Project 16

Final Project

Blog Post 13

“A.L.E.X.”

     First of all I asked myself, what is ALEX? ALEX stands for Alabama Learning Exchange, which is something that the Alabama Department of Education provides as a way to share many different resources teachers, students, and parents. Communication is something that helps to benefit ALEX the most because that allows improvement over time

     Some resources available through ALEX are things like lesson plans, web links, and interactive activities.  It is pretty much a collection of all of the best practices in professional learning. It’s important that people constantly give their input in order for ALEX to be a success.

     There are tutorials available as well as a link to different grants. By providing a wide range of resources, every student, teacher, and parent can find something to benefit them through ALEX.

Project #6

My Project 6, College Summary

       In this survey, I received responses from 25 different people. Of this group, most were college Juniors. Almost 70% of the students are attending a 4 year college for the first time. The most common previous four year college that was attended was the University of Alabama, but only two students previously attended there. When asked their favorite subject area, an even 24% of students chose each of the following: "History", "Art/Music", and "other". 80% of students live off campus. I also found that when attending school, 21% of students live with their parents, 21% live with either their husband or wife, and 21% lives with (a) friend(s). The majority of students say they do plan to get their masters. Over half of the responses were not scholarship students. The most common number of credit hours were between 13 and 15 and that was 40% of the students. A majority of the students say this is not the first semester they have attended South.
     In this survey I learned that I am one of the younger students in EDM310. Most students were above sophomores and many have even previously attended other colleges. I also realized that many people are paying or their college out of pocket or through loans. I was expecting the scholarship numbers to be higher since there really are so many available, especially for education students. I was fairly certain that the response about getting their masters would be high because it is seen as essential these days. I was also fairly surprised that the credit hours were primarily lower than the number that I have and I also have to factor in being an athlete.

Blog Post 11

Ms. Cassidy

This discussion is definitely beneficial to my future as an educator. Ideally I want to teach first grade, so this was a perfect discussion for me to see.

First they were given sunray computers that didn’t have programs, but had internet access. She used this for the children to create blogs. I think that is outstanding and definitely something that I will consider using in my classroom as well.

A problem she mentioned when she was filming the first graders were that they couldn’t communicate well enough yet verbally, so she made alterations so that her students from the previous year could do the speaking.

I agree that teaching has changed and improved technologically because the world has changed and improved. It’s important that we understand that as teachers we HAVE to know how to use technology, because we WILL be using it and teaching with it.

To keep up with technology, the best way is to keep track of your online networks. We already have learned to do this in EDM310, so I feel like we are lucky to already be established with that.

In order to decide which type of technology you should begin with in your classroom, you should start within your comfort zone. If you are best at writing, begin with blogging, if you are more comfortable filming/talking, Skype/podcasting could be the best place for you to start.

These methods will definitely benefit the future of my students because it will allow a solid base at a very young age. By beginning with something I am most comfortable with, I will be much more confident in teaching my students, and that is most important.

C4K Summary #2

C4K #3

This post was Paris’s birthday! She turned 7 and her mom brought a cake for the class to share!

C4K #4

Harriet’s post was about why people should visit her blog. She said she is part of the Student Blogging Challenge, so that is a good reason to visit. She asked for comments, so I commented telling her that I am new to blogging as well. I also told her that I enjoyed seeing her unique graphics on her blog.

C4K #5

In his blog, Doug’s told about his camping trip with his friends from school. They had a trampoline and games and even had an encounter with a wombat! He stayed up all night talking with his friends and on the last day they had a 5 way tug of war competition.  

C4K #6

I was assigned to comment Jon S, but he hadn’t left a post at the time, so I commented Jon C. and his post on basketball. He tells that basketball is his favorite sport and in 2^nd grade his team won the state tournament and had their picture in the newspaper. He won the sharp shooter award, his friend Alex won the garbage man award, and his best friend Calvin won Mr. Defense. His favorite team is the Kings. I told him that I love basketball too and when I played I was also a good shooter.

C4K #7

I commented on Riley’s blog post, but apparently it was either deleted or not approved. The post was about her sister who had just created a blog and she was asking for people to read it. I told her that if her sister’s blog was half as good as hers I would be very impressed because the graphics she uses are great.

C4T #3 Summary

“It Gets Better” by Ira Socol

In his post, he links Joel Burn's Video... 

In this video, Joel Burns, an openly gay man describes his experiences along with the harsh recent experiences of the youth nearby. He begins telling about a young boy named Asher Brown was harassed and bullied and called names like “faggot”. His parents called the school numerous times, but nothing ever stopped the other kids from bulling him. Unfortunately after years of harassment, he had had enough and took his father’s gun and shot himself in the head. That’s right; a 13 year old boy felt that the only solution to the horrible bulling he has gone through was to end his life. This is so sad because it is something that could have been prevented. This poor child never even got a chance at life.

High schooler, Billy Lucas, is another boy that was harassed and called names over and over. When he had all he could take, he believed his only option was to hang himself, which he did.

Another high schooler, Justin Aaberg, who was an openly gay student, had to face bulling as well. As he got older it got to the point that he couldn’t bear any more trauma from the other kids and he hung himself as well.

Seth Walsh began being teased in the 4^th grade and it continued as he grew older. Students would tell him that “the world didn’t need another queer” and that he should “go hang himself”. Unfortunately he did just that. He survived for 9 days on life support and at the young age of 13 he passed away.

These specific instances really hit me. It is unbelievable that kids can be so cruel. It breaks my heart to know that in all of these instances, families were torn apart. Parents and loved ones had to witness their child or grandchild found dead because other people are so pitiless.

According to the video, teen bulling and suicide has reached an epidemic rate. In many of the cases it, students are harassed because of sexual preference or the fact that they are simply different than others. Schools are supposed to be a safe place for students to learn and make friends, but they don’t seem to be. They seem to be a bully’s hunting ground and that is something that has to change.

It is important for students to know and be reminded that people in their home and school may not understand them, but it does get better. In this video, he describes the brutal harassment he himself suffered during his childhood. He thought there was something wrong with him and that no one would understand him. He had never told this story to anyone before and he knew that his political standing could be at stake, but he knew it was important for him to let other kids know that there is so much more to life than the bulling. Life will get better, people will begin to accept you and you will find new friends who accept you for who you are.  Even his “tough cowboy” dad woke up from an operation and told Joel that he is so happy that he is there for him. This instance hits Joel hard because there are many times that he had wished he wasn’t alive. The point that Joel wants to make is that kids need to give themselves a chance, things are going to be very hard at times, but don’t give up on the happiness that is to come.

After the video, Joel received a very well deserved standing ovation from the crowd. It was such a touching story that I wish all students could see, whether they are bullies or victims. This is becoming reality and happening far too often, it really isn’t fair and we must all take a stand to help prevent it!

“Where the adults are…” by Ira Socol

This post is based on the recent death of the Notre Dame football videographer Declan Sullivan. Although many questions still haven’t been answered, the just of the story is that this 20 year old boy was up in a video tower overlooking football practice as he recorded during 50 mph winds. The tower ended up collapsing with the student and hit the road below. He was rushed to the hospital but didn’t survive the fall. Many questions arose about who should be at fault for this terrible accident.

In his post, Ira discusses how skewed priorities are in today’s society. He says football is at the top of almost every school across the nation and because of that, other students are considered inferior. Simply reality is that head football coaches are often the highest paid public official in the state, so obviously they are going to receive much attention. It’s sad to see that other students are suffering because a lack of attention to the MOST important things, the safety of students.
Although this may be true, I don't believe the football community can be blamed completely on this. Here is my reply to his post:
" Hi! I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class at South Alabama. After hearing this story it broke my heart. I can't imagine what his family, friends, and the Notre Dame community is going through, but my prayers are out to them. I would have to agree with the above post that blame shouldn't all fall on the football community as adults. As a college student, with this JOB, it was his decision of whether or not it was safe to perform his job that day. There is definitely a chance that he felt pressured to go into the stand, but that is part of being an adult, you may have to face making tough decisions sometimes, even against the pressure of others. Again, it was an unfortunate ACCIDENT that could have been prevented, but I don't think you can truly place BLAME on anyone...it was a TRAGIC ACCIDENT!!
RIP DECLAN SULLIVAN "


With that being said, I would definitely recommend reading all of Ira Socol’s post on this matter, it is a real eye opener.

Blog Post 10

An Open Letter to Educators

I agree with Dan Brown that education is more than necessary, it’s essential for everyone. He then asks “what does it mean to receive an education?” This question literally made me pause. I decided to think about how I look at what education really means before hearing what he has to say. I decided that it means learning how to function and perform in society whether that is socially and/or in the work field.

What Dan Brown said was that institutional education is something that needs to adjust in order to fit today’s society. He says there are different classes which cause upper class people to have better information and more information than other lower class people. He also said that thanks to the internet, the literal price of information is decreasing.

I can definitely relate to him when he talks about having classes where your professors don’t even know your name and having books that I never even open. Although there is always a way to find help, having so many students in one class makes things a lot more difficult. The book situation is quite obvious, books are EXPENSIVE and if money is coming out of your own pocket on books that aren’t even used, that would be quite frustrating!

Another point I can relate to is the fact that in a majority of my classes, the professor gives you information, you memorize for the test, and then you forget it. This is like Dr. Strange’s despicable “burp back method”. Personally, I believe that the best way to learn is either be being put in a situation where you must apply knowledge. When I am put in certain situations , I feel that I am much more likely to retain the information.

 I love that in EDM, we aren’t tested on the “facts” we memorized. We are judged by applied knowledge. Dan Brown feels that providing students with facts isn’t preparing us for the “real world”. I would have to agree with that.

Dan Brown says that he dropped out of school because “school was interfering with his education”. I can definitely see how this could be true. If I was to base staying in school on his standards, I would only have 2 classes out of 5. The 3 classes I would drop are those classes where teachers simply provide facts and expect us to memorize them before we “burp them back” or are simply completely “over taught” where my teacher believes that “busy work” is the best way to learn. EDM is definitely one of the classes I would keep. It is a prime example of a class that I think other teachers should consider changing to.

Two Questions That Can Change Your Life

The first question, “what’s my sentence?” is very difficult. I tend to be very wordy and always feel like I can write more, so I feel like I would be one to have more of a paragraph like Kennedy. His second question was “was I better today than yesterday?” I actually do ask myself this question a lot already. I have learned through athletics that this question is helpful in life as well. Personally I think that asking these questions are motivations for me. I’m the type of person who doesn’t like to leave unanswered questions and I like to answer questions in a positive way. Therefore, my sentence is “I give ALL I’ve got, every day and in everything I do, I live life to the fullest with NO regrets, and I WILL be a success and make a difference in the lives of children.”  

Additional Assignment #3

CHANGING EDUCATION PARADIGMS

What do you think is the most important thing Sir Ken Robinson says in this presentation?

The opening statement/question was most important in the presentation. Reality is, the economy is constantly changing and it’s hard to imagine what it will be like in twenty years, it’s hard to even anticipate what it will be like in five short years from now. As a teacher, it is our job to prepare our students for the future, but in reality, the exact future is unknown. What I took from this is that there is not just a standard way/curriculum to teach that stays the same every year, it might not even stay the same every week for that matter. This is important to me because I must know that anticipating change is essential in teaching. I guess you can just never really get “comfortable”, you just have to be willing to make adjustments.

Is there anything you disagree with in this presentation?
To an extent I disagree with the point about separating by age. I think that enough evidence has been researched and determined that when students begin school they are usually around the same maturity level at say, age 5, when the begin Kindergarten. Of course this is not ALWAYS true, but for the most part it is and usually it stays fairly even throughout their education career. There are definitely situations that sway this maturity, but for the most part it is true. In the presentation he points out that age shouldn’t be the factor it should be intelligence. I agree with this, BUT I also think that maturity should be a determining factor as well because a child with less maturity, but higher intelligence is not going to be as successful as they should be with “older kids”.

How congruent are Sir Ken Robinson's positions with those which you are being taught in the College of Education. In other words, where is there agreement? Where is there disagreement?
There is agreement that it is important to educate students on culture and establish cultural identity. He also says that having a degree doesn’t guarantee a job. In the past if you had a college or sometimes even a high school degree you were guaranteed a job, but now that is not a guarantee. Disagreement was in the last question partially. I believe that we are being taught to bring the lower level children up to the standards of the higher level which is not based on age.

What can you do to address the issues Sir Robinson raises?

One issue was like I said before, preparing for the “unknown future”. Also, in order to include cultures, I can make sure to share a variety of multicultural stories, holidays, and major events. Help prove that public education is beneficial. I can do this by simply caring about my job and students. I must also encourage parents and other teachers to support the education of the children completely.

Blog Post 9

“What I’ve Learned This Year”

The opening picture/quote helped me to know I would like this post. Staying positive is something I constantly must remind myself to do. Things aren’t always going to go your way, but if you stay positive, they eventually will work out for the best. The opening paragraph made me realize that not only would I like this post, but it would be very useful in my future as an elementary school teacher.

Mr. McClung writes this post following his first year of teaching. It describes the things he has learned after his first year of teaching.

First of all he expresses the need to put students first. Personally, I don’t believe that I am at all focused on myself. I realize that my main concern is my students, and that is one thing that makes me want to become a teacher. I have had teachers who have obviously not been in the field in the best interests of their students and it does nothing but hinder their learning experience. I believe that I can be the one to set a positive learning atmosphere that is focused on them.

Next is the need to be flexible. Things may not always go the way you have planned, but you can’t sulk over it. You have to realize that mistakes are going to happen but you can’t beat yourself up over it, some things simply can’t be controlled. When things don’t go the way you planned, make the best of the situation with a smile.

Another thing he tells us is the importance of communication. Communication is a difficult skill to develop but it is essential to communicate, especially with other teachers.

Another important thing to know is to set realistic goals. High expectations are reached sometimes, but then again, sometimes they aren’t and that leads to unnecessary disappointment.  “Our job as teachers is to simply pick them up after they fail, dust them off, and encourage them to try again.” This is very important for us to remember as well because no one is going to succeed every time.

Technology is essential. Technology is something that is a great asset to teaching and learning. It is important to know how to use it and use it in the classroom. Technology is out present and our future. It is rapidly growing every day and students definitely need to become very familiar with it.

It is also important to listen to your students. A child’s mind is amazing. You can learn so much from them about life as well as them as people. As a teacher you must know your students in order to meet their needs as a learner. Not only that, but you may truly be the only person they have to listen to them. His last point goes along with listening-NEVER stop learning. There is so much to know in life that it’s never too late to learn it.

I truly enjoyed reading this post because it was very interesting and related to what is in my near future. I know not every day is going to be perfect, but at least I know that it’s not really supposed to be!

Blog Post 8

Richard Miller: This is How We Dream
     We have the capability to communicate instantly around the world. We can get instant satisfaction using the internet. We now no longer have to take a step into a library. Using technology and the internet we can now see these books digitally that would be in a library as well as works that are strictly online. In this process of change, Mr. Miller believes in a fundamental and incremental change.
     Mr. Miller shows us the very complex yet useful concept of turning a reading and writing report into a document that is watched and listened to. This is a very neat concept to think about, we have the ability to put a full page of boring words into a presentation of videos, pictures and other things that we can interact with. Overall the things that we can and will be able to do are as endless as our imagination.
     I feel like I am becoming more prepared every day to write with multimedia. I am a firm believer that practice doesn’t make perfect, but it certainly prepares for the best outcome in the future. By using multimedia in my classes I think I am going to be pretty well prepared in the near future when I become a teacher.
     As far as my students knowing how to do this, I believe much of that is up to me. I will be teaching younger children (hopefully 1st grade), therefore it is important for me to set a good base of using multimedia. I realize there are certainly limits of how much a 1st grader can learn, but I so think that these children are capable of learning a good bit of things.


The Chipper Series and EDM310 for Dummies
     These two videos showed me that yes, there is a lot involved with this class however; it can be done by following a few guidelines. The steps or guidelines are not hard if you stay on top of your work, and they are things that are important in all classes and places of work.
     Do not procrastinate! This is a very important step in being a good student. Procrastinating will ultimately lead to poor and sloppy work and bad grades. If you do not procrastinate then you will leave yourself with more time to get other things done as well. It is also important to leave yourself extra time in case of error. For example, if your computer decides to crash the night before your assignment is due and you have not completed it yet, then might be very stressful and difficult to find a way to get the assignment done on time. On the other hand if you left yourself with time then this would not be such a dilemma.
    Being on time and going to every class is very important. As the video showed, failing can all start with not being on time or lack of attendance. In the video, Chipper’s habits of not going to class lead to her being fired from her teaching position, then when her potential "nanny" employer contacted her references they were not impressed and Chipper did not get the job.
     Personally I have always had softball to teach me the importance of attendance as well as being on time. I have always been taught the phrase “5 minutes early is 15 minutes late”. This has always allowed me to be places in plenty of time. I also had to be responsible with my grades and class attendance or there were serious consequences.
     So as we see if Chipper had just stayed with the program by doing her work on time as well as went to class excited to learn, she would have been much more successful. She wouldn’t have had to go through the pain of applying to so many jobs and not performing well them and then being fired. In the end she finally realized that it was much more beneficial to go to class and stay in class with the right mindset as well as to do all of her work. She realizes she would have been done with school a long time ago.
     I thought this video was great and funny! I think the EDM book would be VERY beneficial for me!! In the EDM for Dummies book, we see that everything we are being assigned to join and do are all for our benefit in the longrun. We will be able to communicate with a larger group of people through the social networking sites. We will be able to be more productive with our lives through Google documents and blogger. And by writing down what we have learned and keeping it organized and ready, we will not be procrastinators and will be able to stay on time and on track throughout the year. We must also take these information to be used in the future.

Podcast Project

Blog Post 7

Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture:Achieving

“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.”

I have actually watched this video before and it is just as amazing watching it the 2^nd time as it was the first. Dr. Pausch’s attitude towards his unfortunate situation is absolutely amazing!!! It’s hard to imagine being so positive when you are literally facing death in the near future. Instead of sitting around moping about what he is going through, he does the exact opposite by setting an example to others to have a positive outlook on life, no matter what the situation.

Some methods he used to keep attention was humor. I really enjoyed some of his witty comments. My personal outlook on life is “sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying”. I think this quote is so true because being sad and miserable only makes you feel worse. I personally know this because I have been through a lot of health problems in the past year and at this point doctors still continue to do tests and haven’t found the exact cause. Dr. Pausch’s humor method teaches that even someone who has it worse off than me can still be optimistic and laugh, then so can I.

The fact the he got down in the middle of his lecture and did pushups is amazing in itself. And like he said, he is in better shape than most of the people there. That situation in itself goes to show what a great teacher Dr. Pausch truly is. Without even being there, I can sense the amazement from his audience.

He also told stories that related to real life. Things he mentioned were things that many people have or will someday face. This is another instance where he did a fantastic job of gaining attention. The story about his football coach riding him was great for me to hear. I play softball for South, and there have definitely been instances where I have been rode by my coaches pretty hard. It’s always good to remind myself that “when you’re screwing up and nobody’s saying anything to you anymore, that means they gave up”. I must always remember that the ones who tell me when I am wrong are the ones who truly care. I also loved his quote, “experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you want”. This is a quote that is so important to be remembered in any and every situation that might not be “ideal”.

 “The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. The brick walls are there to stop people who don’t want it badly enough.” This quote was very inspirational because it too can be related to almost any situation. It goes to show that when you persevere through the tough and rough situations, you will be rewarded greatly in the end.    

I think that I could truly watch this video over and over. It is so inspirational and touching. I am a major quote-freak, so all of his “life quotes” were great to hear. I would advise anyone to watch this. Although it is long, it is definitely worth it for the lecture (and performances) you get.

Additional Assignment #2

HOW KIDS TEACH THEMSELVES

1. What do you think? If learners are motivated, can they teach themselves? I believe that teaching yourself is very important in the learning process, whether you have a teacher or not. It is important to find a way to be motivated to learn because reality is, you will not always be spoon-fed information.

2. If those motivated learners are kids, can they teach themselves? I believe that anyone can teach themselves. I’m not saying there shouldn’t or doesn’t need to be teachers too, but in my opinion, learning is not only knowing what someone teaches or tells you, sometimes you have to discover things on your own.

3. What conditions are necessary for kids to teach themselves? For anyone to teach him or herself? Determination, concentration, and focus. It is important to know what you want or need to learn. Next you must have concentration and focus to be able to fulfill the learning experience .

4. What role do computers and internet access play in the process? Computers and internet access are very important. You can find practically anything online and computers can be used to do many things. There are many connections available through the computer and internet as well.

5. What role does motivation, a desire to learn? Motivation is essential in anything in life. If you don’t want to learn something or don’t want to do something, then you probably won’t do it and if you do, you probably won’t be very successful at it.

6. What roles do a problem, a question or multiple problems or questions play in the process? All of these are things needed in order to know what you want to learn. For example, problems require solutions, and in order to find this solution you must first LEARN how to solve it and this requires motivation. Questions require answers and in order to find answers you must go through a learning process in order to understand the possible answers to the question and determine the correct answer.

7. How do you motivate someone to learn? It is hard to motivate someone to learn. I believe that much learning comes from within and through self-motivation. But as a teacher some ways I can motivate my students would be to provide rewards. Whether these rewards be bonus points, free time, or some type of “prize”, most of these are things children would enjoy having. Another way of motivation as shown in the video is the "grandmother method", which is simply encouragement.

8. How are you motivated to learn? Personally I am motivated because I want to graduate and get a teaching job. I know that those jobs are hard to come by, therefore I know my competition is high so that motivates me even more.

9. Can anyone who is not motivated to learn learn? To an extent people who aren’t motivated can learn to learn. I believe they must first find some type of motivation though. If not, I don’t believe that the person will be a very successful learner.

10. Do you teach yourself? When? Why? There are definitely times that I must teach myself. When I am at home doing homework or a project for a class and I don’t know how to do something, I have no choice than to motivate myself to learn how to do it. Most likely I would use the internet to search on what direction I may need to go.

11. What role does a teacher (either answer generally or use a specific example) play in your learning? Teachers provide information that I can learn. It is my choice to decide whether or not I want to learn it.

12. What is the most important idea, question or emotional response you take away with you as a result of watching this video? I believe that these children are special because they want to learn. I don’t believe that teachers should be replaced by machines though. I think it is funny that the children would google their homework. I admit that I am guilty of doing this too, but I also think that it has actually TAUGHT me material and that I didn’t just use the information and forget it.

Project #10 PLN Progress

So far I have enjoyed creating my PLN using Symbaloo. Some links I have already added are Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. I put these because they represent not only my friends and family, but my teachers and classes as well. I also added links to AT&T email, Jaguar1 email, and Gmail. I use all 3 email accounts everyday to communicate assignments, messages, schedules, and many other things between friends, family, teachers, coaches, and classmates. Personally these accounts are something that I rely on heavily. I also added links to Wintzell's Oyster House, which is where I worked over the summer and continue to work occasionally on weekends. This is part of my PLN because I made money which has helped me get through this semester of college. I also learned a lot about people and the restaurant industry as well. The link I added to the South Alabama Softball website is because I attend South on a softball scholarship which pays for my books and tuition here at South. Not only that, but the things I have learned on and around the softball field are things that will stay with me throughout my entire life. I look forward to continue to add to my PLN because I know I have a long way to go.   

Here is a link to my PLN on Symbaloo http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/stephanie-dunaway

C4T #2 Summary

The first blog I read of Steven Anderson’s was “Feeling overwhelmed? Join the Club”. In this blog, he expressed how overwhelming it can be for new teachers to decide what tools are most useful in their own classroom. Technology has become much help to the learning and teaching processes over the years. It is important though, to know when and what to use. In my response to his post I said that it is important for teachers to not “do too much”. I think it is essential for teachers to feel as comfortable and relaxed as possible when in the classroom and therefore it is important that they are confident with the technology they use. Personally I will spend more time learning and becoming comfortable with 1 or 2 different tools and find out how much the benefit children. If they help promote learning then I will keep it, if not, I will begin using a new tool. I believe that “if it ain’t broke, done fix it”. Where most teachers find themselves in trouble and overwhelmed is usually when they feel pressured to use a tool that they don’t necessarily understand completely and aren’t truly prepared to use.

The second post that I commented called “Images We Can All Use” was a video about how to find Creative Commons photos on Flickr. I learned that it is important to choose photos that are labeled for reuse. In order to do this, you must go to advanced search to find the box to check “Creative Comments’. After clicking search, it only shows the pictures that are okay to use. This post and video is really helpful to anyone who reads/watches it!

Here is a link to his blog http://web20classroom.blogspot.com/

Timetoast Project #9a

Timeline

Blog Post 6

The Networked Student

This video was very interesting to me and I really enjoyed the end of it most. Because of this class I believe I have become a networked student more than ever. I have been introduced to have a high regard for researching through the internet and using technology to my advantage.

This video talks about connectivism, which is learning as the result of having a social network of diverse connections and ties. In EDM 310 we have definitely practiced connectivism by connecting with other students and professors. I know that although blogs are mostly based on opinion, there is still much to be learned by them. A reliable cite that is available for me to check facts would be through USA Online Library.

I enjoyed the part of the video talking about iPods being useful for more than just music, like audio and video podcasts. iTunesU has courses recorded by professors across the country. This allows access to the best professors and best colleges across the world. Most everyone I know has an iPod, so this is a very helpful piece of technology that is available by many.

Videos can be shared with other people and can help other students just as he has been assisted himself. Not only that, but new tools are being created everyday which will provide for better communication which in turn leads to more knowledge shared.

In response to the question on whether or not teachers are essential for a networked student, I strongly believe that they are. Teachers are important to provide instruction on how to build this very important network. They help to initially get started building the network as well as provide assistance with problems and questions. Teachers also help students to recognize good and bad information. Teachers also assist with organization of all of the information found. I don’t know how I would have ever gotten this far without assistance and I know that without further help I will not improve as much as I strive to.

A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment (or PLN)

This student had a very neat and organized PLE. She was sure to keep her social networks separate from those for school. I think it is very impressive that a student as young as 7^th grade is so technology literate. It goes to show how much and how fast technology is expanding in our society. This definitely came in handy when she was creating her certification to handle animals in science class. Her entire PLE was very unique and educational. Things sure have changed since I was in 7^th grade!

The Machine is Changing Us

Mr. Wesch comments relate to me in the aspect that media does shape us. I believe that as media and the news change, conversations obviously change as well. At times it can also affect actions as well, for example because of crime. For example, last year when all of the emails and news were discussing the armed robberies on campus, I was VERY timid when it came to walking from my car to my dorm, locking doors, and answering doors. I would always have pepper spray in my hand when I walked anywhere. The media obviously changed my actions from being semi-careless to very aware of my surroundings.

Another affect of the media/televisions is that in order to fave a “voice” you must be on t.v., an example he gave was American Idol, which is one of the most followed shows. Another example is the use of words that come and go, for example “whatever”. Personally I say “whatever” all the time, so that kind of made me laugh.

I enjoyed the explanation about not really talking directly to a person when you are on facebook and other social networking cites. It is true, you are talking to a webcam or on a keyboard. You never really know who you are truly talking to. This can be dangerous sometimes, although I usually know “who” I am “talking” to, the point is, I am not really “talking” to “them”.  

C4K Summary #1

       For my first two C4K assignments, I was assignened to comment Aorta's blog. Although ,I ended up commenting on Adriannav's blog as well. Mr. Chamberlain had two assignments for the students that our class was to comment. First of all, an "About Me" assignment where they tell about themselves and their families. Aorta was a very interesting student because she was born on the island of Fefen and immigrated here when she was 5. She loves to hula dance and play volleyball which I told her was very unique. I thought that she showed much respect to her grandmother by saying she cherrished her the most. Aorta has had a little bit of a hard time with math, but she really want to be successful and learn by doing homework. I told her that the first step is having the great attitude that she has because she said the more they practice the better they will be at math.
    The next assignment was a "learning manifesto". This is where the students must express in there own words how the decisions they make as a student will make them a better students. For example, Adriannav listed "I promise to show I want to learn". I think that is a great statement. And although, it should have been more specific/detailed, I loved the thought. I think that is very important as a student myself. Sometimes it is hard to want to learn something but I know from experience that it is a lot easier to learn something if you WANT to learn it!

Blog Post 5

Eagle Nest Radio & Class Blog
     The first podcast I listened to was "Take a BITE Out of Shark Facts!". As soon as I heard the first little girl speak I knew I would LOVE it. One thing that might could have been changed was to lower the music level when the children were speaking. Although I could understand them, it was a little more difficult that it should have been.

I like that they recommended a book to read not only about sharks but other animals too. I had no idea that so many sharks were killed each year, and I'm not so sure that I would want to try Shark Fin soup. It's unbelievable that the fins are over $100 dollars each, which I'm sure causes the soup to be very expensive. Personally, I am not a very big shark fan, so the part of the podcast that was “anti-shark killing” wasn’t my favorite, although I would support most other animals! J

A very interesting segment was the one listing different shark facts. For example, sharks lived over 400 million years ago. It’s hard to even imagine their existence was even before dinosaurs. This podcast was very cute and I enjoyed listening to the kids. I think an important thing needed from these children in our own podcast would be the energy level and excitement. That is always very important to catch the attention of your audience.

The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom
            This podcast explains the benefits of using podcasts in classrooms. Some examples were that it provides for a link for students to do work outside of the classroom and not just use pen and paper. I agree that podcasting is useful because it can be viewed anytime and anywhere. Although the beginning of the podcast was unique and attention grabbing with the sleeping baby, I thought it lasted too long.
            I too agree that technology is growing and today’s generation is some of the first to realize that it is going to affect every area of our lives. As a student, I know that I use technology so much every single day. It is hard to imagine how I could ever get by without it these days. I think that this video showed that podcasts allow room for much creativity and I think that is what needs to be remembered in our own podcasts. Not only do they allow creativity to be expressed, but in the classroom they will be very useful when it comes to students being absent. When a child is absent they can be helped because a podcast would allow them to not fall behind.
            This was a helpful podcast because it explained in detail the benefits of podcasts. It also represented specific instances that podcasts are used and I think that really proves the point of how helpful they are.


Judy Scharf Podcast Collection
            This was a very interesting informational cite. It began first by explaining what a podcast actually is which is important because it is a fairly new piece of technology and not everyone may know what it is. It also explains that podcasts are very helpful for teachers and I believe I will most certainly find this to be true when I begin teaching. I am glad that I am learning now how to create podcast and also fortunate enough to view many other podcasts from other students, classes, and teachers.
             Some things that I think are useful in my own podcast are allowing enough time. I must know that things are probably going to take longer than I think that they will or even should. I also loved her papers/instruction sheets she made to give her student with the assignments, there were some very unique, interesting, and captivating assignments that I think children will enjoy.

Blog Post 4

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?
     Dr. McCleod is the Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Iowa State University. Dr. Mcleod, along with Dr. Joan Hughes established a national technology program, C.A.S.T.L.E. which makes sure that the education system is fulfilling technological requirements in the schools.
     In his post, he expresses a sarcastic approach to technology proving that despite the parents who try to shelter their children, they will still be exposed. I think it is more important for parents to teach their children how to use technology, especially the internet, safely instead of trying to keep them away from it completely. Whether they like it or not, technology is a major part of society today.

The iScool Initiative
     In his video, Travis Allen explains his idea of an “iSchool” in an effort to save the broken public education system. Some of the applications he mentions in which would be very beneficial are Email, Chemical Touch, U.S. Constitution, WorldWiki, U.S.A. Presidents, Star Walk, Formulae, Recorder, Scientific Calculator, Notes, Calendar, Classics, and iHomework. He proves that the savings made just by simply having this as a resource are unbelievable. Teachers, parents, and students would have access to school related things at all times. The iSchool would also have a positive impact on the environment which is definitely a priority.
     After watching this video, Travis really made me consider his idea. He obviously spent a lot of time planning it out and researching how much would really be saved by establishing an iSchool. His statistics about how expensive it is to buy calculators, books, agendas, paper, and backpacks among other things are so convincing that it makes me wonder why this system hasn’t already been established.

Watch the Lost Generation
     In this video, the very first two quotes caught my attention right off the bat… “happiness comes from within is a lie” and “money will make me happy”. So automatically I knew that this would be either a sarcastic video or a negative one. After hearing the speaker read the entire speech, I was kind of disappointed, maybe because I am afraid that for some people that’s how life is and may become. Although there are many statistics that prove it to be true, I personally hate to face that. As the speaker repeated the video “backwards” I was relieved because that is how I like to look at life and hope that it will actually turn out like that. I think that it was a really creative way to express what is or could be the reality of like…the video backwards or forward.

Eric Whitaker’s Virtual Choir
     Watching this video and knowing that there were 185 different people from 12 different countries absolutely amazed me! It is so incredible that technology has gotten to the point that something as unique as this could be created. I think that it is also impressive that Eric Whitaker could even think to do this let alone make it happen. It just goes to show that because of technology people from any and everywhere can be united. In this case they created an unbelievable thing that I never would have expected was possible.

Additional Assignment #1

The educational implications of using Google Squared are that there is a table that can be adjusted to your need. Things can be added or deleted as needed. Information is presented in the style of statistics, summaries, and maps, among other helpful articles. The educational implications of using WolframAlpha are that it too provides a summary of information and statistics a lot like Google Squared. They are both very helpful because information can be easily compared. The cool thing is that instead of putting actual digits into WolframAlpha, you can put all words in order to get numerical data.



In the “Did you know?” video, the statistic about the number of smart people in India is more than the entire US population. Although it is true, it is misleading because the total US population is only 25% of what India’s is. The same goes for the fact that if China can get 25% of their people to speak English, they will obviously have more English speakers than the US because the US only has 25% of the population of China. This just goes to prove that statistics must first be completely considered before they are blown out of proportion. It is important to fully think about what information you are being given, it’s easy to just be sucked into random facts. Always be sure to investigate what you hear or read to fully understand it.





Blog Post 3

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today
     I have definitely experienced some of the things from this video. I have had quite a few classes here at South that were auditorium seating where I knew no one. I would also agree that it is common for teachers to not know your name. I have bought text books on more than one occasion that I never even opened. I agree with the girl who wrote that her neighbor paid for class but never comes. I never understand why someone would spend so much for an education and not even bother showing up for class. I wish I could get at least 7 hours of sleep every night, but as a student-athlete, that is almost impossible. I will admit that I do sometimes spend 3.5 hours online, but more often than not it is doing school work. I definitely do not spend 2 hours on my cell phone, I am lucky to get a 15 minute conversation in with my parents.
     The student that held the paper that proved we don’t have enough hours in a day said it all. As students we have learned to multitask which I am sure has lead to the decline of production inside and out of the classroom. As a student athlete I definitely know this to be true. It’s sometimes hard to find time to even breathe. For this to meet my experiences I would add that I spend an average of at least 4 hours practicing every day. For this to meet the experiences of other students I would add something statistic for the students with children and the amount of time they spend with them.



"It's Not About the Technology" by Kelly Hines
     Kelly Hines expresses that although technology is important in education, it is not the most important thing. What is more important is quality teachers. Teachers are all very different, but they are all important in the educational process. Teachers must be educated in the most recent subjects, but that doesn’t just come from workshops.
     Learning is not the same for every teacher or every student. Having thousands and millions of dollars of technology is not very useful if it is not being taught correctly. It’s not all about the different things being used, it is how it is being used and by whom. Therefore it is not about the technology, it’s about the educators.

Is it okay to be a technologically illiterate teacher??
     I really enjoyed reading this post. He first included a post which listed the standards for educators and those involved in the field. The standards placed responsibilities on teachers and principals that everyone should be technology literate and if they weren’t they should be very embarrassed and/or find a new profession. I find this to be true because to me it is apparent of how valuable technology is in education. It provides outlets for communication as well as research.
     In the other part of his post he expressed how it seems acceptable to some people to be “technology illiterate”. He gives an example of a parent teacher conference where a parent admits that the “weren’t ever good at math either” like it was just accepted that their child not be good at math either and they are proud. Technology seems to be set at the same standard, some people are proud to not know much about computers. But what some fail to realize is the importance they have to society. Technology is involved in almost everything we do today and it’s almost impossible to get by without having some type of education about it. As a teacher today it is just as important to know how to use technology as reading and writing was just a few decades ago.
     I agree that in order to teach something you too must have been taught it. In order for the children to be able to have the best education possible, learning from the best is essential.



Gary Hayes Social Media Count
     It’s astonishing to see how fast Gary’s count rises. It just goes to show how fast technology is growing and that social networking is a major part of it.
     As a teacher, this means that I must be sure to always keep things as current as possible. With everything advancing this fast, it will be extremely easy to fall behind. I know that as a teacher it is my job to keep my students updated and the only way to do that is to stay updated myself.

Project #5 Presentation

Project #3 C4T Summary

In the first post, “School Should Not Be Considered Work”, Intrepid Teacher explains how he read a student’s blog about learning and was very worked up by it. Instead of commenting the student directly, he simply writes his own blog expressing his thoughts. Although he isn’t necessarily downgrading the student’s thoughts, he questions her a lot about why she doesn’t look at the big picture. The way I took his post was that he had more of a “set” teaching style, so my comment was focused on the point that as diverse as our society is, it is important (in my opinion) to have many different teaching styles to meet the need of every child. I also believe that there is no right or wrong way to learn and going to school for 12-13 years is a positive thing because students can experience a variety of styles.


The other post I read and commented was called “Dream (Tweet) Team”, and I truly enjoyed reading and commenting it. The topic was whether or not a school’s success should be judged on the number of teachers that had a Twitter. I don’t think that a school should necessarily be judged by it, or looked down upon either way, but I think it would overall be beneficial technology to everyone at the school whether it was intended or not. I personally do not use Twitter, but if you would have asked me what I thought about Facebook when it was originally created, I would have not been an optimistic user, but now I could be considered a Facebook addict. It’s a great way to keep in touch with family and friends as well as keep up with certain class assignments. I am sure that Twitter is similar in that way which would be very helpful for teachers. Why not use all of the beneficial technology we can if we are fortunate enough to have it?

Blog Post 2

Did You Know?
     This video clearly exemplifies how fast not only our nation, but the world is growing. It’s strange to think about how much is seems like our nation is expanding, when compared to other countries, the growth isn’t comparable. For example, in this 4:56 minute video, 67 babies were born in the U.S. which seems like a lot. Then I saw the statistics from other countries I was amazed. In less than 5 minutes, 274 babies were born in China and 395 babies were born in India. India’s birthrate is approaching a baby being born practically every second. Another comparison between population is the 25% of the highest I.Q.’s in India is greater than the entire U.S. population. That means India has more “smart people” than we have people in the U.S.
     This brings me to my next astonishment witnessed in this video, the unbelievably fast growth of technology. The amount of new technological information in the U.S. doubles every 2 years. This means by the time a student is a junior in college, half of what they learned their freshman year is out of date. In some places students are being trained for jobs that don’t even exist yet. This is an obvious problem not only because college isn’t cheap and every student want to get the education that they paid for, but it hiders the job market as well. Older workers must be frequently retrained and sometimes even replaced by newly trained workers. Because if this, the U.S. Department of Labor predicts that today’s student will have between 10 and 14 jobs before they reach the age of 40. Another fact that surprised me is that 1 in 4 workers have only been with there employer for less than a year and 1 in 2 have been employed for less than 5 years.
     One of the biggest most universal technological advances was the production of computers and the Internet. It took only 4 years for the Internet to reach an audience of 50 million people. Social networking cites such as facebook and myspace have literally become the link to the world. In its first 2 years created, facebook reached 50 million people. There are over 200 million people that have myspace accounts which could represent the 5th largest country in the world. If that’s not shocking enough, I bet the fact that 1 in 8 married couples last year met online. This goes to show how advanced and important technology is to our rapidly growing world. The correlation between the two (population and technology) are obvious in that more people demand a wider variety of updated technology.



Mr. Winkle Wakes
     This video also exemplifies the growth of technology in our society. Mr. Winkle awakes after 100 years to find a much different way of life. I think some of the things he witnessed are sometimes taken for granted for by our world today. An example is when he visited the hospital. Mr. Winkle was astonished seeing people literally being kept alive by machines. In the past I’m sure it was never considered that such a thing would ever exist. There are so many technological advances that I personally have unfortunately, nevertheless fortunately, used in hospitals. For example, CT scans x ray machines, MRI’s, and IV’s. It’s hard to imagine how people got by in the past without all of this and it makes me wonder what my grandchildren and great-grandchildren will have someday. I’m sure they will wonder how we got by in 2010!
    Mr. Winkle was extremely curious about the new advancement of computers; he witnessed them in the hospital, school, and office and realized that they are a very important aspect in the daily functioning of our society as a whole. Business people were shown having conferences with others across the world on computers. There were both video and voice features which comes in handy now not only for businesses, but for communicating with family and friends in other parts of the country and even other parts of the world.



The Importance of Creativity
     This video was unlike the previous ones I have been discussing because it had one more specific subject. In his presentation, Sir Ken Robinson explains why he believes that schools kill creativity. I agree with his point that no one knows what the world is going to be like 5 years from now. We don’t know what jobs are going to be needed, yet beginning as children, we are trained to suit the current needs. What many educators fail to believe is that creativity is just as important as literacy. Creativity isn’t taught, it’s a natural ability that everyone is born with, yet the way that creativity shines or is brought out in a person can sometimes be blamed or associated to their surroundings. When children aren’t supported in their creativeness, it doesn’t shine. According to Sir Ken Robinson, you don’t grow into creativity but it’s grown out of more often.
     A funny story he expressed in his speech showed how creative children really are. They have incredible capabilities and it’s amazing what they can come up with sometimes. The example he gave was a young child drawing a picture of god. His teacher tells him that no one knows what god really looks like, but he tells her “they will in a minute”. This is clear evidence that kids will take a chance on anything, they don’t mind being wrong when they are young and what they say doesn’t embarrass them very easily. Adults on the other hand are afraid to make mistakes. We never want to be wrong. That’s why creativity isn’t as common the older we get, people are growing out of their creativity.



Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
     This video reminded me a lot of this class (EDM 310). The teacher was obviously a great instructor who cared a lot about her students and their success in the classroom. She included a variety of activities to suit the needs of all of her students. I am a firm believer that there is no one right way to teach/learn. I think that it is important to always provide a variety of surrounding for students to help with their learning experience.
     In this video the class used blogs and Google routinely as assignments and learning activities. You can clearly see that the class is not only helping each other as teacher to peer and peer to peer, but peer to teacher as well. Ms. Davis (the instructor) straightforwardly admitted that her students teach her so much. She, like myself, is willing to always learn something new. I look forward to becoming a teacher because I realize that my classes will teach me so very much. She is also very committed to assisting children who may have trouble with a pen and paper become successful with a computer.

Project # 1

Blog Assignment 1

        My name is Stephanie Leigh Dunaway. I was born in Mobile, Al and grew up in Daphne, Al. I moved to Fairhope, Al during middle school and stayed there until graduating from Fairhope High School in 2009. I now live in an apartment in Mobile. I came to the University of South Alabama because I was recruited to play softball here. I recieved a scholarship and am very fortunate to be able stay close to home and continue my softball career. I have a younger brother who is my best friend and I am very close with my parents, so I am happy to be near all of them.
       I am majoring in Elementary Education in the "new program" which also includes special education. I chose this career because I love children and I want to make a difference in their lives. I know that young children might not always have the best role models at home and i think it is very important for children to learn right from wrong and have a possitive foundation when they are young and I believe I can supply that to them. Eventually I would like to become an Elementary School counselor. I definitely want to stay in the south when I graduate and would love to live on or very close to the beach- I am a major beach bum!
      My best qualities are that I am very honest when it comes to giving advice, I have a good amount of leadership experience, I am very outgoing, and I am always willing to listen and/or give advice. I love playing softball. I have played since I was five years old and I currently play outfield for South. I believe softball has taught me a lot about life. I have been through a lot of adversity over the years, but I have always gotten through it and become a stronger player and person.