Blog Post 8

"What I've Learned This Year" by Mr. McClung

I truly enjoyed reading this blog. By reading this, it takes the stress out of a first year teacher going into a classroom. It explains to be flexible with your lesson plans. There are going to be times that they don't go the way you want them to. I thought he brought up a very important point that lessons should be student centered and it has gotten away from that. He thinks you should drive your instruction.
I believe his thoughts on building strong relationships with teachers and students. When you build your relationships with your teachers, try to surround yourself around the positive ones. Find a teacher that has been there 15 years and still loves doing what she is doing. She could be a mentor to you.
Technology is important in these times. I was working at a place that everyone was scared to touch the computer. I kept telling them that it will not bite them and I can fix anything that they messed up.
I would love to sit in on one of Mr. McClung's lessons. He seems so down to earth and I think I could learn a lot from him. I agree with him that you should never stop learning! People think I'm crazy because I keep wanting to go back to college for more classes but I love learning!

C4K2

Christi Turner says:
July 1, 2010 at 1:55 pm
Simone,
Hey! It’s Miss Christi again. I love this video. I agree with you, it is so funny. Are cats on of your favorite animals? So do you have a cat? My ex-boyfriend had a cat and I loved her so much. Her name was Jada. She was black and white. She was so fluffy!!
Your blog is so interesting to me. You have such a variety of things on here. Is Pixie still in your backyard? If you want a recipe for sugar water that my mom uses for our hummingbird feeders, just let me know and I will get it to you. I’ve told my whole family about you being able to pick Pixie up on your finger! They thought it was amazing! Well, I hope to talk to you again soon!! Have a great day!
http://simone4.edublogs.org/

C4T3

Christi said...
Paige,
This is so true! I absolutely agree with you on this. You may not make a difference to every student but you may make a difference to that one student. That student you do make a difference to will never forget you either. This is so correct teachers should never give up!

June 28, 2010 8:20 PM


Paige V. Baggett said...
Christi,
I just received a letter from that one student who took the time to let me know. She was one of my third-graders who I taught 26 years ago! Her kind words inspired me to post this and reminds me of how important it also is to let those who make/made a difference in your life know that they did.

June 28, 2010 8:25 PM

Christi said...
Paige,
I bet that made you feel wonderful! I have so many fond memories of many elementary teachers that touched my heart and I wish I could let them know. My parents divorced when I was 7 and I moved so I would not even know where to begin to search since I do not know their first name. I'm getting my license reinstated so I've already finished my block. I do remember the sweet letters I would get some days left on my desk and especially at the end of my block that really touched me forever! I hope I did the same to those students also.

June 28, 2010 8:45 PM

Blog Post 7

This video was amazing!! I enjoyed every minute of it and even watched more videos on him that were on Youtube until his death. He is a truly positive person.

His Building Virtual Worlds reminded me of EDM310. He said "there is no book learning". He just had projects that the 50 students had to complete. He said "they should have already learned the book stuff". We don't have a book in EDM310 because we should have already learned the book stuff and what we are learning now, would be difficult to teach out of a book in my opinion.

"Brick walls are there for a reason-they let us prove how badly we want things" was one of his sayings and he repeated this often. His one brick wall was of flesh and that was his wife. All his sayings are so good but so true. I can identify with this because I want a family so bad one day and I will get that family!

He said "Never lose childlike wonder, because it drives you to what you really want" "Never give up". I have had a really horrible time since December. I had a cyst removed from my foot and was suppose to walk 4 days later. I did not walk for 3 1/2 months. I developed RSD which is Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy. I could not even let a sheet touch my foot. I had to keep my foot elevated at all times or it would turn black. It was so painful. I had to have nerve block every Friday either in my lumbar spine or in my ankle and sometimes both. I had to have another surgery in March of this year hoping this would help me walk again. They cut my abdomen open to get to my sympathetic nerve which is in your spine. I walked the next day! The surgery went well but it has had complications as well. Now it has messed my back up. I can't sit for very long. I'm always in pain. This pain is worse than the RSD pain ever was. I can relate to people when they say they want to give up but the only thing that makes me want to keep going is my faith and God.

I loved the last of the video when he said "lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself and dreams will come to you."

TimeToast

C4K2

Christi Turner says:
June 24, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Simone,
This is so interesting about Pixie! It is unbelievable that it actually perched on your finger. I’m very proud of you for doing your homework and researching to find out it was a wax eye bird.
Well, I did a little research myself on the wax eye bird. They are beautiful! I found out they like bread and sugar water. So you could ask your mum if you could get a bird feeder like a hummingbird feeder and put sugar water in it. That might help keep Pixie around.
I rescued a baby squirrel once that had fallen out of a tree during a storm. I was afraid a cat would eat it so I got gloves and picked it up. I put it in a box with blankets. I thought it was going to die because blood was coming out of its nose and mouth. I tried to give it milk with a dropper but it would not drink it. I’m glad it didn’t because I did research and it said that if you feed baby squirrels milk they will die. I watched it all night long. I called our Environmental Place the next morning. They got in contact with a girl that raises squirrels from the wild so she came and picked the baby up. I was just happy it lived but also found a home.
I really hope Pixie makes your yard it’s home so you can see it everyday. I really enjoyed reading your blog and GOOD JOB on doing your research.

simonemb2 says:
June 28, 2010 at 4:12 pm
Hello there! Yes, it was amazing! His/her feet really tickled! The claws were quite sharp, too! She was soo adorable! I so wish I took a photo! But I thought the noise of my DSi camera would scare her!

Blog Post 6

Richard Miller

This video of Richard Miller's was very interesting how technology has changed over the years and is still changing daily.

I was shocked at the part where he said the Professor uses the web instead of the alphabet. This is unbelievable.

We do need more technology in the classroom but he is right, we have to have the right tools. These tools would be an inspiring teacher, inspiring spaces, and inspiring pedagogies. What will they think of next?

Networking Student

I enjoyed this video and thought the cut out cartoon characters were cute. This video is about networking. Networking is great! It can help you in so many ways. It can help you find great resources and even jobs! It's even better if you keep trying to build your network as much as you can.

This video talked about a student taking an American Psychology class. It was on 3 days a week but 2 days were online and they did not have textbook. I think this is where we are heading in the future. No textbooks.

Why do we need a teacher? I think for guidance in case you need help or to even to help you start building your network if you do not know how.

I will tell you truthfully I'm not prepared to be a teacher of a networking program. I'm still in the learning process myself.

Michael Wesch

This video reminds me of my personal life. I've always been too shy to stand up in front of crowds and talk. I was a little embarrassed when I read the book to my webcam just because I felt stupid not reading to someone. As I get older, I've noticed I'm getting better about getting up and speaking to an audience. I'm still nervous though. It's different when you speak to children than to your peers.

I really liked the "Mad V" experience. That was interesting. I had never heard of that but it's very touching to me. The same with the "free hugs" that one guy started but it continued all over the world. If more people were like these two, the world would be a nicer place instead all this hatred, racism and negativity.

I think as a teacher, I will have my students do activities like "Mad V" to let them express what is on their mind each week. I think it's important to express your feelings or get things off your chest instead of having them bottled up.

PLN

1. Langwitches

Following her on Twitter

langwitches.org/

I enjoy watching 1st graders do a podcast and I want to teach 1st grade. Her blog page has every category you can think of for research.

2. Smart Board

RSS Feed

http://www.blogtoplist.com/academics/blogdetails-17907.html

I like this because it shows you smart board resources, websites, lesson plans, and even games that teachers can use with their whiteboard.

3. 10 Ways the iPad Will Forever Change Education

Delicious

http://www.onlinecolleges.net/2010/06/21/10-ways-the-ipad-will-forever-change-education/

This site explains all the advantages of the iPad and how it would better the learning experience through the schools.

4. Lesson Plans

Website

Following with RSS Feed

http://www.teachervision.fen.com/teaching-methods/curriculum-planning/7167.html?detoured=1

This site has everything for teachers that they could possibly need. It has things such as classroom management, lesson plans, graph organizers, slideshows, bulletin boards, games, themes, printable books, newsletters, and all subjects.

5. Educational Games

Website

Following with RSS Feed

http://www.funbrain.com/

The site makes learning fun. It has a section for students, teachers and parents. It is for K-8.

6. Teaching Paperless

Blog

Following on Twitter

http://teachpaperless.blogspot.com/

This site is there to help teachers create and maintain SocialTech-integrated Paperless Classrooms.

7. http://ponderingpaige.blogspot.com/This blog is a Professor at the University of South Alabama. I enjoyed having her as a teacher years ago and now I enjoy following her blog because it is very interesting and inspiring.

8. http://millerjamielynnedm310.blogspot.com/
I like her post because she is very positive. I love that she gave me the link to www.shelfari.com. I'm following her blog.

9. http://paceginaedm310.blogspot.com
She is going to be a great teacher and I think we can learn from each other! I'm following her blog.

10. http://cappsaedm310fall2009.blogspot.com/

You can learn so much from Anthony. I think he knows everything on the computer. He is a PRO!!

11. http://www.johnstrange.com/

This is my Professors page. He has very interesting thoughts and ideas.

Blog Post 5

I read both articles and they were pretty much saying the same thing. Smartboards are too expensive.

Well, the first article that we had to read was not even written by a teacher which was shocking! He said it didn't give a child an adaptive learning environment. He even said it was a "Administrative cop out". His article kind of irritated me.

The second article said he gave his away after about a year and said it was basically useless. He thought of them as really expensive overhead projectors. He also put it in a category of hoarding! He thought they were just high priced contraptions that cripple our schools and systems.

I went on Google and did a search and found this blog.

http://www.blogtoplist.com/academics/blogdetails-17907.html

They love smartboards and find every way possible to use them. This blog has Smartboard resources , lesson plans, websites and games that teachers can use with their whiteboard. They use Smartboards to teach with video podcasting, smartboards and educational blogs, smartboards and YouTube, and smartboards and flash games. They are ecstatic about Smartboards!

I watched The Chipper Series after technical difficulty. It was so funny. I really enjoyed this. Chipper thought she knew everything there was to know about everything. She had to learn to work on her own, do research, and not to depend on others. Laziness shows irresponsibility and lack of discipline. What a cute video!!

EDM310 For Dummies was hilarious! At first, this is exactly how you feel! I'm no expert by no means but I feel a lot more comfortable now. I would like to thank all the helpers in EDM310 for all your help. There is still tons to learn but I'm willing and ready to learn!

Assignment Blog Post 4

Langwitches Blog

I really enjoyed reading this blog. I actually joined twitter and now I'm a follower of hers. I learned that even 1st graders can do podcasts. They were actually interested and it brought the shy students out of their shell.

I loved their theme "Magic of Learning". It teaches them listening, speaking, presenting, comprehension, storytelling, performance, voice, acting, oral acting, media, and technology. This is very exciting!!!

I was very interested in this because I want to teach 1st grade.

Curriki

This site was not that interesting to me. It had too much stuff to confuse and distract you. It shows you how to make a podcast and how they can be used. These are good assets for your classroom.

I just think the page is kind of boring so it would make a student disinterested and move on to another site that is more attractive.

Eagle's Nest Radio & Class Blog

This was fantastic! I loved how these elementary students were so into their storytelling. I wish I could have done this when I was their age. I love that era anyway so anything to do with ancient times, I'm all into it.

The students kept your attention and they seemed to enjoy every minute of it while actually learning also!

Practical Principals

This bored me to death! This was like I was listening to talk radio. It was neat that Principals were podcasting but it annoyed me. They were not really giving any pertinent information for educators to use.

The page was appealing and if you listened for long enough you will finally get some information about technology and about their districts. I really would not want to go on this page again though.

I learned a lot from these sites and did not even know what a podcast was until I started going into these sites or until EDM310. I think more teachers should use technology in their classrooms. I'm sure there are tons of sites to visit and learn from which I plan to research. I just know the sites that look appealing at first will keep my attention than the ones that look boring.

Vocaroo

C4K1

I explained to the student he did an excellent job explaining active earthquakes. I know they are very scary and can cause lots of damage. You are right, that some are so small we can not feel them. When the techonic plates slide causing a tsunami thats when tremendous damage can be done. You did an great job explaining and spoke very clearly.

Here is the link to his blog.

http://pesteam2.blogspot.com/2010/06/earthquake-by-korobeau.html

Assignment 5

My Survey Results

Audio to Presentation

Christi Turner's Presentation

Assignment 3

#1 Scott McLeod is an Associate Professor of Educational Administration at Iowa State University at the Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE). He is also the co-creator of the Did You Know (Shift Happens) videos.
I agree and disagree with his article. I think the internet is a great teaching tool and its wonderful for students to explore. You do need to watch children these days what they are looking at on the internet. Cell phones also have made children where they can barely spell because of the predicting spelling. Teachers are also letting them use calculators and they can not even do math these days. I want my students and when I do have children of my own to use the internet as much as possible to learn and explore to broaden their minds and think for themselves.

#2 The iSchool Initiative would be a great tool for students, teachers, parents, and administrators. This device would be great for the environment. Books, paper, and pencils would be obsolete which would help us go green.
There would be no paper trail and the student would save around $600 per year. The cost of the iSchool would be $150 for each student.
The iSchool would help parents monitor their child's progress from any phone or computer. The device will be locked for the school and personalized for the student. Internet websites will be dedicated to education only. I think this would be a great idea for educators as well as parents.

#3 I like how she did this video with the reversal of how society is and thinks. I was shocked at first because I really thought she was going to think and be like that.
I agree with the reversal part because it is really what you put into life, what you really get out of it. There is always hope and don't let anyone tell you differently!

#4 This video is AMAZING! The 185 people singing are all in sync with each other and have never even met. The music was beautiful on top of that!!
This just shows how modern technology is being used in the world today. Technology is being used in every aspect of every professions.

Assignment #2

This video is showing that most classes are over priced and require a textbook. Some textbooks are not even used. The Professor will provide his office hours but students never resort to them except at the end when they are in a jam because they are about to fail the class.
Most students do not pay attention in class. They are usually doing other work or playing on websites such as facebook. I believe if most students were paying for their education out of their own pocket, it may be a different story.
This is not like my experiences at all because we didn't have facebook, myspace, or the technology like we do today. I could add microprocessors or maybe bagged cell phones for this to be more like my experience.


This article by Kelly Hines states that she believes that teacher preparation programs and the educational community must recognize the need for change in the approach of teaching and learning. Tools such as ipods, computers, blog, etc., are not effective vehicles for instruction.
She believes there are four things that every teacher must have to impact the students in a positive way. The four ways are: teachers must be learners, learning and teaching are not the same, technology is useless without a good teaching, and be a 21st Century teacher without the technology.
A teacher needs to find ways to help students be creative and innovative to be prepared for the future.


Teachers are required to go to workshops to get the required hours in and I believe some of these should be computer courses.
Technology is changing daily and teachers are going to have to change with the times also. I understand teachers have a lot on their plate. They need to make sure the teacher is not computer illiterate and the student has something over on them by being ahead of the teacher.
How can you teach a preschooler how to use a computer but not a teacher?


I believe that goes back to Karl Fisch's "Is It Okay to Be A Technology Illiterate Teacher?" The answer is NO! Look how technology is changing so rapidly in such a fast rate. Teachers need to stay on top of technology and education also. They can make education fun and exciting since students are so interested with all the social media.

Post #1

In Karl Fisch's "Did You Know" he is comparing China, India, and the United States. I dated a guy from Russia once and they were so more advanced than the United States in technology also.
The technology is progressing so rapidly that people are relying on computers, calculators, etc. instead of learning with their own brain. The people of the United States are lazy. I blame that on the parents not being strict and letting them become couch potatoes. They depend on machines to give them answers instead of finding out for themselves.
Other countries are more advanced and smarter than the United States. I believe schools should go year round like other countries. They seem to take education more seriously than the United States.


This video shows how Mr. Winkle wasn't use to our technology today. Technology is improving daily and its hard to keep up. When Mr. Winkle went into an office and a hospital he was shocked at the strange noises and how machines kept people alive. When he entered a school setting it was more familiar because they were teaching writing, reading, and arithmetic. The students were taking notes. He did notice one of the strange devices(computer)in the back of the classroom but it was not being used. It had dust all over it. Mr. Winkle said even after 100 years some things still remain the same.
This video reminds me of my 95 year old Grandmother. We decided to buy her a computer because she wanted to start emailing all of her grandchildren. We had to explain things over and over to her. We even had it written down in a book beside the computer. Needless to say, the emailing did not last very long.


Schools today are more interested in math and language. They do not think arts are that important. I have even heard of some schools that may cut the art program out because of lack of funds.
It use to be students needed degrees to get a good job but now degrees are not getting students anywhere. Today, you need a Master's degree to obtain you a secure career.
I do not think you should discourage anyone if they have creativity in the arts because they may not ever flourish. Just as Sir Ken Robinson said "Picasso said we were all born artists."


This video by Vicki Davis empowers the students to share their thoughts with other students.
The students learn the technology to connect to others throughout the world. They learn software. They are very comfortable experimenting in all areas with the computer.
Vicki Davis says the students need to be thinkers and find their own answers to any questions they have. She may give them a new term but makes them Google it to find out what it means.
The students blog through a program called Digi Team. They thoroughly enjoy this.
They came up with a program called Flat Classroom Project that they write reports and trends. They experience and learn with people all over the world.

I can't get this www.wordle.net to work! Its getting on my nerves!!