Project # 13 Smartboard Instruction

Blog Assignment # 10

An Open Letter to Educators
In Morgan Bayda's blog post she talks about a video she was sent via Delicious. The video was made by Dan Brown. He talks about how educational systems need to step it up if they want to keep up with the world. He said something that caught my attention in his video. He said that "Education isn't about...teaching students to conform to the world as it is, it's about EMPOWERING students to change the world for the better." If there is one thing I have learned in this EDM course this semester, it is that the world is changing and there is nothing we can do about it besides go along with it and benefit from it. We have such an advantage when it comes to having any information we want at our fingertips. With a few keystrokes and clicks of the mouse we can find out anything, anytime, anywhere! Why would we take that for granted by conducting our classes the exact way our parents classes were conducted? I don't know about you, but I can honestly say that I have learned more in this class (learned. not memorized, not read about, LEARNED) than in any class I've taken at South Alabama so far. EDM 310 gives me the capability to make connections I normally wouldn't be able to make if I were sitting in a desk reading a textbook and taking notes. 


Don't Let Them Take the Pencils Home

This post gives a scenario where a teacher finds a way to alter a "problem" and make it beneficial to his students. I liked the message of this post because I believe, as educators, if we only focused on the problems that arose in our classroom we would literally drive ourselves crazy. Finding solutions to the problems, or working with them to make the situation better would help both teachers and students. 





My Sentence
The video Two Questions that Can Change Your Life addresses two questions. The first is "what is your sentence?" and the second is "Was I better today than yesterday?".  Keep in mind these two questions and motivation will take care of itself.
Seeing as how there is no getting around coming up with my own sentence, here it is:
"I am a wife, mother and daughter striving to do my best while living life to the fullest, and making a life I can be proud of." 

project # 12 recorded Skype Interview

my interview was with my husband, Steve Alexander. He is at Ft. Rucker, Alabama doing training with the Alabama National Guard. They were experiencing difficulty on the other end, so I apologize for it being low quality.

Blog Assignment # 9

What I've Learned This Year

Mr. McClung's post is a reflection of his first year of teaching at Noel Elementary in Noel, Missouri. He talks about how much he has grown since his first day as a teacher. He also mentions a few main things he has learned. The following are a few points that stood out to me as I read his post:

1. Be Flexible.
"NO LESSON IS EVER PERFECT. THE LESSON YOU TEACH AND THE ONE YOU PLAN ARE ALWAYS DIFFERENT."
This is something I feel like I'm going to have trouble with in the future. I get so caught up with making every detail, and wanting the students to understand it the first time. This is not always the case. Mr. McClung had to learn not to let it get to him when his lessons did not go exactly as he wanted them to. He says that you have to learn that when things go wrong, try to better the situation and work with it.

2. Communication
Nothing can make a school run more smoothly than communication. When everyone is on the same page about what is going on, everyone seems to be more organized and willing to work with one another. It also builds stronger friendships and cooperation between fellow teachers.

3. Don't be afraid of technology
This is a HUGE point that Mr. McClung makes. He says that adults treat technology like a bad horror film where computers are trying to take over the world. I've learned that they are not here to take over our world, but to make our job easier, and help us make a bigger impact on our student's lives and education.

4.Never Stop Learning
Dr. Strange has made it clear to us that being a teacher also means being a learner. If we're not willing to learn, then we shouldn't be a teacher. There will always be new ways of teaching and enhancing our lessons. Why would we choose NOT to better our student's education? I plan on keeping an open mind in the future and accept any advice that comes my way.

Short Movie Project

Project 9b: Instructional Timetoast

Influential Hurricanes on the Gulf Coast (1950-present)

Blog Assignment # 8

Richard Miller: This is How We Dream Parts 1 & 2 

Richard Miller explains how writing in culture has changed, andhow we have the capability of communicating instantly, globally. He talks about how the writing process today can be completed without ever setting foot in a library, how everything can be researched on the web, and, once published, a document stays on the internet or everyone to enjoy rather than being checked out of a library. He goes into detail about incremental changes which include writing processes back in the day vs. laptops and word processing today and how we now have the opportunity to collaborate through networking technology, and can compose documents using imaging and film found on the internet. 

Mr. Miller believes that this should become the way that today's students write. I agree with him in that our society is changing and our way of doing things is changing at a rapid rate, but this is obviously not going to happen overnight. I think the process has begun, though, just in the fact that everyone produces documents on a computer with a word processor. This is one, tiny step towards the dream that Richard Miller has, but this dream is achievable. No question about it.

EDM 310 for Dummies 

I thought this video was pretty funny. I do wish this was an actual book, though. I feel pretty lost in this class sometimes, and I think it's because this class is really overwhelming. There's a lot to learn about in such a short period of time, but I am becoming more familiar with technology and I am also learning A LOT of stuff that will help me in the future! I hope to learn a little more about making movies this time for our upcoming "short movie" project and our " teach someone" project, because my podcast wasn't really what I wanted it to be.

SMARTboards
The discussion of the pros and cons, I've come to learn, is a very heated one. I've found a few pretty intense blogs and articles, written mostly by educators, about how much they hate smartboards, they're a waste of money, they perform the same things as an ordinary overhead projector and blah, blah, blah. I found this link talking about the benefits of having a SMARTboard in the classroom. And I also found this link that just explains the basics of what a smartboard is and how it is used. I haven't had the chance to actually use a smartboard yet, but from what I've read they seem like a great place to start when trying to incorporate technology in your classroom. I think it could help all of the "old school" teachers to get out of their comfort zone and try their hand at this new form of  interactive learning.  From what I understand, the teacher can design a lesson on their computer which is then projected onto the smartboard. This seems like a job that any old projector could take care of, right? Well, in addition to having a presentation that students can see, they can also interact with it. The board is touch sensitive. This seems like a nice alternative to the whole "get the student to come up to the board" routine.
While a smartboard isn't the bottom line answer to improving student's interest in the classroom, it seems like a great way to at least get them out of the same routine day in and day out. Even if that means just using the smartboard once a week. 

Project # 10: First PLN Progress Report

My Personal Learning Network (PLN) isn't as developed as I wanted it to be at this point. I joined "Twitter", which I'm still trying to figure out how to use to its full advantage. Basically, my PLN consists of only two websites as of right now. The first one is freetech4teachers.com. This website I found through one of our blog assignments. It's a great source for teachers who want to incorporate technology into their classroom. It has a lot of "how to" posts and videos that are perfect for someone who feels lost when it comes to using technology in the classroom.
The second thing I found was abcya.com. The description on the website states:
"ABCya! is the leader in free educational kids computer games and activities for elementary students to learn on the web. All children's educational computer games and activities were created or approved by certified teachers. ABCya! educational games are free and are modeled from primary grade lessons and enhanced to provide an interactive way for children to learn. ABCya! games and activities incorporate content areas such as math and reading while introducing basic computer skills. Many of the kindergarten and first grade games are equipped with sound to enhance understanding. Great kids Holiday games and activities are available in grade level sections!"
 This is a quick, easy way to introduce students to the many ways to learn through technology, and lets them see that learning can be fun. It is also a great starting place for the teachers who want to use more technology, but just don't know where to start.

I would also like to mention that symbaloo is the greatest invention ever. I now have it as my homepage when I pull the internet up and every website I visit on a day to day basis is one click away. Wonderful.


Again, I know my PLN isn't very impressive right now but I plan on learning a lot in this course and finding things I can benefit from in the future when I have my own classroom.

Project 9a: Individual Time Toast "L'histoire de moi"

Blog Assignment #7

This video was absolutely impressive. Randy Pausch is a man truly high on life and everything it entails. If you don't feel inspired by this speech, something is seriously wrong with you.
Dr. Pausch is a professor who, at the time of giving this lecture, had recently been given 3-6 months to live due to 10 tumors found on his kidneys. The outline of this lecture consisted of three main points:
1. His childhood dreams (and how he accomplished them in one way or another)
2. Enabling the dreams of others
3. How you can achieve your dreams or enable the dreams of others
Dr. Pausch made the most of his life in the biggest way possible. No matter how hard it was or how long it took, he accomplished whatever goal he had set in his mind. (I won't go into too much detail about what he has accomplished because I hope you'll watch the video...nevermind how long it is).
The teaching techniques that Dr. Pausch used as his time as professor remind me a lot the techniques of our instructor, Dr. Strange. He was against textbooks, as is Dr. Strange, and believed that students learned more by doing things themselves and learning along the way. I also thought that Dr. Pausch was an incredible speaker. His lecture was over an hour long, yet it went by rather quickly. Everything he presented had a purpose. There were no useless facts or rambling on a particular subject.
Dr. Pausch lived the life he had dreamed of. He had many influential people help him along the way. He believed in karma and the idea that if you treat people nicely and show them respect, good things will eventually happen to you. He deserved every good thing that happened to him and it was a loss, in my opinion, to lose someone with such a great spirit about teaching and educating people about something you're so passionate about.

C4T Teacher #2 Summary Post

For my second Comments 4 Teachers (C4T) assignment, I was assigned Dr. Paige Baggett. Dr. Baggett is an Assistant Professor in the College of Education at the University of South Alabama. If you would like you can view her blog, Pondering Paige.
The first post I viewed on her blog was a post titled "Studio Days" and how lessons learned in ART can teach us about life. I found Dr. Baggett's idea of having a Studio Day at South very exciting. She asked if she found a way to have a studio day would any one come to enjoy it, and I told her I would love to be involved with it. A few hours during the day to focus on nothing but a project that only you would have to enjoy would be great; a nice way to "get away from it all".

The second post I viewed was her post titled "Whirled Peace" at the USA COE. I had seen a previous post about these pinwheels when I commented on her 1st post, but didn't really know what it was all about. It was great to see how Dr. Baggett brought the idea to USA and how people participated in the International Day of Peace. Dr. Baggett even brought her sons to plant the first pinwheel at the USA COE before they went to school that morning. I had Dr. Baggett for a course a few semesters ago, and always loved how she encouraged people to get out of their comfort zones and do things that they normally would not have done.

Comments 4 Kids Summary

For the month of September, I was assigned to Noel Elementary's Class of 2011  blog. I was assigned to a student named Blanca. She is a beginning blogger. Just like me! These students were assigned two assignments. The first was an "About Me" post. This is what Blanca had to say:

"Well my name is Blanca I am 14 years old I was born Texas in a town called Maccllen. When I was 4 years old i moved to Missouri in a town called Noel I lived in a little yellow house. I  am half Indian and Mexican and white my dad is Indian and White my mom is Mexican. I been to 10 states well thats me so byy."

I commented on her post by saying:
Hello there, Blanca! (great name by the way.)

My name is Brandi Alexander and we just started our Comments for Kids assignments for Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class at The University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. I'm so excited to meet all of these students through the great invention of the internet and blogging! I, like you, am a first time blogger and I have learned so much about how beneficial technology can be when used properly in the classroom. I hope your experience is as educational as mine has been!

I see that you've been to 10 states. Does that mean you've visited them, or you have lived in 10 states? Either way, I think it's great that you've been so many places and experienced so many different things. I think it contributes to you becoming a well rounded person. I wish you good luck on the rest of your school year!

Her second post was an assignment called "A Learning Manifesto". The students had to make goals or promises that they wanted to meet during the school year. This was Blanca's Manifesto:

This year I promise to respect my teachers. I will give them my full intention and i will not try to talk  because I have a big mouth and i will talk but this year i won't talk.  Know what they say better listener the more samarter you  are.

• I promise to study harder and right down notes and do all my homework for I could be 100% ready for the high school and have a good grades.

• This year I promise to accomplish my my goals my goals for this year is to show a good inspiration for the upcoming 8th grade and to show them how to be a leader and set an example.
• This year my peers will respect me because I will respect them they have full confident on me if they need me they know all always be there for them no mater what they can count on me and so can my teachers.
• This is my biggest one because I hate reading AR books but I Blanca.P promise to read at least 15 books in one school year I have never read this many books   but I will accomplish this goal and if I don't then u could sap me up side of my head but if I do my teachers will be HAPPY. 

I commented on her manifesto post by saying:

Great, realistic goals! Being respectful to others, and yourself, will get you far. I appreciate how you want to be a leader and set good examples for the upcoming 8th grade class. I've always had a hard time making myself read books too, but when I finish a book I have a feeling of accomplishment and I learn a thing or two as well! Good luck finishing these goals, and I hope you learn a lot this year!

Blog Assignment # 6

"The Networked Student" by Wendy Drexler

 This is a video based on the idea of a 21st century student. This student is a student of connectivism which is a theory that learning occurs as part of a social network of many diverse connections and ties. Connectivism is made possible throught tools of technology and the tools are not nearly as important as connections made by them. 

As of right now, I personally do not think I am prepared to be a teacher of a networked student. I wouldn't be able to help my students in the process of learning how to benefit from technology and use it to build their future. I liked the response the video gave to the question "Why does the networked student even need a teacher?". 

I liked it because I feel like the reason the majority of teachers do not use technology in their classroom, or want to learn how to use it, is because they view technology as trying to replace them all together. This is not true. I also had this point of view until this course where I have realized that teachers are not going anywhere. We are the ones who will guide these students in learning how to benefit form technology. We are the ones who will be there to offer guidance when they get stuck. It's our responsibility, as educators, to ensure that our students are as prepared as possible for their future. What better way to do that than to teach them how to use a tool they will always have? Technology.

 

A Seventh Grader's PLE

This girl blew me away. My PLE is nothing compared to hers, but I hope I can eventually have a PLN that I can benefit from as much as she has. It's also very encouraging that she is still pretty young and can already use technology in such a positive way. I can't wait until my PLN is developed enough to be able to help me this way.


"The Machine Is Changing Us" by: Michael Wesch
 I found this video very interesting. It gave me a very different perspective as to what extent media connects us, and has also given us a completely new way to communicate and be accepted.