Sunday, November 25, 2012
Final Project Progress
Our final project is coming along really well. I would say we have nearly finished our video on surviving EDM310. We have met together and completed the outline/script for our video as well as met together to record most of the video/voice overs. We have a few details to finish up (finding a few pictures, editing, etc) but for the most part I would say our final project is nearly complete.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Blog Assignment 12
My Assignment
When thinking about what assignment I thought should be added to the EDM310 blog assignments, I thought about how much my perspective has changed throughout the semester. When I first started taking this EDM310 I had my doubts that this class would be beneficial to me at all, however, now I’m thankful for each thing I’ve learned from this class. Therefore, I think it would be interesting not only for the students of EDM310 but for research purposes to include an assignment called “Before and After.”
This assignment will be a two-fold assignment. In the first part of this assignment students will be asked to write a 1-2 paragraphs stating what they desire out of their future classroom. Students will be asked to give examples of how they would meet their desires for their future classroom. This part of the assignment will be given to the students in the first week or two of EDM310.
The second part of this assignment will take place within the last couple of weeks of class. This part of the assignment will ask students to reflect on what they desired for their future classroom in the first week of class. Students will be asked to write 1-2 paragraphs detailing how their desires have changed after learning all they have from EDM310. Students will be asked what if any tools will they now use in their future classrooms that they wouldn’t have used before.
My Before and After
Before:
Before taking EDM 310 my desire for my classroom was to be an encouraging, helpful, and passionate teacher. It was my goal to never allow my students to feel as if I had forgotten about them. I wanted to be the kind of teacher students remembered for being helpful, honest, and kind. I never wanted to be the type of teacher who put my students down or told them they couldn’t accomplish something.
As far as how I would accomplish these things I would have thought loving my job, loving to work with children, and being patient would have been enough to get the job done. I wanted to show up each day with a smile of my face and ready to teach my students until they really understood whatever concept needed to be taught for the day. Aside from these things I hadn’t really given my teaching strategies much more thought.
After:
After taking EDM310 I have learned teaching is so much more than being helpful, encouraging, passionate, and caring. My desires haven’t completely changed but it has changed my outlook on how to achieve these goals. I had never given much thought to how I would use technology in my classroom and now I can’t imagine a classroom without technology.
I have realized that I want to learn as much as I can to ensure I am able to give my students the best chance at success. Education shouldn’t be stuck in the past and should always be changing because the tools our students need to be equipped with are forever changing. I’ve realized it is my job as a teacher to teach my students to always be learners and I must do that by example. It is also my job to teach them how to teach themselves, to show them how to find the information they need, and to show them how to be self-sufficient. After taking EDM310 I’m even more excited to get started molding the youth of America for the better.
When thinking about what assignment I thought should be added to the EDM310 blog assignments, I thought about how much my perspective has changed throughout the semester. When I first started taking this EDM310 I had my doubts that this class would be beneficial to me at all, however, now I’m thankful for each thing I’ve learned from this class. Therefore, I think it would be interesting not only for the students of EDM310 but for research purposes to include an assignment called “Before and After.”
This assignment will be a two-fold assignment. In the first part of this assignment students will be asked to write a 1-2 paragraphs stating what they desire out of their future classroom. Students will be asked to give examples of how they would meet their desires for their future classroom. This part of the assignment will be given to the students in the first week or two of EDM310.
The second part of this assignment will take place within the last couple of weeks of class. This part of the assignment will ask students to reflect on what they desired for their future classroom in the first week of class. Students will be asked to write 1-2 paragraphs detailing how their desires have changed after learning all they have from EDM310. Students will be asked what if any tools will they now use in their future classrooms that they wouldn’t have used before.
My Before and After
Before:
Before taking EDM 310 my desire for my classroom was to be an encouraging, helpful, and passionate teacher. It was my goal to never allow my students to feel as if I had forgotten about them. I wanted to be the kind of teacher students remembered for being helpful, honest, and kind. I never wanted to be the type of teacher who put my students down or told them they couldn’t accomplish something.
As far as how I would accomplish these things I would have thought loving my job, loving to work with children, and being patient would have been enough to get the job done. I wanted to show up each day with a smile of my face and ready to teach my students until they really understood whatever concept needed to be taught for the day. Aside from these things I hadn’t really given my teaching strategies much more thought.
After:
After taking EDM310 I have learned teaching is so much more than being helpful, encouraging, passionate, and caring. My desires haven’t completely changed but it has changed my outlook on how to achieve these goals. I had never given much thought to how I would use technology in my classroom and now I can’t imagine a classroom without technology.
I have realized that I want to learn as much as I can to ensure I am able to give my students the best chance at success. Education shouldn’t be stuck in the past and should always be changing because the tools our students need to be equipped with are forever changing. I’ve realized it is my job as a teacher to teach my students to always be learners and I must do that by example. It is also my job to teach them how to teach themselves, to show them how to find the information they need, and to show them how to be self-sufficient. After taking EDM310 I’m even more excited to get started molding the youth of America for the better.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Blog Post 11
Mrs. Kathy Cassidy & Technology
As impressed as I was after watching the first video, after watching the interview with Mrs. Cassidy I was even more excited to use technology in my future classroom. I’ll admit at the beginning of this semester I was doubtful about the use of blogs, wiki’s, and other online resources for elementary students, but as the semester has went on I have become more and more excited to use all of these tools in my classroom.
I am especially excited to use a blog in my classroom. I have discovered that a class blog is helpful for communicating with parents and students. After watching this interview with Mrs. Cassidy I can see that individual blogs is a great tool for encouraging students to do their best when writing by allowing them to receive feedback. It is also a great way for parents to keep up with their child’s progress.
It has became completely clear to me that teaching students today must include technology. I agree with Mrs. Cassidy when she said we must take the time now to learn to use different types of technology so that we will be able to teach our student how to use these tools in the future. We simply can’t continue teaching students the same way we did ten years ago.
I am especially excited to use a blog in my classroom. I have discovered that a class blog is helpful for communicating with parents and students. After watching this interview with Mrs. Cassidy I can see that individual blogs is a great tool for encouraging students to do their best when writing by allowing them to receive feedback. It is also a great way for parents to keep up with their child’s progress.
It has became completely clear to me that teaching students today must include technology. I agree with Mrs. Cassidy when she said we must take the time now to learn to use different types of technology so that we will be able to teach our student how to use these tools in the future. We simply can’t continue teaching students the same way we did ten years ago.
C4T #3 Summary
In my C4T’s #3 I was assigned to Richard Bryne, author of the blog “Free Technology For Teachers.” The first post I read from this blog was entitled “MIT + K12 = Educational Videos for K-12 Students.” This post was about educational videos that are recorded by MIT students and places on YouTube to help students in grades K – 12 understand basic math and science concepts. In my comment to Mr. Bryne I expressed my interest in this idea and how neat I thought it was. I also told him it reminded me of the show Bill Nye the Science Guy.
The second post I read was titled “School Boards and Technology.” In this post Mr. Bryne discuss his dislike for the policies the school boards have in place when it comes to technology in the classroom. He says he is convinced that these policies do nothing but hinder the use of technology for learning. In my comment back to him I told him I agreed with is stance on the situation. I admitted to not having first-hand experience with this issue but as a former student had observed the policies become a hindrance in teaching.
The second post I read was titled “School Boards and Technology.” In this post Mr. Bryne discuss his dislike for the policies the school boards have in place when it comes to technology in the classroom. He says he is convinced that these policies do nothing but hinder the use of technology for learning. In my comment back to him I told him I agreed with is stance on the situation. I admitted to not having first-hand experience with this issue but as a former student had observed the policies become a hindrance in teaching.
C4K Summary October
In the month of October I posted four C4k’s, all of which were really interesting. In my first posted on the blog of a fourth grader from NY, who had wrote a great story of a heroic Chihuahua. The Chihuahua, Happy, saved a five year old little girl from a fire to become the hero of the story. In my comment back to this student I told them how much I enjoyed reading this story and thanked them for sharing it with me. I also pointed out my favorite part of the story was when Happy saved the girl from the burning community center.
In my second C4K for October I posted on the blog of Mike Gwaltney, who is in the tenth grade. In his blog post he talked about fighting procrastination. He gave several great examples of fighting the urge to procrastinate. In my comment back to him I told him how great I thought his tips were and that I had never even thought of a few of them (such as turning of my wifi until my work is done so I’m not tempted to use the internet). I told him I would for sure be putting his tips to good use in helping to fight my urge to procrastinate.
In my third C4K for October I posted on the blog of Laila, a fifth grader from Iowa. In Laila’s blog I read a great poem called “Forever Flowers.” In this poem Laila does a great job of describing flowers and the way in which flowers behave. In my comment back to her I told her how impressed I was with her ability to be so descriptive when talking about flowers. I also told her how much I enjoyed reading her poem.
In my final post for October I watched a slide show posted by Tieren. In this slide show I got to see many beautiful landscape pictures from the foothills region. In my comment back I expressed how beautiful I thought the pictures were and that my favorite picture was the picture of the waterfall. I also said thank you for sharing the amazing photos of the foothills region.
In my second C4K for October I posted on the blog of Mike Gwaltney, who is in the tenth grade. In his blog post he talked about fighting procrastination. He gave several great examples of fighting the urge to procrastinate. In my comment back to him I told him how great I thought his tips were and that I had never even thought of a few of them (such as turning of my wifi until my work is done so I’m not tempted to use the internet). I told him I would for sure be putting his tips to good use in helping to fight my urge to procrastinate.
In my third C4K for October I posted on the blog of Laila, a fifth grader from Iowa. In Laila’s blog I read a great poem called “Forever Flowers.” In this poem Laila does a great job of describing flowers and the way in which flowers behave. In my comment back to her I told her how impressed I was with her ability to be so descriptive when talking about flowers. I also told her how much I enjoyed reading her poem.
In my final post for October I watched a slide show posted by Tieren. In this slide show I got to see many beautiful landscape pictures from the foothills region. In my comment back I expressed how beautiful I thought the pictures were and that my favorite picture was the picture of the waterfall. I also said thank you for sharing the amazing photos of the foothills region.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Blog Post 10
The Cartoon
In the cartoon, I’m Papermate I’m Ticonderoga by John T. Spencer, there appears to be a hidden message. At first glance you see two men, one drawn with a dark thick manner, and the other in light wispy manner. The first man has the caption “I’m a papermate. I cost less, but I break all the time.” While the second man has the caption “I’m a Ticonderoga I’m the most expensive purchase a hipster will ever make.” After taking a closer look at this cartoon the only thing I could really come up with is that sometimes even though the cheap pencil will get the job done the more expensive pencil is sometime a better choice because the outcome is twice as good.
From Mr. Spencer
In the blog post, “Rebel without a Clue” by John T. Spencer, Mr. Spencer discusses the red tape he is confronted with while trying to allow his students to use a certain website. He tells the story of one of his students pointing out the school district doesn’t stick by their motto and how that inspired him to take a little trip to the central office.
Mr. Spencer says he stopped by the superintendent’s office to find out that the site he wants to use, which is free and easy to use, isn’t available to be used because the school district has already paid for the use of another site. Even though Mr. Spencer tries to reason with the superintendent his efforts are a lost cause.
In reading this blog post I really felt discouraged for Mr. Spencer. It seemed like he was doing his very best to better his students and provide them with the knowledge they need for their futures and he was blocked and every turn. I think there is a good chance this will happen to me in my career as well and just like Mr. Spencer I will have to find a way to work around it.
In the blog post, “Why Were Your Kids Playing Games” by John T. Spencer, Mr. Spencer gives an interesting description of a conversation between a teacher and their principal. Mr. Spencer says the teacher was called into the principal’s office and told he was caught playing games with his students today. The teacher does everything he can to explain that even though the students appeared to be playing a game they were actually learning, but with no success.
The principal seems to have his mind made up. The principal reminds the teacher of the last professional development day and the lessons taught. He reminds the teacher that strictly memorization type activities should be taught and that there is no time for games. After a while the teacher rewords his activity to the principals liking and the discussion is over.
After reading this story I think Mr. Spencer made a great point sometimes we may have to reword our lessons to make them fit the state standards, the school board’s standards, and please the principal but we shouldn’t take the fun out of learning. I’m not 100% sure that’s what Mr. Spencer was going for when he wrote this blog post but that’s what I got from it. I think it is easy to do the bare minimum but it is not in our student best interest to do so, therefore, it is my personal goal to never take the easy way out and to always put my students first.
Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please!
In the blog post, “Don’t Teach you Kids This Suff. Please!” by Scott McLeod, McLeod takes an interesting approach to fighting for the use of technology in schools. He spends most of his time in the post saying how we shouldn’t teach our students to use all of these types of technology and then in a surprising twist at the end says “I’m teaching my kids these things, lets so who is better off in a decade.”
I think McLeod does a great job of confronting the common hazards society sees when discussing technology in schools. He sheds light on cyber bulling, sexting, and inappropriate websites; yet he still says he is teaching his students to use technology. Why, society may ask. The answer is simple it is our job as educators to provide our students with the knowledge and abilities needed to be successful and technology is a part of that.
To cast my vote I think the students who have been proper taught how to use the resources they have available to them will be far better off in a decade than the students who spend their childhood shelter from the hazards.
In the cartoon, I’m Papermate I’m Ticonderoga by John T. Spencer, there appears to be a hidden message. At first glance you see two men, one drawn with a dark thick manner, and the other in light wispy manner. The first man has the caption “I’m a papermate. I cost less, but I break all the time.” While the second man has the caption “I’m a Ticonderoga I’m the most expensive purchase a hipster will ever make.” After taking a closer look at this cartoon the only thing I could really come up with is that sometimes even though the cheap pencil will get the job done the more expensive pencil is sometime a better choice because the outcome is twice as good.
From Mr. Spencer
In the blog post, “Rebel without a Clue” by John T. Spencer, Mr. Spencer discusses the red tape he is confronted with while trying to allow his students to use a certain website. He tells the story of one of his students pointing out the school district doesn’t stick by their motto and how that inspired him to take a little trip to the central office.
Mr. Spencer says he stopped by the superintendent’s office to find out that the site he wants to use, which is free and easy to use, isn’t available to be used because the school district has already paid for the use of another site. Even though Mr. Spencer tries to reason with the superintendent his efforts are a lost cause.
In reading this blog post I really felt discouraged for Mr. Spencer. It seemed like he was doing his very best to better his students and provide them with the knowledge they need for their futures and he was blocked and every turn. I think there is a good chance this will happen to me in my career as well and just like Mr. Spencer I will have to find a way to work around it.
In the blog post, “Why Were Your Kids Playing Games” by John T. Spencer, Mr. Spencer gives an interesting description of a conversation between a teacher and their principal. Mr. Spencer says the teacher was called into the principal’s office and told he was caught playing games with his students today. The teacher does everything he can to explain that even though the students appeared to be playing a game they were actually learning, but with no success.
The principal seems to have his mind made up. The principal reminds the teacher of the last professional development day and the lessons taught. He reminds the teacher that strictly memorization type activities should be taught and that there is no time for games. After a while the teacher rewords his activity to the principals liking and the discussion is over.
After reading this story I think Mr. Spencer made a great point sometimes we may have to reword our lessons to make them fit the state standards, the school board’s standards, and please the principal but we shouldn’t take the fun out of learning. I’m not 100% sure that’s what Mr. Spencer was going for when he wrote this blog post but that’s what I got from it. I think it is easy to do the bare minimum but it is not in our student best interest to do so, therefore, it is my personal goal to never take the easy way out and to always put my students first.
Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please!
In the blog post, “Don’t Teach you Kids This Suff. Please!” by Scott McLeod, McLeod takes an interesting approach to fighting for the use of technology in schools. He spends most of his time in the post saying how we shouldn’t teach our students to use all of these types of technology and then in a surprising twist at the end says “I’m teaching my kids these things, lets so who is better off in a decade.”
I think McLeod does a great job of confronting the common hazards society sees when discussing technology in schools. He sheds light on cyber bulling, sexting, and inappropriate websites; yet he still says he is teaching his students to use technology. Why, society may ask. The answer is simple it is our job as educators to provide our students with the knowledge and abilities needed to be successful and technology is a part of that.
To cast my vote I think the students who have been proper taught how to use the resources they have available to them will be far better off in a decade than the students who spend their childhood shelter from the hazards.
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