Blog Post #15

Final Reflection

In high school I knew that I wanted to become a teacher. My reasoning was that the world needs better teachers. I had teachers that didn't care how I did in the class and always gave out worksheets. These teachers truly believed that they were doing some good in our young lives. This was not the case. I started to hate school. It became a goal of mine to become a teacher so that I can inspire kids to become innovative thinkers and winners. However, I did not know how to achieve this goal until EDM 310. In the beginning of the semester I was close minded about students using technology in the classroom. I believed that it would turn younger generations into zombie like characters and true communication would be lost forever. However, I have grown through this class and my ideas began to change from technology being a complete waist to technology and inspiring our students go hand in hand if we want the world to become a better place.

I have a love for history and I plan on teaching grades 6-12. I firmly believe in hands-on learning. Burp-back education is not an option for my students. Burp-back education are for teachers who don't care about the student's education or future. I plan on getting my students excited about learning by incorporating a project based curriculum with the incorporation of technology. I plan on using a class blog and the class based social network, Edmodo. I plan on using these resources so that I can keep track of my classes and students as groups and individually. I plan my students on using blogging, Google drive, Facebook, twitter, PLNs, and Edmodo.

As I stated before burp-back education is not an option. A project based curriculum is imperative to the 21st Century student. Kids today don't know what the world was like before social networks or even computers. I remember as a child of getting our first family computer. Children today don't know what that excitement is like. They have always known technology. As an educator, it is my job to help these students harness these technological skills so that they can succeed in our technological advancing world. In my field of study, I plan on incorporating technology with history. Students already believe history to be the most boring subject and useless. I plan on vamping up students excitement about history and learning in general through the uses of blogging and Facebook. This will allow them to gain a personal view on their nations past and the worlds.

I can see my future students complaining about the amount of work that they will have to do for my class. The stress and apprehension that they will feel is something that I can relate too. They will learn many skills in my class such as teamwork, time management, and the skills to become technologically literate. They will master these skills through blogging. Not only will they learn the functions of blogging but the writing and thought process to blog. Through blogging they will connect to students all over the world through writing about prompts that connect America's history to other countries. I will also create group projects that encourage collaboration through podcasts, videos, iBooks, and the use of green-screen.

As I stated, I use to believe that technology was a waste of time. My extent of using technology was power point. However, I believed in hands on learning and that idea has not and will never change. I still believe in fairness, equality, independence, and teamwork.

However, I have changed my view on technology. I now believe that technology is vital for students learning experience. I would use these tools to help my students to become a citizen of the world and to respect other's ideas and beliefs.

Final Reflection Video

Project 13

My group, The Justice League, includes myself, Alex Thompson and Heather Perrin. We used many tools to communicate throughout this class. The main thing we used was Email and text messaging. We also used Skype and Google Drive to have more in depth conversations to gather ideas for project 15 and 16. Skype and text messaging were the fastest ways to talk, however email and Google Drive were the most reliable. In a project oriented class, communication is important for teamwork.

C4KSummary of April

C4K #8 Cade K.

In his post Intro to Russian Studentsz, Cade explains that he is 13 and lives in Iowa. He is a sports fan. However, his favorite sport is basketball. His favorite class is physical education. He loves to stay active. In his free time he enjoys playing video and computer games.

My Comment

I told young Cade that I love sports. When I was younger, I grew up watching my older brothers play football and basketball. When I got into high school, I joined the volleyball, basketball, and tennis teams. I play these sports all the time with my friends. Sports teach you some very valuable lessons such as teamwork. Being able to work well with others is very important. As a junior at the university I have gone through a lot of classes that I have really enjoyed. I am a history education major so I would have to say that history is my favorite class. However my all time love is world history. It's really interesting to learn about different places.

C4K #9 Kya S.

Kya is from Bellevue, Nebraska. She goes on about the rivers that are in Nebraska such as the Missouri River and the Platte River. They also have the Sandhills, Tillplains, Badlands, and Wildcats hills. Their main football team is the Huskers. Most of their state is the Great Plains that contain lakes and hills.

My Comment

I told Kya that Nebraska sounds like a beautiful state. I told her that I am from Alabama and I attend the University of South Alabama. That's in Mobile, Alabama. Alabama has lots of hills in the north but in the south part of Alabama, it is very flat because we are below see level. Alabama has a lot of rivers and lakes. My favorite lake is Smith Lake, in central Alabama. Football is huge down here too. Our main teams are college football teams such as the University of Alabama and Auburn University. I would love to visit Nebraska some day.

C4K #10 Liam

Liam's post was about his Easter holiday and all about the fun activities he did. He enjoyed activities such as the Egg Hunt, Egg Race and face painting. He also spent the night with his friend Riley and they played Minecraft and NBA2k11. They also went to Rileys new house where Liam got a grand tour of the two story house.

My Comment

I told young Liam that it sounded like he had a really busy Easter holiday. I told him that he plays Micecraft a lot. My Easter weekend didn’t have a lot of excitement in it. I explained to him since I am a junior at the University of South Alabama, I live four hours away from my home and I couldn't visit. I told him that the only real holiday or break from school I have is Christmas Break and Spring Break. I don’t have a summer break because I take classes during the summer. I told him that we have something in common though. We both try to make our blog post sound interesting. I try to make mine sound more interesting by using vocabulary that I don’t use everyday and I use a more energetic tones in my blog.

Project #16

Final PLN Report

I made some updates to my PLN. However, I am really picky about what I add due to the space on symbaloo. I have added some blog websites and I have made my PLN my homescreen. I have added a few history websites along with the Smithsonian website.

Blog Post #14

Teacher Knows if You’ve Done the E-Reading

In this article the pros and cons of CourseSmart are evaluated. CourseSmart is a digital textbook program that allows teachers to see who reads the book and who does not. They can also see if they highlight and take notes. This trial has been going on at Texas A&M and is being used in Mr. Guardia's classes. Mr. Guardia noticed that one of his students had good test grades but failed to open his textbook. This allows teachers to help students or the whole class if they are falling behind. However, there are a few problems that are being sorted out. One issue is that students are leaving their textbooks open and doing other things. With the rising tests score and low engagement Mr. Guardia is concerned with the quality of the textbooks and his class being to easy.

As a teacher

As a teacher I believe this is beneficial for me so I can monitor their progress and help students who are struggling. I can see a few potential problems with this program. One issue that could easily be solved is students leaving their books open and began a different task. I plan on issuing a quiz directly from the book.

As a student

As a student, I don't see how this is beneficial. Students learn and study in many different ways. Also some students just don't have the time to read an entire chapter that is 60 pages long. I think that true learning comes from participating in the classroom and not in a book.

If I were to talk to Mr. Guardia I would ask him:

1) Does this benefit you more in the way you cover subjects in your class or the students?

2)How much does this book cost?

3) College students are told to be responsible for our own work and since we pay all of this money to go to school why is it important to you to see students open their books?

I would ask the students in this article:

1)What do you think of this program?

2) Do you feel this program helps you?

If I were to write a comment it would be that I don't really like the thought of teachers looking to see if the students are reading the book. College students pay the money to learn. It is their responsibility if they do the work or not.

C4T #4

Research Informed Practice in PE

In Dylan Blain's post, he explains the importance of keeping up to date on current research in physical education. He makes the argument that reading up on research will help you the way you teach in the classroom. However, there is very little info in his field and relies on blogs.

My Comment

I believe it to be very important and beneficial for teachers of all kinds to keep up with research in their field. It would help teachers to come up with more relevant material for our students. Blogs are an excellent way to keep up on the current teaching techniques.

iPads/iPods in PE- Practical Workflow with Edmodo

Dylan Blain, in this blog post, explains the usefulness of iPads and iPod with Edmodo. Edmodo is a social network specifically for education. Teachers can create groups for classes,set assignments, upload quizzes, and access of files for students. He plans on using this network for his PE class. It will allow his students to upload their video content from their Ipods and Ipads to Edmodo. This allows the students to have portfolio evidence of their work. This also allows students to see if they are doing assignments right and infuses the importance of teamwork.

My Comment

I believe that this idea of incorporating technological tools such as the iPad with an education social network is such as Edmodo is an excellent idea. First it offers students to better their technological skills. It is so important for students to be able to have these because we live in a technological advancing world. I plan on trying to use this idea in my future classroom.

Project #15 Justice League

Progress report on Final Project #16

Progress Report

My group, The Justice League, final project will be on three key elements on passing EDM310. We will each talk about one key element which are don't procrastinate, always edit, and keep the stress to the minimum. We are going to tie all of these elements together in skits in our video.

Blog Post #13

Brian Crosby

Brian Crosby is an elementary school teacher who teaches to at risk children. To get these kids fired up and to build their schema of the world, Crosby incorporated the use of technology with field trips, art, and hands-on activities. These approaches really connected the students to real world problems. Crosby, in his video Back to the Future, gives an example of a hands-on project he did with some of his students that included the science and history of the air balloon. Then after the project, the students applied what they learned in their blogs. In result of other students reading the class blog and wanting to participate, the High Hope project was created. This project included students all over the world who sent their high hopes into the atmosphere attached to a hot air balloon.

Brian Crosby is a rare teacher who goes beyond the boundaries for his students. He teaches them to think in ways that they never have before, truly giving them a learning experience that will never be forgotten

Paul Anderson

In Paul Anderson's video, Blended Learning, he explains on how he incorporates the Blended Learning and the Learning Cycle into his own system called QUIVERS. Blended learning is a system that uses online, mobile, and classroom approaches. The Learning Cycle is the four E's: Engage, Explore, Explain, Expand and then Evaluate. Take these two approachers and combine them together and you have QUIVERS. This includes six components he uses in all of his lessons. 1. "QU" for questions. 2. "I" which is investigation/inquiry. 3. "V" is video. 4. "E" is elaboration. 5. "R" is review. 6. "S" is summary quiz. The QUIVERS method is very student focused and effective. Mr. Anderson's method keeps his students interested in their learning. This style of teaching can be incorporated into any classroom for any subject.

Blog Post #12

Watch the video Minnesota Historical Society- Using Technology to Reinvent Field Trips. Write one to two paragraphs answering these questions. How does this improves a child's learning experience? Would you use this method in your own classroom?>

History in Our hands is a program that the Minnesota Historical Society uses for kids who are on field trips. They give kids an ipod and uses them to scan a QR code and they learn about a historical figure. The point of the program is for students to learn and solve their problems by actually getting physically involved. After the students get all of their information, the society uploads it into a virtual backpack and when students get back to the classroom they open those backpacks and get access to all the information they just acquired. Another program that the society is involved in is History Live. It allow the museum to communicate with students around the world and to talk about history. This resources allows students to have access to the museum and they become physically involved with the person on the screen. This allows teachers to take their students to places without using a lot of money and it saves time. The key is real interaction. Students can't get this kind of quality with just reading a book. That is just boring. This kind of interaction gets students involved and interested in not only history but other subjects as well. We are in a world where students have never been without technology and this influence changes how they learn, think, and interact. History in Our Hands takes these digitalized students to the next level of learning.>

As a future history teacher, I believe this program is a great way to get students interested in history. For most students, it is difficult for them to be involved in history. Most believe it is boring. And it can be without the right kind of teacher. I plan on being that teacher who gets their students pumped about history and I plan on doing this by virtual field trips and programs like History in Our Hands. And what is so awesome about this program is that you can do it with any subject. This technology can take learning to a whole new level and for the success for our students, I believe we have no choice!

C4T #3

Post #1 Flipping in Physical Education 2.0: It’s all about the videos!

In Jason Hahnstadt's post, Flipping in Physical Education 2.0: It's all about the videos, he explains the importance of video in physical education. In the videos he argues are meant to be watched at home so that there is more time to participate in activities. Some of the things that the videos include are games, rules, techniques, etc. In the 2.0 version of flipping the classroom, the students create and analyse of videos of skill performance during and outside of class. With access to iPod touches, he states that the students can easily participate in self and peer analysis with video. He Hahnstadt argues "there is no better way to achieve change in students then when they can see and analyze their own technique."

My Comment

I commented that I think that using this technology is excellent in the physical setting. IT's important for students to learn how their bodies perform because it brings a higher awareness of exercising and being healthy. Plus it is exciting to be able to use technology to see how your body performs. This will increase student participation and understanding.

Here is an example of a video he provides for his class





What is Flipped Coaching?

Jason Hahnstadt goes on about the benefits of flipped coaching. One of his arguments is that it saves time during practice pr in a PE class and allows the kids to perfect their skill a lot quicker or spend more time doing the activity. Making a short video that gets to the point about a certain skill or game rules and putting it on a blog the night before allows time for the student the next to do the activity.

My Comment

I think that video technology is an excellent idea for coaching and in PE class. It gives the student an idea about the action that takes place and if he needs help, the coach can take the time to correct what that student is doing wrong. It allows the student to learn at his or her own pace.

Blog Post #11

Ms. Cassidy

I believe Ms. Cassidy's efforts with her first graders is amazing. I love how she says that teachers should be required to learn how to use technology because the world is changing and you must change too. Our students rely on us to adapt to technology because it isn't the same as two years ago. Teachers must stay on their game. Ms. Cassidy incorporates many technology in her classroom and in her professional life. She uses PLNs, Twitter, Facebook, and blogs. She highly suggests that teachers should use Twitter. It allows us to communicate to others that are just now learning how to teach and questions can easily be answered.

Her students love blogging. They love the fact that people all over the world read their blogs and are interested in what they are writing. They collaborate with students from Gadsden, Alabama. That is pretty amazing because that is near my hometown. However, when students are introduce to the cyber world a lot of safety precautions need to take place. Ms. Cassidy protects her students by telling her students to not put there full name and to not to use their real picture. She also created a class webpage with safe links that don't send her students to questionable sites or that provide links that could send them to unsafe sites.

I believe that I would use blogging and Facebook in my classroom. As a future secondary history teacher, there could be some issues with older students and the temptation to get off course. Blogging would be really useful in a history class. I would encourage them to not use their full names and I would create a class Webpage where I would put the assignments up with direction and links to for the students to do research with. I would love to use Facebook in my class. I read somewhere on the internet where she got her students to make Facebook pages for historical figures. She got her students to write their biographies from that persons point of view. I would also encourage my students to make a second Facebook but under a pseudonym and to create links to their historical figures' profile. One issue with this is students might use it to create social problems within the class and they might use Facebook during class to chat with their friends. If fights on their class Facebook came up, I would probably take away their privilege to use Facebook in class and make do a traditional book report on their historical figures or events until they learn responsibility and I would talk to them about internet etiquette.

Their are a lot of benefits from using all of these resources that Ms. Cassidy has discussed. Collaboration is a huge advantage for the students. Through blogging, the students learn how to communicate with others around the world. It also allows the students to keep with the evolving world around us and with the changing technology. It allows students to keep up with the pace of others and they aren't left behind.

C4KSummary of March

C4K #5 Kayla K's Post

Kayla''s post was about the positives of blogging. She stated that we get the chance to see what others think and believe all over.  Sharing opinions and thoughts with other students is enjoyable.  It is not a was of time because we learn that people have different personalities.

My Comment

I explained to Kayla that I am in a class called educational media 310 where I am learning to use certain technology and resources in a future classroom. One resource that I use is blogging. I have learned that blogging is a great way to communicate your ideas across the world. I think of it as closing the culture gap. Blogging doesn't just show who you are but you are also giving a view of your culture and values. I enjoy reading student blogs. And you are right. Blogging is not a waste of time. I love blogging and it is a valuable lesson in civil responsibility and gives you the freedom to speak your mind. My favorite aspect of blogging is the freedom and the freedom of creativity that I have. What is your favorite part about blogging?.

C4K #6 Di Han's Post

Di Han is a 6th grader in Adelaide, Australia. In his post he shared a story about two friends and sharing. Adam got a toy and wouldn't share it with Lee. The next day, Lee's dad bought him a game and he shared it with Adam. Adam felt bad and apologized and they were best friends again. Di Han believes that sharing is a fantastic thing because it helps people to be nice to each other. Sharing, he argues, also makes people feel good.

My Comment

I told young Di Han that I have always believed that sharing is caring. It is a corny statement but it has deep meaning. Treating others with understanding and equality is very important. Your example of sharing ideas goes hand in hand with this idea of treating others the way you want to be treated. Not only does sharing make others feel good but it also gives people a since of community and that is very important in society.

C4K #7 Loudan's Post

Loudan explains in his post what his favorite desserts are. His favorite pie is chocolate. He also loves cake and different types of cookies.

My Comment

I told him that chocolate pie was good but that my all time favorite is apple pie with homemade ice cream. Nothing beats it. I also told him that my favorite cake is chocolate with chocolate icing.

Project #11 Green screen movie

Blog Post #10

I'm a Papermate. I'm a Ticonderoga

Instead of Papermate and Ticonderoga being compared, the true comparison is PC versus Mac. This reminds me of the PC vs Mac commercial. In the cartoon, Papermate (PC) makes the argument that it costs less however, they break a lot. It is an economically smart investment for the average person. Ticonderoga's (Mac) argument is that their pencils are more reliable. Like the Ticonderoga, Macs are more expensive but they last longer. I believe the argument in full is that PC, even though it is less expensive, is less reliable. A Mac with all of its hi-tech capabilities and quality is to expensive for an average individual.  There is no happy medium for consumers and technology lovers. This cartoon is a great metaphor for Macs and PCs.

Why Were Your Kids Playing Games?

Mr. Spencer's dialogue brings to attention that there are many issues with our education system. Today the teachers have become consumed with high test scores on standardized tests and have forgotten why they became a teacher in the first place. And that is engaging with children to help them learn and to sponsor their creativity, helping them to become a well-rounded person. In the dialogue the principle says " if we want students to pass the rote memorization test, we need to focus on rote memorization skills." With this system, school just becomes a daily routine of set motions with no creativity or encouragement to think critically.

When I was in elementary school, learning use to be fun. This was when I was excited about math and reading. We didn't use computers or anything but my teachers came up with these games that made learning fun and goal oriented. For example, in third grade I was learning my multiplication tables. As a third grader, I was already struggling with math. My teacher, Mrs. Phillips, came up with a learning strategy that involved an ice cream Sunday at the end of the year. The point was that if we got a certain grade on each test you got to add a certain thing to your ice cream. If you didn't pass, you weren't allowed to add that item that the test was for to your ice cream. For example test one was for two scoops of ice cream and test two was for a banana. I enjoyed this challenge and even though I didn't perfect my tables, I was fully engaged and I learned.

When A Child Hates Pencils

Students today don't learn for the sake of learning. Their educational journey is based on a reward system that I believe that handicaps students. Mr. Spencer, in his post, tells a story about one of his students, who does not necessarily hates pencils but the purpose of them. His student, Josiah, hated writing. He never put forth any effort to his writing and always received FAIL on his papers. Josiah started to act out and broke his pencils. The principle told Mr. Spencer to keep pencils away from Josiah until he was mature enough to use them. Ignoring the principle, Mr. Spencer handed him a pencil the next day ans told him he could draw, write a poem or story. Whatever he wanted without the worry of a stamp or letter. Josiah asked why shout he do it? Mr. Spencer said "I write because I have something to say. I draw because I want to create. I can't control it. There's something in me that propels me to draw." Mr. Spencer told Josiah that he would also read it and would add corrections and feedback. Josiah, instantly after the conversation, went to write a poem and made an origami flying dragon.

Students would be better learners if given the freedom to express their ideas without the stress of stamps and grades. Mr. Spencer states "In an effort to create a 20th Century factory-style education, his teacher used isolated-skill worksheets (the name says it right there - they aren't "think sheets") and he grew weary of being bribed with colorful stamps and peppy praise." Factory-style education leaves no room for critical thinking or creativity. If you give a student room and freedom to think and to be creative, you will see that student succeed.

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?

In Mr. Mcleod's post, he uses a sarcastic tone to challenge us to use technology with education. I believe his argument is that if you don't show your kids how to use technology appropriately, they will be left behind in the dust in our technologically advancing world. When he says "Don't teach your kids this stuff", I believe he is saying that is it stupid not too. Making it a challenge to teach our students to be globally aware of what is going on. Teaching students to use technology helps them with "creating, sharing, thinking, learning." As our society is becoming technologically sound, we need to keep our students updated on the technology trends.

I think it is imperative to incorporate technology with education. It allows students to have access to all the information in the world. It is our goal as teachers to harness the skills needed for our students to do the research necessary to get access to that information. This can be and is being achieved through blogging and PLNs.

Who Is Scott McLeod? Mr. McLeod currently is serving as the Director of Innovation for Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency 8. He is also the founding director of UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE). It is the only academic center dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators in the nation.

Project #14 SMARTboard Presentation

Project #12 Book Trailer

Blog Post #9

Mr. Joe McClung

In the first part of Mr. McClung's post What I Learned This Year- Volume 4, he explained his relationship with his peers. During the year he claims that he made a junior high mistake and constantly worried about what his peers thought about him as an educator. He has only ever worried about the opinions of his students and superiors. Due to his mistake, he constantly worried about his peer's opinions.

Later in the year he finally learned how to cope with his peers. He finally decided that he can't change what kind of teacher he is, but to continue how he educates because it is what made get as far as he has. He further explains that worrying about what adults thinks has never gotten him anywhere and that he needs to focus on his kids and make sure that they enjoy class. His number one rule is are the kids having fun? Mr. McClung also states that as long as he remembers who he works for he can never go down the wrong path.

Mr. McClung brings up a very important issue and that is peer pressure. Students and adolescences are not the only ones who experience peer pressure. Teachers experience this problem too! I believe that Mr. McClung's view on this issue provides me with a way to deal with this when I start teaching. If my students are enjoying my class, having fun and learning and my superiors think I am doing a good job, then what my peers think is irrelevant.

In the second part of his post, he explains that he learned that you have to challenge yourself to be relevant and a great teacher. For the past three years he taught the same subject, social studies and Arkansas history. He noticed that he was becoming to comfortable with the subject and wasn't teaching well. He learned that you can't become too comfortable as a teacher because you start to get lazy and your lessons will lack spontaneity. Luckily he was given the opportunity to teach a different subject to a different grade. He said that the only way to solve this situation is to challenge yourself to become a better teacher.

I would hate to become that boring teacher who has nothing interesting to say. I have experienced those types of teachers throughout high school and even now in college. I dread going to those classes. The only way to become a great teacher is to challenge yourself to teach in a new way. Yes it involves work, but it is an educators duty to make sure that your students get the best of the best.

What I Learned This Year (2010-11)

In his post What I Have Learned This Year (2010-11) he hits a lot of issues that comes with teaching. He claims as a teacher that a lot of people pleasing takes place. This can happen so much you forget your main focus and that is your students. The center of a teacher's world should be the students and not adults. Another issue is change. A lot of teachers are not keen to change and try to avoid it at all possible. Mr. McClung believes fully in being the best you can be and he does this by going to Professional Development sessions. Most of the teachers he works with hates going to these sessions. He gets excited about the new ideas that these sessions gives him. However, there are teachers who never give ideas any light. He argues that don't let these teachers get get you down and that it is ok to be excited about new things. Stay positive. Mr. McClung states "if you are planning on being true to yourself and not falling in line with the rest of the crowd then you cannot be afraid to be an outsider." Don't conform to others because it is the acceptable thing to do. You want to eat with your students? Go right ahead! Mr. McClung also argues that don't do the work for them. The only way they will perfect and perform the necessary skills is to let them do the work and figure it out. He also stated don't get comfortable.

One thing that really stuck out to me is his argument of being true to yourself. I love the fact that he eats lunch with his students and builds a real connection with them through blogging and other medias. It's ok to be an outsider. I was never that social in high school. I had my small group of friends but even then I didn't conform to their ideas. It's not our goal to be approved by fellow teachers but our goal is to establish a learning relationship with our students and help them to succeed. A way to do this is not to spoon feed the information to the students. You have to let them fail in order to learn. In high school I had a band teacher who hated spoon feeding information. He believed that it was our responsibility to learn the information or this case the music. It was a great lesson that I learned and that I strongly believe in today.

Blog Post #8

Richard Miller This is Our Dream Part 1 and 2

Richard Miller in This is our Dream Part 1 talked about how written text has turned into virtual text and that it is easily accessible. Dr. Miller starts by saying "we're living at the moment of the greatest change in human communicate in human community". The advancement in technology has allowed communication to change overtime and now we can be anywhere at anytime communicating across the world. Dr. Miller discusses the advancement of technology and its influences on education and writing. Dr. Miller understood that writing is a solitaire activity. He explains that the internet allows us to work at a distance along with the ability to communicate with others.

In Part 2 Dr. Miller discusses how research methods have changed. As part of the research process, libraries were once a vital source of knowledge. Now knowledge is at our fingertips. We can now conduct research through virtual libraries. Dr. Miller makes the argument that educators should use colorful tools such as videos and presentations during lectures. This approach allows students to learn in many different styles which helps them to pay attention and to absorb the lesson.

Incorporating many different technologies including video, audio clips, and virtual presentations is important to learning because they enhance your lesson therefore increased learning by your students. Dr. Miller states "Limits and restrictions are largely ones we place on ourselves". If we fail to put ourselves out in the open to experience new things as educators, we fail our students at providing the best learning experiences out there.

Carly Pugh

Carly Pugh writes in her post about ways to use multi-media in the classroom to engage students in learning. Being creative and thinking outside the box while using the internet as a resource in the main key to multi-media teaching. Youtube is a wonderful source for learning. Carly did a great job with her video playlist. It uses videos that actually make you think.

EDM310 is Different

Watching the Chipper Series and EDM310 For Dummies was a funny realization that being in school and in this class is no joke. The Chipper Series puts importance on time management and DO NOT procrastinate. Procrastinating can lead you down a long road of hardships and you could end up in an undesirable situation. I love the video EDM310 For Dummies. I wish I could have been part of producing that video. Both of these videos have great messages about time management and doing your work on time and don't be afraid to ask for help.

Learn to Change, Change to Learn

In the video Learn to Change, Change to Learn it talks about how learning has changed from knowing facts all your throughout your life to becoming a problem solver. Today's students are the great communicators of today and they learn in all different sorts of environments. Their spaces include social networks such as Facebook and Twitter and use text messaging and email to communicate. Our jobs as educators is to mold these communication skills and show them the proper way to use these resources to learn outside the home. That is the new 21st Century classroom and teacher.

Scavenger 2.0

Part 1: A social network that is similar to Facebook and Twitter for the teaching community is Edmodo. This network allows you to collaborate with other teachers that have the same interests as you and it allows you to create your own group for your students and their parents. When you create a group for your students you can give them a code to access this group, provide privacy, and share folders and create assignments for your students. It also allows students to contact you outside of school if they have any problems. It also allows parents to get involved too. Edmodo is the perfect learning community for teachers, students, and parents.
Part 2: For my comic strip I used Make Believe Comics. Its super easy and fun. Here is My Comic.
Part 4: A video tool that I have found is Animoto. It allows you upload videos and pictures and you can choose a song. It provides presentation layouts and you can add text.

C4T #2

Post #1 DML Conference: Democratic Futures

 

DEL Conference: Democratic Futures by S. Craig Watkins is a blog post about young people getting involved in their civic duties. Voting is critical to our country's future but what is even more important is how and what information we get to make our voting decisions. One important voting group that is the main focus of this post, is today's young student population. The most social engagement that this group does is through the internet and other social networks such as Facebook. However, young people get more politically involved than just through "liking" a political picture on Facebook. Watkins gives an example of a student group who uses Change.org to petition "urging the president to visit and directly address the city’s gun violence crisis". Needless to say it worked to an extent. Using the media for political gain has been used for a long time and now a new generation of civic participants is taking the media to a new level. According to Watkins, young people are using mobile devices and social media to form political organizations around the world.

My Comment

As a young voter, I too use social, digital, and mobile media to keep up with politics and the world in general. I strongly believe that the best way to get information to young voters is through the internet due to the fact that not many young people watch the news anymore. I am in a class called educational media and I have learned to not underestimate the power of technology and its impact on the world. I believe that the students that used Change.org to petition is a brilliant example of how media and technology affects my generation and it also shows how powerful it is. I am not that knowledgeable in politics as I should be, however this has opened my eyes to the ways I could be more involved.

Post #2 Is Facebook Destroying the American College Experience?

Danah Boyd in her post describes how Facebook is destroying face-to-face human interaction. She argues that Facebook is ruining the chance for understanding diversity and respecting other people's background. Most students use Facebook to look up there roommates to see what kind of person they are. Students are making roommate change requests before they even get there. The whole point of roommates in college to expand the students connections to people with different background creating cultural acceptance. She also argues that students are so scared to talk to new people because they grew up with the notion of be aware of strangers. Students keep in tough with their high school friends instead of branching out creating opportunity inequality.

My Comment

I commented that when I lived back home I never got involved at UAB because I still had ties to my high school friends through Facebook. But since I have transferred to USA, I had to rely on face-to-face human contact to make friends. Social skills are a very important skill to have

Blog Post # 7

Randy Pausch

Watching Randy Pausch's last lecture has been a humbling and an inspirational experience. It is sad to say that this sincere man has passed from this world because he put so much heart into his students. In his lecture he talks about obtaining your childhood dreams and enabling others to reach their dreams. His advice in his lecture to obtaining your childhood dreams is to have fun, never give up, and always search for the good in others.

Dr. Pausch talks about fulfilling childhood dreams. As adults we lose our "the child inside" and the "child-like wonder" and we become boring. If your are boring as an educator how do you expect your students to pay attention and to want to learn? Having a fun attitude in the classroom gives off an electric vibe and stimulates the learning juices in a students brain. The best kind of learning is having fun while you are doing it. They become interested and will take what they have learned and use it outside of the classroom.

Advice that Dr. Pausch gives I think is essential for an educator is to never give up. What makes Dr. Pausch so inspiring is that from his students to his health he never gave up. That fighting attitude is a force that I will demonstrate throughout the rest of my life. As an educator you can't give up whether its a student who you are trying to help or if you just have a really bad day. There are days that I just want to quit everything and become a beach bum. As enticing as that may sound, there are children out their who need a hero and who is better at being a hero than a teacher? I will never give up on myself or a child.

Dr. Pausch also expresses that we should always search for the good in others. Every rose has a thorn but if we just pay attention to the thorns we will fail to notice the beauty of that rose. Dr. Puasch says that if someone disappoints you just give them time and they will make you happy that you didn't give up on them. There are going to be times when a person or student fails you. You know they can do better than this. All you need is time and eventually those students thorns will no longer matter and you will see the beautiful flower that they have become.

Randy Pausch has forever touched my life in his last lecture. His message has left an imprint on thousands of lives and I hope one day that I can leave this kind of imprint on my students lives.

Project # 10 Find The Right Tool

Google Plus

Using Google Plus is an excellent way to engage students in the classroom and outside the classroom. You can form circles, upload photos and videos, Google talk, hangouts and many more options. It's crazy right? However, according to 10 ways to use Google plus in the classroom this allows collaboration between students and teachers. You can create circles for announcements, assignments, important links, and class groups. This allows students to keep up with information in the class. Google currently does not have a limit on the number of videos or pictures uploaded to Google Plus. This can allow teachers to put up extra lecture videos or allow the students to lecture on specific topics of their choosing. Google talk is a quick chat method and through this you can set up "office hours" so that if students need help with an assignment or have questions, you are available to them. You can set the settings to available or away so you don't keep students waiting around. Notification methods allows the students to choose which way they want to be notified about announcement via notification, email, test message or all three. This allows the students to keep up with daily information. Since most students have a smart phone, Google plus has an app for androids and iphones so that students can do work on the go. Through the use of circles, group work is now an easy task. Simply just create smaller circles with, only the certain group members and the instructor only. Students within the group can see when each other is online, conduct chats and plan meetings. Another important tool is Hang Out. Hang Out is a video chat option and allows people to video chat in groups. This would work wonders for online group meetings. Video chat is more personal and you can express ideas more clearly. The use of the Avatar is also essential to a students virtual learning. It lets them to establish a virtual identity either using a cartoon or their own pictures. According to this blog this creates connection which leads to community and learning.

So how do teachers keep up with individual learning? Well Google Plus has Google Docs and Calender and Plus 1. Google Docs and Calender allows you to make a check list of sort and and you can see when a student completes an assignment when they check it off. It also allows documents to be shared easily to other students. Plus 1 allows the teacher to know when a student reads an article that you have posted. Allowing a student to +1 a post and helps you keep track of the students progress. This allows you to help a student if you see him falling behind.

Project #9 PLN

Symbaloo

For my PLN I have decided to use Symbaloo. It is a great way to keep all of my bookmarks organized. So far I have all of my school boolmarks, including my EDM 310 bookmark, in one area, my social networks in one, and all of my educational websites in another. If you can't find a block for the bookmark you want, you can create one which I find highly useful. I am currently looking for better ways to bookmark my resources but so far I am loving Symbaloo.

C4KSummary for month February

C4K #1 Deborah Booh's post

Deborah is a 10th grader at Foley High School. This blog is for her English class. She had a newsletter about Edgar Allan Poe. In the newsletter she gave a brief history of his life and two summaries works he has created. In her narrative of his life, she stated that he was born January 19, 1908 and died October 7, 1849. He never really knew his parents because they were actors. His best seller is The Raven. She summarized The Masquer of the Red Death. This story is about "about the people getting sick and dying off because of the red death." The Red Death causes the victims to be dizzy and blood seeps out of your pores.

My Comment

I told Deborah that her post was very informative and that I didn't know much about Edgar Allan Poe. I thought the only thing he wrote were poems. I asked her if she knew where the Red Death story took place. I also commented that I enjoyed reading her post and to keep up the good work.

C4K #2 Justin A's post

Justin is a second grader in Ontario, Canada. His post was moters are the thing that maks your car run. This is a really short post and is hard to comment on. His post really made me think because it was so short.

My Comment

Due to the fact that the post was really short it was hard to come up with a comment but I think I managed. I always love a challenge. I commented that his post really made me think about motors and all the things we use them for and realized that we do a lot with motors. I told him that motors weren't just for cars but also for sewing machines and boats. I also told him what they can run off of like gas, corn, and batteries. I also asked him a question. what would we do without motors?

C4K #3 Talia'uli's Post

Talis'uli's blog is very basic in the way that there isn't much information. In his about me, he states that he is a 5th year student at Pt England School in Auckland, NZ and his favorite food is KFC. His second post is about what he did during the weekend. He went to mission bay and played with his friends. He also has a hand drawn picture of two people at the beach with the sun overhead.

My Comment

I told Talia'uli that I didn't know much about mission bay but I assumed that it was a beach and told him that I also go to the beach a lot to hang out with my friends. I also told him that I too love KFC. It is amazing that we have KFC in common. This shows that the world is connected through more than just the internet.

C4K #4 Mckenzie's Post

In her post for her 10th grade English class she explains how she expresses herself. She shows her self-expression through her favorite sport softball. When she pitches the ball fast she is saying don't hit that ball, it is going into the catchers glove and when she hits the ball it's going to the fence and i'm going to get a home run.

My Comment

I told Mckenzie that self-expression is important for personal growth. I told her that I also express myself through my favorite sport which is tennis. I said that I value my independence and tennis allows me to express that. Tennis can be a one-on-one sport and there is no feeling like being on the court by yourself and returning every ball that your opponent sends your way. I also explained to her that there are many other ways that you can express yourself. For example writing is a great form of self expression. I explained that you don't have to write about you per-say, but through the language that you use. Language and how you use it is how you show who you are. Language is how we communicate and express ideas.

Podcast Project # 8

There Are No Shorthcuts By: Rafe Esquith

Blog post #6

The Networked Student

The presentation Wendy Dexler: The Networked Student shows how valuable networking is to the learning process through using a true story about the 21st century student. Wendy Dexler believes in connectivism which means that learning is done through a diverse network of many connections and ties. 21st Century Student is encouraged to engage in his own learning through a Personal Learning Network of PLN. Here he is taught to assess and evaluate information, to use Google scholar, to bookmark to his bookmarks site, shares other's bookmarks, searches blogs, use Google reader to subscribe to blogs, and creates his own blog. He also uses iTunes U to listen to lectures on his topic from excellent professors around the world such as Berkley. He also uses Skype to hold in class discussions with important scholars. In the end he creates his own virtual textbook and is available to other students around the world.

So why need a teacher? Teachers are the resources that students use if they need help. Teachers are learning architects. They help you build your PLN. Teachers are modelers which means they guide their students when they get stuck and need help. Teachers help to create a learning conciense. They do this by showing how to communicate properly and ask respectively for help from experts. They are a connected learner incubator which means that teachers help students differentiate from good information and propaganda. Teachers are network Sherpas and synthesizers. They turn web searches into scavenger hunts. Add all this together and you have a change agent. Teachers get their students excited when they find the "pearl of content".

Connectivism is a great learning technique to teach students to be responsible and engaging learners. However, I don't think that this method would be best for high school and middle school students. This method is great for the college level. The college level shows a greater level of thinking and responsibility. However, I believe this method is a great way to get students prepared for a higher level of learning. I believe that this method should be used not for the entire duration of the class but as a side project. Throughout the semester have students choose a topic relative to the class they are in. For example as a future history teacher, I would encourage my students to choose an interesting topic they want to learn more about such as the Holocaust. Help them establish their PLN and let them take the wheel from their. For high school students, the best way to help them to stay on track, is to create a check sheet and have them complete something every week like EDM 310.

I find this method of teaching very useful. I value independence and responsibility. It creates the best character within a person. Being self sufficient is the key to being successful. I believe that using this method in my future classroom will create self sufficient and 21st century learners. I believe this method of learning will stay with my future students throughout their lives and very will into their professional careers.

Personal Learning Environment

A seventh grade student from Wendy Dexler's science class shares her personal learning environment and shows how the entire class is taught through networking. This means that the class is completely paperless. In the video she shows us her daily routine and the freedom she has through her personal learning environment. In ways her personal learning environment is a lot like EDM 310's learning environment. Both express the need for creativity and responsibility. Both environments are given the freedom to work on things that need to be done when the students want to. Granted in EDM 310 we have deadlines, but the freedom is still there. Through these personal learning environments, students are given more responsibility and independence which is essential to their professional careers and social growth.

My Sentence Video

Blog Post #5

If I Built A School

Krissy Venosdale has been teaching for 10 years and is now a special education teacher. She uses blogging and her PLN (Personal Learning Network)to become a better teacher for her students. She has a huge passion for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics or STEM. She believes strongly in inquiry based learning and teaching them how to think and not what to think.

In her blog post If I Built A School, she describes how the school looks and interacts with the students. The way she describes it is very cozy and makes students want to go to school and learn. Everything seems more modern. For example in the cafeteria there are cozy chairs where student can sit at and collaborate. There's a lot of new equipment for science labs and computers, laptops, and Ipads in every classrooms. Her school is a place for innovation and thinking. If I were still in high school I would definitely look forward to going to this school every morning.

I think building a school would be a great experience. I have never thought about building a school before but I love design and function so I would incorporate that into my building plans. There would be reading and study nooks where students can do homework before and after school. The classrooms would be colorful so students feel welcome with comfortable chairs and tables. The tables would be round to encourage team work. Hands on learning will be part of the everyday curriculum. In the library there will be comfortable reading nooks in every window and there would also be a small student coffee shop managed by the student body. There would be technologies in the classroom to encourage students to research answers to current problems and to help them to learn to be technologically literate. The school will be painted in bright colors so that it will have an energetic atmosphere with a lot of windows to incorporate some environmental factors. I think there should be a lot of plant life so students can be environmentally aware. I believe there should be designated rooms for the arts and social sciences. For example there should be music rooms, art studios, a museum room and a dance studio. I believe a focus on the arts along with science and math is what makes a great school. Giving all students the opportunity to explore their interests.

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir

I have never heard something so beautiful and soothing until I listened to Eric Whitacre's virtual choir sing Lux Aurumque. The way that this ensemble was put together further explains how technology is used to connect people across the world. According to Jennifer Chamber's post, the performers in the choir have never met and have never sang together before. The performance was put together through the internet and posted on Youtube. I would love to do something like this. Not just for my personal use, but also in the classroom. To connect with other students through the internet is a great way for students to learn and to respect others throughout the world. I am so thankful that Dr. Strange introduced this video to me. It really has got me thinking and I cannot wait to do something like this with future students.

Teaching in the 21st Century

Learning can take place at anytime and anywhere thanks to the internet and the technologies that provide internet. So what does this mean for teachers? The video Teaching in the 21st Century addresses these issues. Students can easily find the information they want via Google, Wikipedia, Facebook and Twitter. So why are teachers still needed if students have the information at their fingertips? Teachers are still very important for learning and engagement. It is up to teachers and future teachers to harness the skills needed to ask questions and to solve problems. The video made feel like educators will no longer be needed due to the readily information on the internet. However, our duty is to engage our students in today's technology in challenging way; to make them think in challenging ways.

Flipping the Classroom

Flipping the classroom is cool way to get students interested in learning and engaging in the classroom. It allows students to got home and look at videos that the teacher wants them to go over and come up with questions, discussion and strategies to share in the class the next day. This allows struggling students to get caught up, for middle students to understand and ask questions and for advance students to go forth to the next level. This allows teachers to focus on each students skills and give help to where it is needed.

I believe that I could use this strategy in my future classroom. I think that furthering education outside of the classroom is a brilliant idea and strategy to help kids to get engaged in learning by asking questions. As a future history teacher, I believe that this would be a perfect way for students to come into class with some really great discussion topics.

Project # 5 Presentation

C4T #1

Post written on January 25, 2013

I read Edna Sackson's blog What Ed Said on January 25, 2013. This post is all about beginnings and how she interacts with her students. The main thought is how she interacts with her students on the first day of class. Her post is divided into three categories: I used to think, now I think, and 10 ways to create a learning culture. Under the header I used to think, she lists how she used to introduce the class. Some examples of how she used to think are explain your expectations, establish rules, know everyone's name, tell them what they will be learning, and show a firm hand. Under the header now I think she lists what she does now on day 1 in the classroom. Opposing the previous list, she now thinks ask about their expectations, create an essential agreement, know everyone's story, demonstrate that you value thinking, talk about learning, make sure you listen, and laugh. Under the header to create a learning culture, she applies that list to working with teachers and making a more professional environment.

My Comment

I commented that I agree with the thought process in list two. I said that I believe in getting involved with your students and getting to know them individually. This list also helps to know what the students need help with the most. This list also great for working with fellow teachers. It allows teachers to come up with great lesson plans for everyone and creates a great learning environment. I also said that I plan to use this list in my future classroom.

Post written on February 6, 2013

This post is about digital citizenship and what it means and how it effects her students. Some of the questions that students will be addressing are How do we analyse and evaluate digital content, What are our responsibilities when creating digital content, How can we communicate our ideas creatively and effectively online, and What can we learn by connecting and collaborating with others in the world. Through these questions, Sackson hopes that her students that people are consumers and creators in a digital world,we need to think critically about digital content, everyone needs to be responsible for digital content they create, the internet enables us to connect,communicate and collaborate with people all over the world. She plans to accomplish this through the tools of Skype, blogs, Twitter, Voicethread, email and other types of media.

My Comment

I comment again that this post is very relevant to me. I am in Educational Media 310 or EDM 310 and we are learning to be digital citizens through blogging and podcasting. So far I have learned many valuable skills and how to be aware of what I put on the internet. As a future teacher I plan to use these methods in my own classroom.

Blog Post # 4

Langwitches

Podcasting is a brilliant way to engage children in the classroom. I was thoroughly impressed by the first graders that were Langwitches introduced. As I was listening to the first graders, I couldn't help but to smile. These children are engaging in a type of learning that I was never introduced to. What really impressed me was the way that Ms. Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano taught her second grade students how to learn Hebrew. The students recorded their own voices in Hebrew to tell the story of Purim and the teacher out the script out of order so that when the students went up to the smartboard they can put them in order. It's a way for the teacher to test their comprehension level of the language. I thought that this was just amazing. If I had this opportunity I would probably be fluent in Spanish by now.

I love the Flat Stanely podcast. It is a great way for younger students to learn about the world around them. The students recorded their voices to tell the short story about how Stanley became Flat Stanley and how he was mailed around the world because he could fit into an envelope. Next the students were flattened! They were so excited that they got the permission from their parents to be mailed too. These students were mailed to Tokyo, Antarctica and even to Alabama where she learned to say Roll Tide! In order for these students to do this project, they had to go home with the help of their parents and do a little research about the location on where they were being mailed to. This is a great for students to engage in critical thinking and to learn how to work with others.

There are many benefits to using podcasts in and out of the classroom. According to Joe Dale, the author of The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom, some of the benefits include that it is a form of learning students of today are familiar with and therefore makes it relevant to them, it promotes creativity and innovation, it can offer distance learning opportunities for absent students, and allows parents to see and hear what their child is doing at school. This is the kind of teaching and learning that I want to do in my future classroom. I love hands on learning. I also think that it is a great way for the parents to be involved in their child's learning and personal growth. I will definitely use podcasting as a learning tool in my future classroom.

Special Blog Post #1

Misinterpreted Data

Looking at data can be easily misinterpreted if you don't think about what it actually means. When I did the WolframAlpha search, I was really amazed by the results. I did three population comparisons between the United States and India, the United states and China, and for fun I compared China and India. The results showed that China has 1.35 billion people, India has 1.21 billion people and the United States, the lowest on the totem pole, has 309 million people. There is a dramatic difference between the United States and these two countries. It is safe to say that the United States is out numbered.

WolframAlpha

WolframAlpha is a search engine that helps you find facts on what you want to know about. To have fun, I first typed in the search engine "compare the Alabama Crimson Tide to the Auburn Tigers." Sadly they are still investigating this topic. So I searched something more realistic and I compared Facebook to Twitter. Facebook has 12 billion page views a day and Twitter has 690 page views a day. Facebook also has 630 million daily visitor where as Twitter has 120 million. Facebook site rank is 2nd where Twitter is only ranked 10th. I also searched "How far is the United States from Italy". The results showed that the distance between the center of the United States to the center of Italy is 5,343 miles, and in kilometers 8,599. It also showed the distance travel times. In an aircraft at 550 mph it would be 9 hours and 45 minutes. Sound would take 7 hours, light in fiber would take 40 milliseconds, and light in vacuum would take 29 milliseconds.

According to WolframAlpha, their "long-term goal is to make all systematic knowledge immediately computable and accessible to everyone." The creator Stephen Wolfram did just that and is continuing to maximize the users experience. This search engine is for the purpose of gaining knowledge and is easy for anyone, young and old, to use. This tool would be great for me and for any future or current educator to use in a classroom. Let's say that a student ask you a question that you don't know the answer to. For example:"Ms. Harris, when did Christopher Columbus sail the ocean blue?" "I don't know Tommy. Let's find out as a whole class." WolframAlpha makes it easy to find out. You type in the search engine the question and wala! "WolframAlpa says that Christopher Columbus reaches the new world on october 12, 1492." This tool is perfect for any classroom for students, and possibly teachers, who want to learn.

Gary Hayes Social Media Count

It's mind boggling thing when you think about how many people are there using Facebook at that current time or how many people in the world are using some form of technology period. Gary Hayes Social Media Count makes that thought into a realization. This social media count shows how many people are using Social, Mobile, Games and Heritage. In one month about 61,005,848 blog post have been posted. It's crazy to think that I am one of those bloggers who posted in a month out of about 61,005,848 post. In one year Facebook has about over 1 trillion likes and comments. This count puts in perspective of how much the world is connected.

I knew the world was a vast place with billions of people in it. However, I never realized how closely connected we all are until I look at this count. Technology is vital to our survival as a whole. As a future educator, my perspective has changed on how we use technology and now I realize how important it is to stay on top of the technological trends. For my future students to be the best of the best, I have to be exceptional at providing my future students with the resources that they need to succeed. Being aware of the world around you is the key. Gary Hayes Social Media Count is a great tool to show how connected we are in the world and is a great reminder that what we do effects everyone.

Blog Post #3

Peer Editing

Peer editing can be either destructive or helpful to a students. If not done correctly, peer editing will not be effective and will do more harm than good. Throughout the years in middle and high school and carried on into my first year in college, I dreaded peer reviews. At the time, I thought there was no purpose of the task and just gave my peers the excuse to ridicule and to mock me. Let's face it; kids are ruthless. I went to school with a lot of Mean Margarets and Picky Pattys! As a result of my peer review experiences, I became inefficient in my criticism of my peer's papers. I was afraid to give any kind of criticism due to the fact that I was concerned with hurting his or her feelings.

I strongly believe that my experiences and opinions of peer reviews are due to the lack of proper instruction on how to edit effectively. The video What is Peer Editing? and the slideshow Peer Edit With Perfection Tutorial gave me excellent tips on how to a qualitative peer review and how to edit effectively. I have learned that complements and staying positive is essential to a qualitative peer review. Complements builds up your peer's confidence and self esteem. I have also learned that giving suggestions in a positive way also helps because it doesn't make him or her feel incompetent. For example, when suggesting on word choice say "Hey, instead of using the word good use the word excellent. It gives the paper more personality." Being cruel and judgmental is not an effective way on getting your point across. Also being specific in your suggestions helps as well. Vague criticism is not helpful to your fellow peer. Other helpful tips on what not to do in a peer review according to the video Writing Peer Review Top 10 Mistakes are don't rush through the peer review, don't change the subject, and don't be a Mean Margaret.

I strongly think that these videos and slideshow should be shown in classrooms all across the country. They get to the point on what not to do and clearly state on what you should do when it comes to critiquing someone's paper, blog, or even a comment on a social network. Peer reviewing is personal and it should always be done in a respectful manner.

Assistive Technologies

I have always wondered what it would be like to be deaf or blind. I have always thought that I would rather be deaf than blind any day. I would hate to not be able to see the world or where I am going or to be able to read a book. However, the advancement in science and technology has given the deaf and blind societies the ability to surpass these obstacles.

The Mountbatten brail writer, according to the video The Mountbatten, is an assistive technology that allows blind students to keep up in the classroom. The Mountbatten allows blind students to interact within a normal classroom setting. The advance technology takes a brail document and can convert it to print for teachers and students who do not know brail. This also allows the teacher to give feedback. This allows blind and seeing students and teachers to work together in group settings. I would use this technology to help students realize that not everyone is the same and that disabled people deserve the same amount respect as everybody else.It would also help the blind students feel part of a student community and bring normalcy to their lives.

Teaching Math to the Blind

One of the hardest subjects to master is math. It is ten times harder for someone who is blind. For blind students who want to go into engineering, mastering the math that is involved can be very difficult. In the video Teaching Math to the Blind, Professor Karshmer from the University of San Francisco introduces a machine that helps blind students to perform the simplest math problems to the most advance math problems. This technology is amazing. It consist of a grid and blocks with brail and the actual number on the block. A student scans a block and it talks to the student identifying what that block is. Then the student places the block in the grid and the grid tells the student what that block is relative to where it is in the grid. This allows the student to set up the problem correctly. This technology is incredible. I believe that technology for the impaired should be in every classroom. This really helps impaired students feel like they are part of the learning community.

iPad Usage For the Blind

One of the most amazing app features for the iPad is voice over. This allows visually impaired students to learn outside the classroom. One of the features that this includes is iBook. It's really easy for a visually impaired person to operate this system. All they have to do is run their fingers along the screen and when they find an app they want to open, all they have to do is double tap anywhere on the screen. The iBook is incredible. A blind student selects a book that they want to read and the system reads it aloud for them. This gives not only blind students but blind people all over the world there independence back. They no longer need the help from seeing people to do things they like to do. I hope to have this technology in my classroom one day. Not only for the blind but also to show my students what the world is capable of producing and what they could produce way beyond today's advancing technology.

Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

In the video Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts, you find students who are learning on there own and in groups about how to use the internet and other computer technologies through hands on assignments. In their groups, students are given an assignment to look up and to practice with and when they have done so they teach the rest of the class how to do it. An example of this was the Tereform group. What was so amazing to me is that Ms. Davis gave them an assignment on how to use the tereform when she didn't know how to do it herself. This is true learning. Getting the students involved in teaching their peers is not only effective but it teaches them to be responsible and to be critical thinkers.

While watching this really cool video, I was starting to notice that I was comparing Ms. Davis' classroom to EDM 310. We may not be learning how to tereform, but were learning to be critical thinkers. Were also learning to be digital citizens. I have learned more in this class so far than I have ever learned in a "burp back" classroom. The quality of learning that Ms. Davis' students are doing should be in classrooms across the world. I plan on doing this type of teaching in my future classroom.