Project #14 Smart Board Instruction Part 1

Blog Assignment 9

Mr. Joe McClung decided that after this first year of teaching that he would reflect on his year by writing a blog post.  During his first year of teaching he was at an elementary school in Noel, Missouri.  

As teachers, we need to make our lessons student centered.  In the end it is not the administration who needs to learn the material, its the students.  The most important concept is that the students need to comprehend the material.  If they are not understanding, we as teachers need to change things up so that the students are able to learn.  Like Mr. McClung said, "In order to be effective you have to let your audience drive your instruction."

I knew coming into the education career that I would need to be flexible.  Throughout my school years, I have always wanted to make sure everything I have planned works out perfectly.  As teachers, we need to make sure that we are flexible and that if what we have planned for the lesson doesn't go over well, that it's okay.    We need to remember that it's okay to make mistakes.  I agree with Mr. McClung 100% on this.  It's a great reminder to know that we don't have to be perfect as teachers.

We need to care about our students lives, not just in the classroom, but outside of the class as well.  As Mr. McClung said, we need to build respect from our students and to do that we must get to know them personally and show them that we care.  In my opinion, when you show a student that you care they will want to learn more from you.  They will be more willing to listen to what you have to say.  

During Mr. McClung's 3rd year of teaching, he was at school in Fayetteville, Arkansas.  In this blog post he reflects on what he's learned throughout his 3rd year and explains how he continues to keep learning from his students. 

Don't be afraid to be an outsider.  This really sticks out to me.  I know that when I was growing up I always tried to fit in with my peers.  Throughout college, I have learned that I need to stick up for what I believe to be right, not what others think just so I will fit in.  Mr. McClung wrote about how you don't need to seek approval from the other teachers.  I think it's very important to build relationships with your students.  In the end it's not about being accepted by the other teachers, but that your students are learning.  I hope one day that I'm able to not be hurt by what other teachers think of me if I don't happen to fit in.

Since I am going to be a math teacher it is VERY important that the students are able to work the problems on their own.  The best way to learn math is to practice, practice, practice.  I know from tutoring in the past that it is very easy to help a student who is struggling by basically doing the problem for them.  This is not okay! As Mr. McClung said, "Don't Touch the Keyboard."  Basically meaning, don't do the work for them even if they can't seem to figure it out.  In the long run it will help the student because they are able to do it on their own.  

We cannot get comfortable.  If we choose as teachers to "get comfortable" in our classrooms, then we will stop learning and this will hinder our students' learning.  If we don't seem interested as teachers, how can we expect our students to stay interested?  In my classroom one day I want students to be motivated, but that means I must be motivated as well.  We need to be passionate about what we do because that really does have an effect on the students overall achievement. 

C4K March Summary

C4K #1
Clair is a 4th grade student at Hotspur School in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK.  In her post she writes about her birthday.  She had a few of her friends spend the night at her house.  In my comment I told Clair that I remember when I was her age, my parents would let me have sleepovers on my birthday too.  Those memories are some of my fondest.  Clair seemed very excited about her birthday and being able to share her special day with some of her best friends.

C4T Summary #3

Digital Discoveries

Diane Krause's blog is all about her "good finds" on the internet.  In each of her blog posts she writes about a good educational website or a tool that you can use in your classroom.  In this post, she found a website, The National Gallery of Art.   There are more than 20,000 digital images that you are allowed to download for free.  This really can come in handy.  I plan to add this to my PLN in case I ever need to find any images.  The images are designed to help with learning, enrichment, enjoyment, and exploration.

In Mrs. Krause's second post from March 26,2012, she shares another "digital discovery."  The website that she shared this time is called SlimeKids- School Library Media Kids.  This website allows you to search for book trailers that have already been made.  In my comment to wrote how we had just made our own book trailers.  And after making my own book trailer, I know the hard work that goes into making them.  This website can save teachers a lot of time by not having to make their own book trailers.  Mrs. Krause's blog is a great place to find websites that can help you out in your classroom.  I definitely recommend checking out her blog!

Blog Assignment 8

This is How We Dream
These videos, part 1 and part 2, by Richard Miller were very interesting. To quickly summarize, Mr. Miller is emphasizing how important it is for technology to be incorporated in the classroom today.  There are many tools available today to use that can enhance the learning experience.

Back a few years ago it was impossible to do research without the use of a library.  You had to check out books and spend hours trying to find what you were looking for in them.  With today's internet capabilities, we don't even need to go to the library to complete a research assignment.  You can find books, journals, and much more at the click of a button.  This makes doing research much more bearable.  For me though, I think it's still important to use the library as a resource for research.  I don't want the library resources to disappear all together.  It's important to be able to find a book in the library.  Also, sources online are not always reliable.  You have to make sure you find a reliable source.  Books at the library tend to be much more reliable than a website that "Joe Schmo" put together.

With things like Google Docs, Skype, Twitter, Facebook, and one I just found called Scribblar.  These tools allow you to interact with others without being together in person.  I could work with someone across the world on a project and never have to meet them face to face.  This collaboration tool, Scribblar, that I came across is a virtual whiteboard.  Since I am going into math, this could be a great tool for tutoring.  Collaborating across the web is a great way to use technology and I think Mr. Miller hit the nail on the head when talking about how useful it is.  I plan to use this technique throughout the rest of my college career and when I begin teaching.

Carly's Blog Assignment
Carly Pugh was given the task of creating her own blog assignment.  She came up with a brilliant idea of creating a YouTube playlist of videos that correspond to your own teaching philosophy.  I think it's a wonderful idea.  For me, being able to watch videos it catches my attention more and I feel that I learn more because of it.  When I'm reading, I tend to lose my train of thought and forget what I'm reading.  YouTube videos can enhance your classroom if used effectively.  I think that Carly also wants what Richard Miller wants - technology in the classroom.  They both want it to be incorporated and used effectively.

Student Produced Videos
The Chipper Series and EDM 310 for Dummies are videos created by previous EDM 310 students.  Making videos are fun and are a great way to learn too.  I think an idea to make a video would be to do something like the Today Show.  You could have different segments about different topics going on in the classroom.  There could be parts for interviews and fun crafts too.  There are so many opportunities when making videos for your classroom.

Learn to Change, Change to Learn
We all know that the style of teaching in a classroom is changing everyday.  In this video, different thoughts are thrown out about how the classroom has evolved so much.  Technology is not something we can avoid.  Students need to learn to properly use these resources.  For the most part I agree with this video.  Some of the people in the video, to me, made it seem like the teacher is there to facilitate and that the student would be doing all the work.  I think it's the teachers job to teach the students.  If the teacher is globally connected, they can easily show the students how to be globally connected which can help them in the long run.  There are so many ways a student can learn by using these technologies, but I still think it's the teachers job to teach the students.  The students need more than just the technology.  They need someone to be accountable for them. If they are just on the internet "connecting," who knows what they may be up to.  Overall, a very insightful video.

Scavenger Hunt

1.) Edmodo is a social networking site that is almost identical to Facebook. On their site there is a preview video of how it works.  You set up your classroom and you're allowed to communicate professionally with students and their parents.  Grades can be posted, tests can be marked on calendars, and students can ask questions and collaborate back and forth.  The teacher can take a poll and give assignments.  This definitely could be a site I see myself using in my classroom one day.

2.) Prezi is a site where you can make a presentation like this one.  This is a free service and after playing around with it, it's kind of fun to do!  This is great for presentations about anything.  You can privately or publicly share your Prezi and you're allowed up to 500mb of presentations, which is quite a lot!

3.) Photo Peach is a great video tool for the classroom.  As a teacher, you are able to create and organize projects for the students to do without having multiple student accounts.  There is a privacy feature that the students work will not be displayed unless otherwise changed.  The prices are reasonable if you plan to use this service regularly.  You are able to add photos, text, and music to the video.  It looks like a great tool for the classroom.

Project #12 Book Trailer

Project #11 Short Movie

Blog Assignment 7

The Networked Student
In today's age it is very important for students to start their networking at an early age.  They need to build up contacts and resources for their learning careers as students then for later in life as adults.  I think it's very important to know how to surf the internet.  There are so many websites out there that you cannot trust.  Google Scholar is a good search engine that gives trustworthy results.

The video we watched this week, The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler, gives a glimpse of what a student can do by creating a personal learning network.  The "student" in the video was able to contact professors from top notch universities and listen to their lectures via podcast.  This allows students to learn from professors that they may not be able to originally.  Many resources were mentioned in the video which helps the students, but in the end why do we still need teachers if there is so much information out there for students to access?

Teachers are still going to be needed!  They are there to help the student build up their network and to take advantage of all of the learning opportunities available on the web.  I think it's very important to be there to help the student find contacts.  Hopefully, as I build my PLN I will be able to find contacts and resources for my future students.  We still need teachers to show the students how there are many untrustworthy websites out there.  We need to teach them how to navigate through sites to find ones that they can trust.  I want to leave a positive impact on my students and hopefully allowing them to created their own personal PLN, they will be successful throughout their time as students and then in their future.

A 7th Grader's PLE (or PLN)

In this short video, a 7th grade girl is explaining her Personal Learning Environment (PLE).  She uses it for her science class, but she also uses it for social networking like Facebook.  I was shocked at how much she knew and she's only in the 7th grade! I hope to by the end of this semester have a good knowledge about how to create an in depth PLN.  It's a great way to continue and explore the vast information of the internet.

Project #10 PLN Part 1

This is just a beginning of my PLN.  I have added several websites that I think will be helpful for my future teaching career.  I have websites like Teacher Tube, CNN, TED, and Twitter.  I think it's important to stay connected through Twitter because it is a great way to keep contacts with other teachers from around the world.  I also have added one of the teacher blogs that I have had to comment on this semester.  I found her blog very inspiring with a lot of good information on it that I could possibly use one day in my own classroom.  My PLN will continue to grow as I come across more contacts and more useful websites that will benefit me, as a teacher.

Project #9b Disney Princesses

C4T Summary #2

For this month's teacher blog post I was assigned to the teacher, Angela Maiers.  She has had many years being an educator and I have found her blog to be inspiring.  In this blog post, she encourages teachers to have courage.  The word courage comes from the Latin word heart.  That teaching comes from the heart and that we need to develop courage.  She makes a really good point when she says that most teachings are devoted to the mind.  We need to encourage students to engage and ask questions and to share their views with the world.  For me, I have always be the "shy girl" in class.  More recently I have realized that to be an effective teacher I need to step out of my shell and be courageous.  How can I expect my students to want to learn if I am not setting the right example?  Angela made a good point and I quote,

"In order to teach, we need courage to overcome our fears." 

I am overcoming my fears to be the best teacher I can be.

Dream With Me

This week Angela Maiers' post struck me hard this week.  Her blog posts are very inspiring and really get me thinking!  She dreams of a class where skills are taught and where students can articulate their feelings as well as their facts.  Growing up in my schools, we were always worried about the facts, dates, and equations that we were never really asked about our feelings.  I never got the notion that my teachers didn't care, but I would not have been comfortable sharing my feelings with my class.  This is so important for students to be in a learning environment where they can share their feelings.  I recommend that you check our her blog post and read some of the other dreams that she wants for the future.

Blog Assignment 6

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture
The Last Lecture is literally the last lecture that Randy Pausch gave before his life ended due to pancreatic cancer.  Watching this video you would never know that he was told by a doctor that he would die within months.  Pausch had such an amazing outlook on life that I hope to grasp as I continue my goal to become an educator.

Everyone has dreams that they want to live out sometime in their lives.  Pausch had several dreams during his childhood that he discussed in his lecture.  The main point being how being a good person and doing the right things can positively effect you and the people around you.  As a future educator, I want to instill this into the minds of my students.  I want them to have dreams that may be difficult to reach.  They may take your entire life to come true, but why stop trying.  There will be obstacles in the way and these are what Pausch called, "brick walls."  These walls are not physical walls, but tough situations that come in the way of allowing your dreams to become reality.  Brick walls let us prove how badly we want things and they let us show our dedication to our dreams.  I want to help my students break through these brick walls.  I want them to fight for what they believe and what they truly want in their lives.  When students break through these walls, they have overcome an obstacle and have a sense of accomplishment that is worth recognizing.  For me, I want to push my students to keep a positive attitude and a good work ethic to help them realize and achieve their goals.

As teachers, we want to provide knowledge and skills to students, but we also want to help them realize their own dreams.  Teachers will get disappointed with their students.  Students may not meet our expectations, but we cannot get discouraged by that.  We need to help them by allowing them to self-reflect.  Allowing students to realize themselves where they succeed and where they struggle can allow them to find the areas in their lives where they can make the proper adjustments in order to succeed.  Pausch mentioned that there is good in everyone, you just have to give yourself time to find it.  This is another thing as teachers that we need to remember.  There will be days where we want to run out of the classroom, but we need to know that behind the bad day of a student is a good person.

Just like this EDM 310 class teaches us, we need to remember that technology is just going to keep expanding and students want fun ways to learn.  Even since Pausch had this lecture, technology has grown so much since then and it is more readily available now in the classroom than ever before.  We need to use the technology to facilitate our students' learning.  Pausch created a program called Alice, which teaches students how to program computers.  Most people wouldn't want to learn to program computers, especially students, because it is very complex.  Pausch realized that if students have fun, they are willing to learn something hard.  Most of the time they don't even realize what they are doing is technically hard.  As teachers, we need to come up with innovative strategies that allow the students to have fun, but are still learning at the same time.  We need to combine learning and creativity to engage our students.

Towards the end of the lecture, Pausch talks about how "fun" needs to be in the classroom.  I 100% agree with him.  There always needs to be that "child-like wonder" in teachers and in students as well.  Am I, as a teacher, going to be Tigger or Eeyore?  To engage my students I can only hope I will be a "Tigger", who is caring, excited to learn, and just an all around fun teacher.  All educators need to ask themselves that same question.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Last Lecture and I would recommend it to not just future teachers, but to others who are in college and about to face the "real world."  Anyone can use what Pausch said if they want to better themselves and the people around them.

C4K February Summary

C4K #1
My students name is Karla and she attends Noel Elementary School in Noel, MO. She is in Mr. Chamberlain's 6th grade class. Karla wrote a narrative story. I thought she did a great job telling her story. She showed many emotions and I thought for her grade level she did a good job.

I also watched Lauren's video.  I thought she did an incredible job.  What a great thing for a student so young to love so much.  I wish that I had the knowledge to be able to create videos like that.  It is so important for students to show their creativity through blogs, videos, or any other type.  Hopefully by the end of this class I will somewhat know how to make a video.

C4K #2
For my second post, my students name is Dixon.  He is a 4th grade student in Iowa.  Dixon is learning about Eurasia and he said he wants to live there.  I think it's great to keep the imagination of a child strong.  It would be great to live in an "Eurasia."

C4K #3
Jackson is a 4th grade student in Mrs. Garcia's class.  He is from Manitoba, Canada.  In his most recent blog post, he wrote about skyping with a class in New Orleans, LA.  The class told him all about the Mardi Gras celebration.  Jackson learned a lot about the traditions in Louisiana for Mardi Gras.  I told him that in Mobile, AL, we also celebrat Mardi Gras.  I think skyping is a wonderful way of learning for students.  Classrooms in Canada are able to chat with classrooms in Louisiana through video chats.  What a great way of learning!

C4K #4
For this student's blog, the teacher has chosen to keep the students' names anonymous.  He is in 5th grade and lives in Iowa.  I think this is a really good idea to keep the students' names anonymous especially if the students' parents are worried about their child's name being on the internet.  When I was a kid my mom was always worried about my sister and I going on the internet.  This student's post was a letter to a sporting goods company.  He broke his post into paragraphs and ended it with a conclusion that summarized his thoughts.  Students get excited to work on computers and when they can do their school work, like writing a paper, on a blog they will be more interested in writing it.