Project #10

Finding the right tool

I am majoring in Elementary Education and I want to teach Kindergarten. The tool that I want to learn more about and use when I become a teacher is Symbaloo. Symbaloo is a awesome organization tool useful to anyone! Symbaloo is the easiest way for me to keep up with my PLN. It is just so simple to type in the website I want or create a new tile of a website that I find helpful. I think Symbaloo will help me keep all of my educational resources organized. With being organized I feel it will help me not be stressed and I will beable to become the teacher I want to be. Learning can be so fun and technology certainly helps keep us up to date. I think Symbaloo is a wonderful tool and I will be using this in the future for my teaching career.

Blog Post #6

The Networked Student

In the video, The networked student by Wendy Drexler, Wendy addresses the concept of connectivism. She defines connectivism as the theory that learning occurs as a social network of many diverse connections and ties. I honestly have never heard of terms such as “connectivism” or “ networked student” until now. Connectivism connects teachers and students around the world. With this way of teaching the teacher never lectures nor is there a textbook. The student in this video discovered Google Scholar and created his own book marking site. After discovering these items the student proceeded to create his own blog to discover networking for himself.
Everything about our society links back to technology. That is why we all must be up to date on the latest. Networking is very important to everyone. When teachers use Networking apps with students it allows an opportunity for students and teachers to have a closer relationship. Teachers also can meet with parents as often as needed using networking, which to me is really important because I think a teacher and the parents should update weekly or monthly to each other just to make sure everything is going smoothly and it also builds a relationship between the parents and teachers which is always important.
In the video they ask the question, why does a student of connectivism need a teacher? A student needs a teacher so they have guidance because without a teacher there wouldn’t be any guidance. Teachers are there to steer them in the right direction, answer questions, model, ect. Teachers are role models for students and show their students how to communicate properly and respectfully. Teachers can only hope that their students will leave their classroom fully aware of how to navigate all that she or he has taught them so that they can apply it to something or someone one day.

A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment

In this video, A 7th Grader’s Personal Learning Environment, a 7th grader shares how her science class is taught not using any paper just using networking. She tells how her PLE is all placed together on her computer so she can easily access whatever information she needs. I think a class that is all networking instead of using paper helps students be more creative and responsible. I also think it makes students more independent and the more the technology advances the more independent students will get which is a great thing because it will help them realize what it is going to be like once their older and out of school.

Blog post #5

Krissy Venosdale



Krissy Venosdale is a third through sixth grade teacher who teaches gifted students. Krissy has been teaching for 10 years. She loves technology, photography and learning. She is very creative and fun. Mrs. Venosdale seems to be very passionate about her students and loves her job. Krissy’s blog post If I Built A School was very inspirational. She wrote this post about her dream school. She defines every feature of the perfect school she even mentions that she would create values built on rooms and subjects. The library would have a tree house in a huge tree where students could read. Math would take place in a problem solving atmosphere. Science would take place in a real laboratory where students could do experiments. Art would be in a real art studio. Also she would advance technology in the school and allow students to be able to use their laptops, phones, ipads, tablets etc. She also mentions that the cafeteria would be like a coffee shop, which is very creative to me. Ms. Venosdale's also would not have usual grade levels in her school but would have a system where students advance based on their personal readiness and skills. In Krissy’s dream school students would love to learn because it would be a blast and the teachers would love to teach, which we definitely need more of. I do not know where to start if I built a school. I do know though that I would want it to be very similar to Mrs. Venosdale’s. I like how she would like the science to be in a real lab and the art be in a real art studio because that shows students how it would really be if they weren’t in school. I think her dream school is extremely creative and that’s how I would want mine because I would not want mine like every other school. I would like for my students to have a lifetime experience and never forget it and especially love to come to school and be ready to learn because that is the most important thing.

Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir and NPR Interview



Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir
I don’t even know how to explain this but just simply amazing!! There were 185 people all toning together and don’t even know each other. It is crazy how the internet can bring people together from all over the world and not even know each other but through this they all connected. In the NPR interview with Eric Whitacre’s he shows a remarkable use of the internet. He mentions he got the idea from a friend but he recorded himself directing the music and then posted a blog telling singers to learn it and record themselves. It is astonishing how he then patched all the voices together and created a choir that is unbelievable. I think it is very cool how Eric did this and put together all these singers that made something in common. It is crazy what you can do with technology these days and it is just going to keep advancing!

Teaching in the 21st century



This video pointed out that students can get answers to any questions they may have at any time in any place without a teacher having to be current. Students of all ages and anyone else need to learn how to use the Internet successfully. Modern Technology and the Internet have been revolutionary. They have also forever changed the way that we teach and learn. Rather than allowing our students and ourselves to roam with no direction and get “lost in cyber-space, we need to emphasis on the important information that is effective. Textbooks are very expensive and unfortunately they usually go out of date. The Internet can be updated with little cost and it can be done immediately. This is very important this means that our students will be able to absorb important material that is fully up to date.

Flipped



Flipping the classroom is a wonderful idea that I wish we had when I was in school. It gives children the opportunity to start their day prepared and ready to learn. Students can watch lectures online before the class so that they can learn and know what they will be learning about before they actually learn and talk about it in class. This opens up many doors for one-on-one learning at school. I think it is a great idea and would save a lot of time in class learning about it unless some students don’t watch the videos before class which means to me that really don’t care. This whole idea seems motivating, exciting and effective and I would love to use this in my classroom one day!

Project #5

C4T #1 Comments 1 & 2

"Reading Thinking Stem Guide"
This blog was posted on November 25, 2012
Comment #1

Mrs. Diana Dahl's first blog post that I read and commented on was "Reading Thinking Stem Guide". Mrs. Dahl explains what is a thinking stem in her blog post but this certain blog post she talks about her Reading thinking stem. In a thinking stem, students write their thinking strategies about their reading. I think thinking stems are awesome I can remember when my elementary teacher use to do it and it helps tremendously. It makes you think deeper and also helps you become a very well writer. Also many people have trouble with getting started when they start to write and I am one of those writers so the thinking stems really help those who have trouble getting started. Mrs. Dahls has many thinking stems like math thinking stems, reading thinking stems, and etc. but I think that it was wonderful for her to be using these and making the kids a deeper thinker and a better writer cause some teachers don't help when it comes to writing they will just tel you what to write about and expect you to write it. Mrs. Dahl also has two rubrics for The Reading Thinking Stem that she uses the first one is the basic rubrics and it helps produce the reading grade and the second one helps make the reading as well as the writing grade.

Mrs.Dahl's Blog

"Math Thinking Stem Guide"
This blog was posted on November 10, 2012
Comment #2

The second blog post of Mrs. Dahl's that I read and commented on was The Math Thinking Stem. The math thinking stem is like the reading stem. Like Mrs. Dahl says in her post "It encourages students to use their thinking skills for a specific purpose. These skills include: schema, inferences, predictions, comparisons, visualizations, questioning, and more." In the Math Thinking Stem it powers the students to aspect thoroughly at the math problems they are learning and really pick it apart. This is a great thing for students who struggle math which tons of students have a hard time with it. It also helps students just learn it better even if they don't have a problem with math, everyone can use a little help with math. Mrs. Dahl is a wonderful teacher for making her students deep think and become a better student in many ways. It is a amazing to me that Mrs. Dahl introduces her students to the thinking stems! They are great sources and can be helpful in so many ways!! I am so happy I got to read this blog and refresh my memory on the thinking stems so I can use them one day in my classroom!

Blog Assignment #4

Flat Stanley Podcast

The first podcast I listened to was Flat Stanley Podcasting that was from a first grade class that had just got done reading about Flat Stanley by Jim Brown. They made their own Flat Stanley's and sent them to their friends and family around the world and had them write stories and take pictures and send them back. These students were encouraged by the worldwide success of another first grade class's podcast that they wanted to make their own.

Listening-Comprehension-Podcasting

The second Langwitches post I chose to read was Listening-Comprehension-Podcasting. I never knew until now that to learn a new vocabulary word you have to hear it at least seventy times. This was very shocking to me because I had no idea and I would have thought the number would have been a lot lower. I also learned that when a person is learning a new language it is helpful to attach a feeling to the word. Podcasting is very important in the learning development as it allows students to read the sounds, see their voices, and interact by manipulating the arrangement of sentences. Students have the skill to edit, delete, emphasize, and much more to their podcast.

The benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom

The last one I learned about was The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom by Joe Dale. This video focuses about how helpful and effective podcasts in classrooms can be. Podcasts can be viewed by anyone at any time and this makes podcasts very suitable. Students that have to miss school can watch their podcasts from home and keep up with their classmates. Podcasts are an exciting way to get students further involved with the classroom. The students now have never lived without personal computers around and handheld technological devices. Podcasting is the perfect way to get the students understanding while making learning more fun and including a use of technology that they are most acquainted with. Students absorb best when they get to participate and have fun. Podcasting is a cherished tool that students can use regularly.

Special Blog Post #1

Misinterpreting data

Misinterpreting data can be an easy mistake. I did a search using WolframAlpha on the population in China, India, and the United States. The results for these three countries were: China had 1.35 billion people, India had 1.21 billion people, and the United States had 309 million people. From these results you can tell who has the biggest and smallest population. The United States is beat by a lot out of these three the United States has the smallest population by far.

WolframAlpha Searches

WolframAlpha is a wonderful search engine on knowledge. I chose to search the population of Alabama and Florida. I chose these two states because Florida is where I was born and I live in Alabama now so I wanted to see the difference. When I asked the WolfranAlpha “What is the population of Alabama” it gave me a lot of great information. It told me that in 2011 Alabama’s population was 4.803 million people, the growth rate was .75% a year, annual deaths were 46,977 a year, and the annual births were 63,232 a year. I then searched “What is the population in Florida” and I was amazed. In 2011 in Florida the population was 19.06 million people, the growth rate was 1.76% a year, annual deaths were 170,066 a year, and the annual births were 236,802 a year. I did not thank it would be that much of a difference between the two but that is a HUGE difference and I was amazed.
This is a very useful search engine. What I really like about this search engine is not only does it just answer your question but it gives you plenty more information close to what you searched. It gives you charts, related information, and anything it feels to be useful. Like when I searched the population of Alabama and Florida not only did it give me the population but it gave me the growth rate, the annual deaths, and annual births of the states. This search engine would be an awesome tool to use in a classroom. It would really help the students and I think they would really enjoy it but not only would it help the students but it would help the teachers too!

Gray Hayes Social Media Chart

Gary Hayes Social Media Chartis AMAZING!! It shows how many people are using Social Media, Mobiles, Games, and Heritage. It is absolutely crazy to see how fast everything is happening in the world. The numbers are constantly growing at a rapid speed. Gray Hayes Social Media Charts shows the amount of people liking and commenting on Facebook to the amount of money the US post Office is making.
Like I have said in a previous post, I have never been crazy about Technology but after seeing this and a couple other things that EDM310 has shown me I have realized just how important technology actually is. I am definitely going to start keeping up with technology now after realizing this. Also as a future teacher I know it is very important to stay on top of technology so I am going to start. Gary Hayes social media count is a wonderful resource and I can promise you this will not be my last time visiting this count. I have really enjoyed this and will use this from here on out!!

Blog Assignment #3

Peer Editing

In the videos What is Peer Editing and Peer Edit with Perfection Tutorial tells you the meaning of what a peer is, what editing is, and then the full explanation of peer editing. There are three steps to remember when peer editing someone else's writing. The first step is compliments. It is essential to stay optimistic and think about the way you would want someone to proof your work. The second step to remember in peer editing is making suggestions. You can make suggestions about pretty much anything just stay positive. The last step of editing is corrections. Make sure to check for punctuation, grammar, and spelling. Important things to remember while peer editing is stay positive, be precise about what you are correcting and complete all the steps of compliments, corrections and suggestions. It is very important to do all three of these steps so that the writer knows what he or she messed up on and they can fix it next time and not make the same mistake but don’t forget to compliment as well and stay Positive!

Top Ten Peer Review Mistakes

In this video the students did a remarkable job at describing the mistakes that can be made during peer reviews. The mistakes said in the video were: Picky Patty, Whatever William, Social Sammy, Jean the Generalizer, Mean Margaret, Loud Larry, Pushy Paula, Off-Task Oliver, Speedy Sandy, and Defensive Dave. A mistake I could definitely agree with is getting off topic because I have done it plenty of times. It is very easy to do by just talking to your friends instead of being concerned with your paper. This mistake is done every day because students would much rather talk to their friend instead of doing work. I hope other students get the chance to view these videos as well to realize all the mistakes being made so that they can try to correct them too.

Assistive Technologies

I really enjoyed watching The Mountbatten video!! I am so glad to see there is technology and machines for the deaf and blind so they can interact in the schools as well. I would absolutely love to have this amazing machine in my classroom one day. This machine would be wonderful to have in a classroom so that all students could have a chance to learn. I think every classroom or school should have this so that the impaired children can interact with the other students instead of being put in their own room like in most schools do these days. I also feel like it would make the impaired children feel like all the other students in school and make them feel like they are just as important. Also like in the video, Teaching Math to the blind the device used for teaching math was incredible. The usage of brail on the touch sensitive machine is awesome. I am amazed with the technology and machines used for the impaired students. I think it is awesome and very important to have in all schools and classrooms so that the impaired students have an equally way of learning like the other students.

Ipad usuage for the blind

I am extremely amazed by the iPad use for the blind. This is a really stunning to know that our technology is that advanced. I was really interested when they show how to use iBooks on the iPad for the blind. It is very easy for a blind student to operate all you have to do is tap twice on the screen and it will read you your options and you chose one and then twice your fingers clockwise on the screen and it will read the book you chose to you out loud. I think that is extremely special and important because there is no way for a blond student to read unless someone reads to them but now they don’t have to depend on that person they have the Ipad that will do it for them! I think this is an incredible technology and would also love to have this in my classroom one day as well if I had a blind student. I do have one question though is it a certain iPad you have to buy or is it a program that you download on a normal iPad??

Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students Digital Smarts

Vicki has her high school level students really getting involved, interacting and truly learning. If I would have had more teachers who would have taught through technology and student interaction when I was growing up, I might have paid a lot more attention and learned much more information because hands-on is the best way of learning to me. In the video Ms. Davis talks about all the ways the students are learning and mentions how awesome it is to the students when they figure things out together and alone. I agree because when I work really hard and figure stuff out on my own it makes me feel great about myself. It makes you feel like you have accomplished something on your own instead of someone helping you and that is how this EDM310 class makes me feel. Vicki Davis states that "Not all students can learn with just pencil and paper." I so agree with her because I am one of them students. Not only does it make you learn and makes you do it on your own but students are also able to become comfortable with technology. I think making students think it out on their own and solving it on their own is an awesome strategy and other teachers should really try it.