Final Reflection

Final Report on my PLN

I'm proud to say that I have added even more valuable sources to my PLN.I am still using Symbaloo but I have added a few more links. For example, I added a significant amount of the links that Mr. McClung Suggested. Also, I have added the ALEX website. I have definitely found myself becoming more confident using the tools introduced in the class. I have found myself googling answers to things and figuring out how to solve problems.

C4T #4

I have been following Ms. Hadley’s blog titled Middle School Matrix. The first post I read was Teaching Self-Assessment. This post is all about her goal to move away from a system where students just try to please their teacher and work to their goals. She believes this is important in order to train the future generation to be able to work the jobs that will be necessary in the future. She then goes on to explain her evaluation of a writing project that she assigned her students. It was a non-traditional method which encouraged independence and self-evaluation.

I commented on her post that I agreed with her belief that too often we teach our students how to succeed in school without really requiring them to learn and understand the material. We teach them how to do well on standardized tests and how to get the A’s in our classes. I also commented that I think it would be difficult to break away from traditional grading and assessment because these methods allow our students to be confident in their easy A’s and it allows teachers to feel confidence in their students with good grades. Finally, I let her know that I think her assessment methods are a really good example of asking our students to become “independent creators and innovators”.

The other post I commented on by Ms. Hadley was The Silence of Learning.This post is about a lesson that Ms. Hadley had designed for her class. As a teacher who values creativity and independence for her students, she required them to do a project in which they pretended that they were an early explorer in the New World. They would use their imagination to create a ship log, a daily log, a biography of the explorer, a map of the journey, and a drawing of the ship. Ms. Hadley said that she was impressed by the determination and hard work of the students…they were silent for hours on end! She also commented that when she would walk around the room to check on progress, students would ask for reassurance that their work was right, but she just encouraged them to be confident in their work and record things that they felt were of value. This doesn’t take away from the role of the teacher though. As she puts it, “student independence only happens when we create and sustain it”.

I commented that I liked a lot about this post, because I truly, truly did. I liked the title of the post, which was “The Silence of Learning”. I told her that I think that too often, the image of education is perceived as a teacher standing in front of a group of students lecturing or asking guiding questions. This can be effective, but I believe that when students are silently learning, they are truly engaged and discovering the information themselves. Also, I told her that I liked how she said that teachers are definitely necessary because we have to encourage our students to be independent learners and not rely on what others judge as valuable.

Final Project #16

Smart Board Ppt

This is a project that I worked on with Olivia Bush, Lara Bishop, Rachael Gammill, and Dana Johnson. We really wanted to do this project about how to use a SMART Board, because we felt as if it would be really practical. Realistically, aside from the internet, SMART Boards will probably be the one piece of technology that we will be exposed to in the classroom setting. Because of this, it is important to become as familiar as possible with the software before entering the classroom to alleviate the learning curve. We worked together on this in person as well as collaborating through Google Docs.

Blog Assignment 14

I don’t think I completely missed the metaphor in Tom Johnson’s post Don’t Let Them Take Pencils Home. Dr. Strange commented on my reflection on the post that I “had it but didn’t know it”. While I did comment that students should be allowed to express their creative side and teachers shouldn’t just come up with easy solutions to problems, I did understand that this whole post was a metaphor.

I have actually been trying to be more aware of metaphors so I could comment on their use in our everyday life. Some of the ones that I have noticed either myself or someone else saying in the past week include: a heart of gold, she’s heartbroken, her knight in shining armor, stabbed in the back, icing on the cake, the world is your oyster, hot as heck, a day late and a dollar short.

I think as educators, the concept of metaphors and similes could be a hard one to teach. I think it would be best taught as a long-term lesson. By this, I mean that I think students need to be asked to always have concepts like these in the back of their head so they are always analyzing their speech and their life. I think lessons like this help students with their critical thinking skills and help them realize the importance of always keeping your mind peeled and sharp.

I think that we use metaphors because it helps us understand things better. We can express something in just a few words that might otherwise take a great deal of words. We are able to easily compare to something that we already know so it makes it easier to understand. Also, I think we use metaphors to explain things in a different way and give ourselves a mental image. For example, everyone basically understands the metaphor “the world as your oyster” but everyone probably takes their own spin on it and it means something slightly different to everyone. I think this possibility to appeal and be understood slightly different by everyone is another reason that we use metaphors.

Blog Assignmen 13

The Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators, and Students (ACCESS) program is an organization designed to provide high school students in the State of Alabama with a quality education. Their motto as stated on their home page is “providing classroom courses and teachers via technology”. The program does this by providing students with access to highly qualified teachers and lessons through technology. The website has resources for students, teachers, and parents.

I think this program is a wonderful one, but it doesn’t come without a few obstacles. I think it’s great that ALEX is providing students with access to an exceptional education through technology, but the actual program is only available to high school students. I understand that elementary students and parents can still find and apply the resources provided on the internet, but elementary students deserve an ACCESS program as well. Also, I see the possibility for disciple problems in this program.

ALEX is another initiative from the state of Alabama. It provides teachers with various resources that they could need. The website provides such resources as courses of study, web links, and lesson plans. It allows teachers to search for ideas for their classrooms and get inspiration from others. I think this program will be especially useful when I get my own classroom. I have worked with this website before, and found numerous sources and ideas.
http://alex.state.al.us/index.ph

Blog Assignment 12

Watch Google Docs Sharing and Collaboration

Then familiarize yourself a little with Google docs.

I would add this lesson into the curriculum because I think Google docs is a really valuable too, not only for EDM 310 but also for collaboration in any other class or situation. Something I would change though is how the collaboration takes place. I definitely agree that collaboration and group work is essential, but I think it would be cool if we were assigned groups according to Google docs and communicated that way. I have used it to work on papers and projects with other groups, and I think it's important to know how to use it. Also, because we don't meet in the physical classroom that often, I think it would be better to have a required collaboration project in Google Docs to get us familiar with the features as well as to eliminate the problems of forming groups and finding class time to meet. For Also, it's important to become really familiar with all of the features of google docs because it could be wonderful too to use in the classroom. Not only can it facilitate group projects, but it also allows the teacher to moderate and check on the group and their progress.

Project 15

Project 14 Teach Someone Something

For this project, we were required to teach someone something. I decided to teach the future students of EDM 310 how to succeed in this class. Click on the link to see!

project 14

Special Assignment: Mr. McClung's World

1. What do you know (or have you found out) about Mr. McClung that is reflected in the way he has constructed his class blog?

He is an organized person and cares deeply about his profession and his students. He constructed his class blog as a community so everyone can learn from each other, which I think speaks volumes about who he is.

2. Comment on what you would say about Mr. McClung as an educator.

Mr. McClung is definitely dedicated. I would say that he is definitely the type of teacher any student would benefit from. He likes to bring energy to his class and seems like he would be able to relate to his student’s very well. Also, I like that he sees that his students learn better through group work rather than traditional lecture/note methods.

3. I asked above that you read Mr. McClung's "rules" and think about them. What do they say about Mr. McClung, his teaching, and his connection with his students? What is your reaction to these rules (and guides) as a student and as an aspiring teacher?

Wow! These rules, guidelines, and procedures are so innovative to me. I really like them and I definitely would try them in my future classroom. I really like the high level of attention and energy that Mr. McClung requires of his students. My favorite procedure is the “Teach-Ok” procedure. I think it’s a good way to make sure the students are paying attention, as well as a good teaching strategy. It ensures that students are evaluating their own learning.

4. What was the first thing under Everyone needs? Why do you suppose that is the first requirement?

The first requirement was a day planner. I think this is the first requirement because Mr. McClung values time management and responsibility. This is seen through his policy for late work and make up work.

5. Note the penalties for being late (under Homework). Compare them with my penalties for being late. Comment.

I think Mr. McClung’s penalties for late work are a little clearer than your penalties originally were. You both value responsibility and timeliness though and try to hold your students to high expectations.

6. Read carefully his paragraph about what he hopes to accomplish with his blog.
Comment and apply to your own aspirations as a teacher.

It’s obvious that Mr. McClung’s blog is the center for his daily classroom information and activities. I think this is the best way to use the blog; everyone must be invested and involved! He hopes to connect the students, teachers, and parents with his blog and I plan to do the same in my future classroom.

7. I asked you to review at least two Useful Links in depth after reviewing all of them. Which two did you review in depth? Describe each of the two. How might each be used? Why do you think each made Mr. McClung's list.

One of the links that I reviewed and found especially useful was the one to convert PDF files to word files. I have always had problems with editing PDF files, and I found some of the solutions to my problems by Googling the problem, but this link will be so valuable to me! I often find PDF files that I would like to change the font color on or edit somehow, so I will definitely be going back to this site. Another link that I reviewed was for the Plagiarism checker. This site allows you to paste student work into a box and it will detect plagiarism. This is definitely a good tool for teachers, but students would also find it valuable. Sometimes plagiarism isn’t even intentional, so students could use this site before turning in an assignment just to double check themselves.

8. Under Internet Safety I asked you to read carefully the rules Mr. McClung sets forth for safely using the internet. Comment on these rules. Are there any you would add or subtract.

This is definitely something that is important. When I begin teaching, I will go over this list of rules with my students on the first day because I think it’s very important to teach and enforce internet safety. I wouldn’t subtract any of these rules because I think they are all very important, but I would probably add that students aren’t allowed to communicate in our class with non-approved members of their PLN. I think it’s a good idea though that Mr. McClung created a generic e-mail address for his class to use when an e-mail address is required.

9. In the C4K part of this blog I asked that you look carefully at one of the categories under which you assigned post was filed. What did you find? Select one of the posts in the category and review it for me.

I commented on a blog post that was under the category of “Lesson Learned”. These were all obviously things that Mr. McClung’s class had discovered and learned. There are various pieces of information and news under this category, but I commented on a piece of news that regarded the cross country team. It was apparently their first meet, held in Bentonville, Arkansas, and they had a very good showing.

10. Mr. McClung uses Edublog as his blog host. In some ways it may seem more "advanced." But Blogger has many abilities that we have not covered in EDM310. This leads to this question: Is there anything (or things) that Mr. McClung can do with his blog that you would like to do in Blogger?

I really like the search feature that is available in this blog. Sometimes I find it a little difficult or time consuming to go through my blog or the class blog if I am trying to find something in particular.

11. In what ways does Mr. McClung make his blog useful to parents, teachers, administrators, students like you, and others?

Mr. McClung’s blog is highly visible. He probably gives the link to his students the first day of class as well as the parents and encourages them to check in daily.

12. How does Mr. McClung's 8th grade blog differs from other blogs you have visited including other 8th grade blogs? Why the differences do you think?

Mr. McClung’s blog is slightly different. For example, his blog includes a lot of information about himself as a teacher to make his classroom extremely transparent for everyone involved. Also, it includes links that are valuable for various people with various interests.

13. Add any additional comments you think would be useful in analyzing Mr. McClung's World in depth.

I think this blog is very valuable and a good example. I bookmarked it so I could come back and easily find all of the useful links. There were tons!

Blog Assignment 11

First Graders in Ms. Cassidy's Class

EDM 310 Skype Interview

It’s really great to see a classroom using and applying all of the technology that we are learning about. Sometimes it’s overwhelming to think about using technology to enhance a lesson, but Ms. Cassidy obviously does this very well.

In the video she created, I love how it has the text “little kids, big potential”. This reaches back to another assignment we had in which I commented that we must hold our students to the highest achievable standards possible. I don’t think it’s wrong at all to expect our students to learn how to use all sorts of technology at an early age. I think young children are a lot more familiar with technology than we give them credit for.

It definitely gave me a little more confidence after watching her video and listening to the Skype interview. I got some ideas of the techniques that I would love to incorporate into my classroom. I think it’s a great idea that Ms. Cassidy infuses her classroom with technology, but I think it’s especially useful that she uses the computers for center time. This gives children the freedom to discover information on their own. I think this is the best way (maybe sometimes the only way?) for people to learn. In fact, more information can be found about this in Joe Bower's blog post Why Preschool Shouldn't Be Like School. I also think the idea of using skype more in the classroom is something that will be very valuable. In most schools, it will be impossible to take students on all of the field trips that we want to go on, and I think skype could be a very helpful alternative.

There are obvious benefits from this type of approach that Ms. Cassidy has. Aside from the fact that our students need to learn from an early age to be technologically literate, there are other benefits to the student and their families. By providing parents with the links to the class website and their student’s blog, it allows the parent to be more involved and see what’s going on in the classroom. It just makes everything more transparent.

However, there will undoubtedly be a few roadblocks. To begin with, not all students will be guaranteed access to a computer and internet at home. While a majority of the work is done using the technology at school, students may be given outside work to do, may want to visit other student’s blogs, or their parents may want to check up on the virtual classroom. This creates a big problem for me. Another roadblock would be privacy. There are ways to protect privacy, like Ms. Cassidy explains, but some parents may still view it as a risk.

I believe that the positives outweigh the negatives in this case. Students are obviously going to be using technology in the future, whether at home or in the classroom, so we need to prepare our students for that as early as possible. It will be our job as educators to implement and unite other teachers and parents in this journey.

Summary Post C4T Teacher #3

This month, I read Mr. Joe Bower's Blog. He is an innovative teacher in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada.

Why Preschool Shouldn't Be Like School

In this post, Joe Bower discusses the method of indirect teaching. He references two different experiments that helped him shape and support his beliefs. The first was done by a group at MIT. The researchers either gave the students a toy and played with them to discover its capabilities or had a director show the students what the toy could do. Of course the students learned more and continued playing more when they were allowed to discover new information. The other experiment was done by Mr. Bower and three others. Again, this experiment was designed to test the student’s learning capability when allowed to discover information on their own rather than being directly taught. Mr. Bower ends his post with this quote: “Perhaps all learners would be better off if every level of education was a little less like school”

My comment to Mr. Bower first included me thanking him for the various resources he includes in his blog. They are valuable for future educators and very interesting. Next, I thanked him for sharing his view on this topic and providing the research to support it. While I completely agree with the indirect teaching style, I had to raise a question that has been on my mind a lot: what about those students who are “too cool for school” or who are unable to motivate themselves?


Fair Isn't Always Equal

This post contains the above cartoon and discusses fairness and equality in terms of standardizing our students. In this post, Mr. Bower mainly lets the cartoon get across the message. After all, “a picture is worth a thousand words”.

My comment on Mr. Bower’s post mainly discussed my take on fairness and equality. I shared with him how I think of the two: “you can teach your students in what you consider a ‘fair’ way, but the results you get will never be equal”. I further explained myself by saying that the results are never equal because students are never the same and never learn in the same way. Also, I shared with him my desire as a future educator to be able to get to know my students well and teach them fairly AND equally.

Blog Assignment 10

An open letter to educations by Morgan Bayda

I think in her blog post, which includes a video by Dan Brown, Morgan Bayda expresses a concern that a lot of students have, including myself. She explains an experience she had in her classes in which she struggles to stay awake listening to a professor try and stuff his student’s brain with all of his thoughts. The students aren’t encouraged to be creative and aren’t allowed, much less even encouraged, to express their own beliefs or thoughts. This is very similar to a lot of lectures I have been required to sit though. While I cannot make a generalization because I have had a number of exceptional professors, many of my professors were like the ones that Morgan described.

This got me really thinking when Dan Brown was describing how our education was changing. Institutionalized schooling used to be valuable because the ones who “held the knowledge” really had something to give their students. However, in the age that we are in now, where information is readily available, professors like this are virtually useless. In this new age, professors and educators have to teach their students how to use the readily available information to build their own opinions and information. Educators must encourage their students to be creative and collaborate, something that most of Morgan’s and my professors have failed to do.

Don’t Let Them Take Pencils Home by Tom Johnson

I really like the message that is in this blog post by Tom Johnson. The lady in this post complains about students using pencils and bans them instead of simply allowing students to use their pencils in creative ways. She complains about students playing the game of Hang Man instead of doing their assignments. Who is to say that most students won’t do their traditional assignments after they are creative with their pencils and let their minds “warm up” anyway? I think a lot of times it is easier for educators to simply get rid of the problem rather than come up with a solution to allow students to learn and develop their creative sides. It isn’t ALL about the test scores.

It may seem like a stretch, but I think the issue of technology can be applied to this, even though it probably wasn’t Tom Johnson’s original intent. By this, I mean that just because it may be recognized that there is a need for a revolution in traditional education, it’s not enough to just slap a solution on it and be done. It may look good on paper and seem like the answer, but it’s simply not enough to install SMART boards in every classroom and require students to blog once in a while. That’s just removing the problem which is the need for more technology in the classroom. Educators must focus on the cause and become creative with the solutions.

Another part of the post that I really liked was at the very end. Tom Johnson comments on the use of “your” when the lady tells him to not blame her when “your test scores are lower”. While the teacher is indirectly evaluated with the results of standardized test scores, it is ultimately students who earn and receive the scores.

Skype Interview Recorded Project #12

Summary C4K Comments 4-6

C4K 4

Osana @ Pt England School

This post was done by a year 6 student in Auckland, New Zealand. Her post was relatively simple. She had an image of puppies sitting in the grass with a link on the side to take her viewers to the source of the photo. It was obviously a lesson in how to create links.

I commented that I thought it was good that she is learning how to add links to her blog because it adds interest and value to a post. Also, I commented on the fact that she chose to use an image of puppies because I love dogs also.

C4K 5

Lepa @ Pt England School

This post was done by a year 6 student named Lepa from Pt. England School. The post was a very good one done on the favorite foods of another classroom at the school. Lepa polled other students on which food was their favorite (pizza, butter chicken, burger, curry and kumara, hot chops, taro and chopsui, fry bread, sandwiches, mussels, jelly, and nachos) then turned the results into a bar graph. Lepa then summarized the findings and concluded that most preferred nachos and the least favorite food was curry and kumara.

I commented that I was very impressed and interested with the topic of the post. I let her know that it was interesting to me because I wasn’t familiar with some of the foods that she had included in her poll. They were quite different than some of the favorite foods that we have in America. I also commented that I liked how she summarized her findings because it made it easier for the reader.

C4K 6

Mr. Webb's Room 8 Blog

This post I commented on was from Mr. Webb’s class in New Zealand. The students were aged 12-13. The assignment was to complete a digital photography challenge which consisted of working in groups to take creative photographs of their school and then working those photographs into a video slideshow. I watched videos from both groups one and two, and commented on the second video.

My comments included how impressed I was. I truly couldn’t believe that the students found all of those pictures in fifteen minutes. Also, it impressed me how creative they were in finding their photographs. Some were better than others, but overall, the students were innovative in seeing interesting things to photograph. I also commented that I enjoyed seeing a little bit of their school.

Blog Assignment 9

"What I've Learned This Year" by Mr. McClung

I really appreciate this blog post by Mr. McClung. I think it really embodies what it means to be a teacher, not only because he is showing professionalism and dedication, but also because he is practicing what it means to be a teacher: he is continuously learning and sharing that knowledge with others.

Mr. McClung shares six lessons that he learned in his first year of teaching. The first is to learn how to read a crowd. This means learning how to make your classroom student based instead of becoming preoccupied and obsessed with your own assessment as a teacher. I definitely think this is something that is important. Even though I haven’t had very much experience, I have already caught myself doing this. It’s very easy to get caught up in making a creative and well planned lesson plan and forget that you are actually speaking to students and asking them to take in your words.

Next, Mr. McClung discusses the importance of being flexible. He says “no lesson is ever perfect. The lesson you teach and the one you plan are always different.” To me, flexibility is one of the most important aspects of being a teacher because nothing in life ever goes perfectly. Also, if we aren’t flexible as teachers, might we miss a valuable learning opportunity?

Mr. McClung also expresses his belief that communication is key. He discusses that communication is necessary in the workplace to build relationships with both teachers and students. I believe that being an effective communicator is the basis of being a good teacher. We don’t have to know every detail about quantum physics; what we must know, however, is how to effectively communicate with our students and learn with them. Also, we must help make our students effective communicators both verbally and written.

Being reasonable is the next lesson that Mr. McClung discusses. He believes that we as teachers can have the tendency to set our expectations too high and therefore set our students up for failure. He says “our job as teachers is to simply pick them up after they fail, dust them off, and encourage them to try again”. I definitely agree with this, but I also believe that it is imperative that we set high expectations for our students. If we set expectations that are just high enough, it will encourage students to work harder in the future. The art is to not set these expectations to where they are unattainable. I believe that all expectations can be met though.
Next, Mr. McClung discusses technology and encourages adults to not be afraid of computers and technology. As I have discussed in my other blog posts, I definitely believe in the power of technology in the classroom. However, I do think that without a good teacher and a valuable lesson plan, technology can be useless.

Listening to your students is another lesson that Mr. McClung learned in his first year of teaching. He believes that it is important to build relationships with your students. Having a good sense of rapport and trust with your students is something that I believe to be beneficial and important, but I think a line has to be drawn somewhere. We aren’t meant to be friends with our students. For me at least, I think it could be hard to listen closely to my students and not offer my personal beliefs and personal life experiences. Maybe it will just take practice and time to learn how to give advice without becoming too personal with my students.

The final lesson that Mr. McClung discusses is to never stop learning. He discusses the fact that we encourage our students to keep learning, so we should hold ourselves to that same standard. Our classrooms can change from year to year or from class period to class period, so we always must be learning and changing our way of thinking. In high school I had an AP American History teacher who really embodied this. If someone asked him a question that he didn’t know, he would respond with “I don’t know. I’ll research and get back to you”. I just thought this was such a good answer and he would expect us to answer him in the same manner if we couldn’t answer one of his questions.

I really appreciate Mr. McClung writing this post about the lessons he learned in his first year of teaching. I know that we are learning a lot about the profession while still in school, but I definitely believe that we will learn infinitely more once we get in our own classrooms and being teaching.

Project 13 SMARTboard presentation

Blog Assignment 8

Richard Miller: This is How We Dream Parts 1 and 2

This video definitely raises some good points and makes you think a lot about education. When I was watching it, I kept comparing education of the future to the education I received growing up. In the video, it is said that the workspace is now the desktop. My generation grew up with paper and pencil so the next generation will obviously have a very different education with technology and computers.

I am mentally willing to learn much more about writing with multimedia. Am I totally competent and have I mastered the art of writing with multimedia? Of coarse not. I would not say that I am very interested though and see the value in it as an educator. In the video, it was said that our information won’t be stored in a place like a library, information will be readily available on the web and shared infinitely. Because of this, I am hopefully becoming more and more prepared to write with multimedia to share my ideas and to have the knowledge to gather other ideas.

Students of the next generation will definitely be able to write with multimedia. It will come more naturally to them. As educators, we must give them the tools to learn to collaborate with others and write with multimedia. Students will be able to express their creativity through collaboration with other students and the use of images, films and other media. I definitely think there will be less of a learning curve with the technology for the students of the next generation, therefore we as educators must work hard to keep up and learn to learn the way our students will learn.

The Chipper Series

EDM 310 for Dummies

These two videos are great examples of student made videos with great messages and lessons. The first, The Chipper Series, Chipper redefines procrastination and hard work. Through a little skit with Dr. Strange, she grows as an individual from a procrastinating student to a drop out with many failing jobs, finally to a hard working student. Her primary message is that we must be timely, hard working individuals in all aspects of our life. We must accept responsibility and not make excuses for ourselves. EDM 310 for Dummies is another example of a great student video. In it, students market a EDM 310 handbook with tips and tools to “keep an A” in the class. The primary message of this video is to not get frustrated with the class and to use all resources possible to succeed.

Some videos that I would like to create would probably be based around continuing education for educators already in the field. I think it would be a great way to teach myself some things as well as benefit the educators in our schools who are struggling with technology. I always learn the best when I am teaching others something.

Learn to Change, Change to Learn

This is a great video that will really make you think! Some of the ideas seem radical, but they are all very practical and true if you let them sink in for a minute. It is suggested that our schools today are very much run like factories with control and order being the priority. Also, we are taking away the student’s world and creativity by banning technology and really doing our students a disservice.

If we want our students to succeed we must make them at the center of their own education. I definitely agree that we must allow students to use their own tools outside of the traditional classroom if they are going to learn and reach their potential. The time of the traditional classroom that we grew up in is over! Students have to use the web, the community, and other resources to gain knowledge and the classroom and school as a meeting place to collaborate and share ideas.

Also, the argument about standardized tests made a lot of sense to me. I always have the concern in the back of my head about traditionally meeting state standards and objectives. In the video, however, it is stated that jobs don’t call on the knowledge of standardized tests. Jobs call for students to be able to work as teams, to find information in context, to synthesize, and think critically. I definitely think those things are more important and more valuable than teaching to any test.

The Secret Powers of Time by Philip Zambardo

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by David Pink

In ‘The Secret Powers of Time”, Philip Zambardo discusses the concept of time and time zones such as the past, present, and future. He claims that the pace of life and duration vary by culture and can explain actions and personality. For example, all people begin life in a present hedonistic state, meaning we all have the desire to meet our more immediate and basic needs. However, depending on culture, maturity, and a number of other factors, our states change. The example given in the video was of teenage boys who play video games. These video games cater primarily to immediate gratification and re-wire the brain to think that way. Therefore, when they go to school, which is primary centered around delayed gratification, their brains will consider it boring and not be interested. I think this applies to the growth of people’s education and their drive for success because we must give our student’s something to control in their education. We are moving more and more toward an immediately controlled present time culture so we must adapt to that.

In “The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us” David Pink discusses rewards and punishments. He mainly focuses on reward though and challenges some of the previously claimed ideas. His research proves that rewards are successful when the work is basic and mechanical. However, when it requires even a small amount of cognitive ability, a reward doesn’t work and gives poor performance. Basically, they found that higher incentives yield worse results, except for simple and straightforward tasks. The video also discusses three factors for better performance: autonomy, mastery, and purpose. It is claimed that humans all have a desire for self-direction (autonomy), the urge to get better (mastery), and purpose. I think this is something we should think about when we have our own students and our own classrooms. Because we know that students need autonomy, we should give them projects to work on themselves and the freedom to be creative. Because we know they have the urge to get better, we should let them have their sense of purpose and start treating our students like humans instead of animals. We all have a natural urge to succeed so we shouldn’t rely solely on extrinsic motivation for our students.

Short Movie Project 11

Blog Assignment 7

Watching Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams is definitely well worth the time. He is such an inspirational person and his messages are all ones we should learn from and take into consideration in our own lives. What struck me most were his positive attitude and his teaching philosophies.

Randy Pausch had every reason in the world to let himself become depressed and bitter. Instead, he obviously radiates confidence and a very positive attitude about life. He wove humor throughout his whole lecture, which I thought added to his credibility and appeal. Near the very beginning of the lecture, he thought it best to talk about his cancer or what he calls “the elephant in the room”. This is a healthy habit and I think it sets a great example. Randy Pausch is obviously not depressed, but he is not in denial either. He just knows who he is and has a very deep relationship with himself. He wants to share his dreams with others and encourage everyone to make the dreams of others come true.

Before I comment on his teaching methods, I think it’s important to comment on how inspirational Randy Pausch is as a person. As teachers, we are automatically put into a position of being a role model for our students. We see our children almost as much as their parents do, and that puts a huge responsibility on our shoulders. I think as teachers, we should all strive to be the best role models we can be. This means exuding confidence and a positive attitude every day just like Randy Pausch does. If he can do it and be dying of cancer, we can definitely put our burdens aside for our students and give them our most positive attitudes. In his lecture, Pausch says “decide if you’re Tigger or Eeyore”. I really liked this quote and I think it’s a great way to remind students as well as others to evaluate their attitudes.

As far as his teaching methods go, I definitely agree with his philosophies. I think his “head fake” educational style is really effective. I definitely believe that indirect learning can be one of the most successful ways to learn. It’s supposed to be fun to learn, and as educators we must be creative and think of ways to teach our kids multiple lessons. I definitely had tears in my eyes at the end when he said that his talk “is not for you, it’s for my kids”.

My PLN Project 10

I have definitely come a lot farther in developing my PLN. After watching some videos and doing a little bit of research, I’ve learned some of the benefits of a PLN and gotten some helpful hints. I’ve gotten comfortable using the tools associated with Google (e-mail and Google docs) as well as social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Also, I’ve lately started using Symbaloo to help me navigate the internet and stay organized. I’ve found it to be a really great tool to help me navigate more effectively and avoid confusion.

C4T 2 Dr. Paige Baggett

Ibiyinka Alao, Nigeria's Ambassador of Art
The first post I commented on from Dr. Baggett was one about Ibiyinka Alao who is Nigeria’s Ambassador of Art. She wrote this post to educate her readers about Ibiyinka Alao because he visited the University of South Alabama on February 8th and gave a presentation. Alao was born on October 17, 1975 and was trained as an architect. In 2001, he won the United Nations International Art Competition and Nigeria named him their “Art Ambassador”. In 2003, he was named the “Ambassador of Peace” by the United Nations Population Fund. He was given this title because of his believe that peace is achieved through art and creativity.

When I commented on Dr. Baggett’s post, I thanked her for introducing us to an important contemporary artist. I expressed my belief that it’s important to have knowledge about the art around us so we can appreciate creativity. After looking at Alao’s art on some of the sites that Dr. Baggett provided, I also mentioned how I love his use of color and how he uses art as a way to express emotion. The final thing I mentioned is how I hope we as teachers can use art as a way for our students to express themselves.

Leading by Example and a Pointer Finger: Enriching our Lives through the Arts and Technology (high and low?
The second post I commented on from Dr. Baggett was one about the blind artist Ricky Trione. Dr. Baggett had the opportunity to meet Ricky Trione when he was visiting a second grade class at Boothe Elementary School. He shared his story with the students and demonstrated how he has overcome his disability in order to continue to paint. Through his determination, he has developed his own method to paint which has him using his finger and technological tools to identify colors. Mr. Ricky Trione’s method is one of inspiration; he is living proof that anything is possible!

I shared with Dr. Baggett how I also found Ricky Trione to be extremely fascinating and talented. I was especially interested because Ricky also came to my art class when I was in high school so I got to see and hear his stories firsthand as well. I still remember them today. I told Dr. Baggett that I don’t remember him using technology back then though. He brought someone with him who directed him to the paint color he wanted to use. I made the comment that even though its only been a few years since Ricky Trione visited my high school art class, there have obviously been great technological advances.

Project 9b (Timetoast)

C4K Comments 1,2,3

Comment 1
I first read and commented on Banana’s blog. In her introductory post, titled “my life”, she introduced herself to the reader. She also discusses her family, her favorite sport, and her favorite subject in school.

In my comment, I thanked Banana for sharing a little bit of herself with her readers. She was a very good writer and she mentioned that she liked writing, so I encouraged her to keep writing. She had also mentioned that she had a lot of great stories to tell about her life, so I suggested that she write down some of her stories.

Comment 2
I accidentally read and commented on the wrong podcast, but when I realized it, I went back and comment on the correct one. The podcast I was supposed to comment on first was by Mubasshira and Jarna in Room 17 at Pt. England School. The girls had done a podcast on the book ‘The Princess Test”. It was in the form of an interview and question and pictures of the girls were included to enhance their message.

I commented on their blog how both girls did a good job of both interviewing and answering the questions well. After I watched their podcast, I really understood what the book was about so I let the girls know that as well because I think it means their podcast was a success. At the end, they won’t tell what the outcome of the book is. Instead, they tell the viewer where they can buy the book. I told the girls I thought this was great also because it hopefully gets other interested in the book and reading.

Comment 3
On February 24, Mary, a student in Room 16 at Pt. England school in Auckland, New Zealand posted to her blog about the recent earthquake in Christchurch. She included a photograph of the devastation with her post that helped explain to her readers the magnitude of this natural disaster. She included details that she saw on the television when she came home from school and learned of the earthquake.

I commented on Mary’s blog post how sad I was to hear about this earthquake. I also thought it was important that Mary be commended for sharing her country’s news with the world. This is an important benefit of blogs and I thought it should be brought to her attention.

Blog Assignment 6

The Networked Student

This sounds just like our class :) From a student’s point of view, being a networked student seems like it could be time consuming and risky. Is the information I’m finding useful? Pertinent? What I’m going to be tested on? From an educator’s point of view, educating networked students is definitely important because it teaches higher level thinking and gives our students the tools they will need in the future. We have already seen how much technology is advancing, and it’s important for students to be educated on how to use this technology.

I really like that the video acknowledged the fact that teachers and instructors are still needed to guide networked students. However, it is made very clear that the teachers are guiding and not simply hand-feeding material to the students. Teachers are there to teach students the skills they need to find and organize the information that is available to them. It’s the teacher’s responsibility to familiarize the student with on-line tools, teach them how to communicate effectively, and especially differentiate between reliable and unreliable information.

I think it’s probably challenging to be a teacher of a networked student, but I’m up for the challenge. My concerns come from the strict guidelines for learning objectives that we will all probably be faced with. To me, it seems challenging to ensure that every student is gathering the correct information to meet the learning objective to the state’s satisfaction. Of course, it’s tempting to lecture directly from the standards, but I definitely believe that networked students learn valuable lessons from the higher-level thinking.

A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment

This is a good video of a seventh grader who enjoys the benefits of being a networked student. She describes her PLE from her class, which is very similar to my PLN. The main reason they are similar is because of the fact that we are both relying on being connected to learn. It’s also essentially the same thing because of the sense of responsibility for our own work that is naturally created through the amount of freedom we are given. To learn everything possible about a certain topic, it is necessary to do previous research and collaborate, which is done in both this girl’s PLE and in my PLN. Also, an emphasis is put on blogs for both reflection and presentation.

Michael Staton's Negative Critique of Smartboards
Bill Ferriter's Negative Critique of Smartboards
Positive Critique of Smartboards

These three articles only had a few things in common. Basically, there is a general belief that technology has positive benefits for the educational environment. Also, it cannot be argued that interactive whiteboards have no effect on the ease of lecturing and delivery methods. They obviously greatly affect the lecturing styles and this is where the two opposing sides differ.

Those who oppose Smartboards claim that it’s not benefiting our children because they allow traditional teaching styles, such as the lecturing, to be easier for teachers. This is a drawback to some because simple lecturing is frowned upon. Those who oppose also claim that Smartboards are just PR moves from the schools that are given money to use for technology. They are supposedly an easy way for schools to spend their technology funds and have something concrete and tangible to prove. Also, those who oppose claim that Smartboards don’t allow for adaptive learning environments, differentiated learning, or collaboration.

Those who support Smartboards have much different claims and believe that Smartboards are very beneficial to students. Interactive whiteboards can appeal to different learning styles by providing short bursts of different types of media and allowing students to get involved. Also, it allows for teachers to save and retrieve materials easily and provides valuable hard copies. These hard copies can be especially useful in a collaboration project when it is necessary to see which students contributed

Project 9a-Timetoast

Blog Assignment 5

The Benefits of Podcasting In The Classroom

This video goes beyond some of the more obvious benefits of podcasts. We all know that podcasts expose our students to valuable technology. They allow for students to work on projects as well as allowing teachers to record lectures. I definitely believe in the benefits of student collaboration and the development of higher-level thinking and creativity.

This video also suggested some situations and benefits that I think are innovative and creative and go beyond the obvious ones. It showed a situation in which students were role playing. I think this is a very effective technique because it allows for a more meaningful learning experience while requiring children to work with the technology around them. It’s a creative way for allowing students to think outside of the box. Also, one student told about how she and her family will listen to podcasts in the car when they are on trips. I think this would be a very effective way to get parents more involved in their child’s learning and education.

100 Ways to Use Your iPod to Learn and Study Better

This website has a huge amount of information on podcasts. In the Podcasts and More section, it gives links to various podcasts for all ages. For example, you can get a Sesame Street podcast for young children or flashcards for the medical profession. You can find podcasts for the King James Bible or podcasts to help you learn a different language. The point being that podcasts are available for almost anything you can think of and we can make podcasts for anything that we think will be valuable to others.

In the Tutorial section, I found the article Learning Podcasting by Carolyn Wood to be especially helpful. She begins by explaining what a podcast is and the basics you will need to get started, such as a microphone and software like Audacity. She then goes into step by step instructions and has many helpful tips that we help me create a better podcast. I definitely put this website in my favorites to go back and look at later.

The Judy Scharf Podcast Collection

This is another website that I think will prove to be very valuable both in this class and in the future. It has a long list of possible topics for student project-based podcasts, examples of well done podcasts as well as detailed information for creating your podcasts. Mrs. Scharf suggests getting very familiar with Audacity before beginning to make your podcast. She includes a link to a YouTube video that I found helpful. In addition to this video, Mrs. Scharf’s website includes a document for creating podcasts, using podbean, and submitting a podcast to itunes

Blog Assignment 4

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?
Dr. Scott McLeod is a professor and leader in the world of educational technology. In his blog post from August 26, 2009, he poses a satirical situation, in which he is asking parents, teachers, administrators, and board members to basically deprive their children and students of technological skills. He argues that we shouldn’t be teaching them about technology because the world really isn’t changing that much and they won’t really need to know about it in the future anyways. By approaching this topic with a sarcastic and satirical tone, it adds to the absurdity of the belief that we do not need to teach our kids technology. Dr. McLeod ends his post with an interesting statement: “I’m doing it with all of my kids, can’t wait to see who has a leg up in a decade or two”. I definitely believe that those children who are being exposed to technology and encouraged to explore its benefits will definitely have a leg up in the future.

The iSchool Initiative
This video, made by a high school student in Georgia, is certainly interesting and very creative. Because of the lack of money available in our schools, he proposes a plan to revolutionize education in America. It’s called the iSchool Initiative and he suggests that in the future, an iTouch can replace schools. It will save massive amounts of money instantly because it will replace the need for students to buy books, agendas, and ink and paper costs will go down. He also believes that it will have a positive impact of the environment. He intends to have all sectors work together to allow teachers to have instant access to their classes, to allow parents to monitor their students, and to give students all of the personalized educational tools they need for success.
This is a great plan and a very impressive presentation put forward, but I am somewhat skeptical of this plan. While I completely believe in the benefits of technology, I also believe in the benefit of face-to-face student interaction with other students and teachers. I’m not sure if the iSchool Initiative would take the place of the physical school classroom, but I think classrooms and teachers are an essential part of the educational process. I’m not just saying that because I hope to have a job in the future either!

The Lost Generation
The technique used in this video is amazing. The first time the script is read in the first half of the video, I had a sense of hopelessness and the anonymity was disheartening. We have all heard reports of how our society is changing and our generation is selfish and uncaring. Hope is restored, however, through the creativity of the author. Once it is “rewound” and a different spin is put on the words, our generation is turned around.
I most definitely feel like we can still “rewind” if we just get creative and take a different look at things. This is what I feel the creators of the video were intending. They want us to see that nothing is permanent and we have the power to change our destiny if we just think outside the box. We can’t just accept the things that society is telling us about our generation. We are ultimately responsible for our actions and we have the power to make the changes. We can’t just sit back and accept the things that are being reported. I think education could be an important part of this. We still can help to instill certain values in our children and teach them about the world around us.

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir
This is such a great example of how technology is being used and changing our world! We are given this beautiful ensemble that may have not been formed if it had not been for the internet and technological software. It was a powerful choice to have a visual component as well. The images of the individual singers in their own homes show how connected our world can become if we take full advantage of the internet and technology.
As teachers, we should always be ready to take advantage of the internet. It can connect our students to the world around them and show them other cultures outside of their classrooms. Examples like this can show our students that they are not the only ones in the world. It helps to show students as well as ourselves that there is so much out there that can still be discovered and we are only a small part of our world.

Teaching In The 21st Century
I think this video is important because it is recognizing the value of teachers in addition to the need for technology. To teach in the 21st century means to allow our students to use any sources necessary to gather information and then think for themselves and form their own opinions. It will be our job to help students develop skills of higher level thinking. We will show our students how to properly use the internet, how to recognize pirating and reliable sources, and about professionalism. To teach will mean to show students that information cannot simply be blindly accepted.
I think that these positions expressed in this video are extremely important. Our students will definitely be using the internet and we have to teach them how to use it. Even though our students will have information constantly and readily available to them, it is still our job to teach them how to use it and how to form their own opinions and synthesize the facts. I especially related to the part about how to manage internet use in the classroom. The creators of this video said that you manage it the same way as other distractions that are tempting. We as educators can’t just block our the internet in our classrooms because we think our students are going to misuse it and get on social networking sites.

Summary Post C4T#1

I commented on Dr. Strange's Blog

My Favorite Artists-The Top Ten At This Moment

Dr. Strange’s Post: After discussing art, he and Dr. Paige Baggett decided to make a list of their top ten artists and then compare them. He included Picasso for his sheer talent both in quality in quantity. Walker Evans was on the list for his moving photographs, as well as Modigliani for his paintings, sculptures, and nudes. Dr. Strange got to see Van Gogh’s work displayed in places like Amsterdam, Paris and New York so he got to witness firsthand Van Gogh’s talent. Of Coarse he made the list! Others on the list include Klimt and Giacometti. No list of great artists could be complete without Matisse, Monet, and Michelangelo. Dr. Strange added an extra artist to his list so he could include two who were close to his own heart—Ben Shahn and Thomas Hart Benton.

My Response: I let Dr. Strange know how much I admired his passion for art. Since he has traveled around Europe to see the pieces of art he references, I told him how much I want to do the same eventually. Also, I admitted that I was still learning a lot about art. Some of the pieces of art and even an artist (Giacometti) were ones that I didn’t recognize. I was able to agree with him on some of his choices though. For example, I told him that our opinions of Matisse are very similar because his use of color amazes us both.

Serendipity

Dr. Strange’s Post: He titles this post Serendipity because he believes serendipity struck when Anthony Capps pointed out a post on the EDM 310 Alumni Blog. Dr. Strange thought the video that was included in this blog was beneficial and decided to make a special assignment out of it. His reasons for this special assignment #1 were to check to see if we were reading the class blog, to emphasize creativity, to draw attention to the EDM 310 Alumni Blog, and to get us virtually out of Alabama. He includes posts from students that he thought were especially interesting.

My Response: I started out by commenting on his use of the word serendipity. I thought that it was a creative way of reminding us of what the video was about and what it stood for. I then commented on the excerpt from Anthony Capp’s blog that was included. I thought Anthony’s passion was inspiring to all of us. I let Dr. Strange know how important I think it is that teachers are passionate and inspiring to one another. I then commented that his reasons for creating special assignment #1 proved to be successful for me because it made me consider creativity more, it makes me check the class blog more, and it drew my attention to the alumni blog.

Blog Assignment 3

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Student’s Today

This video is dead on. The facts presented from their surveys may be frustrating, but I definitely believe them to be accurate. One of the issues touched upon that really stuck in my memory was of the girl who sits next to a person who paid for the class, but he or she never shows up. I have definitely had people in my class who pay for the class and even buy the book maybe, but they never come to class or participate in labs if they have a lab component. I don’t even understand this, because it is such a waste of time and money. For the kids who do come to class, I definitely think distractions such as Facebook are extremely tempting. I have even sat through a boring lecture before and been very tempted to get on the internet or pull out my phone to check Facebook.

However, I don’t think ALL of the blame can be put on technology and the professor’s lack of creativity. If students aren’t motivated intrinsically, they will find any sort of way to distract themselves. It won’t matter how innovative a professor is. It may seem unrealistic, but I think elementary educators could have a huge role in improving this problem. If we as teachers encourage our kids to enjoy learning, maybe they will be more likely to take responsibility for their education.

It’s Not About the Technology by Kelly Hines

I’m glad to hear this point being brought up. While I absolutely believe in technology’s positive influence on learning, I agree with Ms. Hines’ opinion that it’s not all about technology. She raises four great points that she believes are the most essential for teaching a new generation of children. Basically, to teach the new generation of kids, teachers must still value the fundamental characteristics of education. I think her assertion that teachers must be learners is one of the most important things to remember. Ultimately, we are role models for our students. If we are trying to teach them things, then we should value education ourselves and continue to try and learn new things. If we are trying to be innovative with technology in our rooms, I think it’s important to remember this assertion that teachers must be learners because I think a great way to learn about technology is to experiment with it teach yourself.

Ms. Hines’ assertion that technology is useless without good teaching is one of the most important things to me. I definitely think it’s too easy to create a cool lesson using all of the technology possible, but to lose the objectives you are trying to teach your students. Also, the fundamental aspects of teaching must still be present in order to teach. Hopefully, talented educators who can help the students learn and can teach the value of good communication skills will never go out of date.

Karl Fisch: Is it Okay to Be a Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

Mr. Fisch asserts that “If a teacher today is not technologically literate - and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more - it's equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn't know how to read and write.” He then asks a question: is this extreme? At first, I thought it was definitely a little extreme, although I did see the logic behind it. Then I thought about it a little bit more. What would make a teacher who is technologically illiterate (and unwilling to learn more any more) qualified or more knowledgeable than a teacher thirty years ago who couldn’t read or write? The answer is nothing. While the modern day technologically illiterate teacher may have basic reading and writing skills, he or she still sets unacceptable standards for the student. The teacher should set good learning examples for the student and encourage the student to keep up with every learning tool possible.

A good point that Mr. Fisch raises is that technology is often viewed as socially unacceptable. It’s strange that everyone wants the newest cell phone, TV, or computer, but a lot of people wouldn’t consider themselves very interested in technology. We need to make is socially acceptable for people to like technology and work towards becoming more technologically literate. This is where our role as teachers could come in again. We not only need to bring technology into the classroom, but we also need to make it cool and acceptable for students to enjoy and be interested in technology.

Gary Hayes Social Media Count

This is absolutely amazing to me! It’s crazy to think that in just a few seconds, so much has changed in the world. This is something we as educators must take into account. Obviously, the popularity of such devices and programs is astounding and the likelihood that our students will be involved is very high. While we as educators may feel like we know a lot about technology know, how will we feel in ten or twenty years? Hopefully, we won’t just be teaching for a few years and then going on to other jobs or retiring early. If we are lucky, we will be teaching for many years and witnessing many new technological advances. It’s important for us to stay as technologically literate as possible throughout our whole career so even our students twenty years from now will have teachers interested in technology and who use the technology they are familiar with.

Project 5 Google Presentation

Blog Assignment 2

Did You Know? 3.0
No I didn’t know! Well, at least I didn’t know a lot of the information that was presented in this video. My first reaction upon finishing this video was that this is very humbling. It’s easy to get caught up in our daily lives and not think about the bigger picture and evaluate where we are as a world today. It’s easy to get comfortable where we are and forget that we are a part of a world that is constantly changing and growing. It’s easy to get left behind!

The video ended with a question: So what does this all mean? I think it means that we have to be conscious of the world around us and have the desire to keep up with the times. Our world is obviously not slowing down, and we have to prepare ourselves for that. In this video, it was stated that “we are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist”. This made me really start thinking. How do we prepare students for the future then? I think we as educators have to guide our students to gain critical thinking skills so, in the future, they will be able to adjust to their lives accordingly and anticipate what their needs will be.

Mr. Winkle Wakes
What a creative take on the classic tale of Rip Van Winkle. School is comforting to Mr. Winkle in his new world because it is just the same as it was before he woke up. As a future educator, that is a very scary thought! I can’t even imagine going to school in the same type of environment that my parents went to school in. Thankfully, education has changed greatly over the years, but we must continue to improve our teaching methods and philosophies to prepare the next generation of learners.

Even though Mr. Winkle saw the same “scary machine” in the classroom that he saw in the hospital and office building, “it wasn’t being used”. This is unacceptable. If the technology is out there and being utilized by the medical and corporate worlds, we have to familiarize our students with the same technology. It’s not enough to simply have the most up-to-date technology in our schools. We must have teachers who saturate the classroom with technology whenever possible.

Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
I definitely agree with Sir Ken Robinson’s assertion that we must educate the whole child. Something that really stuck with me after viewing this video is the story of the choreographer/ballerina. Her teachers claimed she had a learning disorder, but in reality she simply learned better when she was moving. Thankfully, her dancing talents were recognized instead of being stifled and she eventually became very successful. As teachers, we have to be aware of our students enough so we can avoid putting simple labels on them. Another humorous statement of Sir Ken Robinson is that even William Shakespeare had an English teacher when he was a child. Both of these little anecdotes serve to show that education is very important to the creative process and must be respected.

Creativity is important and must be cultivated in our students, but I don’t necessarily agree that we must restructure our whole educational system. The arts do need to be given more attention, but the reality is that most schools have cut back funding for programs like dance and drama. Without restructuring the whole system, creativity can be fostered in the regular classrooms as well. It requires flexibility and creativity of the teachers themselves. We must work hard to find creative ways to allow each student to learn in the most beneficial way for themselves. Teachers should incorporate all learning styles into every lesson and help students realize that failure is okay as long as success follows.

Cecilia Gault (Young Student in Finland) Interviews Sir Ken Robinson
First of all, I am extremely impressed with Cecilia Gault. She is a young girl, yet she seems very sophisticated. The article she wrote for Scholastic Kids Press Corps Blog is written very well and her interview skills are great. I actually had to watch this video twice in order to catch watch Sir Ken Robinson was saying because I was so impressed with Cecilia Gault and her professionalism.

Gault attends a performing arts school which suggests she values creativity greatly. Her intrinsic motivation is inspiring and she has obviously had some great teachers who foster and encourage her creativity. I hope I will be able to help students develop like this in my classroom. I think one of the keys to making sure students receive a good education is to get them involved and invested in their own learning. I truly believe that all students want to learn. The question Gault raises in her blog is can U.S. students compete? I definitely believe the answer to this is yes.

Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts
Because I am studying Elementary Education, I sometimes only consider younger students when thinking about education. I have always thought that is more natural to be creative and innovative with technology in a classroom full of younger students. Younger students seem more eager to learn and need more innovative technological methods to grab and keep their attention longer. I’m starting to think that this may not be the case though; it’s easy to bring technology to students of all ages.

Like Vicki Davis says in her video, it’s about learning to learn. To me, lifelong learning is important so we should teach our students valuable learning skills. Through technology, our students can learn to think critically and learn to learn. We as teachers are even continuing to learn so it’s important to not shy away from intimidating technology. Davis says that we don’t have to know everything when we teach. It can be a mutual learning process!

"Who I Am" Wordle

Blog Assignment 1

My name is Lauren Moran and I am a junior majoring in Elementary Education. I currently live in Fairhope, Alabama with my two parents and my dog, Oliver. I graduated from Fairhope High School in 2008 and went to the University of Alabama for two and a half years. This is my first semester at the University of South Alabama and I am very excited to be back in the Mobile area. While Tuscaloosa and the University of Alabama both hold a special place in my heart, I'm glad to be back close to family and the water. One of my favorite things to do is spend time on the boat or just relaxing by the water. I also love to read and I am currently enjoying working on my baking and cooking skills.

Education is also something else that is important to me so the decision to become a teacher was an easy one for me. My mom, who has been a teacher for twenty years, possibly had an influence on my decision also. I love children and I am looking forward to learning as much about the teaching profession as I can.

Practice Post

My first post