Project #14 SMARTboard Instruction Part 1

Project #12 Book Trailer

Blog Assignment #9

End of School Year Reflection 2008-2009
When Mr. McClung wrote his blog, "What I've Learned This Year (2008-09)," he was a first year elementary teacher. His blog post is definitely a wonderful "go to" post for any new educator. The first main thing Mr. McClung learned was, "how to read a crowd". He said the most important thing is to make your lessons student centered. Mr. McClung also said that in the beginning he worried about how he was being assessed, but then realized it's more about the students comprehending what you're teaching. The second thing Mr. McClung learned was to "be flexible". By this, he means that things aren't always going to go as planned, and if you end up getting steered away from your lesson, it's okay! Ultimately, being flexible is still getting the main point across that you're trying to teach even if it doesn't go the way you planned for it to. Third, he explained the importance of communication. I believe communication is the key to success, and having good communication between students and teachers is vital.

The fourth main thing Mr. McClung learned was to "be reasonable". By this, he means not to have expectations so high that they can't be met. Setting the bar high to challenge students is a good thing, but when the bar is impossibly high for them to meet it can lead to disappointment. "Don't be afraid of technology" is the fifth thing Mr. McClung learned. This sections main point is to not to be afraid of technology! Technology is constantly becoming more advanced, and we as educators should keep up with the times and give our students the best that there is. The last two topics Mr. McClung points out are the most important to me. They are, "listen to your students," and "never stop learning". Listening to your students is vital for so many reasons. One reason is that if you listen to them, and show them you respect them then they will respect you. We owe it to our students to never stop learning, and to be the best teachers we can be.

Mr. McClung made so many points in this that could be very helpful for a beginner educator. I know whenever I begin teaching I will definitely look back on his posts as references. The main topic Mr. McClung pointed out that I know I'll have to work on is reading a crowd. Having fellow educators judging my every move at first is going to be nerve-racking. I'm just going to have to get over it, and realize that I'm there for the students, and not for the teachers.

End of School Year Reflection 2011-2012

For the second part of this assignment I read Mr. McClung's post, "What I Learned This Year- Volume 4 (2011-12)". This post was Mr. McClung's fourth year of reflection. For this reflection only two themes stuck out to him. The first theme was about finding out how his fellow teachers viewed him as an educator. Before this year Mr. McClung never worried about what anyone thought about him except for his students. For some reason, which he is unsure of, his thoughts were wrapped around what other teachers thought about his teaching strategies. By the end of the year Mr. McClung was finally able to cope with his anxiety of what others thought about him. Him came to the realization that as long as he is true to himself, and his students are happy, then it doesn't matter what others think of him.

The second theme that stuck out to Mr. McClung about his school year was about challenging yourself. This year was the third consecutive year that he taught the same subject at the same school. Mr. McClung was becoming dependent on old lesson plans, and felt his creativity vanishing. He pointed out that he was not being challenged so therefore his students weren't being challenged. Mr. McClung said his "goal as educator is to do everything I can to ensure that students enjoy class and not resent school as I did as a child". This is something that I will strive to do every day in my classroom. If a student doesn't enjoy the class they're in then there is no way they will pay attention. I want to challenge my students daily, and change up their routine. If the same thing is done day after day then anyone would get bored, especially children. My goal is to have my classroom be a place where my students are excited to go and learn, not a place they dread.

Project #10 PLN

I have recently created my PLN, and I'm having a major love/hate relationship with it! I absolutely love it, because I'm such a neat freak. It helps me get all of my websites in order, and its very easily accessible. The only reasons that I have any ill willed feelings towards it is because I'm spending hours on organizing it when I could be doing other things! The PLN I chose to use is Symbaloo, and I'm very happy with my choice. So far I have added a ton of websites, and I have logged into my websites through Symbaloo to get them activated. I'm also in the process of putting the websites that I've added into categories to make them even more easier to use. Symbaloo is something that I will definitely be using outside of EDM310.

Project #3 C4T #2

C4T #2 Comment 1
For C4T #2 I was assigned to John Burk. His blog is titled "Quantum Progress". Mr. Burk is a physics and math teacher at boarding school in Delaware. He is a fairly active blogger so finding a post wasn't a difficult task. For post number I chose, "Exploring Parametrics with Ships in the Night". In this post, Mr. Burk talks about the parametrics of the possibility of two ships hitting each other. He gave his class a rather lengthy ten page worksheet to figure out if the ships would collide or miss. At the end of his post he talks about his students truly understanding the problem, and this is where his question comes in to play, "If a student can calculate a set of parametric equations to model the position of the boat, but doesn’t know what a parameter is, is that ok?"

I started off my comment back to Mr. Burk by introducing myself, and letting him know that I was commenting on his post per an assignment for EDM310. I then gave him the links to our class blog, my blog, and my twitter. I told Mr. Burk that I believed knowing the vocabulary is just as important as understanding the concept. I also told him that not only does knowing the vocabulary help the student to differentiate concepts, but it may help solve the problem you have been facing with the students struggling in presenting their data. Luckily, Mr Burk responded back to me and told me he completely agreed, but he wasn't sure if students being able to define what a parametric equation is as an essential skill if they can solve problems with them in the appropriate context.

C4T #2 Comment 2
For comment number two on, "Quantum Progress," I posted on, "My Colleague Finds a Mistake in Feynman". This post was based upon a video Mr. Burk watched by Richard Feynman. He sent the video to a colleague of his whom told him Mr. Feynman had it all wrong. Mr. Feynman suggests that the oxygen generated during photosynthesis is the product of a splitting apart of carbon and oxygen in carbon dioxide. When in fact, all the oxygen produced by photosynthesis is generated by the splitting of water to make H+ e- and O2, says Mr Burk's colleague. This interaction generated Mr. Burk's thoughts on the damage of one teacher teaching several subjects.

In my comment back to Mr. Burk, I told him since most science teachers specialize in whatever subject it is that they teach, it makes sense that a specialist in one area would call out a specialist in another area on specific information that pertains to their expertise. I then said that having a single teacher for all subjects would hurt the overall quality of education that students receive now. It seems that teachers would teach with a “jack of all trades, master of none” mentality. I ended my comment by saying I thought that the current system is our best option right now, with a focus towards specialization.

Blog Assignment #8

Richard Miller: This is How We Dream

"This Is How We Dream" is a fascinating look into how multimedia will be used for educational purposes in the future. With technology constantly improving on a second by second basis, it is nearly impossible for anyone to keep up. Dr. Miller has done a fantastic job of presenting the different ways that academic research has changed over the years, pointing out that doing legitimate research no longer requires setting foot in a library.

Some of the examples that Dr. Miller used to demonstrate the advancements in multimedia were very impressive. His project about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that he talked about and showed video of was a good example of where education could be headed. The project not only used text as a means of presenting information, but also interactive videos that keep readers interested and involved. Projects such as this can be a great educational tool for teachers.

At this point, I cannot say that I am 100% ready to write with multimedia myself. After a few more hours of practice with it, I should be able to complete an assignment on a beginner level. Learning these skills takes time and practice, but it is worth it to learn the skills I will need to become an effective teacher. I have no doubt that my students will someday be able to use this same multimedia and far more advanced programs not yet dreamed up to do even more elaborate projects than we have thought of yet. The evolution of technology is constant, and we as teachers must try our best to stay ahead of the curve.

Carly Pugh's Blog Post #12
"Carly Pugh" is a former student of EDM310, and she created a multimedia playlist as part of an assignment. In her assignment, she said that every student was to pick ten YouTube videos based off of the ten topics that she gives. This is such a creative way to carry out Miller's idea on multimedia She did an amazing job on her blog post, and set the bar very high for incoming students. I found out through Carly's blog that we get to create our own assignment towards the end of the semester, and I'm so excited!

EDM310 is Different
The video, "The Chipper Series," is about a student named Chipper. Chipper is not happy about the class, EDM310, and confronts Dr. Strange about the way it's being run. Chipper complains about the deadlines, and is unhappy that she has to teach herself. In the end, Chipper decides to drop out of school to go to a pilot school. The pilot school also did not work out for Chipper so she then decided to become a teacher. Teaching ended up not being Chippers forte` either, because as we saw in the beginning Chipper has an issue with timelines. After trying to find her her way in life with other job opportunities, Chipper finally realizes that hard work is the key to success. The main message in the video is to not give up just because something is hard. The video ends by showing us how beneficial it is to stick with things when you commit to them, and not to just give up because its overwhelming.

"EDM for Dummies," is video made by former EDM310 students. The video starts off with two girls being extremely frustrated about the class. The girls then buy the book, EDM310 for Dummies, and they start understanding how to do their assignments better. The main message in this video is that even though EDM310 can be very overwhelming, with the proper tools and planning it can be accomplished.

Learn to Change, Change to Learn
"Learn to Change, Change to Learn," is a video about the importance of technology in the classroom. I completely agree with everything in this video. The world is constantly evolving, and this video is encouraging educators to keep up with the changes. Keeping students involved in the classroom is a huge task. If students are using technologically advanced equipment as learning tools instead of worksheets and textbooks, then I believe they will have a far better chance of being engaged in the material. We as educators are responsible for giving our students the best educational experience possible.

Scavenger Hunt 2.0
1."Edmodo.com" is a social networking website designed for teachers and students to be able to connect with one another online. It allows teachers to post grades and field questions from students, while allowing students access to tools such as calendars, syllabi, and assignments. Although I have never used edmodo in a teaching role, it seems like a great tool for teachers to use as a supplement to a class website or as the main website for a class. Not only will it be useful for teachers to direct students to the website for any questions they may have or to implement an online quiz, but it will also be a great tool for students to make use of, always knowing how to find out when assignments are due and having easy access to their teacher.

2. This presentation was created using a tool called "prezi." Prezi is a presentation tool that is similar to other slideshow programs with different transitions from slide to slide, including zooming and rotating. Prezi is a free program, but many of the best features of the program are only available to paying customers. Subscriptions vary from $4.92/month for the “Enjoy” package, which gets you 500MB storage space and premium support, to $13.25/month for the “Pro” package, which bumps up the storage space to 2GB and allows users to edit prezi presentations offline. They have a special deal for students and teachers which allows them to use the “Enjoy” package free of charge and pay only $4.92/month for the “Pro” package. It is great that prezi gives such a great deal to students and teachers, so that they may use the program without having to worry about its cost.

3. I made a comic strip at "Make Beliefs Comix."

Timetoast Project 9b--States Added to the Union Post Civil War

Blog Assignment #7

The Networked Student

Wendy Drexler's, ""The Networked Student," is an amazing video that shows some of the things that technology can do. The video is about Mrs. Drexler's actual high school class. They go to school three days a week, and are online for two. In the video, the students are being taught a lot of the same things we're doing in EDM310. The type of learning these students are experiencing are called, connectivism. Connectivism is learning from social connections and ties. is The network is a learning tool students can use as opposed to listening to endless lectures. The students read other blogs, comment on them, and create their own blog just like we do. They also use websites like Delicious and Google Scholar.

In the video the question, "why do we even need a teacher?" arises. I can answer that question very easily. Teachers are so much more than just a person to stand there and lecture. Teachers are role models, mentors, counselors, and many more things. Being a "networked student" does help you become a more efficient learner on your own, but a teacher is still there to guide students, and help them with any problems that may occur.

This video is very informative, it shows different ways networking can enhance learning. Networking allows students to broaden their learning experience by connecting them with other students all over the world. It shows similar things to what we are learning in EDM310, and I also believe this is what all teaching will be like in the future.

A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment

In the video, "A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment," a 7th grade student is learning in a way that coincides with EDM310. The first thing that I noticed is that she is extremely organized, and seems very intelligent for a 7th grader. Like her, we're using google docs for assignments. This type of learning gives students freedom, while keeping them grounded with timelines. Even thought I have not yet set up my PLN, I plan to use Symbaloo just like she did!

Project #8 Podcast

Blog Assignment #6

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

In the video, “Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” Randy Paush immediately caught my attention when he said, “If you had one lecture to give, what would it be?” In the lecture, Pausch discusses his own childhood dreams, how you can enable the dreams of others, and how you can achieve your own dreams. This was Pausch’s last lecture, because he was given just a few months left to live due to numerous tumors on his liver. Despite his health going downhill, he was in an incredible mood. It truly was inspiring to watch him make the best of his situation, and still have a great passion for life. For this lecture, Pausch used PowerPoint, props, and pictures from his life to help illustrate particular points.
The first portion of Pausch’s lecture was dedicated to his childhood dreams. His dreams were to experience zero gravity, play in the NFL, have an article in the World Book Encyclopedia, being Captain Kirk, be the guy that wins stuffed animals at the fair, and become a Disney Imagineer. Out of this portion of the lecture, the point that I gravitated towards was when he talked about the concept of the “head fake.” The “head fake” is indirect learning, what Pausch stresses is so important. Before EDM310 I never thought much about indirect learning. Dr. Strange, like Randy Pausch, both emphasize giving assignments, and making students step out of the box to figure them out with minimal guidance. After taking EDM310, I can truly see how important indirect learning is, and it’s definitely something I will be enforcing in my classroom.

C4K September Summary

C4K #1
For C4K #1 I was assigned to comment on Shalom at Point England School's blog post titled, ”Re-Crafting.” Shalom started off his post with a paragraph that another girl in his class named, Aldora, wrote. After Aldora’s paragraph, Shalom rewrote the paragraph wording some sentences differently, and making grammatical corrections where he saw fit.

I commented on Shalom’s post, and praised him for his excellent ability of editing papers. I told him that having the skill of editing would help him tremendously throughout his schooling. I ended my comment by encouraging him to keep up the good work!

C4K #2
For C4K #2 I was assigned to a student named, Sisilia, also at Point England School. The blog post I commented on was titled, "Weekend Camp," and it was about a weekend she spent at camp. I was very impressed with how detailed she was describing her weekend. She started off by talking about the weather, and then went on to talk about her friends being on the bus that took them to camp. Sicilia ended her post by talking about about how excited she was to have her friends in cabins next to hers, and how they all met up and ate hotdogs.

I commented on Sisilia's post, and told her that I admired her positive outlook on life. I told her that a lot of people would have let the rainy weather get them down, and I was happy to see that she didn't. I went on to tell her that I was so glad that she had a wonderful time at camp, and that I was excited to read more of her blog posts.

Project #9 Timetoast