I have wanted to be a teacher ever since I was a little girl. I created tests, bathroom passes, libraries, projects, rewards, and more. Everything a real teacher would do but I had to use my imagination when it came to my chalkboard. In fifth grade my dreams came true. My dad got me a real chalkboard. It was not an easel. It was a real to scale chalkboard. I would write on it every day. Teaching my stuffed animals and my collie Silky. I was in love with everything about it. What it meant. The power it held. That was in the year 2000 and now 12 years later Smartboards have taken over. At first I was 100% against them. What is this thing taking over my chalkboard? Something I have dreamed about having since I was six. I was just as apprehensive and straight up against it as I was about EDM 310. I had it in my head that EDM310 would be a waste of time and money. I will not be able to use any of this "technology" in my classroom. I was seriously misguided. With my chalkboard I had to learn to let go of the past and embrace the future. Everything I did as a child has set me up to for my journey as a teacher. Although it is more then the love of one thing it is the love for everything it represents. When the teacher is at the chalkboard they are in control, brilliant, creative, and passionate. Those are the things I want to be. I know now I can be those things without my chalkboard. This in its' own says so much. As a teacher I cannot cling to old ideas, traditions, or teachings. I have to create my own. I have to embrace change. Be open to the future. Discover new things and bring them into the classroom. Once you do it will change everything about you. I have accepted the death of the chalkboard and the birth of the smartboard. The rise of technology.
Now that I have accepted these things it will be much more beneficial to the students. They emerged in technology. They thrive off of it. I cannot honestly expect them to learn and grow if I am stuck in old ways. Being in EDM 310 has opened me up to a world I used to think did not belong in the classroom. When I was in elementary school hearing technology in the classroom you thought of three things: A. Being dragged into the computer lab (like once) being forced to draw something on paint and write something on word. B. Being sent to the library to take accelerated reader tests. C. Having a television and VCR being drug into the classroom to watch a movie. This is what technology meant when I was in school. Now it is a whole new universe waiting to be explored. I plan on sampling this universe in my classroom. I am now fully committed to technology being in my classroom.
To start things off we have a class website. This is the root system where everything else stems off of this. In here you will find such things as: class assignments (if you happened to miss class), homework assignments, extra practice quizzes, class polls, books we are reading, our class blog, other's blogs, mom approved websites, a place to show case our art, access to videos or podcasts of the lessons being taught in class, a calender, lunch menu, a place to email me, and so much more. From here comes our blogs. We will have a class blog that I will monitor. It will have what we are doing in class. What we have learned. What we are exploring. Etc. Then each student will have their own blog (just their first name will be given to protect privacy). My goal is to have the students post to their blog and post a comment on someone else's blog once a week. I have learned that this is very beneficial to the students. It gives them an audience, a purpose, feedback, connections all across the globe, and feelings of worth. I would like to do Skype sessions as well. This will help the students learn about other cultures and traditions. It will teach them how alike and different they truly are. I will true to do movies, podcasts, and even book trailers. All of this though is sadly hard to do when you only have four computers in a classroom. My dream is to one day have an Ipad in access to every student. Imagine the possibilities. All they can learn and explore. Everything that the APPs have to offer. The solar system at your finger tips. So much more is possible.
All of this came from this class EDM 310. I have grown so much. Learned so much. I now know to never be closed minded. Be open. I now know as a teacher I must always be an active learner. No one can ever stop learning. I must not get to a place where I am comfortable. I have to always strive to be better. Push myself a little harder. Do more then teach "burp back education." Most important ALWAYS ALWAYS keep the children a priority. Keep them in your heart and in your best of mind.
Thank you Dr. Strange for inspiring me.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Project #16
Project #13
Sunday, April 29, 2012
C4T #4
Will Richardson
I'm giving away $1,000. Interested?
Mr. Richardson wrote a book and the proceeds he got he decided to give away to somebody. The catch is they have to earn it. He asks for ideas to how the deserving person should be chosen. I chose to tell him that he needs to allow them to be creative and give them wiggle room so that you can see them really shine. I said he should come up with like one key idea that every submission should have and then judge on if they have this and how creative they are.
Wake up call
This blog post was a little tricky for me to understand. What I got from it is that he is stating that education is controlled by money. Whatever happens to it is based on the people with the most money. I felt like what he was saying also is that we as teachers can be replaced with technology. I however posted that I don't feel like this can happen. If students only learn from a computer they will like essential real world skills such as manners. I don't see how anybody would decide to do this.
I'm giving away $1,000. Interested?
Mr. Richardson wrote a book and the proceeds he got he decided to give away to somebody. The catch is they have to earn it. He asks for ideas to how the deserving person should be chosen. I chose to tell him that he needs to allow them to be creative and give them wiggle room so that you can see them really shine. I said he should come up with like one key idea that every submission should have and then judge on if they have this and how creative they are.
Wake up call
This blog post was a little tricky for me to understand. What I got from it is that he is stating that education is controlled by money. Whatever happens to it is based on the people with the most money. I felt like what he was saying also is that we as teachers can be replaced with technology. I however posted that I don't feel like this can happen. If students only learn from a computer they will like essential real world skills such as manners. I don't see how anybody would decide to do this.
Project #10 PLN
It took me a while to fully grasp a PLN. In all honesty at first I didn't see the need in this. I have a beautiful rainbow notebook special for everything teacher/education related. Any cool idea I hear or website I find I write it in my notebook. I have had this 200 page notebook since high school just waiting for me to start my education classes and become filed with ideas. I cherish this notebook and at the end of each semester I go back through my notes and right down anything and everything that was interesting. I am going to have A LOT to fill my notebook with this time. Yes my notebook is beyond AMAZING but Symbaloo does make my websites I found easier to get to. I can't click on a website in my notebook (that would be so awesome though). So in the end I decided I like this. I added things on there that really I will delete in the future. I don't honestly need links on there to Facebook, Google, or Twitter. I put them in there for the sake of the instructions for this project. I will however keep adding to it. I do like however how it keeps my website i have discovered. It is a lot better then keeping favorites on your computer since you can access it anywhere. I do wish I could embed it so I can place it on my future class webpage. I did like looking for websites to place in my PLN. It took quite a lot of searching to find anything good but I did like the sites I found. This is definitely a useful tool.
Blog Post #13
E-Media Fast
To be perfectly honest there was no way I was going to be able to do this assignment. Michael is away in Pensacola right now for training. I have a 21 month old little girl named Leyna. There is no way I could in my heart not let her call or facetime her daddy. Every night before she goes to bed we facetime Michael. It is the only way she will go to bed. I was able to stay off all other forms of electronics though. I didn't use facebook or the television. I stayed off my ipad. It was difficult not using any technology because I always check my facebook in the morning and I always check funny pics at night before I go to bed. If I am uncertain about anything I always Google it to make sure what I am saying is correct. I no longer have a dictionary and I have never had an encyclopedia. I also use my phone for Pandora Radio when I am walking or to get Leyna dancing to some Blues.
I know the students will have difficulties trying to keep electronics at the door but I don't see myself has keeping technology out of the classroom. I will teach them how to properly use technology in my classes. I will have them blogging, using Google, and playing games. I already am certain that I will have a smartboard and hopefully a handful of computers. I will use these tools to our advantage. If students have smartphones, which I am certain most of them will have by the time I have my own classroom, I will allow them to use them in the classroom. They can blog from their phone, do math, Google, spellcheck, and so much more. I am not going to limit these things in my classroom. These tools can help them so much and it is a part of there everyday life. I am sure that I will properly only have one or two students that have no computer in the home. The majority of students will not go a day without technology. We can't really expect them to. Somehow we have to integrate technology into the classroom on a day to day basis.
To be perfectly honest there was no way I was going to be able to do this assignment. Michael is away in Pensacola right now for training. I have a 21 month old little girl named Leyna. There is no way I could in my heart not let her call or facetime her daddy. Every night before she goes to bed we facetime Michael. It is the only way she will go to bed. I was able to stay off all other forms of electronics though. I didn't use facebook or the television. I stayed off my ipad. It was difficult not using any technology because I always check my facebook in the morning and I always check funny pics at night before I go to bed. If I am uncertain about anything I always Google it to make sure what I am saying is correct. I no longer have a dictionary and I have never had an encyclopedia. I also use my phone for Pandora Radio when I am walking or to get Leyna dancing to some Blues.
I know the students will have difficulties trying to keep electronics at the door but I don't see myself has keeping technology out of the classroom. I will teach them how to properly use technology in my classes. I will have them blogging, using Google, and playing games. I already am certain that I will have a smartboard and hopefully a handful of computers. I will use these tools to our advantage. If students have smartphones, which I am certain most of them will have by the time I have my own classroom, I will allow them to use them in the classroom. They can blog from their phone, do math, Google, spellcheck, and so much more. I am not going to limit these things in my classroom. These tools can help them so much and it is a part of there everyday life. I am sure that I will properly only have one or two students that have no computer in the home. The majority of students will not go a day without technology. We can't really expect them to. Somehow we have to integrate technology into the classroom on a day to day basis.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Progress Report on Final Project
Blog Post #12
Create your own blog post idea.
Find any type of technology that you can use in the elementary classroom. This piece of technology can be anything but it has to be something NEW that you have found. It can not be something that you have used in any of our previous assignments. It has to be something you have never used before. After you find this piece of technology post it's link or describe it. Then you must say how you will use this in your classroom. It does not have to be something you used every day but it has to be something you will use frequently.
Teachers First is a website that has many tools available for use in the classroom. All you have to do is explore it. I will definitely use this in my classroom all of the time. I will use it to find new tools to use in the classroom. I found a search engine that is kid friendly. I found a mapping tool that combines pictures, maps, and events all together. I absolutely love this site.
Find any type of technology that you can use in the elementary classroom. This piece of technology can be anything but it has to be something NEW that you have found. It can not be something that you have used in any of our previous assignments. It has to be something you have never used before. After you find this piece of technology post it's link or describe it. Then you must say how you will use this in your classroom. It does not have to be something you used every day but it has to be something you will use frequently.
Teachers First is a website that has many tools available for use in the classroom. All you have to do is explore it. I will definitely use this in my classroom all of the time. I will use it to find new tools to use in the classroom. I found a search engine that is kid friendly. I found a mapping tool that combines pictures, maps, and events all together. I absolutely love this site.
Creativity and Curiosity: My thoughts Special Post #12A
Do schools destroy curiosity and creativity? If yes, why?
I feel like schools do destroy curiosity and creativity. I have been in many schools in Alabama and one in Wisconsin though I do not remember my time there. I can not assume that all schools are like the ones that I went to but given the question I am going to answer from what I have experienced. In my first elementary school it was a private school and we did so many activities. We were always outside and creating things. My school was from kindergarten through to twelfth grade. As a whole we did many activities together. I remember one week to signify unity we each created a foot print and taped them around the school. Our school was a big oval. Then one day we stood standing hand to hand in a complete oval. We created flower pots and did art every day. Then I transferred to a public school. I remember when one of the few times we actually did free art one of my classmates drew his family as he saw it. He got in trouble by the teacher. He was told that that was not right and everything he drew was wrong. It crushed him. In middle school my science teacher allowed creativity and then the CRTs happened. Creativity and curiosity was squashed. All the science experiments that she had planned got packed up in a closet and forgotten. In high school we had nothing but again one teacher shined through it all and got an approved duel class: Newspaper and creative writing. It was the hardest and best class I ever had. All of us struggled. We were allowed to be creative and curious. We had to have original thoughts and ideas. We had to write a children's book. She also included technology. I don't recall the program but she taught two others school in Alabama while using a skype type tool. I wan in band. You would think we would be allowed to be creative. Nope. Any ideas we had would be shot down. We had to play only what he gave us. Then I transferred. I joined jazz band and my director was amazing. He taught us to improv. This was a hard thing for me. To just create music from my very being. It taught me so much. I do not understand how these amazing teachers allowed us to be free and 90% of the other teachers tore us down. I cannot answer why. I feel like this is a choice the teachers make on there own. Maybe somewhere down the line something they created was told that is not good enough and damaged them as much it damaged me. Now that I am about to be teacher I have to learn how to be creative all on my own again. I have to let my inner child free. I also feel like maybe the people that are above us just do not understand the importance of creativity and curiosity. I do not know when or where it started but it has created a disastrous chain. Where everybody suffers.
Can curriculum be developed that increases creativity and curiosity?
I feel like it can. Depending on the principal I get I plan on doing a lot of things that allow creativity. I plan on including technology where they have to do things from scratch. Most of all I plan on doing tons of arts. I want them to be able to draw what the feel as well as find words to describe it. I plan on doing projects instead of tests that have them hit on all of blooms taxonomy. These projects will have them be creative. I am sure though that many of them will probably just look up ideas online. As of right now I don't know how to approach that. I plan on reading as many times as I can to students. These books I plan on reading I will be able to ask questions to get them to predict what might happen next. I feel like this will get them to be curious about what happens. I think curiosity is the hardest one to develop. Children are naturally curious when they are babies and it depends on their caregiver if that has been taken away or nurtured. I really need to discover ways to make them curious. I feel like if we do science experiments they should naturally be curious about the outcomes.
Can teachers actions increase curiosity or creativity?
Yes. Those few teachers I mentioned gave us freedom to discover and be creative. They forced us to be unique. It worked. They gave us something simple and made us add on to it. One teacher every day gave us a quote and she would ask us what does it mean to us. It made us look up words we didn't know and it made us reach into ourselves and discover parts of us we didn't know were there. She would give us a topic and make us branch out on that. I feel like if the teacher just hands you everything you are supposed to know to pass the test your not going to remember it and your not learning anything. If a teacher just asks why is the sky blue without first explaining it they will get some pretty far fetched answers depending on the age. Ask a simple question that they need to know to pass the test and find out what they already think. Then just say something simple as well tell me why. They then have to find it on their own and they become curious.
What would help you become more curious and creative. What role do the teachers or schools have in that process?
I honestly don't see anything that school or teachers can do at this point to make me more curious. I am already a very curious person. I always want to know why. Why do you feel this way? Why did you get that answer? Why did you draw that that way? I don't see how that can grown anymore. On the creative side where I am entering at in school it forces me to be creative. I have to create so many things on my own now. I have to be unique and I have to be creative.
C4K Summary: April
Brain
His first blog post was on March Maddness. He talked about who he is going for which was Kentucky. He talked about how a player was suspened for his grades. I asked him if he thought this was fair. He replied with yes. His second post was about Spring Break and how he had not finished reading "The Hunger Games" for his book report. He stated that he was going to just watch the movie. I warned him how the movie was nothing like the book. He responded with how he finished the book and did his book report.
Jen
He blog post was about Pollution. She states the question why can't people just drive less. Her main outcry is why don't people just bike or walk to the places they need to go. I told her about how where I live that is not always an easy task to do since I live in Semmes and everything is in Mobile.
Charles
Charles is my final blog post and he created an Easter Egg on the Internet. He then created a short video that he says that he has many Easter Eggs that are beautiful and yummy to eat. I told him that he did a great job reading out loud and that his egg is very pretty.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Blog Post #11
Mrs. Cassidy
Mrs. Cassidy uses many forms of technology in her classroom. She has a smartboard, access to computers, and Nintendo DSs. She uses wikis, blogs, class webpage, videos, and Skype. Since there is limited Nintendos the students have to collaborate and work in groups to play the game Nintendogs. The game is where you raise and take care of a dog. My favorite approach she has is her class webpage. She has listed tools she is going to use in the class and places the kids can visit to play educational games or just learn something new. I love this idea and I plan on using it in my classroom. I can see the kids doing more work outside of school. I can see them retaining more of the information and doing better on tests then if they didn't have this option. I also feel like since I provide them safe places to go they may not be as tempted to try and find things like this on their own. That they will have more then enough to explore then to veer off course.
Mrs. Cassidy uses many forms of technology in her classroom. She has a smartboard, access to computers, and Nintendo DSs. She uses wikis, blogs, class webpage, videos, and Skype. Since there is limited Nintendos the students have to collaborate and work in groups to play the game Nintendogs. The game is where you raise and take care of a dog. My favorite approach she has is her class webpage. She has listed tools she is going to use in the class and places the kids can visit to play educational games or just learn something new. I love this idea and I plan on using it in my classroom. I can see the kids doing more work outside of school. I can see them retaining more of the information and doing better on tests then if they didn't have this option. I also feel like since I provide them safe places to go they may not be as tempted to try and find things like this on their own. That they will have more then enough to explore then to veer off course.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Blog Post # 10
Do you teach or do you educate?
This assignment is a tough one. I am to write about how I will be an educator verses a teacher. I know the differences but I don't know how to go down that path. There is such pressure to pass the tests it is hard to actually do anything in the classroom. In Alabama we have E.Q.T.s (end of quarter exams). The students have to pass this. Basically if your students fail this then you are an awful teacher. So here you see a lot of teaching the test. I find it very hard to stray away from that. I haven't done my student teaching and I've only done twelve hours of field experience so I don't know much but from word of mouth this is what happens end of story.
To be an educator with so much pressure on passing the test is in my eyes hard to accomplish. I do however strive on values being placed in my classroom. I want them to do something for themselves not because we need them to be a number. I want high moral standards. I want them to know that doing the right thing is not bad. I want them to have an imagination and grow into wonderful people. I want them to have freedom to be creative and not be critized because their sky is green or their ocean is smaller then everything else. I want my classroom to be a safe zone. Where the students can feel safe in being whoever they want to be. I want what they learn and experience in my classroom to carry on with them for the rest of their lives. I'm still on this journey so I'm not sure how to do this yet but I have big dreams.
Tom Johnson's Don't let them take the pencils home!
When I first read this post I was a little confused. I knew from the beginning it was a little sarcastic. He tells a conversation that happened between him and this specialist women. Well she states that the students cannot take home the pencils because of lower test scores. He says that if we give them something to do with them they won't want to just play with the pencils. In my aspect I see this conversation really being about technology. So many people hear that word and freeze. They thing of only one thing entertainment.
This argument was presented in my opinion in a sarcastic manner but it caught your attention and made you think about what is really being said. Of course you can take this so many ways but I like to think it is about technology. He makes a valid point that if you give this to the student and give them something to do with it they will be so distracted they won't even think about using it for entertainment. Technology can help in so many ways but people think it is the end to education when really it is the beginning. The students can master so many skills without even knowing it because they will be doing something engaging. People really need to take a step back and rethink every aspect of teaching. Don't be afraid! Educate yourselves and be open.
This assignment is a tough one. I am to write about how I will be an educator verses a teacher. I know the differences but I don't know how to go down that path. There is such pressure to pass the tests it is hard to actually do anything in the classroom. In Alabama we have E.Q.T.s (end of quarter exams). The students have to pass this. Basically if your students fail this then you are an awful teacher. So here you see a lot of teaching the test. I find it very hard to stray away from that. I haven't done my student teaching and I've only done twelve hours of field experience so I don't know much but from word of mouth this is what happens end of story.
To be an educator with so much pressure on passing the test is in my eyes hard to accomplish. I do however strive on values being placed in my classroom. I want them to do something for themselves not because we need them to be a number. I want high moral standards. I want them to know that doing the right thing is not bad. I want them to have an imagination and grow into wonderful people. I want them to have freedom to be creative and not be critized because their sky is green or their ocean is smaller then everything else. I want my classroom to be a safe zone. Where the students can feel safe in being whoever they want to be. I want what they learn and experience in my classroom to carry on with them for the rest of their lives. I'm still on this journey so I'm not sure how to do this yet but I have big dreams.
Tom Johnson's Don't let them take the pencils home!
When I first read this post I was a little confused. I knew from the beginning it was a little sarcastic. He tells a conversation that happened between him and this specialist women. Well she states that the students cannot take home the pencils because of lower test scores. He says that if we give them something to do with them they won't want to just play with the pencils. In my aspect I see this conversation really being about technology. So many people hear that word and freeze. They thing of only one thing entertainment.
This argument was presented in my opinion in a sarcastic manner but it caught your attention and made you think about what is really being said. Of course you can take this so many ways but I like to think it is about technology. He makes a valid point that if you give this to the student and give them something to do with it they will be so distracted they won't even think about using it for entertainment. Technology can help in so many ways but people think it is the end to education when really it is the beginning. The students can master so many skills without even knowing it because they will be doing something engaging. People really need to take a step back and rethink every aspect of teaching. Don't be afraid! Educate yourselves and be open.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
C4T #3
Aviva
The first blog post I commented on was Making Writing Meaningful. It talks about how important it is for the children to have an audience and a purpose when writing. He talks about how his students wrote about a certain aspect of technology and it got around to the other teachers. The teachers acted wonderfully and asked the students for more advice and for them to even show them how to use the technology. He says how much it inspired his students to want to do more. I never realized how important these things were. When I chose selections for them to write I will make sure to make it so that someone somewhere will respond to them and have it have some kind of outcome where it has a purpose.
The second blog post I commented on was Unepexted Character Education. He says how is grade 1 and 2 students had been working on plays. He let them decided how they wanted to present it. I will also follow this path in my classroom. I will make sure to allow the students to be creative. I think this is a very important thing to foster in children. So many teachers frown on this and kill creativity. I want to allow my children to flourish. I allow Leyna so much freedom. I tell her where the trolls live and not to put her hand in holes or the dragons will find her. I want her to draw and have an imagination and create things. I feel like it so important. He tells about how his students pulled together and helped each other in making these videos of the play. It really does surprise you what things pull children together and what teaches them many life lessons all at once.
The first blog post I commented on was Making Writing Meaningful. It talks about how important it is for the children to have an audience and a purpose when writing. He talks about how his students wrote about a certain aspect of technology and it got around to the other teachers. The teachers acted wonderfully and asked the students for more advice and for them to even show them how to use the technology. He says how much it inspired his students to want to do more. I never realized how important these things were. When I chose selections for them to write I will make sure to make it so that someone somewhere will respond to them and have it have some kind of outcome where it has a purpose.
The second blog post I commented on was Unepexted Character Education. He says how is grade 1 and 2 students had been working on plays. He let them decided how they wanted to present it. I will also follow this path in my classroom. I will make sure to allow the students to be creative. I think this is a very important thing to foster in children. So many teachers frown on this and kill creativity. I want to allow my children to flourish. I allow Leyna so much freedom. I tell her where the trolls live and not to put her hand in holes or the dragons will find her. I want her to draw and have an imagination and create things. I feel like it so important. He tells about how his students pulled together and helped each other in making these videos of the play. It really does surprise you what things pull children together and what teaches them many life lessons all at once.
C4K March
Week 1 Mrs. Graham's Class
This class blog recently wrote about bean plants they are growing in their classroom. She wrote how they made drawings to show how their beans have grown. They say they have learned the parts of the bean plant. I love how they had drawing diaries. I love this idea. I plan on incorporating art as much as I can in the classroom.
Week 2 Amel
This is a blog post by a child named Amel. He wrote about a visit to his uncle's house. He wrote how he played on his uncle's x-box. He went for a walk in the woods with his uncle. I told him that maybe he should try a scavenger hunt. He should make a list of animals in that ecosystem and see if he can see them or proof that they have been there.
Week 3Brian
This is a very short post about a young man named Brain. He talks briefly about March Madness. He says that someone got kicked off because of his grades. In my response I asked him if he thought that was too harsh and what did he think of it. He says that he is going for Kentucky.
Blog Post Nine
Mr. McClung
This post is about a blog created by Mr. McClung. These are end of the year wrap ups reflecting on what he has learned throughout the year. I chose to read and summarize his blog post from the year 2008-2009 and 2010-2011. I am going to summarize the tips that he listed in his posts. make sure you pay attention to your audience and let them lead your teachings. Make sure to keep things student centered. Be flexible. Nothing you do is ever going to be perfect. The lesson you plan is going to be different while it is still in your head verses when you actually teach it. When things go wrong just try and fix it and do it with a smile. Don't let your students know your stressing. One word: communicate. This is such a hard skill to master and many people have difficulty doing it. Make sure you communicate well with your students and your coworkers. Build relationships not just with your students but with your fellow teachers as well. Do not make expectations for your students you will be setting them up for disappointment and failure. If you still find yourself doing this make sure you do not scold them if they don't meet them. Remember that your job is to pick them up when they fall and brush them and send them back in their way. Do not be afraid of technology. Listen to your students and take interest in their lives. Get to know your students. Never stop learning. It is never to late to change the way you think, learn, or even your teaching style. Everything you do needs to keep the focus of your students. They need to always come number one even when a lot is going on in your life. Keep everything that is going on in your life and place at the doorway. Do not let it come into your classroom. Don't allow other to bring you down. If you are excited about the new things you are going to learn keep it that way. Stay true to yourself and don't let other ruin it. Also don't hold others to be as into the same things you are. Not everyone is ready or excited about change as you are. It's okay to be the outsider. Stick to whatever path you chose. Hold on to your common core beliefs. Do not take over for the student when they are doing something. Allow them to make mistakes and figure it out in their own. They will struggle but in the long run the will master those skills. Don't put yourself in a rut. Keep yourself in a postive light and don't get comfortable.
I agree with every single thing he wrote. I do not see anything wrong with anything he said. I find it all to be things we need to work on and keep in the top of our minds. I think so many teachers lose sight of why they began teaching. With all the drama and bull they have to deal with on a day to day basis i honestly don't blame them. We have to keep our students in the forefront though. If we lose our light then they are the ones that are going to suffer. I had multiple teachers that never helped me or gave me a second glance. But I had two wonderful teachers that helped me more then any one could have. One got me a mentor and a speech therapist the other gave me food and clothes when I had none. These are two wonderful ladies that have inspired me to become a teacher. I strive to be like them. I love how he did reflections on what he has learned. I think every teacher needs to read this. Maybe then the ones that need the hint will get it. All the things he said are things we tell our children every day. It is good though to find someone that is actually doing what they speak.
This post is about a blog created by Mr. McClung. These are end of the year wrap ups reflecting on what he has learned throughout the year. I chose to read and summarize his blog post from the year 2008-2009 and 2010-2011. I am going to summarize the tips that he listed in his posts. make sure you pay attention to your audience and let them lead your teachings. Make sure to keep things student centered. Be flexible. Nothing you do is ever going to be perfect. The lesson you plan is going to be different while it is still in your head verses when you actually teach it. When things go wrong just try and fix it and do it with a smile. Don't let your students know your stressing. One word: communicate. This is such a hard skill to master and many people have difficulty doing it. Make sure you communicate well with your students and your coworkers. Build relationships not just with your students but with your fellow teachers as well. Do not make expectations for your students you will be setting them up for disappointment and failure. If you still find yourself doing this make sure you do not scold them if they don't meet them. Remember that your job is to pick them up when they fall and brush them and send them back in their way. Do not be afraid of technology. Listen to your students and take interest in their lives. Get to know your students. Never stop learning. It is never to late to change the way you think, learn, or even your teaching style. Everything you do needs to keep the focus of your students. They need to always come number one even when a lot is going on in your life. Keep everything that is going on in your life and place at the doorway. Do not let it come into your classroom. Don't allow other to bring you down. If you are excited about the new things you are going to learn keep it that way. Stay true to yourself and don't let other ruin it. Also don't hold others to be as into the same things you are. Not everyone is ready or excited about change as you are. It's okay to be the outsider. Stick to whatever path you chose. Hold on to your common core beliefs. Do not take over for the student when they are doing something. Allow them to make mistakes and figure it out in their own. They will struggle but in the long run the will master those skills. Don't put yourself in a rut. Keep yourself in a postive light and don't get comfortable.
I agree with every single thing he wrote. I do not see anything wrong with anything he said. I find it all to be things we need to work on and keep in the top of our minds. I think so many teachers lose sight of why they began teaching. With all the drama and bull they have to deal with on a day to day basis i honestly don't blame them. We have to keep our students in the forefront though. If we lose our light then they are the ones that are going to suffer. I had multiple teachers that never helped me or gave me a second glance. But I had two wonderful teachers that helped me more then any one could have. One got me a mentor and a speech therapist the other gave me food and clothes when I had none. These are two wonderful ladies that have inspired me to become a teacher. I strive to be like them. I love how he did reflections on what he has learned. I think every teacher needs to read this. Maybe then the ones that need the hint will get it. All the things he said are things we tell our children every day. It is good though to find someone that is actually doing what they speak.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Blog Post #8
This Is How We Dream
This video is created by Doctor Robert Miller. It shows video and pictures in the background with text in a movie format. This video described how writing has changed. It has went from paper/pencil and going to libraries to using your laptop for everything. He says how he created some projects without ever stepping foot in a library. He describes how an article goes on in print but once online it lives on forever. Unlike in the library once you check it out to read there is still copies available for the next person to read.
Ideas are there and they do not belong to us individually. Ideas belong to us in a culture. As teachers our job is to share ideas freely with everyone. One thing we must do is provide this information in a captivitng way. A way that grabs our attention and we learn without realizing w
e are learning. He goes to say that. "restrictions are largely ones that we out on ourselves." He tells us that in a print model something such as the ideas in this video would have taken years to reach as many people as this video did being uploaded to the Internet in just the months.
This video at first was hard to grasp what he was saying. I had to watch it two more times to fully grasp it. I believe that the end idea here is to provide information that we are teaching as interesting as possible. Its' idea is that everything is out there but it is up to us to make it interesting and able to grasp the minds of who we are teaching. I believe the way he presented his information is an amazing idea. To create videos that teach the lesson with fun pictures or videos and then adding text so you know the key points is a wonderful tool. The students can go back in this information time and time again. I believe in my classroom I will spend time to create these videos but upload them to a class website. I feel like I might use them from time to time in the classroom but overall I use these as a form of review. I am very strict on allowing my daughter to watch television. I have relaxed some but my main beliefs stay the same. I feel like the best way to teach is hands on first and then do other forms. I feel like if I help them create something will teaching something it will stick more and they will not even realize they are learning something they will later be tested on.
Blog Post 12 Carly Pugh
This blog post is by a fellow student at South named Carly Pugh. In this blog she describes an assignment given to her by Dr. Strange. She is to creat a playlist of YouTube videos that lists all of these characteristics given to her by Dr. Strange. In this blog post are several videos that you must click on to understand what she is talking about. My favorite is the one about creativity. I feel as a teacher it is our job to nurture creativity and make it flourish in our students. I feel that the children that harvest this trait that still hold this true when they become adults go farther in life then those that did not. I think it is so beneficial and can help you in so many ways throughout life. She points out how important it is to get these kids to think. I think that most of these kids nowadays do not have to think. They are told what to write and what to do. When they are given something where they are free to create they are lost. I feel that she made many interesting points. She did upload one video directly so that you didn't have to click a link. It is six questions that shows what little I got from Dr. Miller. It shows a video that has pictures with a dialog. This is the only point that I got from "This Is How We Dream" videos is that things we need to say need to come in a brilliant way that gets the audience's attention and keeps it. I think this little video is fabulous and does exactly what Dr. Miller would want.
I really liked her blog post. I feel like we agree on so many levels. I feel like it takes so much to captivite the minds of young ones. I want to allow the kids to do so much creatively. I want pictures to be drawn as well as words to be written. I want them to do projects mainly with paper and cardboard but I am opening up to the idea of doing things online. The only issue I still run across is how are these kids going to be able to do it? I did my field experience at Fonde Elementary and there was only four computers in the classroom. Also with low income families I am sure I am going to run across one or two students that will have no way to get to the Internet at all. I love the idea of allowing them to do some of these projects but expenses stand in our way.
The Chipper Series and EDM310 For Dummies
These are two videos created by students in EDM310. This is the class that I am currently in and the whole reason behind me doing a blog. The first video is about a girl named Chipper. She is on a quest basically to get by in life doing the bare minimum. It is about a girl that goes to her professor Dr. Strange and tells him in updates about what is going on in her life. She starts out by saying she got an email saying she hasn't done her work. She says that since in the future she sees her work done and since the future is the present then her work is done. Dr. Strange sticks by his thoughts that her work is not done. She leaves and comes back and says she going to redefine procrastination to "work can be turned in late". Dr. Strange does not agree with this but she leaves and comes back on a different day. She comes back and tells Dr. Strange that he is not doing his job. He is not "teaching" her. She says her parents spend thousands of dollars in tuition and he should do his job. She wants to be taught so she doesn't have to learn. She says if he doesn't change his ways she is going to drop out and she does. She then decides she is going to make her own pilot school where they can come to stimulation and class when ever they chose and for however long they chose. They then get their degree. Well the FAA shuts her down since they never set foot in an airplane. So she decided she going to go teach and Dr. Strange helps her get a job. Well she gets fired since she didn't step foot inside the classroom since she just had too much going on in life. She then decides to be a waitress, then a nanny, and a garbage collector. She gets fired from the first job, didn't get hired in the second job, and in the third she had a coming of heart. She decides to change her ways and go back to school. The second video is a short commercial demonstrating what you need to pass EDM310. It asks you questions like "Does EDM310 have you down? Are you going crazy?". It then offers the solution to your problems EDM310 for dummies.
I enjoyed seeing what other students have created in EDM310. I really don't have many creative ideas when it comes to technology. The only thing video wise that I see myself creating is video of me teaching or going over a lesson so that my students can have it when they are sick. I just do not know if once I am in the classroom I will be able to do all that I want in my spare time. I have a daughter who is 20 months old and she comes number one in my life. I do not want her to suffer just because I am spending so much of my free time doing extra activities for my classroom. She has a speech delay and there are certain things that we need to do with her all the time. It is already hard enough doing the things she needs with a full course load and all things I need to do at home. I am going to be stretched even more thin when I start teaching.
Learn To Change, Change To learn
This is a video about how education should change as the environment it is in has changed. One point is that children are having a more stimulating environment at home rather then at school. Kids are communicating through social networking, SMS, email, and many other technological devices and all of these devices are are banned in schools. "Every turned off device is potentially a turned off child." School is not the only place where these children are learning. They are emerged in education at home, the library, museums, and online. Schools major function should now be for social networking, joint projects, and a guide for learning. Right now it is a solo experience where as this could be turned into a community. We need the best quality teachers regardless of where the student is. The student can collect data wandering around the city using his or her cell phone regardless of being in a classroom. It is about opening doors for these students. They can see what NASA is doing and experience what people are doing in the labs at MIT. It is connecting them to opportunities that will change their education experiences and shape them for college and life itself. All of this needs to start with the teacher. They need a place to swap ideas and a place that allows them to grow. One person spoke about standardize testing. He says that it is foolish to do have this type of testing. These children are not going to have jobs in the future that needs a vending machine answer. Another person says that when no child left behind fades away that creativity will take its' place. These students will have work that is artistic, created of teamwork, applications, and needs them to be multicultural and multilingual. They need to be able to know how to find information and prove that it is correct. They need to be able to problem solve. The last speaker gives the quote "Death of education, dawn of learning".
I feel like everything in this video is correct. Education as a whole needs an uplift. Everything that is in the classroom is either outdated or the wrong method. I strongly dislike standardize testing maybe because I am an awful test taker. I was in honors chemistry in high school. I knew all of the material. I stayed before and after school tutoring other students but every time I took a test I would fail it. When it comes to most testing there is only one way to do something. If you don't do it exactly right you fail. My teacher knew I knew the material and I passed the class with an A mainly because she gave me bonus points for tutoring. It was just the way the tests were written. I feel like there is so much more then that one way of testing. I don't see why a project can not be considered a test. It meets multiple objectives and they experience real life situations. Yet for some reason we still go back to multiple choice questions. Even jobs give you questionnaires to fill out. I highly doubt that if you were in a real situation you would chose only one of four choices. No you would not because there are hundreds of factors that go into one situation. Education needs to get with the times and throw out standardize testing. There are hundreds of different way you can measure a schools progress. Why do we stick with something that not everyone can excel at. My daughter has a delay and it worries me nonstop about whether or not she is still going to have by the time she starts public school. The fact that (what I've heard from another mother with a student in MCPSS) kindergarteners have to take E.Q.T.s is absurd. I heard that for them they are oral. Which frightens me because Leyna has a speech delay but she is smart in everything else. I don't feel like this is fair but is something I will deal with when the time comes. To get to the point I don't feel as though standardize testing is good for our students. Just because a piece of paper tells you that 85% of the kids passed doesn't mean anything. They all could of been really lucky and guessed right. They could memorize the answer but not be able to apply it. I will get off my soapbox now and go on to the next part of my blog.
scavenger hunt 2.0 Using Web 20.12
1.) Find a video tool.
I chose PhotoPreach.com. It is a place were you can create slide shows with polls or quizzes added in. You can share, create, and embed your slideshows. They have it available for anyone but they also have it special for educators. In the educators premium you have many things that make it worthwhile. It is all ad free. As an educator you can create and manage the students access. The students do not need an email to sign up. you. Can download unlimited shows in burn able DVDs and mpeg for showing online. You have adjustable controls for privacy and the site helps protect against the students seeing improper images. You can organize projects with tags. Can publish publicly. You can add your own MP3s to personalize your slide shows. You have unlimited space for albums and photos. You can customize transitions between slides. For this program its cost is for one educator and fifty students is nine dollars a month and for one educator and around one hundred and fifty students it is twenty-five dollars a month.
2.) Find a community tool
edmodo.com
This is a social networking device similar to Facebook. I only gather some bits and pieces of information from it since I don't want to fully set it up until I have my own classroom. In it you can post to your feed similar to Facebook except you click how you want it to read. Your choices are: note, alert, poll, quiz, or assignment. I feel like I can use this in my classroom to submit assignments online as well as in class take home folders. With it being online as well students that have missed class have a chance to see what it going on and can catch up before they come back. It makes it easier to keep due dates all the same. It will help me with organization as well and proof of what I have assigned where as a folder then can lose it. They cannot lose the Internet. I can see me using the poll feature to ask questions to see if everyone is understanding a lesson or to see if we need to go back over things. You can also add to something called the library. It has a place for google docs, files, and links. This is a great tool to keep interesting websites together to where the students can always look back and find them. From what I can tell the students can write posts to you. I think this would be great in keeping in touch with students after they leave my class and if they ever need help in the future they have a way to ask.
3. Create a poll.
Create interactive meetings at Poll Everywhere
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