Sunday, March 31, 2013
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.
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.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
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.
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.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Blog Post #8
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.
Friday, March 8, 2013
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
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?
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
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Blog Post # 7
Randy PauschWatching 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.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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