I came into EDM310 nervous about my lack of technology and the work required for the class. I have only had one other computer class and that was a Word and typing class in high school. I was very impressed by the amount of time and concern that the instructors and assistants put into each student. Everyone working in the EDM class and lab made the class much more manageable. I am excited about the things that I learned during the course. Creating and learning how to blog was the most meaningful and I believe lasting thing that I learned throughout the class. I learned some incredible things from other blogs that I read that will greatly help me in the classroom.
This class showed me the advantages of using technology in the classroom and how it is changing education. The elementary, middle and high school that I went to are not technology advanced. The most technology that is used in a classroom are overhead projectors. I admit that coming into EDM310 I was a little closed minded about technology in the classroom because of my lack of accessibility to it in schools. I did not see how they could be used to better a students education. This class showed me the importance of using technology as well as gotten me excited to use it in my classroom. I believe that this class has prepared me with the tools that I need to use technology to better my students' education.
I would tell a student who is entering EDM310 to come into the class with an open mind and to take advantage of the lab hours. I would definitely encourage them to follow Mr. Spencer's blog. I know that I have talked about him many times in the past, but I really like following his blog. My mom is an administrator at a school in Mobile and I have introduced her to his blog. I have also had her watch some of the videos such as the "Questions to Live by" video so that she can share them with her teachers. I would also advise new students to take their time with their post and comments. I got more out of the videos or readings when I had a lot of time to dedicate to them. This really is a great class and more students should take advantages of the benefits that it allows.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Comments4Classmates 12
Alana Carpenter
Hi Alana, I enjoyed listening to your interview discussion. I agree that all teachers should be technologically literate. Granted some will be more literate than other, but everyone should be to some degree. You all have some good ideas and viewpoints. It was evident in your interview that you are learning a lot from EDM310.
Shoronda Charles
Great video! I love Smartboards and I have played with the Notebook before and I thought it was a lot of fun. I like that your video was about different tools you can use with the Smartboard and did not concentrate on just one. I enjoyed watching your video.
Pauline Brown
I was also impressed with the Roamin' with the Ancient Romans podcast. It was very informative and fun to listen. The benefits of podcasting in the classroom are incredible and I am looking forward to using them in the classroom. I was very surprised as well by the 100 Ways to Use Your iPod to Learn and Study better. I hope that you are able to incorporate podcasts and iPods in your classroom.
Hi Alana, I enjoyed listening to your interview discussion. I agree that all teachers should be technologically literate. Granted some will be more literate than other, but everyone should be to some degree. You all have some good ideas and viewpoints. It was evident in your interview that you are learning a lot from EDM310.
Shoronda Charles
Great video! I love Smartboards and I have played with the Notebook before and I thought it was a lot of fun. I like that your video was about different tools you can use with the Smartboard and did not concentrate on just one. I enjoyed watching your video.
Pauline Brown
I was also impressed with the Roamin' with the Ancient Romans podcast. It was very informative and fun to listen. The benefits of podcasting in the classroom are incredible and I am looking forward to using them in the classroom. I was very surprised as well by the 100 Ways to Use Your iPod to Learn and Study better. I hope that you are able to incorporate podcasts and iPods in your classroom.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
My PLN
This is my PLN but I still have some blogs to add. I was so impressed with Mr. Spencer's blogs when I was assigned to comment on his blog that I contacting him for some of his favorite blogs. I will soon add the blogs that he recommended me to read.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Blog Post #13
The videos produced by Ms. Hagler's class were very well done. I think that the videos were a great way for the students to understand an express their feelings about the oil spill. I thought that the students did an excellent job with their editing and choosing their music. All three videos were very impressive. I loved the voice of the "oil spill" in Mean Oil Spill. Prayer has been a huge part of peoples' lives during the oil spill and I think it was important that they showed that in their video Just Pray. I think it is really important that Ms. Hagler gave her students the opportunity to create their videos. I am very impressed by the amount of media coverage that the videos and the class were given. They worked very hard and deserved the recognition. It is evident that Ms. Hagler believes that technology in the classroom is necessary for learning.
Blog Post #12
What I've Learned Part 2
I really like and appreciate the fact that Mr. McClung so easily admits where he has messed up and what he has had to learn. After reading what he has posted after his second year, I can see that he had to rely on some of the lessons that he learned his first. During this past year, Mr. McClung had to take what he learned about the importance of communication and apply it. Because he had already learned the importance of communication, he was able to communicate and stand up for the things that were important. He was also able to communicate with the school moms who helped him throughout the year.
After Mr. McClung's first year, he posted to never stop learning. It is evident in his second year post that he has not stopped learning. McClung had to learn new subject matter, teaching styles as well as how to engage older students. It was not immediate, Mr. McClung was able to learn what he needed in order to be a good teacher.
I feel like Mr. McClung's lesson on the Path Lest Traveled is a mix between is lessons How to Read the Crowd and Be Flexible. He had to take both of those lessons from year one in order to create the atmosphere and discussions for his class.
I believe that Mr. McClung has learned a lot throughout his two years of teaching. He is open to new things and he is not okay with being a teacher who simply lectures. Mr. McClung is continuously learning and builds on what he has learned year to year.
M-Cubed
I had never seen Fablab before, but I think it is really neat and a great tool for classrooms. It can help demonstrate shapes and allow students to learn and understand geometry. It can be very difficult to understand dimensions, area and volume using a 2 dimensional pictures, but by being able to create shapes with the Fablab students are constructing what they are learning. By the students having an actual shape that they can hold, the teacher can better explain the concepts of volume, area and space.
I would love to teach and demonstrate shapes by using the Fablab in my classroom. I know that it is probably not possible to have the fabricator;however, I think that printing the shapes out onto regular paper can be just as resourceful. Instead of the fabricator cutting out the shapes, the students would have to cut the shapes out by hand.
Print Fabricate
Creating Unique Shapes & Custom Shapes
Imagine. Design. Create. Construct.
Making Shapes with a Hole
I really like and appreciate the fact that Mr. McClung so easily admits where he has messed up and what he has had to learn. After reading what he has posted after his second year, I can see that he had to rely on some of the lessons that he learned his first. During this past year, Mr. McClung had to take what he learned about the importance of communication and apply it. Because he had already learned the importance of communication, he was able to communicate and stand up for the things that were important. He was also able to communicate with the school moms who helped him throughout the year.
After Mr. McClung's first year, he posted to never stop learning. It is evident in his second year post that he has not stopped learning. McClung had to learn new subject matter, teaching styles as well as how to engage older students. It was not immediate, Mr. McClung was able to learn what he needed in order to be a good teacher.
I feel like Mr. McClung's lesson on the Path Lest Traveled is a mix between is lessons How to Read the Crowd and Be Flexible. He had to take both of those lessons from year one in order to create the atmosphere and discussions for his class.
I believe that Mr. McClung has learned a lot throughout his two years of teaching. He is open to new things and he is not okay with being a teacher who simply lectures. Mr. McClung is continuously learning and builds on what he has learned year to year.
M-Cubed
I had never seen Fablab before, but I think it is really neat and a great tool for classrooms. It can help demonstrate shapes and allow students to learn and understand geometry. It can be very difficult to understand dimensions, area and volume using a 2 dimensional pictures, but by being able to create shapes with the Fablab students are constructing what they are learning. By the students having an actual shape that they can hold, the teacher can better explain the concepts of volume, area and space.
I would love to teach and demonstrate shapes by using the Fablab in my classroom. I know that it is probably not possible to have the fabricator;however, I think that printing the shapes out onto regular paper can be just as resourceful. Instead of the fabricator cutting out the shapes, the students would have to cut the shapes out by hand.
Print Fabricate
Creating Unique Shapes & Custom Shapes
Imagine. Design. Create. Construct.
Making Shapes with a Hole
Saturday, July 17, 2010
C4K
The students made a video telling about Halogens. To tell about halogens, the students had sock puppets for every member of the Halogen Family. The video was fun to watch and was extremely informative about the 5 different halogens. The students included the name and placement of each halogen on the Periodic Table as well as their atomic number. The students also talked about their different uses. The video was a great way to teach science and more fun than sitting in a class listening to a teacher read them to you.
Comments4Teachers
I commented on John Spencer's blog Tom Johnson's Adventures in Pencil Integration. Every post that I read was thought provoking and eye-opening and I encourage everyone to read his posts. The first post that I read was the human cost. It was a very intriguing post that pointed out the everything has a con a cost. Every good thing that is done as an improvement will have one small glitch. We have to decide if it is worth the cost.
His second post was Don't Let Them Take Pencils Home. I think that every educator and administrator should read this post. It is a dialog between two educators debating whether or not students should take pencils home because the research showed that inner city students should not. The post deals with one person who cuts out tools that research says is bad and the other person takes that research and properly shows parents and students how to use the tool effectively.
The third post those aren't the tools you'll use in the real world is another post that I think should be required for all educators. This post included a teacher who let students used the paper and such that was right for them, while at the same time his wife did not think it was appropriate for them not to use the same kind. She felt that the wide-ruled paper was not preparing them for the real world. I believe that this post will be eye-opening to anyone.
As I sure you can tell, I have been very impressed and inspired by Mr. Spencer's blog posts. I have enjoyed reading and commenting on his posts and I intend to continue to follow his blog.
His second post was Don't Let Them Take Pencils Home. I think that every educator and administrator should read this post. It is a dialog between two educators debating whether or not students should take pencils home because the research showed that inner city students should not. The post deals with one person who cuts out tools that research says is bad and the other person takes that research and properly shows parents and students how to use the tool effectively.
The third post those aren't the tools you'll use in the real world is another post that I think should be required for all educators. This post included a teacher who let students used the paper and such that was right for them, while at the same time his wife did not think it was appropriate for them not to use the same kind. She felt that the wide-ruled paper was not preparing them for the real world. I believe that this post will be eye-opening to anyone.
As I sure you can tell, I have been very impressed and inspired by Mr. Spencer's blog posts. I have enjoyed reading and commenting on his posts and I intend to continue to follow his blog.
Blog Post #11
Ms. Cassidy's Class
I was very impressed with Ms. Cassidy's video and the amount of technology that she uses in the classroom. You could tell just by the video that the students loved blogging and learned a lot from their blogs. It was obvious that they were learning grammar and writing etiquette at a young age. Her students seemed to be excelling in the class and wanted to do better on their own. I believe that there motivation to learn and do better comes from their independence and hands-on-experience in the classroom.
One technique that I would like to use in the classroom would be the use of NintendoDS. Children play on DSs all of the time and to provide them an opportunity to learn educational games on theirs' is amazing. Also, incorporating what they like and use daily into the classroom is such a good way to get the students' attention. The problems that I foresee with using Nintendos in the classroom here are accessibility and administration. The majority of schools in Mobile County are Title 1 schools and I know that it is not possible to expect every student to have a NintendoDS. Many students can not afford them and with all of the cutbacks in education the schools would not be able to provide them. Another problem is administration. Even if the students did have access to the Nintendos the schools would not most likely not allow them to be used in class. Administration is more focused on test scores and students sitting in their desk all day to learn;and we all have seen how well that is working out for them. They are not willing to allow students or teachers to experiment with new learning styles or ideas. Ms. Cassidy's classroom seemed extremely productive and very beneficial to the students;however, I feel that it would not be excepted here. After I graduate, I do not plan to stay in Alabama long and I hope to teach in a school that is more open to technology, such as Ms. Cassidy's, in the classroom.
I was very impressed with Ms. Cassidy's video and the amount of technology that she uses in the classroom. You could tell just by the video that the students loved blogging and learned a lot from their blogs. It was obvious that they were learning grammar and writing etiquette at a young age. Her students seemed to be excelling in the class and wanted to do better on their own. I believe that there motivation to learn and do better comes from their independence and hands-on-experience in the classroom.
One technique that I would like to use in the classroom would be the use of NintendoDS. Children play on DSs all of the time and to provide them an opportunity to learn educational games on theirs' is amazing. Also, incorporating what they like and use daily into the classroom is such a good way to get the students' attention. The problems that I foresee with using Nintendos in the classroom here are accessibility and administration. The majority of schools in Mobile County are Title 1 schools and I know that it is not possible to expect every student to have a NintendoDS. Many students can not afford them and with all of the cutbacks in education the schools would not be able to provide them. Another problem is administration. Even if the students did have access to the Nintendos the schools would not most likely not allow them to be used in class. Administration is more focused on test scores and students sitting in their desk all day to learn;and we all have seen how well that is working out for them. They are not willing to allow students or teachers to experiment with new learning styles or ideas. Ms. Cassidy's classroom seemed extremely productive and very beneficial to the students;however, I feel that it would not be excepted here. After I graduate, I do not plan to stay in Alabama long and I hope to teach in a school that is more open to technology, such as Ms. Cassidy's, in the classroom.
Friday, July 16, 2010
C4K3
My C4K post was more the teacher summarizing their week;however, I was able to get a lot from it. Each week Mr. McClung posts Lesson Learned which consists of the 3 main things that the students learned that week. This week Mr. McClung had the students help him decide what to include. I enjoyed reading what was included in the Lessons Learned. A of the lessons few were: don't make the Pope angry, Nutrisystem = lunchables for grownups, don't climb a tree that you do not plan to fall out of, don't go shopping cart jousting, and Silver Dollar City is where the creeps hang out. There were more listed, but those are some of my favorite. The students also created a Wordle that included all of their Lessons Learned. Lesson Two for the week was titled RAZalert = Fail. This was just a short summary of an alert system at the University of Arkansas called RAZalert that texts or calls students to inform them of bad weather. Lesson Two told about how the system sent a false alarm and the lesson that was learned by the class was that "apparently RAZalert likes false alarms".
I like the idea of a Lesson Learned post. Lesson One in particular allowed Mr. McClung's students to review and remember what they learned throughout the week. I think it is a fun and easy way to keep people updated on what is being taught in the classroom.
I like the idea of a Lesson Learned post. Lesson One in particular allowed Mr. McClung's students to review and remember what they learned throughout the week. I think it is a fun and easy way to keep people updated on what is being taught in the classroom.
Blog Post #10
A Seventh Grader's PLE
I really like her PLE done from Symbaloo. I was very impressed with how organized she could make her PLE by using Symbaloo.com. After watching her video I decided to model my PLN after her PLE. I have created a page on Symbaloo that allows me to have all of the blogs and websites that I follow. I love the idea of her PLE and can see how beneficial it can be. I will most likely create PLEs such as the one that she did for my classes that require extra research.
Two Questions That Can Change Your Life
This was another inspiring video for me. The people in the video all did extraordinary things and their sentence reflected that. I want an extraordinary sentence to define me. The second question "Was I Better Today than Yesterday?" is crucial for fulfilling your sentence. I feel a person will never truly be better at anything unless they reflect on their behavior and determine whether or not they are improving. I hope that one day I have a truly amazing sentence, but for now, my sentence to live by is: I want to help ,someone that I do not know, everyday.
I really like her PLE done from Symbaloo. I was very impressed with how organized she could make her PLE by using Symbaloo.com. After watching her video I decided to model my PLN after her PLE. I have created a page on Symbaloo that allows me to have all of the blogs and websites that I follow. I love the idea of her PLE and can see how beneficial it can be. I will most likely create PLEs such as the one that she did for my classes that require extra research.
Two Questions That Can Change Your Life
This was another inspiring video for me. The people in the video all did extraordinary things and their sentence reflected that. I want an extraordinary sentence to define me. The second question "Was I Better Today than Yesterday?" is crucial for fulfilling your sentence. I feel a person will never truly be better at anything unless they reflect on their behavior and determine whether or not they are improving. I hope that one day I have a truly amazing sentence, but for now, my sentence to live by is: I want to help ,someone that I do not know, everyday.
Blog Post #9
Morgan Bayda
I have experienced some of the same issues as Morgan Bayda doing my college education. I have been in far too many classes that consist of me just sitting in a lecture for hours a week and not knowing half of what was being "taught" and that was okay. I could still make a good grade in the class by copying down the power points. I have gone through a class for an entire semester, made a good grade, but never truly learned anything. I went to class, memorized my notes, took the test, and then forgot everything that I had memorized for the test. As I compare my classes that I have taken throughout my four years in college, I notice that the classes that I excelled in and still remember what was taught are the ones that were not quiet. I truly learned in the classes that involved discussion and students' opinions and not the classes that only the professor talked and shared his or her ideas.
I have learned more in EDM310 than most of my other classes because it is not a lecture class where we "learn" by listening to the professor. We learn things by trying them for ourselves and creating everything on our own. The internet has so much to offer and to teach that it should really be taken advantage of in schools. Students can access information and resources that will teach them more than just sitting in the lecture hall.
ALEX
All teachers in Alabama have to go by the Alabama Course of Study. The website ALEX provides an easy way for teachers to access the ALCOS for each subject according to grade level. ALEX states the objectives for each subject as well as provides examples for the objectives. The website also has lesson plans and a link to different websites listed beside each ALCOS objective as a guideline for teachers. ALEX also has a place called "Web Links". Web Links provides teachers with hundreds of different websites for every subject. The websites range from research articles, to lesson plans, to interactive learning for the students. Not only does ALEX provide access to websites for the core subjects in a classroom, but it also includes websites for Character Education, Online Projects, and Library Media. There are also websites available for students to access. One of the websites that is available for students is one that the students can email with grammar questions.
Alex also allows teachers to access thousands of lesson plans through its website. When I clicked on "Lesson Plans" from the homepage, a new page opened that allowed me to check the box beside any subject ranging from English to Drivers Education. I could also click on the grade level that I wanted and hundreds of lesson plans were available for me. You can also search lesson plans by Title, Author, or School. ALEX also has an area available on the website where teachers can search the ALCOS, web links or lesson plans by typing in the title or keyword.
ALEX also includes an Personal Workspace for teachers. Teachers can log in to ALEX and have a web page that allows them to save and share lesson plans as well as other teachers' pages. The Professional Learning section of ALEX provides teachers with access to professional development opportunities, strategies in the classroom, learning tools etc. ALEX also provides access to different educational podcasts for the classroom.
I have experienced some of the same issues as Morgan Bayda doing my college education. I have been in far too many classes that consist of me just sitting in a lecture for hours a week and not knowing half of what was being "taught" and that was okay. I could still make a good grade in the class by copying down the power points. I have gone through a class for an entire semester, made a good grade, but never truly learned anything. I went to class, memorized my notes, took the test, and then forgot everything that I had memorized for the test. As I compare my classes that I have taken throughout my four years in college, I notice that the classes that I excelled in and still remember what was taught are the ones that were not quiet. I truly learned in the classes that involved discussion and students' opinions and not the classes that only the professor talked and shared his or her ideas.
I have learned more in EDM310 than most of my other classes because it is not a lecture class where we "learn" by listening to the professor. We learn things by trying them for ourselves and creating everything on our own. The internet has so much to offer and to teach that it should really be taken advantage of in schools. Students can access information and resources that will teach them more than just sitting in the lecture hall.
ALEX
All teachers in Alabama have to go by the Alabama Course of Study. The website ALEX provides an easy way for teachers to access the ALCOS for each subject according to grade level. ALEX states the objectives for each subject as well as provides examples for the objectives. The website also has lesson plans and a link to different websites listed beside each ALCOS objective as a guideline for teachers. ALEX also has a place called "Web Links". Web Links provides teachers with hundreds of different websites for every subject. The websites range from research articles, to lesson plans, to interactive learning for the students. Not only does ALEX provide access to websites for the core subjects in a classroom, but it also includes websites for Character Education, Online Projects, and Library Media. There are also websites available for students to access. One of the websites that is available for students is one that the students can email with grammar questions.
Alex also allows teachers to access thousands of lesson plans through its website. When I clicked on "Lesson Plans" from the homepage, a new page opened that allowed me to check the box beside any subject ranging from English to Drivers Education. I could also click on the grade level that I wanted and hundreds of lesson plans were available for me. You can also search lesson plans by Title, Author, or School. ALEX also has an area available on the website where teachers can search the ALCOS, web links or lesson plans by typing in the title or keyword.
ALEX also includes an Personal Workspace for teachers. Teachers can log in to ALEX and have a web page that allows them to save and share lesson plans as well as other teachers' pages. The Professional Learning section of ALEX provides teachers with access to professional development opportunities, strategies in the classroom, learning tools etc. ALEX also provides access to different educational podcasts for the classroom.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Blog Post #8
"What I've Learned This Year"
I found Mr. McClung's blog to be very helpful to future teachers. He was not afraid to admit to the mistakes that he has made as an educator in order to help other educators avoid similar mistakes. I have had teachers who have made the same common mistakes that Mr. McClung has made. I feel like many teachers, just like Mr. McClung, forget far too often to make the students in their classroom that center of their lesson plans. The students are the reason that teachers are in the classroom. Flexibility is another mistake that is very easy to make. Teachers begin the school year knowing exactly what needs to be done and how much time is allowed. I have had teachers not teach a lesson in detail or not work with the students until they understood because there was not enough time. Not all lessons are going to workout as expected and teachers need to be flexible and not so focused on what they had planned. I completely agree with Mr. McClung about the importance of communication. Teachers need to work to build communication between other teachers at their school as well as their students.
I really like how Mr. McClung worded his paragraph about technology in the classroom. Many teachers are afraid to use technology and when they try and do not succeed right away they quit. I like that he acknowledged the hesitance that people have with technology and the encouragement that he gives to continue to work with it. Listening to the students in your classroom is another necessity that is often overlooked. I believe that teachers do need to get to know their students in order to teach them. Students are more receptive to teachers who show that they care about each of their students and his or her needs. I feel that "never stop learning" is the key to either be a wonderful teacher or a mediocre teacher. Teachers need to continue learning new and creative ways to teach their students. I feel that in the future Mr. McClung's blog post will help me to be aware of how and who I am teaching to in the classroom.
I found Mr. McClung's blog to be very helpful to future teachers. He was not afraid to admit to the mistakes that he has made as an educator in order to help other educators avoid similar mistakes. I have had teachers who have made the same common mistakes that Mr. McClung has made. I feel like many teachers, just like Mr. McClung, forget far too often to make the students in their classroom that center of their lesson plans. The students are the reason that teachers are in the classroom. Flexibility is another mistake that is very easy to make. Teachers begin the school year knowing exactly what needs to be done and how much time is allowed. I have had teachers not teach a lesson in detail or not work with the students until they understood because there was not enough time. Not all lessons are going to workout as expected and teachers need to be flexible and not so focused on what they had planned. I completely agree with Mr. McClung about the importance of communication. Teachers need to work to build communication between other teachers at their school as well as their students.
I really like how Mr. McClung worded his paragraph about technology in the classroom. Many teachers are afraid to use technology and when they try and do not succeed right away they quit. I like that he acknowledged the hesitance that people have with technology and the encouragement that he gives to continue to work with it. Listening to the students in your classroom is another necessity that is often overlooked. I believe that teachers do need to get to know their students in order to teach them. Students are more receptive to teachers who show that they care about each of their students and his or her needs. I feel that "never stop learning" is the key to either be a wonderful teacher or a mediocre teacher. Teachers need to continue learning new and creative ways to teach their students. I feel that in the future Mr. McClung's blog post will help me to be aware of how and who I am teaching to in the classroom.
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