IBook

Where the Magic Happens

My group (Paris) did our iBook on "Where the Magic Happens" for EDM310. We choose this theme because we learned new and different things about technology and at times we were so interested in the project it felt like magic. We chose different characters throughout the presentation to show how we all are different and learn different ways, which is evident in our videos and blog post throughout the semester and in the iBook.

EDM310 Reflection Video

C4K Summary

Venetia is a 5 year student at Pt England School in Auckland, New Zealand. On April 7, 2014 she created a post called Legal Images. In this post was a picture of a bird and under the bird she wrote this is a legal image. She then goes on and tells us how she knew it was a legal image.

Memory is a year 4 student at Pt England in Auckland, New Zealand. On April 15, 2014 she was given the assignment to pick a animal that metamorphosis and lives in New Zealand and show its life cycle through a movie. Memory created her movie on Vimeo called Memory The Life Cycle of a Butterfly. In this movie Memory show us how a egg turns into a caterpillar, how it makes a pupa around itself, and then how it then becomes a butterfly.

Last C4T Summary

Finding the Right Tool was posted on March 31, 2014 by Beth Knittle. In this log post she says that districts are finding it hard to find the right tools for the right job. she says that the device should be the last thing considered when making this choice. They must first focus on the objectives and determine how far the money will go. Different schools are at different places when it comes to the level of technology integration and therefore would require different tools. They have explored a variety of devices; traditional Windows and OS computers and laptops, android and surface tablets, netbooks, iPads and chrome books. Changes have occured in both applications and hardware in a heartbeat and it is hard to keep up. They strive to find the right tool for the job. She says when it comes to teaching and learning we want our technology to support our staff and students to be able to do the following; Create and share video,Create presentations, and Access and create eBooks.

Also on March 31, 2014 Beth posted Time for an Update and in this post she says she need to update her blog. She claims that her blog is several versions behind. She suggested that she will remove outdated material and clean up some links after procrastinating some time. She was even open for other people suggestions.

Blog Post #13

As a Elementary teacher what can we learn from these articles?

Technology Integration for the New 21st Century Learner

Pros & Cons: Is Elementary too Early for 1:1 Technology

The Importance of Computer Technology in a Elementary School

As a upcoming elementary teacher and from these articles, I learned that technology has become a major part of children's lives today. More and more children are being introduced to technology at a young age at home and while that is happening at home we as teachers should take advantage of it in the classrooms. In Elementary schools the use of technology helps student with expression through presentations, videos,and design websites. It helps with gathering information such as speeches and articles from decades ago. It can also cultivate skills and build confidence for children to use later in life through college and as a working adult.

In the Technology Integration article I learned that children know more about technology than the children did in the beginning of the millennium. With children use technology more, we must increasingly put technology into the hands of students and must trust them with more progressive technology use, and it is no longer acceptable that the students don't have as much access to technical tools as the teachers. In order to maximize this opportunity students need a 1:1 ratio to technology on a daily basis. Developing a progressive technology-infused class is not about money; it’s about mindset. A school must be led by a proactive leader who:

1. Makes the needs of the new 21st century learner a priority

2. Deliberately empower teachers to innovatively craft digital learning experiences that promote discovery and creation

3. Establishes a shared vision and unique plan for their students and teachers

In the Pros and Cons: Is Elementary too early for 1:1 Technology article some pros of 1:1 technology are: having students work on lessons according to their readiness and extended learning beyond the classroom. The cons that were bought up were:the lack of physical books being used, and not being able to use physical manipulatives while doing math. The verdict of the article was 1:1 technology for elementary students is not too early because the students are not using it every minute in the class.

Project #12 SMARTboard video Part B

Blog Post #12 What assistive technologies are available to you as a teacher?

C4K Summary #2

Efa-Lata is a year 2 student at Pt. England in Auckland, New Zealand. In her post Efa-Lata's Swimming Story on March 14,2014, she post a video and picture. In this video she tells us that she is going swimming with her classmates. She also tells us some of the things they will do while swimming, like blow bubbles and splash. The picture that she posted with the video is a drawing of her in the water. Efa-Lata did a great job creating the video and picture.

Seabastian is a 7 year student at Pt. England School in Auckland, New Zealand. His last post was Avatar on March 14, 2014. This post only consisted of a image that he created, it was a recreation of a Batman icon. I thought he did a really good job.

Ana is a 7 year student at Pt England School in Auckland, New Zealand. Her last post was on a Educreations Question on March 25, 2014. The question was a math question and in the video she showed two ways to solve the math problem. She even got the answer correct because I checked.

Blog Post #11

What can we learn about teaching and learning from these teachers

Project #10

Interview a Teacher

C4T Summary #3

Intrepid Teacher is a blog written by Jabiz, a middle school teacher of ten years. In his "Well Versed in Books" post written on March 10, 2014, he mentions that he is a book snob, but does not like to read young adult literature. He found himself in a awkward situation when one day he allow his students to choose a novel they wanted to read, instead of just assigning them one. With the look of confusion on his students faces Jabiz also was clueless to what novels to suggest. So he solved this situation with reading more young adult novels, to be able to suggest them to his students.

On February 17, 2014 Jabiz created a post called "Schools Can Be" in this post he starts off be saying he was scared of how people would think of his thoughts, so he kept them to himself. In that very same week he felt different, he was not scared anymore. He goes on to explain several scenarios that happened that week. His first scenario was he was apart of a Share Your Beliefs session, which allowed he to engage in a debate with 11th grade students about faith. The second scenario was he and his daughter did a presentation for a 2nd grade class on why their family became vegans. The last scenario was that his 7th grade class is working on a project for labor rights and treatment of migrant workers in Singapore. At the end of the post he expressed gratitude about how he is able to express his thoughts.

Blog Post #10 What can we learn from Sir Ken Robinson?

I learned a lot from watching Sir Ken Robinson: Bring on the learning revolution video. In the video he states that there is a crises of human resources, and that we make very poor use of our talents. I agree that we all know someone who is not using their talent to the best of their ability and we wished we had their ability, to show them how to use it. Sir Ken said that he has met people who didn't enjoy what they are doing and some who do enjoy what they are doing, and say this is who I am. There have been times when I was doing something and I took a minute to think about it, and realized that is was not for me. We all can remember that time in our lives when we were about to do something and that moment we realized that this is not who I am. It was that time when we knew we had to make a change. Like Sir Ken said it is about our passions and what excites our spirits.

"We need a Revolution in Education" is what Sir Ken's speech was about. Reform is no longer acceptable, something much more has to be done to change education in the 21st century. I agree with him, over the years the way students learn have evolved, so I think that the way that teachers teach should do the same. Technology has become a major part in today's world and educators should take a hold of this and use it in their classrooms. I learned that we should personalize the education to who we are teaching. As educators you have to keep in mind that what worked 10 years ago for students will not work for students today. So much has changed through the years and it is our jobs to change with it, for the sake of the students. One quote that Sir Ken stated was, "we can not predict the human outcome, just the conditions in which they flourish." I learned from this quote was that as educators we can not predict where, when, or how the students are going to be successful but we can provide an environment for them to strive for success.

Project #15 Project Based Learning Plan #3

Lesson Plan #3

Project #12 Part A Mastering SMARTboard Tools

Blog Post #9 What can we learn from Mrs. Cassidy?

In Mrs. Cassidy's videos (Part1, Part2, Part3) she talked about how she introduced technology to her 1st grade classes 10 years ago. She was given some computers for her classroom and needed to find a use for them. Mrs. Cassidy does not use much of technology for her personal life, but found it to be very useful for her students. On a weekly basis she allowed her students to create a blog post to introduce them to technology. I like that she is exposing the students to this at such a young age. I also think the younger they are exposed to these type of things, the more likely they will keep using it later in life. The approach that Mrs. Cassidy took was very direct, she took the tools she had and used it in the best was she saw fit. I agree with Mrs. Cassidy that we should start off by finding something we are interested in and sign up for different tools that will allow you to explore and learn more. I love how the students like to go to their blogs and read the comments written by people from all over the world. I think I will start off with my students to create videos of something they like, I think this will break the ice of using technology in the classroom, while letting the students get to know each other in the process.

Blog Post #8 Finding 21st Century Learning and Communicating Tools

After giving this assignment some thought I decided to Google "online learning tools for elementary students" and to my surprise several websites popped up. The one that caught my attention was 101 Websites That Every Elementary Teacher Should Know About. I already had some websites in mind that I heard about but did not get a chance to explore them yet, so this assignment allowed me to do so. Because I am a mother of a two year old son, I was already in the mindset to explore some learning tools for me to use with him. Within the 101 websites that was listed I found some that I liked more than others, so here are a few I think will be a great use in and out the classrooms.

1. Pinterest

I heard Pinterest to be a good site to use to get different ideas to use in the class room. You simply go to there site, sign in and from there you can type anything that interest you (elementary art projects, science ideas, or elementary math), the ideas are limitless. Once you have typed what you want to search, several pictures pop up with ideas from several websites, you can then pin the ideas you like to use and go to that website to get the full page of instructions. You can also pin ideas for a later use if need be.

2. Fuel the Brain

I found Fuel the Brain to be useful because it allow students(1-12 grade) to play learning games and provide learning resources. I think students will enjoy the feature of creating their own worksheets and personal mini books. Sometimes students get tired of same old way of learning and this site has some new ideas.



3. Starfall

Starfall is a really great website to use for early elementary students (PreK-2 grade)at home and or in the classroom. I heard of many teachers using this in their classrooms as one of their play stations. This site also have activities that align with Common Core Standards. The Starfall store allow you to purchase things like books, posters to hang in the classroom, puzzles, sing-a-long cds, and games.

C4T #2

Annie Palmer's Breaking Education Barrier blog was very informative to me. I learned new things about teaching reading comprehension and fluency. In the Step Up Comprehension post, Annie mentioned that there is different levels of comprehension and the need of more knowledge on different levels of comprehension. She also provided a link for rubrics that teachers can use if they wanted. One statement that I liked was she said, "teach them what surface level and deep level comprehension is." In her "The Power of Fluency Instruction" post Annie states that phonics and comprehension have been the main focus of reading, and raises the question "where does fluency fit in?" Fluency is the bridge between phonics and comprehension. Research says that there is a lack of fluency focus in our programs and teacher training. Annie ends her post with take some time to consider your reading instruction and the reading program you use and continue to develop and build on your knowledge of fluency, the forgotten component of reading.

Project #14 Project Based Learning Plan #2

Lesson Plan #2

Project #9 Book Conversation

C4K Summary

Cordell is a third grade student who class has a blog. On his personal blog post he wrote about how his class will be watching different movies and had to post about what they felt about the movie, if they liked it, would they give the movie a thumbs up or thumbs down, and would they recommend that other people to see it.I thought this was a great idea for a post and interesting to see what all the students think about the many movies they were going to watch.

Delan was a student who wrote his second blog on his BEST back flip. I was a little confused when I first read his post, His title read "My best back flip" but as I was reading the post, it was about a front flip he and his friends had did on the trampoline. I made sure i commented and ask him to re-read his post and make the needed adjustments. Overall I enjoy reading students blogs and commenting on them.

Blog Post #7 What can we learn about teaching and learning from Randy Pausch?

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture was a great lecture for everyone to watch. He gave some great pointers for people to use throughout life. Whether you are a dreamer or just someone looking for encouragement, you can find it in Pausch's lecture. As a learner I learned that as we learn we are also teachers. We need to make sure that we have FUN while learning, and as we learn we need not to complain just work harder. As I become a teacher I got some great advice from the lecture for myself. The BEST gift a teacher can give is to get the students to become self reflective. I know we have all been told to look over your test a second time to make sure all questions have been answered, but from Pausch's quote I took it beyond just looking over test a second time but in all that we do, we should take some time just to reflect on the things we have done. As teachers we will constantly be learning from our students and I thinks not just students but others as well, as I have heard before we should become LIFETIME LEARNERS.

Project 13 Project Based Learning Plan #1

Birds From Around the World

Blog Post #6 What are Personal Learning Networks (PLNs)

Personal Learning Networks(PLN's) are tools that are used to get connected to people and stay connected. We use these tools to contact people for assistance, collaboration, or information. Teachers can use PLN's as a way to connect to other teachers in their state or around the world. As a teacher this is a great tool because education is forever evolving so this allows teachers to stay connected to the ever changing field. Personal Learning Networks are formed in many different ways one way is seen in Welcome to my PLE! by a 7th grade student. There is no right or wrong way to form or create your PLN just as long as it works for YOU. The first person that I will add to my PLN will be my oldest sister who has been a elementary teach for over 10 years.

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Book Trailer

Belle, the Last Mule at Gee's Bend

Blog Post #5 What did I learn from the conversations with Anthony Capps?

After listening to the conversations Anthony Capps and Dr. Strange had, I learned a lot. In the videos Project Based Learning I learned the most. One of the things that I agreed with the most was that students learn more from projects. With project base learning, you have to be willing to do some of the learning on your own. The Tips for Teachers video gave me some great tips to become a great new teacher. Some of the tips for me to keep in mind are:

1. become a LEARNER

2. teaching is hard work but FUN

3. be FLEXIBLE

4. REFLECT

I think this video was a great idea because it gives us a perspective on what we as teachers should be doing and what to expect in going into this profession. I also think that every individual, not just teachers, should be LEARNERS.

My Sentence Videos

My Sentence is...



My Passion is...

Blog Post #4 Asking Questions: What questions do we ask? How do we ask?

As a teacher we must know that every question is a good question. Questions are asked to get clarification of something, to inquire of something, and according to The Teaching Center, to improve learning. At a young age we were taught NO question is a bad question. While keeping that in mind I can understand why the questions "What questions do we ask and how do we ask" is being raised.

What questions do we ask?

I personally think all questions should be asked. Every question gets you closer to the answer you want. Whether it is an open ended question, a closed ended question, direct, or indirect, you have gained a little more information from the answer you received. I think open ended questions are better because it allow the person being asked to really think of a great answer(not a simple yes or no.

How do we ask?

We ask questions based on the type of response we want. After reading Three Ways to Ask Better Questions in the Classroom , I agree. If you want a organized and prepared answer, you must first as the teacher, prepare the question, give them the question ahead of time,and give them enough time,tools, and information to prepare the answer. If you want the students to think a little more, or outside the box, I think you should play with the question you ask. For instance ask a question before you give any information on the subject in which the question pertains to.

To me what and how we ask questions should be based on the type of answer we want, or based on the answer we get should help us determine if that is what and how we want the question to be.

Blog Post #3 How can you provide meaningful feedback to your peers?

After watching Peer Editing and viewing Peer Editing with Perfection Tutorial slideshow, I learned something new. I learned the three steps of peer editing, which are

1. Compliment

2. Suggestions

3. Corrections

I never knew there were steps to follow when editing. In the past I was always told to switch my paper with a peer and make corrections on the paper. Now that I know there are steps to follow, I think it will make it easier to edit. Editing to me was never fun because I basically told people every little thing they did wrong on their paper, and some people take offense in others critiquing their work.

After viewing the Writing Peer Review Top 10 Mistakes video clip, I think we can all agree that we have encountered at least one of the mentioned mistakes.I personally have witnessed or been a victim of all 10 mistakes.From the video I learned exactly what not to do while editing a peers work.

Blog Post 2 What will teaching in the 21st century be like?

1. Mr. Dancealot

In the Professor Dancealot video, the central message was his teaching method and lack of evaluation, the professor lacked to assess his students and failed to evaluate the tools and material he was using to teach the students. The professor had been teaching the same class for 12 years and form the looks of it, he has not changed anything in those 12 years. Every year a teacher should do an assessment or an evaluation of the effectiveness of the materials that they used that school year. What worked last year, may not work this year,and what work this year may not work next year. The author of the movie made it clear that there is a gap between teaching and learning. Although the professor was teaching the material, it all got lost in the transaction between teacher and student, because of the lack of evaluation. At the end of the video it clearly showed hoe effective Professor Dancealot methods were, when the students were left clueless to take the final exam. He taught using diagrams, yet he tested the students on if they knew how to perform the dance. His method of teaching did not match his method of testing.

2. Teaching in the 21st Century

To teach in the 21st century a teacher must not compete with new technology, but embrace it. Information no longer only come from textbooks, but various sources. As the technology advance so should teachers, and if not teachers will be left behind. According to Roberts video, Teaching in the 21st Century,



Students get information from

-blogs

-Facebook

-Twitter

-Youtube

-Google

Skills students are learning

-networking

-editing

-tagging

-searching

-posting

-linking

Where are they learning this

-friends

-strangers

-themselves

Roberts think we need to rethink the tools we are using and I agree. While technology is transforming so should the teaching tools that are used. For me as an education major, I see this as an advantage. We as students are constantly trying to find different tools to help us with assignments and help us learn. With different tools being created, educators can enhance their teaching experience for the students.

3. The Networked Students

While watching The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler, it asked a question,

"Why does a networked student need a teacher?"

In my opinion every student needs a teacher for guidance, reassurance, and to teach the proper way of doing things. The video listed all the tools a networked student has access to such as Skype, Blogger, Google Scholar, and social sites. While a student may have access to these tools and technology, one may not be comfortable with the new way of learning and finding information, therefore they will need a teacher for help. A teacher can, as said in the video, teach how to build their network, guide when stuck, and help organize the information.

4. Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

The thesis of this video was to teach students about the new tools and technology in todays century. I agree with the author Vicki Davis when she said "Where children have trouble is when you only have paper and only have pencil, then only certain types of children are going to succeed." The 21st century has become the century of technology to most students. We are always searching for the newest or latest thing that is out, so it is also important for the teachers to be up to date on the latest technology.

5.Fipping the Classroom

Flipping the Classroom was an informative video. I have not heard of that method of teaching. In the past I have had teachers do something similar to this method, where we were told to go home watch videos and read a few chapters for the next day lesson. This new approach is great and useful for teachers. It allows that students to go home and learn of familiarize themselves with the next lesson without the pressure of time. While at school teachers are only given so much time to teach a lesson, while some students are fast learners, others may not be. This approach will allow for students to ask questions (if any) and get a better understanding of the lesson. It also so allows the teacher to be more hands on with the students.

Blog Post 1

1. What are the things I heard about EDM310?

Last semester I was in a class with a few students who were currently taking EDM310. During the semester I would overhear some the students talk about the class and the assignments that were due. A few times I would hear them say how overwhelming the class was, how hard the assignments were, or even how the teacher never taught them anything. One day I heard one student say, "Dr. Strange is truly that, strange." A lady who I got to talk to on the last day of fall semester told me that she really think I should go out and buy a Mac computer just for this class.

2. What fears do I have about EDM310?

I personally do not have any fears about EDM310, but I do worry if I will be able to complete all the assignments on time and in a professional manner.

3. Compare and contrast EDM310 with other courses I have taken in college or high school.

Most if not all my previous classes have been a teacher teach,the student learn, and then the student is given a test approach. I was always taught in a face-to-face environment as compared to EDM310 where most of the learning is done through videos, websites, or instructions on paper. In EDM310 we are forced to be a self learner than compared to my previous classes where I learned mainly from the teacher.

4. What do I think will be the most difficult thing for me in EDM310?

The most difficult thing I think I will be is completing all assignments on time.

5. What is the best way for me to address this "most difficult" aspect of EDM310?

The best way that I can think of to address this aspect, is to make a schedule and stick to it.

6. What questions do I still have about EDM310? What ideas do I have about how to address those questions?

I currently do not have any questions concerning EDM310, but if I do come up with some I will be sure to contact you or your staff to have them answered.

Practice Post

Some personal information about me

I am the youngest of five children. I have two sisters and two deceased brothers. I was born in Fort Myers, Florida and moved to Alabama in 1993 with my family. My family and I have lived in several towns before ending up here in the city of Mobile in 2000. I attended Murphy High School where I was active in several clubs, and graduated in 2007 with a advance diploma. I am the mother of a busy two year old boy named Joel. He is definitely the apple of my eye. The joy that I get in hearing him laugh and the hugs are just heart warming. God and my family are my back bone.

My major interest

One of my interest is to make a difference in someones life. Regardless if it is a small difference or a large one. I get joy knowing that I have helped someone along the way become a better person. Another one of my interest is poetry. I love to hear someone express their thoughts, feelings, and perception on things. The way they word things, the tone, and volume of their voice makes it even more interesting to me. I wish Mobile had more spoken word events for me to enjoy.

Why I want to enter into the field of education

My career choice as a child has always been to either become a teacher or a nurse. I always love being around and helping children, so what better way to accomplish that, than to become a teacher or nurse. I started off by attending Bishop State Community College majoring in nursing. After several years of studying nursing, I decided that nursing was not the right career choice or me. After some thought and graduating from Bishop State with my AS degree, I decided to attend the University of South Alabama to pursue a degree in Education. My love for kids led me to the field of Elementary Education. I am currently in my second semester at South and I am enjoying the new journey that I am on.

My passions

My passions are cooking, baking, and painting. When I was growing up I never liked trying new foods, but recently I have been getting into trying different food and recipes than I use to. Just on my birthday I went to a restaurant and ordered oysters, which in the past I was hesitant to try. A new recipe that I have tries making was Parmesan spinach stuffed chicken, and if I must say so myself, it was delicious. As a young girl I loved watching my mom bake and my sister and I use to fight over who was going to get the left over batter from the mixing bowl. The moment from when I was old enough to use a oven by myself I fell in love with baking. Some recipes I made up from what I thought should or would be in a recipe, and of course those did not turn out quite right. Then there was the recipes I tried from my mother's cookbook, which always turned out good. I started getting into art in 1999 after my first brother died. I used it as a way to express my feelings and had a passion for it that day on. My favorite subject in high school was always art, I took art three years in a row and joined the art club because I loved it so much. The thing i do best is bake. What i would like to do more than other things is paint, and what I want to do better is paint.

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