Sunday, May 6, 2012
Project #13
Friday, May 4, 2012
Sunday, April 29, 2012
C4T #4 Summary
Here is my comment for Wesley Fryer: Hi there Wesley Fryer! I am an EDM310 student at the University of South Alabama. I was assigned to you blog my professor, Dr. Strange. I thought your blog was great and very informative about how technology has developed and grown thus far. I recently got a smartphone so I am now using all of the media that is made available for people. Just this weekend, I had visited New Orleans, LA and I had to use my GPS. Without the GPS, I probably would have ended up in Texas somewhere. So I am pretty dependent on my new smartphone. I love how I can receive and reply to emails from my fellow classmates and my professors. Another APP that I am thrilled to have is Skype. I have always been a fan of the standard Skype that I have on my computer, but now that I have one on my phone, I am set! Thanks for posting such a lovely post about your trip and your technology uses! An EDM student at the University of South Alabama Emilie Rinehart.
Wesley Fryer's second blog post that I commented on was very heartfelt for me. The blog post was about a video that was shared at his church one Sunday morning. The video is done by a young lady who has undergone several surgeries since birth. I can only imagine the struggles this young lady and her family have been through over the years. The video is a remake of the song by David Phelps: No More Night. She remakes this song by doing a touching sign language performance. This video really touched me because I know sign language and I have seen some of the difficulties that people go through with hearing impaired handicaps. I wanted to show the two YouTube videos so everyone could see how touching they really are. I commented to on his blog by telling him how much his blog post impacted me and I told his about my church and how we have a session designated to those who are hearing impaired.
Final Report on PLN
Blog Post #13
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Creativity and Curiosity: My Thoughts- Special Post #12A
I definitely believe a curriculum can be developed to increase creativity and curiosity. I think it may be tough to get everyone within the system on board, but I believe it is possible! I think by incorporating short projects, games, and sideshows within the lesson plan,students could gain more prospective and stay in tune with the topic to be learned. I know there is always a more creative and engaging way to teach. We as educates just need to do a little more research to discover it. I think if the curriculum can get the students attention and allows them in interact then I believe the curiosity will be increases. I like games that you can play that include vocab words. Students like to feel like they are having fun while learning.
I truly believe teachers actions can increase curiosity and creativity. As a future educator, I think we must keep our students interested in learning and learning even more. I want to be the teacher who would spend extra time to make sure his/her students know the material rather than just get the lesson plan done on time or as quickly as possible.
Blog Post #12
Progress Report on Project #16
C4K Summary for April
This is my comment back to Jadein: "Hi there Jadein! My name is Emilie and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I like the title of your blog, “The Sock Monkey Blog”. I use to have a sock monkey when I was younger. I thought it was neat that you did a book trailer because I was recently assigned one for my EDM310 class. I made my book trailer on a book called, “Hidden Feast”. This book was about a barn yard party. Mine was similar to yours! You did a great job making your book trailer because I definitely would like to read the book Silverwing! Do you have any other books that you would consider making a book trailer for? I look forward to hearing back from you Jadein. Good luck with your future book trailers. Thanks for the great post, Emilie"
My Second post to Jadein was a previous post she had written on New Years Revolution 2012. In this blog post she talks about how she wants to make goals for different parts of her life. I thought it was so smart of her to break her goals down into categories so she could have a clear understanding of what she was trying to accomplish. Jadein has a personal goal, a local goal, a global goal, and a school goal. This is Jadein's blog post: "Want to hear about my New Year’s resolutions? I’m not going to make a few resolutions then fail before January even ends. 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail right in peoples’ faces because they think it’s just going to happen, so we are trying to be that 20% that succeeds. It’s going to be hard but I think I’m going to live…..”sigh”….. I should be more happy about it, right? I should think more about the resolutions. Some people are thinking more about “the end of the world”. I personally believe the world is NOT going to end and I don’t get why people are fussing about it. If the world really does, I would probably make the best of it. But I should probably talk about how New Years started, right? I have no choice, anyways. New Year’s started in Mesopotamia 4000 years ago in Sumer. Have you heard about Mesopotamia or Sumer? Mesopotamia was one of the first civilizations and Sumer was a kingdom in it. This all took place where Iraq is today. Back then New Year’s resolutions weren’t about quitting smoking and losing weight. It was mostly about growing healthy crops. We took it and made it to our own thing – all thanks to the Mesopotamians! My New Years resolutions: Personal Goal: My personal goal is to go outside more because I’m bored of staying inside all day. I don’t play any sports and don’t go to any groups that involve being out in nature. I’m just that type of person, I guess. I only like to stay inside, play video games, and be on the Internet! It’s a BIG part of my life and that’s why I want to change it. My plan is to hangout with friends more and take my dogs for long, scenic walks. Global Goal: My global goal is to make more blog posts. As I said in my personal goal, the Internet is a large part of my life, but, the one thing I didn’t say is I don’t make enough blog posts and since it is a part of my grade it would be better for me to do so. My plan is to put my posts in my own words because this blog is about about me and what I care about. The more I put in my own words the more happy I will feel, which obviously will make me less miserable. I can also teach others about global issues which can help people be aware of what’s going anywhere in the world. Maybe it could help change the world and make it a better place and more accomodating and accepting to others. Local Goal: My local goal is to recycle more because sometimes the recycling is all gross and makes my family look like we don’t care about healthy choices. We have a home and I want it to look nice and help out my neighbourhood and community. My mom gets mad when I haven’t sorted and cleaned up our recycling. If I can remember to do it more often or build a schedule for it I will be able to stay on top of what it should be like and avoid what it has come to be. School Goal: My school goal is to do more work because I don’t like being behind on my school work and leaving school with a ton of homework. Since I came to this school, it’s been better and right now I’m pretty on task, but if I can get better at it now, then I will be prepared for next year in highh school. I don’t want it to be like grade five again when I had so much homework, it hurt my back just looking at it. My plan is to stay organized with my work, like what homework should I do first or finding out what’s overdue and what’s SUPER-overdue. Writing this super long post is my first step! I have a plan. I will succeed."
Here is my comment for Jadein:Hi there Jadein! Your blog post about having a New Year’s resolution was great! It is a very good idea to have goal. I make a conscious effort to establish new goals for myself. I like how you separated your goals into categories. It is great to keep your goals organized so you will come closer to achieving them! I am definitely like you, I need to set aside a goal to go outside more. With technology evolving, we tend to stay in and serve the internet and play on play stations. I also like how you want to make more blog posts for you global goals. I am in EDM310 and we are assigned blogs every week. After I am through with this class I will definitely further my blogging. I am having so much fun commenting on other blogs and browsing!
My last blog post that I commented on for April was for Dylan's blog in Mrs. Cassidy's class. His blog was a short blog but I tried to ask him questions about why he liked to ride his bike and what his favorite art work was at the museum he went to. this is Dylan's blog post: "Me and deion went on buesugls (bikes)and we went to the ortmeuzeyum (Art Museum)toogethr" I commented back to Dylan by asking him what type of weather he likes to ride his bike in and what type of Art work he enjoyed to look at when he goes to the museum.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Blog Post #11
Kathy Cassidy is such a wonderful teacher. I enjoyed her video because it is so wonderful that children at a young age can use technology and really enjoy it! The children in the video seemed so interested and engaged. They loved to write on their blogs because it helped to polish their writing skills. It is a great thing that teachers, such as Mrs. Cassidy, are computer literate and are willing to help make a different in their students lives. I thought it was really neat how Mrs. Cassidy changes up the way she uses technology in the classroom. She wants to allow her students to be able to experience as much as they can but also meet the needs they may have within their studies. I definitely think it is a great idea for students to develop such a passion for the intelligence of technology at a young age.
Skype Interview with Kathy Cassidy
Wow! I hope I become a teacher like Mrs. Cassidy. She is very smart and she seems so passionate about technology and her students. It is pretty cool that she has had her class blog for over five years. I am glad that I am finally becoming more literate in the world of technology. I like how with only five computers, she incorporated technology into the classroom and found wonderful tools and sites for her younger students to use. She says that with fives, you can make an area for students to learn, hence the five computers she had access to. It is a great idea that Mrs. Cassidy takes safety measures in regards to her students. With her blogs, she does not match student names with students pictures. I think that passing out forms in the beginning of the year to enable the students' work to be put on the internet is a great idea and is nice for parents to get involved. Once I become an educator, I will definitely have a class blog to allow my students parents to keep up with their progress throughout the school year. I think it is very important to keep teacher and students, students and parents, parents and teachers, and administrators and everyone else connected. I think we should continuously try to incorporate ways of learning and teaching with technology into our curriculum. I think it makes learning more fun and teaching more organized, and who doesn't want that? I feel honored that I was assigned to watch Mrs. Cassidy's class video about how they use technology and also her Skype interview with Dr. Strange. She is making a wonderful difference and changing her students view on learning by integrating technology into her curriculum. These students are going to be very knowledgeable and I am sure they will be thanking Mrs. Cassidy in their future years in school. I definitely will have to say, "Well done Kathy Cassidy, you are an inspiration!"
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Blog Post #10
The video, Do You Teach Or Do You Educate?, is a short video that describes "To Teach" or "To Educate". I thought the video was short and sweet but I also wanted more details. I feel like I already know the teacher I am going to be and I know I will incorporate the appropriate amount of either teaching or educating. I think a good teacher, in time, and with experience should be able to establish when to teach and when to educate.
Webster's dictionary states that to teach is "to impart knowledge of or skill in; give instruction in." I believe for one to be a good teacher, they must not "bark" at their students or preach at them, but motivate them and try to inspire them. Teachers should have a passionate outlook on educating and not just look at it as a job 5 days a week. You should always love what you do and I know by combining teaching and educating them you can make it fun and instructional. If we can learn to incorporate fun and interesting topics into our curriculum then students will be more alert and ready to learn.
I want to be the teacher that my students can look by and say that I inspired them and change their learning experience. I want to be the teacher that made learning fun and kept my students focused and engaged. I want to be the teacher that shows compassion, advices her students, and most of all helps to create the foot steps to their intellectual journey. I definitely believe one can teach and educate. You, the teacher, just has to be able to use the two in an affective way.
Don't Let Them Take The Pencils Home by Tom Johnson
After reading Tom Johnson's blog post, Don't Let Them Take The Pencils Home, I thought to myself, "wow, pencils really are important." I never really thought about how pencils could be used or thought as toys in inter city schools. It actually makes sense to me now. With these students having parents who do not supply things such as pencils would enable them to view a "pencil" as a toy. Also the academic specialist talks about when students play with pencils, their test scores become lower and lower. The specialist thinks when students take pencils home and play games such as "hangman" then they lose all test taking capabilities. I think when Mr. Johnson says he does not mind if his students play such games is a good thing. Mr. Johnson seems like a great teacher and I know test taking can make students nervous about taking these board tests. I want to allow my students to be great test takers and feel like they can always ask questions so they can accomplish these board tests to the best of their ability. Teaching is about learning and growing and I want to continue to grow and better myself as an educator.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Blog Post #9
Mr. McClung is definitely an eager and enthusiastic educator. It was nice to read about someone who is going through what I am about to go through. He discusses details about his first three years teaching. He talks about the changes he has made within himself within the classroom. When constructing lesson plans you're not always going to be perfect. You have to learn to make the lesson plan and simple teach it as best as you can. The lesson does not always turn out the way you would hope but sometimes that is a good thing. He talks about how he always strived to be the "perfect" teacher, but that is not always the outcome. You should not center your classroom around your superiors but center it around your actual students. In all actuality it's the students who are gaining knowledge from your teaching! I like how honest Mr. McClung was in his blog. He is always stating how he felt and how he would better himself as an educator. I would say Mr. McClung is a true inspiration.
Communication was stated in Mr. McClung's first blog and I think that is a prime priority in education. If one is unable to communicate with their superiors, co-workers, and students then they have lost the main objective of being a teacher. He talks about how communication is one of the hardest concepts to overcome, but always practice to ensure your skills are at best use. I strive to better my communication skills in everything I do. Weather it be with my family, boyfriend, co-workers, and customers at work. Being a server, is an excellent way to learn how to better my communication skills, on a professional level and casual.
In Mr. McClung's second blog most, What I Have Learn This Year, he talks about not being a control freak. Mr. McClung says he will not be one of those teachers who because a bit batty and more and more controlling. Teachers tend to control their students without even knowing they are doing it! There are simple ways to prevent yourself, the educator, from being a control freak. Simple allow your students to get their own handouts as Mr. McClung stated and give students classroom duties that can be done by not only teacher but also students! Mr. McClung is so clever to me. I think students should have more responsibilities in the classroom so the teacher isn't so controlling and commanding. I personally would like to be an educator where students can learn from my lessons but also enjoy them.
C4T with Justin Tarte
My second teacher that I was assigned was Justin Tarte. The First blog post I read of his was Leave a Legacy... written on March 17th 2012. I was glad that I was assigned to this post because it was quite enlightening and refreshing. Justin talks about how we as human beings do often wonder what people think of us and we spend way too much of our time stressing what others think than ourselves. He discusses how important it is to leave a positive legacy not only as an individual but also as an educator. Weather you are doing something or not people are all constantly noticing you so you must leave a positive and respectable legacy.
I commented on Justin's Blog Post by telling that his post was a well written post. He is such an intelligent educator. I hope to leave a positive legacy and one that could change the lives of others. I think everyone should read this particular blog because it is enlightening, positive, and encouraging.
Mindset: Start Making the Shift...
I read Justin Tarte's blog post, written on March 25th, about a book he read entitled, "Mindset", by Carol Dweck. The book talks about how there are two different types of mindsets, The "fixed" mindset and the "growth" mindset.
A fixed mindset avoids challenges, while a growth mindset embraces challenges...
A fixed mindset gets defensive or gives up easily, while a growth mindset persists in the face of adversity...
A fixed mindset sees effort as fruitless or worse, while a growth mindset sees effort as a path toward mastery...
A fixed mindset ignores useful negative feedback, while a growth mindset learns from criticism...
A fixed mindset feels threatened by the success of others, while a growth mindset finds lessons and inspiration from the success of others...
A fixed mindset will plateau early and achieve less than their full potential, while a growth mindset will reach ever-higher levels of success...
I comment back on Justin Tarte's blog post by telling him I want to have a "fixed" mindset and a "growth" mindset. By having a "fixed" mindset, I will have intelligence that is static and with "developed" mindset I will have intelligence that will continue to grow and develop.
C4K Summary for March
I was assigned to Bubble Bee for my March 4th C4K. The blog post was about why she thought her class and her deserved stickers from her teacher. Her blog post was short but to the point. She has a list of five items that are characteristics of good behaviors.
Her list is as followed:
1.We work quietly during tests and concentrate.
2.We get good grades because we study hard .
3.We listen in class during important events.
4.Respect teachers decisions.
5.We read diligently.
I commented back by telling her how much a great idea it is to have set goals and behaviors to earn things such as stickers. I preceded too ask her what of stickers she liked and how many she has received on a given day.
I commented on Brandon's Blog Post for March 25th. He blog post was a poem about a slug. I believe the theme of the poem was to address bulling. I told him that I thought it was a great idea to talk about bullying through a poem, especially if younger viewers are reading it. His poem could teach kids to stop the act of bullying and to never judge a book by its cover.
"One day there was a little slug called Bob so lets get this story over and done with. He lived with his sister and brother and mum and dad. He carried a big shell on his back. He got bullied a lot in school because he was slimy. He had always been slimy his whole life, but it is not nice being bullied like that. His teacher never believed him because he spent most his life drinking 5 star coffee. It’s very upsetting being a slug because you have to try your hardest to get to school on time because they go really really slow."
Friday, March 30, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Blog Post #8
By Richard E. Miller
Dr. Richard Miller, an English professor at Rutgers School of Arts and Science. In his video, "This is How We Dream" Part 1 and 2 he talks about how writing has changed and improved in our workplace,our daily lives,the classroom, and our culture. I felt this video was informative and refreshing to listen to and watch. Dr. Miller states the importance of how we gather our information and then how we relay our information to one another through technology. He believes there are two different types of change, which are incremental change and fundamental change.
Dr. Miller talks about incremental change in part 1 of the video. Incremental change is our workspace, or where we work now. Pens, pencils, and paper have been eliminated by word processors. More than likely you will see a student or a regular Joe carrying a laptop around instead of another utensil to gather information. Times are changing and our workspace because simple our laptop or desktop. Dr. Miller discussed how he wrote a response in an article on the Virginia Tech shooting by just the use of his computer and internet. He did not have to open a book or step foot inside of a library. I think it is convenient and wonderful that the internet and technology has come this far. We have an endless supple of information at your fingertips within seconds!
In part 2 of Dr. Millers video, he tells us about fundamental change and how we should use it. "We as educators need to be in the business of sharing idea with one another freely." This particular quote stood out to me because it is a true statement. I personal think it is such a great thing to be able to post ideas and share with fellow colleagues, classmates, and your teachers. He talks about how fundamental change is how we use our technology with writing, researching, and publishing information. Individuals need to embrace one anothers' ideas and share because it can easily be someone else' next resource. There are so many tools than enable us to learn and pass on our own ideas. Dr. Miller states that change needs to be beautiful and compelling so it inspires curiosity, creativity, and collaboration. I think he made a bold and honest statement. We need to work and learn together by sharing ideas and resources that may be helpful. I enjoyed this video and I would definitely re-watch it the future and pass it on.
Carly Pugh's Blog Post #12
I think Carly Pugh is such an inspiration for many students. After I read the first paragraph I though she was an excellent writer and very dedicated to her work and major of education. Her Blog Post was witty and kept me engaged throughout the entire post. She tells us about her playlist and all the benefits of it. I am currently working on my own playlist because I would like to incorporate multimedia into my future classroom. I like how she includes different topic in her playlist, it makes thing so interesting. You can use music and YouTube for more than just entertainment, and I know I am easily distracted so using these techniques in my classroom will help tremendously. Carly is right when she says that good teachers teach by example. Carly is going to be a fantastic teacher and I look forward to speaking with her after she begins her journey teaching.
The Chipper Series and EDM310 for Dummies
The video The Chipper Series,
may seem far fetched for some but in all actuality many students behave exactly as Chipper did. I know I use to be like Chipper before I entered into the world of college. I agree with her that juggling school, work, and a social life can be tough but you have to learn to make the time, especially in EDM310. I have definitely figured out that procrastination does not lead to success. I unfortunately suffer from the awfully curse of procrastination, but I know I am learning to be a better planner and organize my time more wisely. I feel blessed to be required to take EDM31o because I know by the end of this course, I will have wonderful tools that will help me manage my time and get things done in a timely fashion. I have always been the student who waits until the last minute, but now I do try and begin my assignments many days in advance to ensure myself the time and the help if I need it. I thought the movie was very informative and it was witty and entertaining as well.
EDM310 for Dummies
I liked the movie EDM310 for Dummies because it paints a perfect picture of how the course can make one feel at the beginning. I would be lying if I did not admit to feeling a little overwhelmed in the beginning of the semester. I began feeling much better when I used my resources (Google Docs, EDM310 blog page, and the detailed instructions that were provided by Dr. Strange) that were mentioned in the video. I love that I constantly am learning more and more and day after day because of this class. I feel accomplished after completing an assignment for EDM310. I have learn some very valuable tools that I will carry with me into my future career in the educational field. Like I said earlier, I feel blessed to have this class because I have gained a stronger capability of learning on my own and I know once I become a teacher I will enjoy helping my students learn on their own as well.
I would make a video that would be based around a world that has a no technology law. The use of technology has been abolished and all chaos has broke out. The society then realizes how detrimental it is to use and understand technology. I think this video would be important for those who do not have a need to use technology and those who feel it is not worth learning about. I would cast Dr. Strange as the super hero who breaks the law restraining technology!
Learn to Change, Change to Learn
I strongly agree with this video and all of these individuals beliefs. I think the school systems should be more focused on teaching their student the growth of technology rather having a strict standard basis for learning. It is important to have change in the classroom because the world around us is definitely not slowing down and new things are constantly arises in technology. School and teachers tend to sway away from social networks and electronic devices in the classroom. I think teachers should uses these devices and resources with their students. You can do and learn so much from one another by using these things. The main focus is definitely to turn the old fashion ways of teaching and learning into a new and up to date way of learning. Incorporating things like: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, blogger, and other social networks will help with communications between student and teacher and will also keep students engaged. In my future classroom, I will definitely bring technology along with me. There is no harm in doing so.
SCAVENGER HUNT
I was assigned to do a scavenger hunt and I began by watching Discovery Education Web 2.0 video posted by Justin Cometti. WEB 20.12 is where the actual scavenger hunt begins. This site is filled with technology and tools for teacher and eager learning student.
1.) Locate a tool that is similar to Twitter/Facebook and provides a social platform for teachers, parents, and students. Create an account as a Teacher and write a paragraph or two about how you could use this site in your classroom.
Edmodo, is a secure, social learning platform for teachers, students, parents, and districts. I like this platform because it is safe way for teachers and students to connect and collaborate, share content and access homework. I like it how teachers and put grades up in an organized way and also post notifications. This would make it easy for those who miss class for numerous days in a row. This is a wonderful tool to establish social media in the classroom. I am excited to use this in my classroom, such an awesome way to stay organized!
2.) Find a video tool that you have never used. Summarize some it's special features.
I was browsing the website and I found the tool, Animoto. I thought this was a neat tool because you can sync your Facebook, flickr, picasa, and other sites with it and your photos can be uploaded in just seconds. You can add phrases or links to the photos. I liked how you can add music or even connect your mp3 player to it with a playlist. You can watch your video in HD and once you are done, you can upload it easily to Facebook, your Blog, YouTube, and much more. I will definitely use this tool in my future classroom.
3.) Find a tool to create a poll anywhere and at anytime. Create your first poll and post it here.
I found the tool Poll Everywhere. I thought this tool was really easy to use and it is FREE! I decided to ask a question with two multiple choice answers. My quetion was, "Do you prefer hot coffee or iced coffee?" I would definitely use this in my classroom. I think it would become useful for math and history, but I could always find a use for language Arts and science.




















