Blog Assignment #10

I just looked at John Spencer's blog on Adventures in Pencil Integration and read some of the other blogs on his site as well as the link to what inspired this blog. I think that the key point he is trying to get across to teachers and administrators is that they tend to follow statistics and usually focus on a particular group and it generally doesn't paint the appropriate picture of truth behind the study. He is trying to say that pencils are not the cause of the problem. It is the people that control them without the proper knowledge to really get the most use out of that are not using the pencil correctly. So many people are good at identifying the problem; but, they have no idea how to come up with a solution. Doctors and scientist have identified all kinds of viruses. How many have they found a solution for to reduce or eliminate? They just put the sample in a lab and study why it is bad. There is no thought that the solution is better than the prevention. This is similar to education. Teachers and administrators see some statistic that pencils make students scores go down and they don't identify a solution. Instead, we just ban it and say that it is an avoidable subject. This can be compared to many items or ideas in our society that are labeled as black and white when we know that almost everything has a grey area.
He also touched on something in a blog called Capturing reality in which he touches on the idea of good vs bad. It talks about a conversation between a little girl and her father about taking pictures. She asks him why people need pictures to help them have a memory of a particular event or place. The story gets to the root of being a person that captures life through technology or participates in the moment using the technology. It is a matter of the context and how that applies to you. This has so much to do with the first blog in that everybody is different in how we learn. We cannot label a pencil or anything else as the cause of problems in education. It is supposed to be a joint effort between students, parents, and teachers to get students to use the tools properly and for the benefit of their education. Technology and pencils are just tools that we use to facilitate our thoughts, ideas, and innovations. But guidance is a necessary tool that we all will continue to need. Even the teachers that are educating the students!!!

I just got done watching the Do your Teach or Do you Educatevideo and it really hits home on why I am so passionate about becoming a teacher. In fact it is why I want to become an EDUCATOR!! The definition of teaching has many different variations; but, it all says the same thing. You are merely showing them how to do or remember something that is required from the curriculum. On the other hand, educating someone is reaching them on a whole new level. This is where I can make a real difference in their lives. It is my passion and it is the motivation that makes me want to educate!! There are so many ways to reach your kids on a personal level. That to me is the best way to have an impact on their education. Let them know that you really want to help them learn to be better human beings. Not just smarter students with a high GPA or part of an honor society. I think the key to education is teaching that exceptional student to take what they learned in the classroom as well as the life skills that we can provide and do something that will have a positive impact on their lives. Whether that be financial success or humanitarian relief, know that they were influenced by the care we showed them at a young, impressionable age!!
I just heard something in church that makes me think a lot about this video. My pastor mentioned that "Success is being able to take something and simplify it" It was the mindset that made Steve Jobs such an incredible person!! Jobs wanted to create a computer that was user friendly but cool looking at the same time. Well, I want to take education and simplify it so that everyone can enjoy it; but, I want to make it fun and cool and interesting at the same time!! The point I am saying is I have always wanted to truly touch the lives of my future classroom participants. Whatever impact that is(no matter how small) will be the highlight of my teaching career!!

C4T #3

My assigned teacher for this time was Mr. Jeff Delp who is a k-12 administrator. He posted a blog about the importance of building hope to students who come from poverty or bad family lives. I have to say that this blog is the reason why I want to teach!! My response was about my passion for giving back to those that are less fortunate. My way of doing this is helping open doors for students who are born with no hope for success. This is due to many things; but the most common problem is they fall into this trap of hopelessness because everyone around them tells them that this is the best it is ever going to be!! That is unfair and I want to change this perception. We need to show these kids colleges and jobs that stimulate their interest and give them options to take if they apply themselves in school! I only hope that other people in this profession share my beliefs. Because we are as much to blame as they are for so much failure!!!

The second comment from Mr. Delp's blog was about an idea called The North Star Effect. It is about the long term effects we can leave on our students. His analogy was that when you go a few degrees off, there is nothing seen right away. But, over time you see what that direction has taken you. Education has the same effect. If I can help a student just change their direction by just a few "degrees", maybe that will positively change their lives forever!! I can only dream that I can make this a real possibility!!

Blog Assignment #9

I would like to break this down into the two different end of the year reflections that Mr. McClung wrote about his teaching experience.

The first reflection I read was from his first year of teaching. He gave a list of key concepts that helped him with teaching and that he feels make us improve overall as teachers with our students and with fellow faculty. I think that his first topic of reading the crowd is really understated by most teachers. So many teachers tend to teach "their" way instead of reading how their students are responding to their teaching style. I have preached in my blogs that teachers have to find a way to spark the interests of students in the classroom. Many of them tend to fall short in this very important aspect of teaching. Another point that he touched on was the need to have reasonable expectations for your classroom. It's great to expect all of your students to make A's; but, we have to plan that some students will fall short and we have to find a way to help them just as much as the student that breezes through the class. Kids have very fragile levels of confidence and it doesn't take much to shatter that confidence. I think one of the most important responsibilities of teachers is to build their confidence and reinforce a positive communication with them when a struggling student is showing even the smallest improvements.

The second reflection I read was from his third year of teaching. He talks about the changes he has gone through in his career as far as adding coaching and going to professional development classes to further enhance his teaching skills. I enjoyed his point about knowing who your boss is. I really plan on making my students my number one priority!!!! They are the reason we are there. It is not for the administrative staff, the other teachers, or anybody else in the school system. Our job is to educate and prepare kids to be quality citizens in the world one day. So don't get so wrapped up in impressing your boss that your students are the ones who suffer. Another part that was really cool and something I have added to my memory is "Don't Touch the Keyboard!" What he is saying is don't take the work and do it for your students. Teach them to do something but let them do the steps on their own. I have learned that the hands-on process has always been the most effective tools that anybody ever taught me. In fact, I used this subject in the "My Sentence" project from earlier in the semester. If you have the time to check it out, you will know what I am talking about. What a great idea for all educators to do. We all should do reflections on a yearly basis. It can be like a diary that we can go back and look at when we are older!!

Project #15 Smartboard lesson

Project #13 Smartboard Instruction

Short Movie Project #11

Project #12 Book Trailer

Blog Assignment #8

This video that Dr. Miller made about incorporating multimedia applications as the future form of writing for students was pretty interesting. He mentions in part one of the video that he grew up loving books and reading and knew that he wanted to be associated with it when he grew up. However, he realizes that the world has evolved into something that has outgrown the library and the word processor. I have mentioned previously in other blogs of mine that education has got to reinvent itself. Dr. Miller said we need "fundamental changes." His idea is to teach students how to write with multimedia. The information is already there and there is an unlimited amount that we have access to.

Instead of barricading yourself away for hours or days to write reports, learn to collaborate with other students and educators from all over the world to produce these amazing multimedia projects that can cover any topic going on in the world from the past, present, or even the future!! Dr. Miller showed us in the video these amazing projects with videos, text, graphs, and webcast of people who all have insight of that particular topic. Instead of just watching teachers present them with information, help them research their questions, assignments, and projects online where the sky is the limit!

He mentions in the second part to the video a few ideas of where education can go. He has this vision of teachers that are inspired to the idea of new media composing and spaces that foster collaborative learning. He said there is ideas on this video that are not even possible yet; but, he believes that with the ever evolving improvements in technology, that the possibility will become reality. This will only happen when people like me and others coming up in education as principals, teachers, and school board members take a real deep look into what can make this field better. Because we are the ones who are going to shape our kids lives and your kids lives!

After reading Carly's blog, I am just blown away by her idea. I just got down watching all of her videos she created on her playlist. Every video tells a little bit about what her vision is of teaching. What is so amazing about this idea that she along with Dr. Miller are emphasizing is that we are all different in how we see the world. Yet, everybody brings something unique to the table. Everybody has heard the term "A picture says a thousand words." There are other ways to express our passions other than essays and word processor applications!! The world is a great big place just full of incredible people that want to tell you there hopes and dreams!! Help them make this a reality and we will all succeed in this crazy profession we all are inspired to do!!

I have been sitting here for the past hour trying to come up with an idea for a video that would help with this class. Well, I came up with absolutely nothing!! But wait, there is a reason for this. I am suffering from a new epidemic that is spreading all over the campus at the University of South Alabama. Students are going through these debilitating phases of depression and mass hysteria. This is followed by walking the streets aimlessly almost like a zombie. Eyewitnesses have said that when they approached these people to ask if they were okay, they only thing they could say was, "EEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDDDDDMMMMMMMMMMMM3333333333111111111000000000". It seems that all the students who have this problem have been linked to a class called EDM310. This class is taught by Dr. John Strange and requires students to learn how to do things on their own and utilize technology in their future classrooms. This idea of self learning has pushed them to the point of madness!! Somebody make it stop!!

Okay, I was just kidding!! It does make for a great video of the stages of self improvement that you go through in this class. It would be fun to film a student as they go from scared to frustrated and then watch them on their ascent up when they actually opened their minds and tried to learn something on their own!! What an amazing concept. Maybe we need Dr. Phil!!(For those of you that don't know what sarcasm is, you just read it in the previous paragraph as well as this one!!) That was for you Dr. Strange!

After watching the two videos, I can tell you that Chipper was related to procrastination and the notion that students still want to be force fed information. They don't want to learn. In fact, some would rather do something "easier" like serving or cleaning up garbage because you don't have to learn new skills. The key to this class is taking what you learn and continue to grow and expand your knowledge. This is a never ending process. The second video on EDM310 for Dummies was great!! The message I got from it is that if you take the time to read all the links that this class provides you, you can actually teach yourself a lot of the required programs that are in this class. What I can tell you is that if you make the effort to learn the tools of this class, the lab assistants are almost like the guides that we are learning to be as teachers. They won't do the work for you, but they will help fill in the blanks on what we don't quite grasp. Enjoyed the videos a lot!!

My stance on this video is mixed. I watched the educator and the student version of this so I could get a better perspective on what this new style of education is that they are pushing for in the classroom. I agree that technology is very important to education moving forward. My only objection is they were kind of unclear on how to do this. One of the professors mentioned that school should be a place for social media sharing and collaborative projects. I believe that could be a great addition but not the only forms of education. Don't get me wrong, the idea that most kids are probably learning more from researching on their own than they used to. That doesn't mean that education in the classroom is becoming obsolete. Maybe the whole brick and mortar idea is getting old. I am a huge fan of the ISchool approach that was mentioned in one of the earlier videos from the semester. A combination of the two is the direction I would like to see.

Blog Assignment #7

I just watched Randy Pausch's Last Lecture and I have laughed and cried at the same time more times than I can remember to count. All I have to say is I hope nobody tried a shortcut and didn't watch this video. It is truly inspiring and I am saddened that this incredible man is not here to continue to help other people down the path to success! Dr. Strange asked to write what I got from this video in at least 4 paragraphs. I will do my best to not drag this out; but, there is so much to learn from what Dr. Pausch said.

To quote the great Dr. Pausch, "The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough." To elaborate on what he is saying, everyone needs to take this quote and remember it for everyone obstacle that ever presents itself to you during your teaching career or any other part of your life. Success is the result of hard work and persistence. If education was easy, everybody could do it. The funny part is that we are our own brick wall. When we have a task that we feel is too tough (like 9 hours of work dedicated to a class), we drop the class, change majors, change jobs, buy something not as good, etc. If there is anything I will carry on from this video, it is to never give up on your dreams. Teach the way you feel will change a students life. Even if it isn't the traditional way. We used to call people that went against the norm "patriots", "revolutionists", and "innovators"!! Now we confuse people that think outside the box as "crazy" or "paranoid"!! Don't be afraid to be different. Steve Jobs was different. Randy Pausch was different!!

He also mentions that "Your critics are your ones telling you they still love you and care." Being critical is always confused with being overbearing or micromanaging. When people stop telling you your faults, they probably have given up on you. The only way to get better as a teacher is to take the criticism from others more experienced in the field and use it to make you better. We always feel that people criticize us because they are jealous or hate us!! That is so far from the truth. I have had a hard time with criticism over the years and have never stopped to think about what the message the person was trying to give.

Finally, I would like to touch on the most important part of the video. That is the "head fake" that he emphasized in the video. The key to education is convincing your students that they are having fun and not having to learn some boring subject. Misdirection is a great way to "trick" the students into actually learning a skill. I have preached this in my earlier blogs!! I am just happy to see how important it was to the late Dr. Pausch!! Again, I hope that everybody took the time to watch this video. It has already had a major impact on me!!

Timetoast Project 9b

PLN update

My PLN is a work in progress. I decided to go with Symbaloo as my work space for my PLN and it is very user friendly. I had added all the common widgets such as facebook, twitter, and flickr. I am working on my education widget and adding different sites and blogs that I have found interesting. I just added a link to geocaching. If you look at my previous blog it describes what that is. Lots more work to go, but I am excited to add more as the semester rolls on!

CMT #2

The teacher that I have been commenting on for the last two post has been Ms. Jen Deyenberg from Scotland. She is originally from Canada but has relocated to Scotland to teach.

The first blog I read from her was about using a system called geocaching to help students learn about nature. Now, the first question everybody wants to know is "What is geocaching?" Geocaching is a GPS system people use where they put various items outside and the students use a phone or alternate GPS system to go on a treasure hunt. So, in this particular project, Ms. Deyenberg places these items outside for a project about nature. Whenever they find the item on their GPS, it has instructions for them to find something in that area that can be used as a paintbrush for their art class. The kids brought back various items such as pine needles, rocks, pine cones, and feathers. I think that utilizing the outdoors in an art class is genius! The one thing most elementary age kids love to do is play outside.

The second blog I commented on is using geocaching to help students with money problems in math. She would put money problems in the caches that they found and they students would bring her back the answers with the correct amount of money. One thing she did to really challenge them was to use different forms of currency. This is just another incredible way to utilize outdoor activities into her curriculum. In this case, it was math!!!

One more comment I would like to add for those that read my blog is this: I plan on using this geocaching in my history classes once I am teaching. I think history is one of the best subjects that could benefit from this amazing idea!! Some ideas I have are field trips to historical sites where I could place these caches throughout the area with summaries about different events that occurred in that particular place!! Does anybody else feel this is a real possibility in the strict curriculum we are forced to stick to in schools? I welcome your comments!!!