a dance party or need to sprawl out in the floor and use space, we could have that option!
7. If you couldn't already tell, from the "nap time" mentioned above, this fun and innovative world is for elementary student's (I was thinking kindergarten), so the higher the grade level, the higher the technological expectation should be... just sayin.

There's my perfect classroom! I know it's not realistic (at least not now), but I hope it strikes your fancy and creativity for your future classroom!

Blog Post 14 Special Metaphor Assignment

metaphorical songs.

1. I believe the reason I missed the metaphor is because I take school and my assignments too literally, as mentioned in the classblog post. This baffles me though because I don't take life in general too serious, which is why I think I'm made for working with kids... I love to clown and joke around and always keep things light (metaphor?) and funny! But I've never really worked with metaphors so I guess I just didn't know what to look for... maybe I was just too consumed with getting the assignment done (sorry for the honesty, but lesson learne ;)
2. Today I was running like the wind and thinking of metaphors that I encounter daily (unlike anything that has ever consumed my thoughts). The apple of my eye told me his favorite metaphor was music to my ears (his ears of course). But then it started to rain cats and dogs and I had to run for cover like there was no tomorrow! So the metaphorical conversation was cut short but metaphors are now the light of my life so I'm sure I will be in touch with them sooner than I think! \http://grammar.about.com/od/rhetoricstyle/a/ColbertMetaphors.htm
3. I think this #3 question is a great one because I don't remember any of my teachers ever addressing metaphors, and if they did, obviously it wasn't significant enough to stick with me because I'm only 23 and didn't catch the metaphor post! Hate it for me : (
Anyway, some things we can do as educators to help our students better understand and use metaphors is to broaden their vocabulary! Vocabulary is regular thing in school, but maybe if we incorporate the vocab into/in with the metaphors, it will be like a two-for-one deal! Learn a new word AND a new phrase/saying. Also, a metaphorical project might be fun? Like creating a song with nothing but metaphors... or maybe a metaphorical research assignment on the who, what, when, where, why and how's of metaphors...
These are brand new ideas so they're a little rusty but you catch my drift.
4. Why do we use metaphors? Well for us "visual" learners/people, I believe it gives us a better grasp at what the metaphor is implying. No we don't always visualize the actual metaphor being spoken but it just sounds good to the ears and seems like a smooth transition into a shift of topic or another conversation. Sometimes it can be used for comic relief too (least that's when I use my metaphors the most). I don't think there is any 1 reason we use metaphors but a thousand little reasons why people love them so much! They're better understood and more comprehendible, and just plane fun, when compared to a boring ole regular sentence!

Project 14- Teach Someone Video

Blog Post 11

Skype Interview with Ms. Cassidy!.
Ms. Cassidy's approach is almost identical to Dr. Strange's approach to education and technology. I would say she is the female opposite of Dr. Strange. I have grown to love and agree with Dr. Strange's point of view with technology and just can't wait to continue this growth with technology and then eventually being able to teach it to my students! I will have to say I agree completely with Ms. Cassidy's approach to the use of technology in the classroom. She is teaching them about blogs, wikis, Skype, Nintendo DS, etc. These forms of learning are definitely "new age" and are hard for me to grasp but at the same time I truly love that the classroom has technologically evolved to this sort of level! It's absolutely incredible! They are so much farther along than most adults I know and can teach us about this technology which in turn leads to their growth in more ways than one! I hope I am able to use ABSOLUTELY ALL of her techniques being that I believe they are healthy and adequate for proper student learning and development. Impediments I might encounter like the cheating one of our students ask about, would be an issue, yes, but is a "shift" just like she says and you just make arrangements where needed and fix the problem as it arises and validly and morally ethical as you can.

Special Assignment

Best Blog Ever!

This is an in depth examination of Mr. McClung's Wonderful Class Blog. What I have found out about the way he has constructed his class blog is that he is very passionate about it, which leads to a fabulous and successful blog. He describes it as, "the vehicle that drives majority of the technology in his classroom." The blog serves as a daily newsletter that helps keep the parents, students, teachers, etc. in check and informed about what's going on in the classroom with assignments, projects and things of that nature. There are tons of resources for parents, students and teachers that are severely useful and easily accessible. His blog is very organized, clear and clean. He uses it for informative purposes, media tools, fundraising resources, a learning tool, communication to everyone needed, a central home base for those that need it and so much more. It's incredible!
As an educator, Mr. McClung seems to be very creative! I love his "class-yes" ideas and "teach-ok" and "hands and eyes".... for example, when he says "classidy class" they have to say "yessidy yes!" lol! I believe this is brilliant. I think it's a great way to get the class involved and refocus their attention. I would've loved this as a young student. Maybe not all students love it at first but if the whole class HAS to do it (and they do), and once they get used to it, I'm sure it becomes second nature. As an educator he also seems to care on somewhat of a deep level or he wouldn't have posted "internet safety" tips, rules and regulations.
His class rules, coming from a loving place I should add, seem very strict and straightforward. He has high expectations in every area such as being late, class participation, etc. However, I think that's what makes for a successful school year, a teacher who cares enough to not be your friend but be your leader and sometimes that entails a few tough guidelines to get your troops headed in the right direction! All the while. he seems fun though and I wish I would've had him when I was in 8th grade.
A day planner was the 1st thing under "everyone needs" because like I mentioned above he appears to be quite organized and neat and tidy, and for a teacher that has high expectations to the level that he does, these students wouldn't make it very far without a planner. Plus, maybe he is trying to get them prepared for the real world and don't most adults use day planners? I know I do!
Late penalties are pretty reasonable, like yours Dr. Strange, except that life only gets harder the older you get and in college, not only are we older with more responsibilities such as work, spouses, kids, other jobs, exercising to stay healthy (if you can find time) etc. but we also have other teacher's expecting the same exact work from us. So I guess what I'm saying is it's ok to work high schoolers to the bone because they have no life. But what about us tired/old/BROKE college students? Guess it's getting us ready for the 'Real World' though huh? Aren't we in it already? I'm pretty sure when I'm doing the same work everyday, life will be easier than randomosities to make my professors happy week to week... just sayin...
Personally, I love the fact that he puts so much into his blog and has such high hopes for it being the "vehicle" that drives all the technology in his classroom! I think it's a great idea and tool! A lot like EDM 310 and what Dr. Strange teaches and offers! I also adore his communication skills (via blog) to the parents, students, faculty administrators, and general public! Sweet of him to care... that'll go far too! I aspire for this technological level in my classroom. Hopefully I can take it to this level and use it to the extent Mr. McClung did even in the special ed rooms!
One of the useful links I enjoyed was "guys read." This might seem a bit weird given that I'm female and all but I figured it could be useful for me because I'm a girly girl, only child, who did not grow up around boys and isn't really used to teaching them, not quite comfortable around them, don't know what makes them tick or what they're interested in. So not only would it be a great tool for their entertainment but also for mine as well! The second link I explored was "from the basement" with all kinds of musical artists and some of the work they've done/performed. I think it's phenomenal that he is so passionate about music and incorporates it so much and so well into his students' educational lives. It not only will broaden their horizons and expand them in ways that couldn't be explained, but also may even lead to unknown passions and talents they may never have discovered otherwise! Perfect! All these useful links made his list A.) because they have something in common with Mr. McClung and what he wants to accomplish B.) they pulled his attention/interest somehow and brought him in C.) Maybe he saw something on one of these links that he didn't know how to touch on and figured that it was important enough to make it a link... I don't know but whatever his methods were, I deem them valid and legitimate because I can feel it through his blog.
His "internet safety" rules seemed pretty perfect to me, although I don't know much about internet safety. It concerned me though because I have my last name and real name up on a lot of things on my blog, facebook, twitter, and so forth. Should I change that?
I was assigned the German Gnomes from the "World Language Festival" and the only other comment besides mine was a girl who seemed to absolutely love the project and proposal that a couple of his students did about an infomercial. She seemed a lot like me actually, only giving good positive feedback with a few questions here and there. The only thing is that her grammar might have been off a couple of times but I'm no one to judge because I'm far from being grammatically perfect!
Now, when it comes to doing something with my blog that Mr. McClung does with his, yes I believe I can find something. I would love to be able to navigate my more clearly and be more organized in it's creation. Right now I seem to be doing ok I guess but when I'm a teacher with unlimited amounts of students, parents and teachers with access to my blog, I would love for it to be flawless. For the parents, teachers, students, etc, he makes his blog material so efficient and resourceful, easily accessible, clean, thorough (the list could go on and on).
Compared to the other 8th grade blogs I've seen (not a lot), Mr. McClung's takes the cake!!!!! By far!!!!!! I find it hard to criticize anything about his blog. I'm having to rack my brain truly and I just can't seem to find anything. Maybe if it's brought to my attention but on my own I'm stumped. But I have seen some boring, useless, confusing, and not worthwhile blogs, especially when compared to Mr. McClung's!
I think he did a FANTASTIC job on his 8th grade class blog and believe he will go far in the education world and that he will take his students with him! The world is his oyster for him and his students and the sky is the limit for them as well! I just hope they all wear sun shades because their future is magnificently bright ; D
I just had to!

C4T #3

"What Ed Said"

My first post on the "What Ed Said" blog was on his post titled, "10 Steps to Successful Tech Integration." I thought this pretty perfect considering that's pretty much what EDM is all about. He mentioned some great points/tips/suggestions that can help with tech integration in schools. It's not only for students and their education but also for teachers and all of the faculty and staff to better the communication, creativity, enhancement, and of course education for the school! Brilliant!
My second post called "Learning Through Inquiry" and was all about how true learning comes passionate questioning and a true thirst for knowledge. Under a brief summary of his collaborative session from the previous year explanation and all that entails, he gives you significant bullet points of the main ideas he is trying to get across. These consist of ideas such as, 'learners discover new ideas for themselves and test/experiment with new ideas and solutions to problems, learners must engage with big ideas, teachers don't have all the answers, learners should make connections on past and present experiences, etc and so forth. All great points to bring to the table that I enjoyed putting in my vault and will retrieve when needed :) Under all this he posted a great photo that from the "Inquirer" that not only goes with the theme of what he is saying, but also can mean more than just what he meant for it if you use your imagination and creative "learning" skills!

Blog Post 10

"An Open Letter To Educators" thanks to Morgan Bayda.

This was a great post that I had fun diving into. Morgan Bayda was very relatable and seemed on the same page that I'm on... I've never had so many group projects until getting into EDM and a couple other education classes. This aggravates me so much because what were the first 2 years of my college career for? Before I really knew what I wanted to do with the rest of my life or what my passions were. Why don't professors make the most out of your school debt that you're about to be buried in and challenge your creativity, force you out of your comfort zone, and push you to your limit. I'm just now coming into this, and I'm in my fourth year of college! Tragic! I've never made friends in a class until now when I'm forced to do projects, communicate and collaborate with my classmates and go farther than I have ever gone in a classroom setting. It's not because I didn't want to make friends in class it's just that I didn't know how to and was afraid. It breaks my heart to think of the relationships I did not make and the learning I could've received, having been more comfortable in that setting, or having made a "study buddy" etc and so forth. Dan's video didn't necessarily make me want to drop out of school but it definitely made me want to brainstorm ways to not become that kind of a teacher and to force technology into my education/teaching career! Thanks to Dan and Morgan both!

C4K #4,#5,#6

EXPLORING INNOVATION
First I commented on the "Exploring Innovation" post because no one had posted anything on it and I just felt the urge! It was a nifty little gadget they put up that is supposed to help them "explore" more words that deepen the meaning of "innovation." Some words already up were: new words, creativity, ideas, and inquiring. There were more words but not all made sense lol. I added "different" to the list because even though different is a common word you hear often it adds character to a world that is consumed with sameness and likeness and 'different is bad.' But 'different' is not always bad. Just because something seems uncomfortable or unsure doesn't mean you shouldn't go there, just be cautious and take it head on!

CULTURE VIA ARTS
Next I commented on a post by Lucy, Keilani and Ruby about "how culture is reflected through the arts." Such a fabulous project for learning about cultures around the world. They did a great job interpreting and displaying what they learned and how they did their work! I love getting to see what projects these kids get to do. Gives me great ideas for when I'm a teacher! Can't wait!

RESPECT
Finally I got to comment on a blog post where they mentioned blogging and "how to get started." First they started with R-E-S-P-E-C-T and how it applies to blogging. Under RESPECT they left some great points important in the blogging world! These points sounded familiar to me and then I realized where I had heard them before... Dr. Strange, lol! Just kidding! But not really ; )
I added my 2 cents with how I'm going through the same lessons and exercises to take the same actions. Funny how R-E-S-P-E-C-T can be used all over the world, even when it comes to blogging!

Skype Interview Project

Smartboard Presentation!

This Smartboard presentation was so fun! Not only because of my awesome partner Jessica Battles but also learning how innovative and interactive, interpretive and interesting the Smartboard can be. Now, I must admit we had our difficulties but once you get the hang of it, it's worth it. We created a form (aka "test") that goes with the Smartboard presentation that would be given to the class sometime after the actual presentation. It consists of the material we mentioned but is in test form and maybe asks it in a little bit different way. We created this for kindergarteners and had 10 questions concerning the information we presented. The presentation and the test are a collaborative project that go hand in hand with each other, as you would see in a real classroom setting. This project was not only fun because of my partner and fiddling with the Smartboard but also because it excited me for the future of when I am in an actual classroom with my real life students and get to teach for real!

PLN Progress Report 1

My Twitter

I am using Twitter as my PLN! I chose Twitter because it seemed the easiest for me to navigate, control and seek help when needed! It is very popular right now and 'everyone is using it' ; ) I can follow inspirational leaders and in turn follow people that they follow! For instance I found one of my classmates who helps me constantly and is very studious, and when she "follows" certain people, I "follow" that person too! It's a beautiful circle! I can also follow friends on twitter (and vice versa) and they can see my progress or what I've been up to lately. Hopefully I am inspiring my friends to follow leaders, educators, etc with using Twitter as a PLN. I got this idea from Allie and Anthony, both of whom I highly look up to. I wouldn't be able to make it through EDM without these two! Having a PLN is so useful and convenient and I didn't believe it until I started actually following through with and going through the motions of using Twitter and reaping it's benefits. When I watched all those videos (especially the one about the young student who has a PLN) I didn't fully grasp the concept. I am a physical learner, so until I physically "DO IT" on my own... I don't get it!

Blog Post 9

Mr. McClung's "what I've Learned This Year" really hit home with me. Unlike a lot of education majors that I am taking classes with, I have yet to Student teach so the only teaching experience I have is teaching dance and babysitting (not much to go by). So, with this, I often get discouraged because I feel inadequate at times and want to throw in the towel. But one part in his post made me feel better... It was the 2nd paragraph under "Be Flexible" and it basically said 'get over the perfectionism because that will never make it and don't beat yourself up over imperfect lessons or students, etc. All you can do is try your absolute best and "do it with a smile on your face." This is something that I always do and consider myself to be a pro at so after reading Mr. McClung's post, I believe I will make it through my first year of teaching with really hard work and a smile on my face. :D

Blog Post 8

"This is How we Dream" was a really cool concept of incremental change vs. fundamental change, and how one should not only consume the multimedia but also compose and produce the multimedia used, for the purpose of bettering the future of media and how it's used in the educational world. I like how he mentioned we should "share freely" the things we compose and create as to add to (and not just leave at a stand still) the information and availability of the tools that are out there. Thanks to this class, I believe I will be prepared to write with multimedia and teach my students how to do this as well!
When watching "EDM 310 for Dummies" and "The Chipper Series" I was inspired to possibly make a video of "what not to do's" for this class. I realize that's kind've what "Chipper" did but I was thinking more along the lines of listing out deliberately what-to-do's and what-not-to-do's that way "dummies" like me that need more self-explanitory techniques can see it more blantantly and deliberately as opposed to an "actress" who we know is brilliant and it's more relatable and obvious instead of just comical. And maybe this can be watched in the middle of the semester as opposed to the beginning that way they understand it more and know more about the topics, projects, and assignments, because when I watched "chipper" at the beginning of the semester I just thought it was a funny video and didn't take it seriously. I also didn't know the 1st thing about edm 310 and what it was entailed.
The "Learn to Change, Change to Learn" video was beautiful. The title alone is inspirational and moving and mad me think to myself, "I must 'change' in order to properly and effectively 'learn'!" Technology is not something that we can control because it will continue to grow and develop a new environment and we just have to go with it! It's about community and building relationships, not just about technology. It's about connectivity and easy access, not just about information and learning. It's so much more!!! I love and totally agree with the arguments made in this video! Thanks Christie Odom!
I LOVED "Secret Powers of Time" not only because of the amazing creativity and artistry, but also because of the fabulous points brought up in this video. It went a lot deeper than I thought it would and maybe even went over my head a bit, lol. I liked this video because it wasn't only about education and technology, but also about spending time with family, friends and even sleeping more! My favorite point brought up in this message was "understand your own time perspective and that of others." The other video "The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us," was just as cool! The concept of higher incentives lead to worse performance in the cognitive area. When a task gets more complicated, when it requires creative thinking, money as a reward did not work! I believe this, because rewards aren't necessarily how/what I work for (I'm probably one of a very few select group that is this way; I can't explain myself). These videos both explained the affect of growth in people's education and their drive for success in different ways. The 1st one was saying motivate with love, passion and family and the 2nd one was saying, motivate with free will and allow people to self-direct and self-control for healthier more positive outcomes! I totally agree and I believe I can master both of these techniques because I feel like I already live this way for the most part. Of course I'm far from perfect and will always be inclined to constructive criticism, change, growth and constant renewel of myself to better my students learning environment! Both of these videos also stressed the EXUBERANT IMPORTANCE of time and how everyone should strive for managing it properly. The saying "time is on your side" has never sounded so sweet to my ears! Hence the clock : )

Short Movie Project 11

C4T #2 summary

For C4T I got to comment on Mrs. Lisa Thumann's posts. The first one I chose was about google earth and everything that it has to offer for your students such as investigating earthquakes to historical voyages and events, real world math, "how-to" lessons and tons of learning tools and resources for geography, science and math. It was funny because someone had just mentioned google earth to me and was telling me all they knew about it and the next thing I know I'm assigned to a teacher whose 1st post was about google earth! Love it!
Next I commented on her "broken cookies contain fewer calories" post about how she had to meet her daughter's girl scout cookie quota in order for them to get their badges. I found great pleasure in reading this because she left a GREAT point at the end... "using social media can increase your reach!" And I totally concur with that statement!

Blog Post 7

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture was so inspiring! How amazing is it that he was so close to death and he's smiling and happy and laughing and energetic! Incredible! First of all he is an amazing speaker, no doubt about that. As opposed to being full of sorrow, it was a humorous and enjoyable lecture! Second, I learned so much from this one hour of my life, listening to this lecture because he brought up so many amazing points.
The first point that caught my attention was 'when you screw up and no one is telling you, that is not good.' This to me meant either no one cares enough to help you better yourself and/or you're too far past the point of help. Both, not comforting. He also stressed the importance of being specific, bringing something to the table, and the power of enthusiasm, all of which are such influential statements that truly can lead to positive change in a person or a situation.
He spoke a lot about "brick walls" stopping the "other" people who didn't want it bad enough and that's something I was glad was brought to my attention. I don't ever want the "brick wall" to stop me or my students. Patience shined through this man's lecture when he said "wait long enough and people will surprise and impress you! Another great point teacher's should run with. Our students aren't always going to learn something immediately but that doesn't mean they're incapable... just wait longer! Here are some more verbatim's I'll take with me to the classroom:
Choose to be a Tigger over an Eeyore, never lose my child-like wonder (hence why I chose elementary and special education), helping others and being loyal is a two-way street and never give up!
Even though I cried tears I tremendously enjoyed spending an hour of my life watching that lecture... Thanks Dr. Strange!

C4K summary post 1,2, &3

C4K has been my favorite thus far! I truly love reading what these kids have to say. It's so much more interesting than reading adult information (for me) because, although not quite as informative, it is vulnerable, genuine and passionate. They haven't been quite as tainted by the world yet and blog just to blog for fun, as opposed to blogging for purpose, to let out steam, to inform, to make money, etc. Not that any of those reasons for blogging are bad, they're just not as enjoyable for me to read. For example, my 1st child to comment on was from Canada and she talked all about her pet pug Petri. The love she shared for Petri exuded through the text on the computer screen that I found myself smiling while reading it. My 2nd post was to a girl who got a Netbook and spoke about how responsible she was going to be with it. I was flabbergasted by her commitment to taking care of it and only using it in positive ways. My me happy. Finally I got to comment on a kid's post who was writing about cooking for a king and how he would go to great lengths to find the perfect and correct ingredients for this particular dish. His hard work ethic was all over this post and I even felt compelled to say to him that it would take him very far in this world!

Instructional Timeline

Timetoast Timeline

Blog Post 6

The Networked student was cool because it showed everything students can do in the 21st century with online learning and educational media! I loved it! I also thoroughly enjoyed how at the end of all the resources and informative ways kids learn and everything they can do, the creator answers the question "why does he even need a teacher?" Perfectly followed by all the countless ways technology can never replace a teacher such as, "guidance, proper communication, helps to organize and manage lost or confused thoughts. Brilliant!
A 7th grader's PLE was a pretty nifty video as well, showing media savvy ways to involve blogging and glogsters, skyping and online support programs in the classroom for learning. It's so cool to see the extent at which technology has developed and how far it can take the student in the classroom. My favorite part though was when the student mentioned the "inclination of responsibility it gives her, and how it allows for more freedom." I believe this to be a good thing and if negatively misconstrued, that is where a teacher uses disciplinary actions to step in and mediate! I don't necessarily think there are many differences from her PLE to my PLN except that her's is used to learn about her subjects and high school level classes, and mine is used to teach me how to become a better "techno-teacher!" (I just made that term up, how'd you like it ;)
http://www.edweek.org/persona.html?U=312150&plckUserId=312150 Was a post from "JackJ" who didn't necessarily disagree completely but made some very opposite opinions about smartboard/whiteboards such as being "great visual aids or noting the students' questions and comments on powerpoint presentations and publishing them to the class webpage," etc. I have never used a smartboard but I dont think they are a complete waste. Yes, expensive and could probably be easily replaced with less expensive yet equally efficient tools but if affordable then why not? I know a lot of teachers who adore their smartboard and wouldn't know what to do without it. I suppose this debate is just like any other contraversy: it all depends on the person and the circumstance. Everything is just an opinion.

Blog Post 5

I just had the opportunity to witness ultimate classroom education! The "Eagles Nest Radio and Class Blog" was phenomenal! These students not only learned countless facts about Ancient Greece/Rome and famous Greecians but they also got to incorporate technology in there by doing this radio podcast. At the same time of giving and presenting their information properly and professionally (something I'm sure they had to learn), they also spoke very well publicly. A form of media and entertainment training and technique went into this as well to make it a success; not to mention a little creativity for the costumes : ) Loved it!
The next podcast I chose was "Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom" which was very informative. I learned that a podcast can deliver easily accessible criteria that can be listened to anytime and where. Yes it can be used as a learning tool to do fun projects with and create innovative ways to go about things, but what I was most interested in is how convenient and accessible it is for the students AND parents. If a child is sick- don't worry just have her listen to the podcast from class today! If a parent is curious about what the child is learning- they can go online and hear actual audio or video clips straight from the classroom! It's such a great tool!
Last but not least I really appreciated "100 Ways To Use Your Ipod," probably because I'm a student myself, whose life revolves around studying! It had so much to offer for students such as notes, lectures and study guides or tutorials and classroom help. These things are crucial for students and their progress. Some more of what it has to offer are things like actual podcasts, applications to download with tools that you can use for whatever need you're trying to fill. These tips and techniques are very helpful, useful, convenient and easy to manage. If I can use them, anyone can!

Project #6

Blog Post 4

Scott Mcleod's post "Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff, Please" was great! My position on his arguments go right along with his. I mentioned in my post to him that I'm not necessarily as passionate about using technology for teaching but that it's growing on me because of people and posts like him! I could feel his passion and intensity through the computer screen as I was reading along, and he didn't even say that much. I'm developing this passion slowly but surely and even though it will probably be an infinite growth I'm willing to accept it with open arms! Scott McLeod was surprisingly an Associate Professor in the Educational Administration program at Iowa State University. He also is the Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE), the nation’s only academic center dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators, and was a co-creator of the wildly popular video, Did You Know? (Shift Happens). He has a bunch of awards for his technology brilliance and everything he has contributed to technology and learning and funding etc. and so forth. In Spring 2011 he will be a Visiting Canterbury Fellow at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. Dr. McLeod seems like a very exuberant, creative, innovative, passionate, and ingenious man who I am proud to say I learned some good tips from.
The "iSchool Initiative" was a pretty sweet video by a high school student who also shares a similar passion for increasing technology in school systems. It was a pretty overwhelming video but very informative on how much we can do with the technology today and how it can SAVE MONEY! Hearing about that part was my favorite because it truly does seem realistic that after purchasing all that technology, it would save money used from natural resources, time and effort. The easy accessibility was another part I liked because it showed how everything from the National Constitution, to parents' being able to track their child's progress and stuff like that, can be right at your fingertips! Love it! I'm a proud supporter of this kid and all the success I'm sure will follow him!
"The Lost Generation" has been my favorite video yet! Starting off by capturing you with the depressing sentences being read, it is definately an eye opener. Then once you're in it the speaker turns it around by reading it backwards, leading you to a completely different meaning! The concept was unbelievable, how they read the exact same sentences while at the same time giving you a totally opposite meaning than the first go round! Totally captivating, enticing, and enthralling I loved spending my time watching that one!
My reaction to the Virtual Choir is still full of questions. Did one person send out a mass email with explicit instructions on how to go about doing this or is it all just random people that made videos of themselves singing? Are they all singing the same tune/key or humming the same thing? I'm so confused but regardless it was neat to see all the possibilities of virtuality.
"Teaching in the 21st Century" was an interesting video as well. How do I feel about the positions expressed in this video? Well, I feel very grateful to have encountered these questions and concerns and for them to have been brought to my attention. I agree with there being virtually limitless information, so we must teach children how to properly use the internet. Because believe it or not, I was never exactly taught how to google, etc. I think my friends showed me and I just kind of picked it up along the way. Teaching them to properly ask the right questions for research, and what to search for, using the tools in engaging ways instead of solely for entertainment, is crucial. From this video it was crystal clear what to take with me and always ask: "What Does It Mean?!"

C4T #1 summary

So in my 1st C4T summary, I read about a somewhat newer program called "student led conferences" where parents can come and watch their child give a presentation on their learning and what they like about it, which then shows the teacher and parents where the child's interest is and what the child enjoys, as well as what he/she should work on and the weak areas that may be present!
Such a cool concept! There were some parents that preferred the old fashion method of teacher/parent conference without the student, I guess to get in deep conversation with the teacher without any interruptions from the child and handle it on an adult level. But for the most part I think this new program was a hit and successfully carried out the purpose it was intended for.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading on this topic and I love this new method! When I'm a parent I believe I'd much rather hear what my child has to say than solely go off of what the teacher says. Then if I have any further questions or concerns I will take the necessary preparations or precautions to fix the situation. So I'm all for it and all about the student led conferences! That pretty much sums up what my comment said to Ms. Cassidy!

For my second post on Mrs. Cassidy's blog I mentioned how exciting it must be for the parents to get to see this level of involvement into what their child's learning experience is like. If I were a parent I would be thrilled! It is such a great opportunity for the children and parents as well. It seems this kind of involvement would bring a new outlook on parent teacher relationships and I love how this concept has evolved. I wrote to Mrs. Cassidy about how magnificent I think her ideas and progressions have been. Hope my children have a teacher like her and hope I can be one too : )

Blog Post 3

The "Vision of Students Today" video was right up my alley! That is EXACTLY how I feel my college experience is and I can completely relate. I spend hundreds of dollars on books that I don't even open too, but I'll take all the blame for that. I spend money to eventually, hopefully make more money one day; kind of makes me sick to think about it like that. I wish I had better ideas of how to make the college experience less dramatic the way it seemed/can be, but at the same time I don't know if I even believe anything can be done or fixed. The school board directors, head honchos, big wigs and people with all the authority and power know what they're doing and how to make things work and I believe they're doing the best they can. Plus college does a pretty good job of getting you ready for the real world... sort of.
"It's not about the technology" was really great too. I loved the part about teaching in the 21st century is going to be about working smarter not harder! One can only work so hard but if that work is made "smarter" such as using your time better and with quality instead of quantity (trying to speak from a teachers' perspective and not a students') then it seems life for everyone would be made easier in the long run.
"Is It Ok To Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher" brought up such great points. I must first admit that I run close to being one of these technologically illiterate people, but thanks to Dr. Strange and his staff I believe that come May 2011 I will have changed, what I thought was my destiny, into a technologically savvy future for me and the children in my future! As long as you have the audacity to try and to care, that is all that matters (with technology and teaching in general)! "In order to teach it, we have to do it" was my FAVORITE quote from Mr. Fisch.
The "every second counter" thing is insane. I literally cannot even fathom that and it is absolutely mind boggling. For my teaching career it is somewhat a wake up call to realize that as an educator, things change that fast. Being on top of your game and staying up on what's new and the futures development is utterly important and cannot be stressed enough! I think that did an amazing job of showing us.

Project #5

Blog Post 2

The "Did You Know" video was so intimidating! I'm already extremely intimidated by technology and the degree to which it so vastly expands. The information put out in this video is unfathomable and just makes me want to crawl in a whole. I realize all these growths won't necessarily be visible to us while we're busy living our everyday lives and going about our daily activities, but when you stop and try to comprehend those statistics to their fullest, for me... INTIMIDATING!
At the same time of scaring the daylights out of me, the video was also intriguing! It is crazy to think that our world is changing and metamorphasizing as much as it does without the majority of us even being aware of it! I had no clue! I can't say I remember all the numbers that were thrown at me but what I did learn is that, everyday, something is changing and shifting and growing to become the next best thing and if we aren't careful and paying attention, the world will pass us by! As a future teacher I must take this into consideration and realize that I too must change, shift, and grow with technology for my students!
When it comes to Mr. Winkle I believe he's got it all figured out! I can totally relate to Mr. Winkle with his simple persona. He wasn't a fan of the loud noises and crazy machines that do weird tasks that he didn't understand. I'm right there with him. I am not a fan either; would rather be in the old days with a black chalk board for the teacher and one slate for the student. Those were the good ole days. So, at the end of the clip when it says "Mr. Winkle felt better when he recognized something familiar," and that "something" was a "school," I let out a sigh of relief and felt better myself. And then I turned it into a lesson to walk away with... Always remember where you came from and the roots your'e attached to and never lose sight of what "used to be!"
Sir Ken Robinson is my new favorite person! My favorite part was when he said "We are frightening our kids out of being wrong!" and we're "educating people out of creativity!" That is some good stuff! I never would have come up with that on my own and/or thought about this concept as what's wrong with the education system but now that it has been called to my attention I can't get it out of my head! One reason why I am so enthralled with this (new) notion is because I am one of those students that was diagnosed with a learning disorder, very fidgety in class, talkative and constantly moving and looking around. In the video, Sir Ken Robinson mentioned Gillian Lynne, director/choreographer/creator of cats and her childhood story of how she was in a classroom and while watching this my jaw dropped open because I am the exact same way! I was shocked! Like Lynne, I think more clearly when music is on and my body is moving to the sounds and beats of the rhythms! I also feel the healthiest and most comfortable in this moment, and am at my happiest when I'm dancing! For me, it is the ultimate release and a great way to let off some steam, not to mention a great card workout and calorie burn! It makes me sick to my stomach to think that not all kids are able to partake in activities like dance, to develop their motor skills, hand eye coordination, increase there health and metabolism, strengthen their muscles, teach them about the arts, and like Robinson said, boost creativity!!! Right now, in this moment, I vow to be the teacher who allows, appreciates and lifts up all forms of learning such as academically and physically!
What can I do to make sure the Cecelia Gault's in my classroom have as good an education as the Cecelia Gault in the video? I can travel more! I completely agree with everything Sir Ken Robinson mentioned about creativity and it's myths. I never considered myself to be very creative in high school but now that I sort of know who I am and what I'm good at I can say I'm a very creative person! It all just depends on what subject, topic, area or field I have to work with. Therefore, everyone has a little creativity in them and I will keep that in mind when I'm working with my students in a classroom and one has a temper tantrum because he/she is getting frustrated with the assignment. I'll just have to come up with a round about way to dig out that information that I know every student possesses! How will I do this? By broadening the students' and my horizons with different culture and endless opportunities, stemming from the ends of the Earth! The world is my oyster and I intend to eat it!
"You do not have to know everything to teach!" was my favorite quote from the "Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts" video. I liked this quote because often times one can get so caught up in teaching certain material a specific way and can get stuck in that routine that he/she may forget that every experience can be a learning process or that every day you "learn something new," and even that one might not know absolutely ALL there is to know about a subject matter. New bits of information are discovered every day and some things can even be debated, leading to a difference in opinions, which in turn leads to a different view point or another way of looking at whatever the subject may be! These were all things that popped into my mind while listening to the video and taught me yet another attribute that I would like to carry over into my teachings! Thanks for that!

C4T Summary #1

So in my 1st C4T summary, I read about a somewhat newer program called "student led conferences" where parents can come and watch their child give a presentation on their learning and what they like about it, which then shows the  teacher and parents where the child's interest is and what the child enjoys, as well as what he/she should work on and the weak areas that may be present! 
Such a cool concept! There were some parents that preferred the old fashion method of teacher/parent conference without the student, I guess to get in deep conversation with the teacher without any interruptions from the child and handle it on an adult level. But for the most part I think this new program was a hit and successfully carried out the purpose it was intended for. 
I thoroughly enjoyed reading on this topic and I love this new method! When I'm a parent I believe I'd much rather hear what my child has to say than solely go off of what the teacher says. Then if I have any further questions or concerns I will take the necessary preparations or precautions to fix the situation. So I'm all for it and all about the student led conferences! That pretty much sums up what my comment said to Ms. Cassidy! 

Practice Post

Hello,
This is my practice post!

wordle

Blog Post #1

My 1st Post
Hey! My name is Katherine Raley Zofko. My mom chose to call me by my middle name, but I will never do that to my children because it is very consuming and annoying at times to have to explain to teachers and friends or when dealing with legal documents, etc. I was born in Birmingham but moved to Foley Alabama at the age of 3 and have lived there ever since. I also have lived in Mobile while attending USA, along with Myrtle Beach South Carolina, Tampa and Ft. Lauderdale Florida, Buffalo New York, Cleveland Ohio, Atlanta Georgia, Dallas Texas, Providence Rhode Island, and Boston Massachusetts. All of the non-Alabama states were just brief moments in time stationed for work. Major interests for me are dancing (not club or pole dancing but rather technical dancing such as ballet, jazz, gymnastics, tap, lyrical, hip hop etc), exercising, cooking, occasional golfing, being with friends and family, going to the beach, shopping, and any form of traveling imaginable. I love any and every outdoor activity but unfortunately I don't get very many opportunities to partake in them . I enjoy trying new things and being challenged physically.
I happen to be attending USA because i didn't want to travel very far for college. That simple. Also, I was a member of the USA dance team for 4 years. Good times! I decided on education at South because I LOVE kids, always have, and knew I just had to be a part of teaching and taking care of our youth! They're so very precious and enjoyable to me!
Last but not least I guess I'll tell you I am a Radio City Rockette. I've been performing with the Rockettes for the last 4 Christmas seasons, so each fall semester I take off (from school) to spread Christmas cheer (corny I know) and perform for audiences all over the U.S. (hence all the cities I mentioned above). These moments have been my most favorite in life, as well as the most challenging and difficult ever! But wouldn't change it for the world!
The End