Sunday, December 11, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
C4K November Summary
C4K #11
Rexon’s dad took a trip to china and he added pictures from Chinese shoe factories and the people who work there along with information about the people. They are getting more holidays off and the average age of the worker is 30 and they live in the dormitories which provide food and health benefits for the workers.
Comment:
Rexon,
I am a student from the University of South Alabama. I am currently in Dr. Stranges EDM 310 class. I have never been to China but I hope to go one day. I find their culture fascinating and would love to experience it firsthand. This was a very interesting post. I know a lot of our clothing and garments come from overseas but I have never seen the actual factories they are made in. I really enjoyed all of the pictures that were included too. Thank you for such an insightful post.
C4K #10
Mrs. Yollis’ class blog is incredible. She allows her students to demonstrate their creativity by posting videos and projects they have done. Mrs. Yollis really tries to get her students families involved in their school work and blogging. I hope to be able to influence my students in the many positive ways she has done.
Mrs. Yollis is a teacher in Los Angeles, California where she teachers third grade. She has traveled all over the world and allows her students to explore and interact with people and students from all over the world through technology in her classroom. She attended the Google Geo Teachers Institute at the Google home office where she was able to learn more interesting things about how to use technology in her school. She has made a huge impact on the students she teaches, she has allowed them to explore the globe through their classroom computers. She is such an inspiring educator, I hope to be like her once I become a teacher.
Rexon’s dad took a trip to china and he added pictures from Chinese shoe factories and the people who work there along with information about the people. They are getting more holidays off and the average age of the worker is 30 and they live in the dormitories which provide food and health benefits for the workers.
Comment:
Rexon,
I am a student from the University of South Alabama. I am currently in Dr. Stranges EDM 310 class. I have never been to China but I hope to go one day. I find their culture fascinating and would love to experience it firsthand. This was a very interesting post. I know a lot of our clothing and garments come from overseas but I have never seen the actual factories they are made in. I really enjoyed all of the pictures that were included too. Thank you for such an insightful post.
C4K #10
Mrs. Yollis’ class blog is incredible. She allows her students to demonstrate their creativity by posting videos and projects they have done. Mrs. Yollis really tries to get her students families involved in their school work and blogging. I hope to be able to influence my students in the many positive ways she has done.
Mrs. Yollis is a teacher in Los Angeles, California where she teachers third grade. She has traveled all over the world and allows her students to explore and interact with people and students from all over the world through technology in her classroom. She attended the Google Geo Teachers Institute at the Google home office where she was able to learn more interesting things about how to use technology in her school. She has made a huge impact on the students she teaches, she has allowed them to explore the globe through their classroom computers. She is such an inspiring educator, I hope to be like her once I become a teacher.
Blog Post # 14
In this video the narrator discusses the top 10 tips for using technology in the classroom. He says the first tip would be to stream videos in collaboration with your lessons. The second tip was to incorporate music into your classroom because teenagers love music. I really think this is a great idea it can also allow the students to feel more comfortable with the teacher. He then suggested that teachers use teleconferencing tools such as skype to interview people. In my class this would potentially include scientists. Most of the students would probably never have another opportunity to do this.
His next tip was to create your own interactive exercises for students. This is a tip that I will without a doubt implement in my classroom. He suggested that teachers learn how to use their interactive white boards more effectively and to create podcasts to excite the students about your lessons. Facebook and other social networks can also be used in the classroom because there are areas where you can have closed groups that would be only for your students. The narrator also wants teachers to take advantage of the tools the internet has and encourages classroom blogs and wiki’s. With our advanced technology oriented society, most students will also have some sort of cell phone, even an Iphone in many cases. He suggests we take advantage of the tools these high tech phones have as well. The last and final tip he shared on his video was to only use technology when it helped teachers to achieve their lesson objectives.
His next tip was to create your own interactive exercises for students. This is a tip that I will without a doubt implement in my classroom. He suggested that teachers learn how to use their interactive white boards more effectively and to create podcasts to excite the students about your lessons. Facebook and other social networks can also be used in the classroom because there are areas where you can have closed groups that would be only for your students. The narrator also wants teachers to take advantage of the tools the internet has and encourages classroom blogs and wiki’s. With our advanced technology oriented society, most students will also have some sort of cell phone, even an Iphone in many cases. He suggests we take advantage of the tools these high tech phones have as well. The last and final tip he shared on his video was to only use technology when it helped teachers to achieve their lesson objectives.
PLN Final Report
My personal learning network is a collaboration of the many things I have learned and found most helpful in EDM310. I know that I will continue using my PLN once I become a teacher and continue adding interesting and educational links. My PLN is going to contribute and help me to become the best high school science teacher that I can be.
C4T #4
C4T #2
A head teacher writes..
In this sarcastic post the author uses pencils in place of computers and other technology. He writes about how his administrators want children to share a “pencil”, and four students to one pencil is just fine. After all, in their time they didn’t even have a pencil, the children should be happy with sharing one. The author then talks about wanting each student to have their own pencil and even be able to take it home with them. The administrators however, think this is an awful idea. They come up with excuses such as the students wouldn’t be able to focus in class and would use the pencils from non school related topics.
My comment:
I am a student at the University of South Alabama and I am in Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class. I really enjoyed your blog. The idea that every student should have a pencil and even be able to take it home with them.. crazy. Great blog! Thanks again.
C4T #1
Double or quits:
Mr. Wheeler has set up two separate twitter accounts, @timbuckteeth account and @stevewheeler account. His first account is used for work and the second is used for fun and entertainment purposes. He is doing an experiment to see how people react and if they will unfollow one or both of his accounts. He is not tweeting the same thing on both accounts but he wants to see the reaction of followers on his more popular account @timbuckteeth compared with his new @stevewheeler account which has less followers.
My comment:
This was a very interesting blog Mr. Wheeler. I am relatively new to the twitter community but I am starting to get the hang of it. I think having two twitters could be a good thing. One of my friends has two facebooks, one for her friends and family and the other for coworkers and clients. I can understand the need or want to have two separate accounts. Thank you.
A head teacher writes..
In this sarcastic post the author uses pencils in place of computers and other technology. He writes about how his administrators want children to share a “pencil”, and four students to one pencil is just fine. After all, in their time they didn’t even have a pencil, the children should be happy with sharing one. The author then talks about wanting each student to have their own pencil and even be able to take it home with them. The administrators however, think this is an awful idea. They come up with excuses such as the students wouldn’t be able to focus in class and would use the pencils from non school related topics.
My comment:
I am a student at the University of South Alabama and I am in Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class. I really enjoyed your blog. The idea that every student should have a pencil and even be able to take it home with them.. crazy. Great blog! Thanks again.
C4T #1
Double or quits:
Mr. Wheeler has set up two separate twitter accounts, @timbuckteeth account and @stevewheeler account. His first account is used for work and the second is used for fun and entertainment purposes. He is doing an experiment to see how people react and if they will unfollow one or both of his accounts. He is not tweeting the same thing on both accounts but he wants to see the reaction of followers on his more popular account @timbuckteeth compared with his new @stevewheeler account which has less followers.
My comment:
This was a very interesting blog Mr. Wheeler. I am relatively new to the twitter community but I am starting to get the hang of it. I think having two twitters could be a good thing. One of my friends has two facebooks, one for her friends and family and the other for coworkers and clients. I can understand the need or want to have two separate accounts. Thank you.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Blog Post # 13
I think that the idea of online schooling has its pros and cons. Colleges often provide online classes that range from Math courses all the way to public speaking courses. Some of these courses require students to come into classes to take tests and give their speeches however. I think there are benefits to online education in certain situations of course, but not every student benefits from online education. Online courses require students to be responsible for their class work; this can be a problem even for college students who procrastinate. I’m not sure middle and high school students would benefit from this type of education.
I have taken online courses but I really prefer the traditional classroom setting. I do like having online lectures to go back and review before tests but I have notice I make higher grades in courses that I actually have class room time in.
Budget cuts do however come into effect considering the state of our economy. I understand that online education can save thousands of dollars on each student but if the students aren’t benefiting from these cuts, is it really worth saving this money? I think that they should judge and be sure that it will benefit the students in these courses. After all, our job is about the students isn’t it?
I have taken online courses but I really prefer the traditional classroom setting. I do like having online lectures to go back and review before tests but I have notice I make higher grades in courses that I actually have class room time in.
Budget cuts do however come into effect considering the state of our economy. I understand that online education can save thousands of dollars on each student but if the students aren’t benefiting from these cuts, is it really worth saving this money? I think that they should judge and be sure that it will benefit the students in these courses. After all, our job is about the students isn’t it?
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Blog Post # 12
Watch Rick Lavoie’s video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRIKkU6IVRQ and write a paragraph or two about what he is discussing and what the video means to you.
In this video Rick Lavoie uses poker chips to describe self esteem. The popular kids in school have a ton of poker chips and get more chips every time something good happens to them. If they are picked to be the captain of the football team or homecoming king they get 10,000 poker chips. Because of inclusion, learning disabled kids are forced to attend school with these children who have thousands and thousands of poker chips. The learning disabled kids however, do not have many chips at all and they want to hold on tightly to the few they do have. This is why these children don’t ask questions in class, this is why they don’t try out for sports teams, or even ask peers to go to dances with them for fear of being rejected and losing their chips.
As teachers, our job is to make sure that every kid has more poker chips when he or she goes home than when they got up that morning. We need to give them as many poker chips as we can and take away just the minimum we have to. We need to build our children up, our job as teachers is to be sure they have confidence and let them know they can achieve their potential.
In this video Rick Lavoie uses poker chips to describe self esteem. The popular kids in school have a ton of poker chips and get more chips every time something good happens to them. If they are picked to be the captain of the football team or homecoming king they get 10,000 poker chips. Because of inclusion, learning disabled kids are forced to attend school with these children who have thousands and thousands of poker chips. The learning disabled kids however, do not have many chips at all and they want to hold on tightly to the few they do have. This is why these children don’t ask questions in class, this is why they don’t try out for sports teams, or even ask peers to go to dances with them for fear of being rejected and losing their chips.
As teachers, our job is to make sure that every kid has more poker chips when he or she goes home than when they got up that morning. We need to give them as many poker chips as we can and take away just the minimum we have to. We need to build our children up, our job as teachers is to be sure they have confidence and let them know they can achieve their potential.
Final Project Report
For a final project, my group has decided to ours on how to make good use of the different skills we have learned in EDM310. For example, we want students, parents, and teachers to see the advantages of using programs such as skype. This class has taught us to put aside our biases, and we want to spread the word to those that have not been fortunate enough to take a class like EDM310. We are planning on each person demonstrating the one thing they found the most useful in EDM310.
C4K # 10
Mrs. Yollis's class blog:
Mrs. Yollis seems like an amazing teacher. From her blog I have learned that she loves being a teacher and has traveled to different parts of the world doing what she loves. She has put so much effort into her class blog and her class website. Mrs. Yollis has included educational links for her students to help them stay involved outside of school hours.
I think it is great how she involves her student’s parents and families. I know once I become an educator I want to include my student’s families too. Parents love being able to see what their child has done in school and how much they are improving throughout the year. Mrs. Yollis has done an amazing job on her web site and class blog!
Blog Post #309:
Rexon,
I am a student from the University of South Alabama. I am currently in Dr. Stranges EDM 310 class. I have never been to China but I hope to go one day. I find their culture fascinating and would love to experience it firsthand. This was a very interesting post. I know a lot of our clothing and garments come from overseas but I have never seen the actual factories they are made in. I really enjoyed all of the pictures that were included too. Thank you for such an insightful post.
Mrs. Yollis seems like an amazing teacher. From her blog I have learned that she loves being a teacher and has traveled to different parts of the world doing what she loves. She has put so much effort into her class blog and her class website. Mrs. Yollis has included educational links for her students to help them stay involved outside of school hours.
I think it is great how she involves her student’s parents and families. I know once I become an educator I want to include my student’s families too. Parents love being able to see what their child has done in school and how much they are improving throughout the year. Mrs. Yollis has done an amazing job on her web site and class blog!
Rexon,
I am a student from the University of South Alabama. I am currently in Dr. Stranges EDM 310 class. I have never been to China but I hope to go one day. I find their culture fascinating and would love to experience it firsthand. This was a very interesting post. I know a lot of our clothing and garments come from overseas but I have never seen the actual factories they are made in. I really enjoyed all of the pictures that were included too. Thank you for such an insightful post.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
C4K summary
10/9
Neeves post was short. It had pictures and said she can count up to 20. Neeve also went on to talk about how much she likes to read.
Comment:
Hello Neeve,
My name is Audrey, I am in a class called EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I love your wikispace, I’m sure your very proud of it. I have a cousin who is in the 1st grade and he loves coming over to playing at my house. I bet the two of you are learning about the same things right now. What is your favorite subject in school? He loves science class. Which is perfect, because I am going to be a science teacher. Hope you have a great week!
10/16
Deer antlers are actually tissues that grow backward and up and then shoot forward. Most of the
time the antlers of the deer are used to fight off other bucks and to attract mates. In Febuary or
March deer antlers fall off or shed from the deer. At the peak of the antler growth, depending on
the deer’s genes and nutrition antlers on a buck can grow up to a half inch in a day. When a deer
is growing its’ antlers there is a clothy material velvet. Velvet helps the antlers grow. Velvet has
circulating blood in it. And that is what deer antlers are.
Comment:
Hello Will,
My name is Audrey Carrio and I’m in Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class at the University of South
Alabama. I am studying secondary education; I want to be a high school science teacher after
college. Your blog was so interesting, my dad used to hunt deer and I have a few friends that
do too. Are you a hunter too? I did not know the antlers fell off in February and March. I would
think this would make them more vulnerable to prey after their antlers fall off. What do you
think?
10/23
DJ made a movie about Mermaids and fish and published it on her class blog.
Comment:
Hello Dj,
I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. I loved your movie, the animations were incredible! How did you learn how to do that? I have to admit I love mermaids too. "The Little Mermaid" was my favorite Disney movie growing up, I still watch it sometimes too! Thanks for your great video!
Audrey Carrio
10/30
Two students made a short video about their school yard and play ground outside of their school with music to accompany it.
Comment:
Hello,
My name is Audrey and I am a student at the University of South Alabama majoring in Secondary Education and I am in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. Your video is great; did you two make it on your own? Or did your teacher help you? I have a cousin who is in the 2nd grade and he loves the play games and go to the play ground. I look forward to seeing more blog post.
11/6
Procrastination
What I have ben studying throughout his year in Age of Exploration are the 15th and 16th century. The very first project that I had to present was a project about Christopher Columbus and his first voyage. Where I tried to go with this project was give some details about the voyage and how it came into play, and also why it was important to the world. I also wanted to tell people what the impact of his voyage was.
As of right now, we are in the middle of the 16th century project researching the Christian Reformation. My project is on Martin Luther and the three walls. What we are trying to do in this project is describe a primary source from this time period and describe it. The hardest part of this project is always staying on task and taking advantage of all our time. This is hard for me because there are no guidelines and we basically have to make our own timetable for our project. How I have been able to overcome being distracted is by using paper instead of using a computer. Paper allows me to see and touch the source rather than just reading it off of a computer.
What I have been learning about myself as a student is that I have to take advantage of all my time that is given in class, and also my best way of researching is by looking into different sources and then pick which one is my favorite. The most successful strategy that I have been using is taking notes on paper rather than a computer, because it helps me stay focused. What I think I can improve is taking more time outside of class earlier on in the project to get ahead, just so when it comes time for the presentation I don’t have to rush as much, and so I don’t have to be using a lot of time outside of class to get my work done. But, overall I think that if I use my time inside of class more productively I can get a better understanding of the project and also not have to rush as much later on in the project.
Comment:
Hello,
My name is Audrey and I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. Your class sounds like it is very interesting; my history classes always fascinated me. It also sounds like you are learning a valuable lesson on time management. I think this will really benefit you once you get into college though; a lot of students have to learn this the hard way. Once in you are in college you have to be responsible for managing your time and study habits. Great post, keep up the good work!
Neeves post was short. It had pictures and said she can count up to 20. Neeve also went on to talk about how much she likes to read.
Comment:
Hello Neeve,
My name is Audrey, I am in a class called EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I love your wikispace, I’m sure your very proud of it. I have a cousin who is in the 1st grade and he loves coming over to playing at my house. I bet the two of you are learning about the same things right now. What is your favorite subject in school? He loves science class. Which is perfect, because I am going to be a science teacher. Hope you have a great week!
10/16
Deer antlers are actually tissues that grow backward and up and then shoot forward. Most of the
time the antlers of the deer are used to fight off other bucks and to attract mates. In Febuary or
March deer antlers fall off or shed from the deer. At the peak of the antler growth, depending on
the deer’s genes and nutrition antlers on a buck can grow up to a half inch in a day. When a deer
is growing its’ antlers there is a clothy material velvet. Velvet helps the antlers grow. Velvet has
circulating blood in it. And that is what deer antlers are.
Comment:
Hello Will,
My name is Audrey Carrio and I’m in Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class at the University of South
Alabama. I am studying secondary education; I want to be a high school science teacher after
college. Your blog was so interesting, my dad used to hunt deer and I have a few friends that
do too. Are you a hunter too? I did not know the antlers fell off in February and March. I would
think this would make them more vulnerable to prey after their antlers fall off. What do you
think?
10/23
DJ made a movie about Mermaids and fish and published it on her class blog.
Comment:
Hello Dj,
I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. I loved your movie, the animations were incredible! How did you learn how to do that? I have to admit I love mermaids too. "The Little Mermaid" was my favorite Disney movie growing up, I still watch it sometimes too! Thanks for your great video!
Audrey Carrio
10/30
Two students made a short video about their school yard and play ground outside of their school with music to accompany it.
Comment:
Hello,
My name is Audrey and I am a student at the University of South Alabama majoring in Secondary Education and I am in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. Your video is great; did you two make it on your own? Or did your teacher help you? I have a cousin who is in the 2nd grade and he loves the play games and go to the play ground. I look forward to seeing more blog post.
11/6
Procrastination
What I have ben studying throughout his year in Age of Exploration are the 15th and 16th century. The very first project that I had to present was a project about Christopher Columbus and his first voyage. Where I tried to go with this project was give some details about the voyage and how it came into play, and also why it was important to the world. I also wanted to tell people what the impact of his voyage was.
As of right now, we are in the middle of the 16th century project researching the Christian Reformation. My project is on Martin Luther and the three walls. What we are trying to do in this project is describe a primary source from this time period and describe it. The hardest part of this project is always staying on task and taking advantage of all our time. This is hard for me because there are no guidelines and we basically have to make our own timetable for our project. How I have been able to overcome being distracted is by using paper instead of using a computer. Paper allows me to see and touch the source rather than just reading it off of a computer.
What I have been learning about myself as a student is that I have to take advantage of all my time that is given in class, and also my best way of researching is by looking into different sources and then pick which one is my favorite. The most successful strategy that I have been using is taking notes on paper rather than a computer, because it helps me stay focused. What I think I can improve is taking more time outside of class earlier on in the project to get ahead, just so when it comes time for the presentation I don’t have to rush as much, and so I don’t have to be using a lot of time outside of class to get my work done. But, overall I think that if I use my time inside of class more productively I can get a better understanding of the project and also not have to rush as much later on in the project.
Comment:
Hello,
My name is Audrey and I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. Your class sounds like it is very interesting; my history classes always fascinated me. It also sounds like you are learning a valuable lesson on time management. I think this will really benefit you once you get into college though; a lot of students have to learn this the hard way. Once in you are in college you have to be responsible for managing your time and study habits. Great post, keep up the good work!
Blog Post #11
I think it is so great that these children have their own blogs. Its helping them learn safety techniques for the internet by allowing them to explore on safe and secure websites. The blog allows them to let out their feelings and opinions and to have people comment on their ideas. The children are learning all kinds of exciting tools such as wikis and Skype. Their teacher is really helping to open their minds to new technologies and allowing them to explore their creative side. I really hope to include activities like this into my own teaching style. The children really seem to be enjoying themselves while learning.
I really enjoyed Mrs. Cassidy’s Skype interview. She discussed the “audience” students were able to reach by blogging and how wide that reach could be. As a future science teacher for high school students this really stands out as a tool I want my students to master. They would be able to listen to lectures for different teachers or professors and also from scientists around the world! Skype is such a great technology for teachers and classrooms. This was a great post and interesting interview.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Blog Post #10
Do you Teach or do you Educate?
I didn’t start my college career as an education major. I really had no idea what I wanted to do, except for the fact that I wanted to help people. I decided nursing would be a great path when I was a junior and even got into the program at South. I quickly found out that was not the right road for me however. After much consideration I decided education would be a great direction.
I love the idea of making a difference in a child’s life. I want to pass on my love of science to my students. Science is such an important area of study that many students lose interest in at a young age. As a teacher I want to change that. I want to show my students how science plays a role in our everyday lives and how important it is. If we inspire our students and show them how excited we are about the subjects we teach they will also be inspired.
Don’t let them take pencils home
This was a really inspiring post. I hate that there are teachers like this woman who put down students and don’t even try to encourage them. These kinds of teachers don’t focus on the solution to the problem they just focus on the cause which doesn’t help the students at all. The author really confronted the problem of taking home the pencils and changed it! This was a very thought provoking post!
C4T#3
Editing Out Loud Background Noise with Adobe Audition
Wesley Fryer has just visited Kansas State University for a veterans program where he has recorded some excerpts from the speeches. In his blog he discusses various audio programs that he has used in the past and used on the recordings from KSU to clean up the sound quality. He goes on to discuss which programs worked best for him.
Comment:
Hello,
My name is Audrey Carrio and I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class. I have to admit I am not very technologically savy but my EDM 310 class has really made a difference however. I have never used any kind of audio program before but your blog was very informative and would be a great reference if I ever need to use a program to improve the audio quality.
Post a Photo to a Photo 365 or 180 Blog
Wesley Fryer is a blogger who has multiple blogs he write for. This was a short blog, he discusses how the advances in technology have made it so easy to upload pictures onto the internet. He gives a step by step instruction on how to upload a picture from a smart phone.
Comment:
Hello,
My name is Audrey Carrio and I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class. I have an iphone and one of my favorite features is how simple it is to upload pictures onto the web. It’s amazing how quickly you are able to add pictures and titles to thing with all of the advances we have in technology. Great blog!
Wesley Fryer has just visited Kansas State University for a veterans program where he has recorded some excerpts from the speeches. In his blog he discusses various audio programs that he has used in the past and used on the recordings from KSU to clean up the sound quality. He goes on to discuss which programs worked best for him.
Comment:
Hello,
My name is Audrey Carrio and I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class. I have to admit I am not very technologically savy but my EDM 310 class has really made a difference however. I have never used any kind of audio program before but your blog was very informative and would be a great reference if I ever need to use a program to improve the audio quality.
Post a Photo to a Photo 365 or 180 Blog
Wesley Fryer is a blogger who has multiple blogs he write for. This was a short blog, he discusses how the advances in technology have made it so easy to upload pictures onto the internet. He gives a step by step instruction on how to upload a picture from a smart phone.
Comment:
Hello,
My name is Audrey Carrio and I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class. I have an iphone and one of my favorite features is how simple it is to upload pictures onto the web. It’s amazing how quickly you are able to add pictures and titles to thing with all of the advances we have in technology. Great blog!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Blog Post #9
Mr. McClungs reflections were really enlightening and enjoyable. I’m not sure if any of my teachers did this at the end of each year, but I would be really curious to read/hear their thoughts and reflections about the years I was in their classes and the situations they encountered. I think this is a great way for faculty to share their ideas with one another and to address problems they had in an easier manor. This could be a great task principals ask their teachers to do before summer break.
Reflection of 2009-10
In this blog Mr. McClung reflects about the 2009-2010 school year. He talks about the difficulty he had this year dealing with authority figures and being in a new environment and having to deal with the changes that come with that. “I had to learn how to adapt when the current situation required it. The lesson to learn from here is to never get too comfortable, change is good and ultimately it makes us better teachers.” Being too comfortable can be a bad thing, teachers can become too relaxed which can cause them to be unproductive. Later, Mr. McClung discusses how he wants his students to be independent thinkers and how he wants them to lean on teachers only when they feel like they have hit a barrier. I fell the exact same way, I am naturally just an independent person, my parents taught us that from a young age. I want my students to have class discussions and to have independent ideas from one another and from myself. They need to know it is okay not to agree with your peers all the time; you can be independent and have your own opinions. He even goes on to discuss embarrassing things he has done to get his students involved in his lectures, this is the kind of teacher I want to be as well, you should check your ego at the door. Lastly, he said, don't lose sight of what's important. No matter how bad things may be, as a teacher you cannot let surrounding factors affect how you conduct yourself in the classroom, your top priority are the students.
What I learned in 2010-11
In the section “Know Who Your Boss Is” Mr. MClung discusses the reasons he became a teacher, for the students. He chose this profession because he wants to teach these children the knowledge and information that will last them a lifetime; he doesn’t want to let adults or authority figures influence his teaching techniques. Later, he goes on to say that he is somewhat of an “outsider”, he doesn’t get along with many teachers and spends his lunch time with students rather than in the teachers’ lounge. “It took me a while before I was comfortable with not fitting in with the rest of the crowd but I realized that my common core of beliefs were important to me and that I needed to be myself and not worry about the perception that others have of me.” Being childish and getting along well with his students is more important than being popular with the other teachers in his building, he puts his students and their education above popularity.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Blog Post #8
Is this how we dream?
Dr. Miler believes we are in “the greatest change in human communication, in history. We are moving from a paper society to a listening and watching society. ” We can research not only at our college library but at so many different places through the internet. He gave an example of a paper he wrote on the Virginia Tech violence without even leaving his desk.
Before the internet, libraries had only a single copy of research material, but online, people around the world can look at the same document at the same time. Every day we are moving more and more to a multi media based society. As educators, we need to be able to teach our students how to examine and dissect information.
Through multi-media we can combine word documents with sounds and visuals. Websites now can offer interviews and feedback right on their pages. We have immediate updates right in front of our faces online. He believes educators should share their ideas freely and not hold onto them, after all our job is to enlighten these children.
Carly’s Blog post
It is really clear how enthusiastic Carly is and how much she wants to help her students! She is going to be an amazing teacher one day. I love her idea to create a playlist on YouTube, and the topics she has chosen are great! I also think it is important for teachers to have a philosophy to help students succeed. She really understood what Dr. Miller was discussing about multi-media.
The chipper series and EDM310 for dummies
I really enjoyed these two videos. I think we have all been a little overwhelmed with EDM 310. But I really liked the message in the videos. We are becoming adults and that means we are going to have to work for things, they aren’t going to just be handed to us. I know this class is difficult for a reason and all of our hard work is going to pay off. I have already learned so many new things. I made a book trailer today; I am so proud of all of the projects we have done in this class.
Learn to change, Change to learn
“School is just one of the places students learn, they also learn through their community, friends and family, and online.” We limit student’s computer time in schools and ban cell phones, but this technology doesn’t have to be limited. “We have a classroom system where we could have a community system.” There are so many advantages to having technology in the classroom; we shouldn’t hinder students practice and understanding. They believe we should start with teachers to get to the children. They have created a place where teachers can interact with teachers from around the world. Students don’t need the “right answer vending machine” information given to them to ensure they pass standardized tests; they need skills like problem solving and being able to research and sort out the relevant information.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
blog post #7
Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch
Randy Pausch is a professor at Carnegie Mellon University. He is not only an excellent professor but an inspiration. He is looking death in the face and he still is able to laugh and make his audience laugh and forget about his troubles. In his lecture he discusses three topics: his childhood dreams, enabling the dreams of others, and lessons he has learned.
Randy had a great childhood, his parents were loving and gave him permission and the possibility to dream. They were not a wealthy family, just a normal middle-class family. As a child he dreamed of many things; meeting his childhood hero, floating in space, and being an imagineer. He actually was able to reach many of these dreams in one way or another. He didn’t actually go into space but he was able to go into a zero gravity area, he met with captain Kirk, and he worked with imagineers to put Aladin to life.
Pausch said “experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted”. This quote is so true. I have had plenty of jobs where I thought I was going to be doing one thing or another, and been shocked to find out I am doing something completely different than planned. Those are the jobs that I have actually learned the most from however. I also really liked Paush’s quote that the leader isn’t always the smartest guy on the team. I have found in many situations that the smartest people on the team are not the ones to step up, the people who can handle the pressure and are leaders do.
One lesson Pausch said he learned, like most people, was that he experience brick walls in his life. Instead of letting these brick wall hold him back, he used it as encouragement. He said brick walls are there to stop people who don’t want something badly enough. I have hit a few brick walls in my life, and this quote really struck me. I have also found that if I really want something badly enough, even if something was holding me back, I have been able to achieve it. I think people really respond when they know someone has a true desire for something.
The last thing Pausch discussed was enabling others, as a college student studying education, I felt like he was speaking directly to me. He made a comment that one of his advisors said he was such a great speaker that any company he worked for would put him in a sales position; and the advisor said, if you’re going to sell something, why not sell something worthwhile like an education. I really believe Pausch looked for the best in others, this is a quality I lack but his presentation made me think about and want to improve upon. I want my students to appreciate me as a nice person and aspire to do better in their lives, I want to be as great of an inspiration as Pausch was.
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