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."

Instructional Video on Smartboard Project #14

Short Movie Project #11 "Hidden Feast"

Blog Post #8

This is How We Dream Parts 1 and 2
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.

Get a free sms student response system at Poll Everywhere

Project #12 Book Trailer

Blog Post # 7

The Network Student by Wendy Drexler

The video I watched, the network student, by Wendy Drexler explains what the criteria is to be a network student. I enjoyed this video because I am currently a networking student and I like how the teacher encourages her students to use social networking to learn. To have a network, one must create a PLN so their specific site and daily resources will be at their fingertips. I think networking is both important for teachers and students. The video also shows how the teacher "teaches" in the network. The PLN (Personal Learning Network) is made up of websites for learning, friends, classmates, new, etc. I think it is neat how students can connect with one another to find out how to figure out assignment. Also, teachers converse with one another to discuss what they are learning and also they talk about lesson planning.

A Seventh Grader's Personal Learning Network

After watching this video I thought to myself, "I definitley can create my very own PLN (Personal Learning Network)." I liked how organized her PLN was. Her PLN was similar to mine. We both had many tiles that are associated with our studies. My PLN has tiles for the news, my EDM310 class, my email, my blogger, resources for my future classroom. I have my PLN organize in order to the things I use the most on the top left corner to the bottom left corner.

Project #9b Transportation Technology

Project #10 Personal Learning Network

My Personal Learning Network

For my My Personal Learning Network I decided to use Symbaloo. I really like how easy Symbaloo is to to use and how easy it is so set up a Personal Learning Network. This is a wonderful tool to allow one to have their basic daily networks at their fingertips. I decided to start my PLN by adding the EDM310 class blog as a tile. I think it is very important to have that on my desktop. I set up the rest of my PLN as social, news, shopping sites, Blogger, music, and mail. I definitely needed to have blogger on my PLN because I am constantly viewing my own blog and my fellow classmates blogs. I have also my my C4T's blog on my PLN so I can stay connect with them. I also decided to put "Reading Rockets" on my PLN because I know I will continue to use this resource in my future classroom. I am continuing to look up different resources because I want my PLN to grow much more. I know when I am a teacher, having a PLN will benefit me and make my planning and teaching so much easier.

C4T #2 With Ira Socol

...in which I may suggest that I oppose literacy

Ira Socol is the second professor that I was assigned to. In his blog post, "...in which I may suggest that I oppose literacy", on February 9th, he wrote about the dangers of humiliations from teachers in the school systems. He begins his blog post by quoting R.D. Synder. He says that he thinks that the quote is a funny way to begin his post but then begins to say he likes to think of himself as a "prophet" of literacy and he likes to bring the love of stories and books to those who have grown up without them. He discusses the fact that not everyone learns on the same level and teachers should encourage their students instead of merely scolding them. Ira is the type of person who likes to argue his point and if he feels strongly about his blog post he will use as many resources as he needs to back it up. I told Ira that I am on the road to fulfilling my goal as a teacher and I asked if he had any advice on students who struggle with reading. I told Ira Socol that I agreed with his quote by James Gee about learning and how remediation can ultimately turn into a lifetime of humiliation for these students. As a future educator, I do not want to steer my future students away from learning and reading, but focus on their strengths and try to guide them on the road to success. We so often find teacher expressing the failures of their students instead of embracing the strengths.

if learning is to be constant, space, time, technology, pedagogy, Curriculum must be the varibles

In Ira Socol's second post, he discusses the mere fact that if students are meant to succeed then schools must be more flexible. He says we should use education as variables and make each aspect of the system work together to provide success among students. He says we should make the learning experience a comfortable place so students will enjoy learning. I agree with Ira 100%. The old fashioned chair and desk does seem to sway students away from wanting to embrace there education. So in my future classroom I am going to use Ira's advice and allow my students to become comfortable in their environment so they will be willing to learn. Ira also goes into discussion about how time should change. He feels that we as educators should not put deadlines on assignments because it can negate the purpose of having your students do their best. Most of the time when students are not given the stress of a deadline, they tend to excel in the work they are doing. The second blog post of Ira's was my favorite. Ira wants to turn the "teaching places" into contemporary "learning spaces" that cross over to the realm of the educational experience. I am pleases to have been assigned to Ira Socol because he has enlightened me onto new teaching concepts and most importantly the significance of uses technology to better the educational experience. I told him that I planned on continuing to view his blogs and follow him on twitter.

Blog Post #6

Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

Randy Pausch was a professor of computer science and human computer interaction, and design at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pausch gave his last lecture about Achieving Your Childhood Dreams just a year before he passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2008. He begins his upbeat lecture by introducing the "Elephant in the room", he does this by spending just a few minutes discussing his pancreatic cancer. He tells the audience that he is still very much in good health, and he shows this by doing pushups. I thought that was a great way to begin his lecture and to get rid of any issues or distractions the audience may have. He then lists what he will be addressing in his lecture and what he will not be addressing. He wants the audience to know that he will not be talking about cancer, things more important this childhood dream:his wife and kids, spirituality and religion (his death bed conversion). He tells the audience he will be talking about childhood dreams, enabling the dreams of others, and lessons learned:how you can achieve your dreams of enable the dreams of others.

Randy Pausch was entertaining, energetic and upbeat throughout the entire video. Even though he had a terminal diagnosis, he still had a positive outlook on life and a glow on stage. I felt like I could watch him over and over, and I often found myself re-listening to different parts of the video. I am pleased that I was assigned to this video because of how inspiring Randy Pausch is. Through his lecture he gives many individuals the courage to achieve anything they set their mind too. He talks about his dreams and how he achieved some of them and the ones he didn't achieve allowed doors to open onto other opportunities. He achieved being in zero gravity, he dreamed to be in the national football league, authorized an article in the world encyclopedia, he dreamed of being captain Kirk, he won A LOT of stuffed animals, and becoming a Disney imagineer. He has a lot of inspiring quotes but the one he put the most emphasis on was the one about "Brick Walls". "Brick walls are there for a reason. They let us prove how badly we want something. The brick walls are there to stop the people who do not want them badly enough. They keep all the other people out." I believe this is telling us that we are going to encounter hurdles that will try to prevent us from achieving our goals and dreams. Whatever it is that is in the way, as long as you truly want it, you can achieve dreams and reach your goals. Pausch talks about how sometimes you have to take a different roads to get to your dreams but they are always reachable if you want it bad enough.

"Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want". This is such a powerful and inspiring quote. This quote is a good one to incorporate into daily lives. In most cases the first time we go after something, we do not always get what we want or it sometimes turns out not as planned. We do not always get what we want, but during that journey we learn and experience new things.We learn that we should probably re route our journey. Also, when we are trying to figure things out, we do not always find the answer but find out new information that we never knew.

My favorite part of Randy Pausch lecture was about weather or not you are a tigger or an eeyore. He firmly states that you must be very aware of the tigger/eeyore debate. He says you should NEVER lose the child-like wonder because it drives us. You should always find the fun in everything you do. I need to find the fun in everything because I sometimes focus on the negatives in life and that is no way to live, especially with life being so sort. I want to learn as much as I can, be able to say what I want to say, and teach how I want to teach to get my points across. I want to always remember to have fun in all I do and keep a positive outlook on life and my future as an educator. I know I will take these wonderful skills Pausch as spoken of in his video with me through the rest of school and in my career.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes of Randy Pausch: "Tell the truth." "Be earnest." "Apologize when you screw up." "Focus on other people, not yourself." "Find the best in everyone"... These are wonderful quotes that I want to post in my planner or on my bathroom mirror so I can remind myself of simple yet forgetful statement I should live by.

Randy Pausch enlightened me and taught me many new ways of learning, becoming the best individual I can be, and achieving my dreams no matter what I encounter. I like that he said you should always try to be good at something so it makes you valuable. I believe he is an amazing teacher, and a profound individual. I want to be a dedicated teacher and hopefully spread the positivity and motivation onto my future students. We only have one life here on earth so we must embrace it and take any positive opportunity that happens to come our way because it might just change your life, for the BEST!

C4K Summaries for February

My first comment for kids was for Youssef. I commented on his post about his school. Youssef shared about how much he enjoyed his school. He talked about the great activities his school offered. He mentioned Crayola Day and Twin day. I had never heard of either so I asked him to explain them to me. Youssef stated that the school incorporates Islam into the curriculum. He seemed to really like that. He mentioned how he loved going on field trips to Catalina Island and Big Rock Creek.
I commented back on Youssef's blog by telling how I thought it was wonderful that his school allowed the students to practice and learn Islam. I also asked him if he would explain to me what Crayola Day was and what twin day was. Those seemed really interesting to me. I told him that when I was younger I liked to go on field trips also. I asked him what his favorite place was that he visited on his field trip.

My second comment for kids was for Jordi. She talked about her new baby cousin in her blog post. She wrote how she already loved her new cousin so much and how holidays were so much more special with a new member to the family. Jordi talked about how shopping for her new cousin is a lot of fun and new to her. She also asked weather or not the viewer of her blog post has a baby cousin. Jordi also included a very well put together video of her cousin.
I began commenting on Jordi's post by telling her that I do not have a baby cousin but that I do have a baby niece. I asked her what all she bought her baby cousin when she went shopping. I also complimented her on her well made video of her baby cousin. I told Jordi that I thought she would make such a wonderful role model for her cousin and a great babysitter.

My third comment for kids was for Aliyah in Ms. Eppele's class. Aliyah talks about sportsmanship in her classroom and how she feels that her class is currently lacking it. She said that some of her classmates liked to rub it in the other students faces that they won.
When I commented back to Aliyah, I told her that I agreed with her about sportsmanship. I told her that I felt everyone should lose once in their life to prevent them from becoming a permanent sore loser. I told her to continue having good sportsmanship and being a good leader. I told her that her classmates would most likely follow her mature lead.

My Forth comment for kids was for SP7 CK. This student is in Mrs. T.G.'s class and from Iowa. The blog post that I chose to read and comment on was titled "Why we deserve stickers." This student listed five reasons to why she believed her class deserved stickers. The student said that the class worked quietly during tests, got good grades because they all studied hard, listened in class, respected the teacher, and read diligently.
I commented back telling the student that stickers were always my favorite in school. I mentioned to the student that stickers always made me and my fellow students feel like were were being the best students we could be. I told this students that the reasons listed for receiving stickers were really good ones. I would definitely want a class as motivated and hard working as the one Mrs. T.G has. I think positive reinforcement is a great way to produce successful students.

Project #8 Podcast

Project 9a "My Timetoast Timeline"

Blog Post #5

Don't teach your kids this stuff. Please? by Dr. Scott McLeod

Who is Dr. Scott McLeod? Dr. McLeod is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Kentucky. He is a very well-rounded individual with wonderful insight about the world of technology. He is a well known blogger, CASTLE director, Idea Generator, Solutions generator, etc. Dr. McLeod states his opinions in a sarcastic fashion and leaves his viewers with many thoughts in mind. I like how he got his point across by using sarcasm in his blog post. I do agree with his statement that there are bad things out there and we need to keep our children safe, but I also feel like we shouldn't keep children too sheltered. Dr. McLeod talks about how the negatives of technology can prevent us from actually encourages the use of technology in our classrooms. We need allow children to enhance their knowledge but also keep them safe while doing so. I think as long as we address the concerns to our students and allow them to come to us with any problems then the worries should soon pass. We as educators need to educate ourselves primarily first so we do not feel threatened or fearful of negative outcomes of technology. There are so many wonderful opportunities in regards to technology; so we should embrace it instead of running away from it!

iSchool initiative By Travis Allen

I was very impressed after watching the YouTube video on iSchool initiative by Travis Allen. Travis was only 17 when he created his video, iSchool initiative. Travis speaks about how schools should incorporate technology into the curriculum and eliminate the use of pens, paper, and possible books. He believes the iPad and iTouch have a lot of wonderful uses that will benefit future students. He also talks about how there are different apps that can help allow the learning experience to grow. You can do so much through internet apps and YouTube, the possibilities are almost endless. I feel like this could be a fantastic idea but we would need to get administrators on board, and I know that would be a difficult thing to do. It seems like teachers today and school administrators would dislike the idea of ischool because they are stuck in their traditional ways of teaching. Travis also talks about how expensive the cost of books for a single student can be. He says the price for one student on ischool would only be 150 dollars opposed to 600 dollars for textbooks alone. I think that would enable a tremendous amount of savings for school systems but I know the administrators would fine holes in ischool. I personal feel ischool would be very inexpensive compared to the prices of textbooks, but I think we have a long way to go to get parents, teachers,and administrators on board before this could ever happen. Travis Allen has a lot of great ideas and he did a wonderful job on his YouTube video.

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir

I watched the video on Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir-'Lux Aurumque and I was truly impressed! The music was so beautiful and all the different faces that were put together just amazed me. I was very pleased after watching this peaceful sounding video. Eric Whitacre is such a talented individual to have put this remarkable video together of all these individuals. I am personally very happy that we were assigned to this particular video because I would have never looked at anything of this nature. This is definitely something I would like to look into further. I like that there is such a positive and moving video on the internet such as this one. I love how technology is evolving into the arts. I think it is a good thing to incorporate as much technology as possible into the arts. I will definitely show this video to my future class.

Teching in the 21st Century by Kevin Roberts

Kevin Roberts talks about how students do not always need their teachers first to solve a problem or as a resource. Technology is a major resource for many students. Teachers are not always the biggest part of the classroom, but they are needed to engage with their students and pave the road for their future with technology. Technology needs to brought about in a way of learning and educating instead of just being known as a form of entertaining.

Students today need to be aware of the technology around them because it is not only growing but it is also everywhere. Yes, the internet can help teach the student and be a resource for almost anything, but the need for a teacher is definitely still relevant. I believe even when technology has taken over the school systems the need for an educator in the classroom will still be utmost important. Teachers not only pave the way for students, but also leave stepping stones for their future students.

Reading rockets
Reading Rocket is a wonderful website filled with tons of resources for teachers, parents, administrators, counselors, and many more! Reading rocket has lesson plans, fun games, ABC's of teaching, video podcasts, and much much more. I really think this website is going to come in great use for my future classroom. I have already printed off a few things! I found the resource Helping Struggling Readers a wonderful resource because it gave many different tips and information to help encourage your students with reading problems. There are questions and answers for the teacher and parents to discuss about the student also available on this resource. I like this resource because it have tools that teachers can use in the classroom and also free printable worksheets!

Blog Post #4

Judy Scharf's Podcast Collection

In Judy Scharf's Brief summary of what a podcast is, she explains that the term "podcast" actually is a cross between "broadcast" and "iPod". Judy talks about how a podcast is a "radio-style" talk show which may include music and is useful in the classroom for any subject. Judy informs us that a podcast is simply a type of digital media. A podcast is a wonderful tool to share information with millions of people around the world just through the internet. To make a podcast, all you need is a microphone, a computer, and the software for your computer, which Judy tells us is free to download. Judy includes two links, the first link is one on YouTube which shows you how create your podcast and what tools and downloads you must have to do so. The second video is on Teacher Tube, an instructional video that also shows you in detail how to create a podcast and how to use iTunes in the classroom. I felt both videos would come in handy when I make my podcast for EDM310.
I definitely plan to use podcast in my future classroom. I think podcasts will give students the time to show their voices and present their assignments in a more vocal way. I am excited to learn how to make my own podcast so I can become an expert for my students.
The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom
This video by Joe Dale is done by using an actually podcast. He talks about how podcasting focuses on the higher levels of Blooms taxonomy and allows for creativity and innovation. The video also talks about how podcasts offer a new and relevant way of learning for students. The students become more engaged and excited about learning. After the huge outbreak of the iPod, podcasts have become more and more popular. I like the idea of podcasts in my future classroom because it will allow students to have a higher level of learning and it will definitely allow them to learn significantly. If a child were to ever be sick for an extended amount of time, podcast will come in handy to allow students to get the important information they may need or they have missed. I am excited about creating my own podcast.
I enjoyed visiting Langwitches Blog because it was filled with a lot of useful information about twitter, Skype, a lot about iPads, and podcasts. Langwitches likes uses podcasts because it is a great way learn many different types of languages. She does a lot of documenting and provides a lot of tools on her blogs that I would definitely use. The one I would use is, Story Telling with the iPad, I think this is a great tool for teachers to use in the classroom for their students to learn languages. One Langwitches blog there is also storykits for students which I think will be very useful.

Project #6 "My Sentence Video"

Blog Post #3

Technology in Special Education

Special Education has come a long way with the success of technology. After watching this video it made me recall when I was a special education peer helper in high school. The students that I would help also had computer and desktops for communication, hearing aids for hearing, and technology for viewing simple sentence for vision impaired. Simple requests like: going to the bathroom, needed help with an assignment, or simply hungry/thirty would be difficult to ask without a touch pad or computer for those whom can not communicate. Without technology for learning, understanding, and communicating, I know the stress on the teachers and the students would be very frustrating. I was there, so I understand how difficult it can be on the student to show their ability to learn.
I strongly feel every student regardless of their learning capability should be able to perform to their fullest and gain a sense of success and creativity. The technology that is used for special needs provides opportunities for those students and we as educators definitely need to know what kind tools are out there for our students. As a future educator I will definitely be mindful of the technology that is available for my students who may have special needs.


How the iPad works with Academics for autism

After watching the video about the iPad I quickly realized how amazing apple has come. I think it is wonderful that the iPad has so many apps and options to help autistic children with learning and success. There are many many apps to choice from at Apple.Education Apps.com. It is fantastic that there are apps that will motivate and help children in specific areas. Many areas that are essential for these children with autism are: counting, reading, siting, drawing on the iPad to practice, and etc. I looked through several of the apps that were provided and I would definitely consider using them in my classroom if it were allowed. My favorite app is the Britannica kids about volcanoes for Science. The colors and very visual pictures would definitely excite any students, especial one who has special needs.

Gary's Social Media Count

This media count is absolutely incredible! I am yet again shocked at how technology impacts almost everyone on a regular basis. What does this mean for a professional career as a teacher? We as educators must learn to familiarize ourselves with the future of technology. We must not only know how to use the technology, but we need to know how to learn from it and change our previous teaching techniques to evolve from it. We incorporate the new technology of our future into our classroom. There are so many new ways to use technology to teach and I believe it we can embrace these techniques then will we have a successful classroom indefinitely. I am very excited about using technology in my classroom because I know the smartboards and iPad will help students come a long way. We must embrace changes in the technology world and not fall back into the old ways of teaching.

A Vision of Students Today

This video shows how we have developed tremendously through technology. This video raises the point that teachers are still teaching in an old fashion way, and with technology constantly evolving, students are getting bored. Throughout class students are not even focused on their readings, the teacher, or focused on actually learning. Looking at the chalkboard and taking notes; forget about it! We as educators need to allow changes in our classrooms due to the progression of technology that is unstoppable. We can still teach our students the same material and set them up for success, we just have to change the route with technology. There are options such as: internet based classroom, electronic based books, and more smart board activity. We do have to keep in mind avoiding students texting, face booking, and non classroom web browsing in the classroom. We as educators must keep our students in tune during class so they will not be tempting to do the non class activities. We definitely need to prepare are students for the next step in their careers because this world is a technology based one.

C4T #1 Assignment

I found Hadley's Blog Post full of energy and very refreshing. She posted this Blog on January 27, 2012. The first thing that I read was about Hadley heading to Educon. First and foremost, Educon , is a conference set up for educators and administrators from all over the world to get together to create organized dialogue. The teachers begin Educon with visiting with one another and connecting with fellow teachers from past conferences. This conference is a weekend long session filled activities such as: sharing teaching techniques, learning, and conversing. There are many ideas that are discussed and presentations that will be shared. Hadley states that her brain and heart in many ways will be bursting by the end of the long weekend. She has such a desire to better herself as an educator and reach the full potential of each student she has in her classroom.

I commented on Hadley's post on Educon by first of all introducing myself as a student at South Alabama and a student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class. I told Hadley how important I thought it was to have a conference such as Educon. Sharing ideas and presentations with fellow educators and administrators is such a wonderful idea and I think as future educators we should all attend such a conference. Learning from one another's experiences and making changes to their teaching techniques to better the futures of their students is fantastic. I asked Hadley is anyone could attend Educon because I feel it would make me a successful future educator. I told her how wonderful her survial plan was for getting through the weekend at Educon. I really did enjoy her blog because it was insightful and full of positive energy. Hadley is such a wonderful teacher and influence for future educators. I hope I become a teacher like her, dedicated and ambitious.

I found Hadly's second post, Takeaways from Educon just as exhilarating as her previous blog post that I read. This was ultimately a follow up on Hadley's trip to the weekend Educon conference. She states that she felt the power of the people within the conference. She says that one of the biggest challenges is for the conversations to actually arise among educators and administrators. There is a presenter at the conference whose goal is to get people to talk with each other, learn, and share together. Hadley states, "Educon is not for the faint of heart or the passive. Teachers and administrators don’t come to Educon unless they want to grow and develop their practice." I feel as a future educator we should not be lazy teachers but embrace our students. We should allow ourselves to find the full potential of our students so they can learn and be successful. In Educon, Teachers and administrators find ways to do so. I loved reading Hadley's follow up on her trip to Educon. I hope that future Educon conference come near the southern states because I think it would benefit me as a future educator to attend a conference. I would love to get to know educator and administrators from all over the world.

My second comment for Hadley's blog was for the blog Takeaways from Educon. I began telling Hadley how powerful her blog was and how excited her blog left me. I told her that her statement about how “Educon is not for the faint of heart or the passive.”, made me realize how my choice to become an educator will always be the right choice for me. I told Hadley that I want to become a teacher like her, who wants to not only reach out to all students but lead them in the direction of success. I want to attend an Educon conference so I can grow as a future educator and learn from fellow teachers. This is a fantastic tool that we as educators need to embrace and use as much as we can. A tool that allows us to share, learn, and talk to people from all over world is incredible. I am so pleased that I was assigned to Hadly's Blog. She has opened my eyes in a totally new way. I want to learn with fellow educators and administrators like Hadly.

Project #5

Blog Post # 2

1. Did you know?-3.0 A John Strange Version January 2012

I was assigned to watch the video Did you know? by Dr. Strange for my second blog post. Honestly, I really enjoyed his remake of the original done by Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod. Both videos were very informative and well put together. I was already aware of how far along technology has come, but when I read the statistics regarding the use of SMS messages per day, YOU Tube videos per minutes, the number of Google Searches per minute, and the percentage that actually own computers astounded me! I personally use my phone frequent throughout the day and would go crazy if something were to happen to my computer. It does make total sense that these percentages are rises as the time moves forward with the progression of technology. The video also addressed how we as a country rely tremendously on the use of technology to just get us through the day. If we lost the use of Google, I am sure the country as a whole would shut down.

I found this particular quote very interesting, "23% of the population of India with the highest IQ's outnumber the entire population of the United States". Honestly, I am bothered by this quote because as a future educator I do not want our country to lack the interest of education. We as educator and students have become lazy and tend to search the internet and 'Google' our questions instead of asking our peers, our superiors, or a professor. We need to prepare ourselves to undergo a change in this statistic. Also, as a future educator I want to become more literate in the technology world. I was fearful of this class but I believe it will prepare me for my future and make the type of educator we need in the years to come.

2. Mr. Winkle Wakes

In the brief video of Mr. Winkle Wakes, we learn that Mr. Winkle has awoke from a 100 year slumber. He makes his way to a large and tall building filled with busy people and noises he was unfamiliar with. He also came face to face with machines that printed out documents and picurtes. This amazed Mr. Winkle. All of these changes he noticed overwhelmed him. He felt sick and visited a hospital. Mr. Winkle then saw X rays and machines that kept people alive. Mr. Winkle didn't understand this hospital so he left. He strolled into a school and realized there was no intrusion from the outside world. He liked the fact that school was almost the exact same after all these years he had been asleep.

I definitely liked this video and the point of the story was bluntly illustrated. Mr. Winkle was very lost and unaware of the technology that we use everyday. Everyone and everything seems to be increasing their technology to precede in the world, but it does seem like some school systems have been left out. Due to funding, I know school can not afford things such as: computers, printers, calculators, etc. It is a shame that not all the students are getting all of the equipment that it seems deemed to become successful. For the success of students I feel it is necessary for teacher and administrators to become familiar with the technology. Hopefully one day every student will have the tools needed to become successful in their future outside of school.

3. Sir Ken Robinson: School kills creativity

I really enjoyed watching Sir Ken Robinson. I found him informative and quite humorous. I think if a speaker can make the crowd laugh and also be very informative then he wins in my book! He begins speaking about how he feels we should treat creativity the same as literacy. Ken Robinson states that everyone has creativity inside of them. He also speaks about how everyone learns differently and for a student to succeed we as educators need to help the student to explore their specific talents.

The difference between right and wrong is something that we as educators focus a lot of our energy on. I agree with Ken Robinson that sometimes we neglect the creative side of students when we get caught up with the right and wrongs. I feel as educators we need to allow students to show their creative sides in all subject. All in all, we should embrace our students and support their creative sides!

4. A Vision For 21st Century

I believe one of the main arguments of this video is to allow learning through a video game and online. Yes I think learning online and a virtual video would provide skills needed for students, but I also feel students need to interact among their peers to learn communication skills. I think the maker of this video feels like students are not learning as much they are capable of in the classroom so they feel video and online learning is a better choice. I would like to see more technology integrated into the classroom but not a total 100% online based class. I do not think students would be able to use all of their creative sides if this new technique were established. It is definitely something that should be well planned out to prevent the lose of important motor skills.

I personally as a future educator to not agree with this plan of teaching and learning one hundred percent. Students and teachers should interact with one another. Yes I feel this video game could help with some aspects of learning, but I do not agree with eliminating the the old fashioned structure concept of learning.

5. Harness your students' digital Smarts: Vicki Davis

Vicki Davis' decision to make her classroom one that is built primarily around learning how to use, wikis, blogs, pod casts, and digital story telling is very interesting to me. I do not solely agree with her internet techniques but I would like to try using the internet to connect students with the world. I really like how even though Vicki Davis and her students' school is located in rural south Georgia, she still has herself and students connected and interacting with the world.

Vicki Davis prepares her students to be independent and reliable, qualities students must have to be successful in their futures. While Vicki Davis wants them to work on their own among each other, she still helps them when they need it. In close, This classroom reminded me of EDM310. I believe like Vicki Davis' classroom, EDM310 will prepare me for my future as an educator!