C4K #2

October C4K Comments

My first blog to comment on was Daniel. His post was about the book SuperFudge by Judy Blume. He says that he can relate to the character Peter, who will run away if the baby is crazy, because at one time he also wanted to run away. I asked Daniel what his favorite book was and shared with him that my favorite book growing up was Journey to Jo’Burg by Beverly Naidoo. I also informed him that I did not think that babies could be crazy, being that they only sleep and eat.

My second student’s post to comment on was Benny. I left Benny the interesting fact that the U.S. was the first country to send an astronaut to the moon.

The third student’s post to comment on was George. I commented that it is very important and cool that he loves science at his age and that I just am beginning to appreciate science as an adult. I also left George with the fact that Jupiter is the only gaseous planet that has an ocean. I also left a link to the website where I found that information. In that same week, I was randomly assigned to comment on was Jadyn, whose post was about pollination and how pollen attracts bees. I left her the comment that one beautiful outcome of cross-pollination was the beautifully colored flowers and that my favorite flower is the Lily.

My fourth student to leave a comment for was Mr. Avery’s class. In this post Mr. Avery posted that they were learning about dividing fractions and if his students understood the lesson he agreed to make a rap about dividing fractions. I commented that he did a good job on his rap and how lucky his students are to have such an enthusiastic teacher.

My last student to leave a comment for was Dj. Dj made a video about how people in New Zealand still believe in mermaids. I left a comment stating that The Little Mermaid was my favorite movie when I was a little girl and that the animation in the video was done very well.

Blog Assignment 10

Do You Teach or Do You Educate?

In this short movie, Joshua B. Bloom, distinguishes the difference between teaching and educating. He defines teaching as showing or explaining how to do something, presenting something as a fact, giving information about something, causing someone to learn something and motivating someone by example or punishment to do or not to do something. Mr. Bloom defines an educator as someone who illuminates and inspires others. He also describes them as intellectuals, mentors, guides, advisors and moral people who show the way to others.

In EDM 310, I have become so much more excited to teach than I ever was before. I believe that this excitement comes from the realization that I can educate rather than just teach. I have been given the resources I can use to educate my students along with directions and many examples on how to use them. I intend to use Skype, Podcasts, Youtube, Blogs, the internet and my SmartBoard to keep my students engaged and excited to learn. I believe that in the elementary grades, educators begin to develop within their students a foundation of either excitement or fear and loathing of learning. I remember those educators that made me love coming to class to read, research, think and work. They made learning exciting and fun. I also remember (not by name) those teachers whose class I dreaded to attend. One quarter, I had a teacher that sat at the projector and had us copy math problems in our notebooks every day during class, it was hard to even stay awake so being engaged was out of the question.

I intend to help build a foundation based on the desire and excitement to know more within my students by incorporating the media that I mentioned earlier within this paragraph. I will also lead my students by exemplifying the same excitement and desire that I wish for them. I will not just give them the information that they need to know but I will guide them in the direction of where the information is located, just as Dr. Strange has done for me. My students will always be encouraged to ask questions and know that their ideas are welcome. Within my students, I want to develop not only the desire learn but the capability to teach themselves as well.








Don't Let Them Take The Pencils Home!

In this post, Tom Johnson addresses the ways that our students'learning potential can be limited by fear and ignorance of administrators, parents and teachers. In this post, what is limiting their potential to learn is Gertrude's focus on the problems instead of the benefits created by the students taking pencils home.I found this post to be clever and humorous but also sad because it addresses real issues that are present in today's education system. The cleverness of this post lies in the fact that pencils can be replace with almost any learning source such as: books, computers, games to name a few, and still be relevant.

One reason Gertrude is opposed to students taking pencils home because of an article stating that students who use pencils at home score less on standardized tests. Another reason is that she cannot see how the students can be held accountable for how they use the pencils at home. She believes that they will use them to play "sick and twisted" games like Hangman. Gertrude is so focused on the possible problems that she cannot or will not entertain the thought of the benefits that Mr. Johnson is explaining. This is unfortunate for the students in Mr. Johnson's class because that is one less learning resource that they can benefit from, which is a disadvantage when compared with students from other schools who are allowed to take pencils home. I really appreciate Mr. Johnson's concern for the lack of interest placed in teaching the students in low income areas about the educational use of pencils at home rather than just using them for entertainment.

Mr. Johnson seems to already have anticipated some of the problems with taking pencils home and taken the necessary precautions such as: having parents sign waivers, talked to parents and students to explain the benefits of using pencils at home, and he has developed a program to teach the parents the same skills that the students will learn which encourages the students to learn and helps the community by educating the entire household. Mr. Johnson's view on how to address problems that may arise in educating students is to anticipate and be prepared with solutions.To take the opportunity to learn from them, in my opinion is negligence because they deserve and it is our duty as educators to provide them with the best education that we can and we should not be driven by fear or close-mindedness because they suffer in the end.

Blog Assignment 9

What I've Learned This Year (2008-2009)

Mr. Joe McClung shares his experience as a first year teacher in this post. He gives a few pointers for new teachers to help them through the unexpected challenges they will face their first year. Mr. McClung states that it is important that teachers are aware of their audience (the students), are flexible, able to communicate, have reasonable expectations of their students, open to technology, respect their students voices and be lifelong learners. These tips are what have gotten Mr. McClung through his first year and plan to implement in his future as teacher.

Mr. McClung says that, as educators, we may plan what we think are perfect lesson plans, but we have to be mindful of our students'comprehension and that problems may arise but we must go on with a smile. I also learned from his post that the relationships that we build with our students and other professionals are very important. Communication helps resolve conflict, build respect and rapport. We must also expect that there may be times that our students do not meet our expectations but it still is important to set those expectations. It is our jobs as educators to provide the encouragement to succeed and consolation if they don't. As educators, it is important to be open to technology and it's developments. The educator and the students benefit from the use of technology. Lasting impressions are built when students feel like their teachers really care and to do that Mr. McClung says that listening to them is the answer. Finally, as educators we should lead by example and constantly try to learn new things. We can and should benefit from the environment we will be in and constantly seek new information to share with our students. Like Mr. McClung says, it is not about all us, the educators. We should strive to be the best we can be so that we can provide them with the best education that we can.


What I've Learned This Year (2009-2010)

In this post, Mr. McClung shares his experiences as a second year teacher and challenges that he faces when he has to teach 8th grade students in multiple subjects, as opposed to 6th grade students. He states, that initially, the transition to teaching science to 8th graders was not so hard but teaching social studies and history in the state of Arkansas(of which he is not a native) was difficult. Another challenge that came for Mr. McClung was the independent attitude of the 8th graders and how he could adjust his way of teaching to accommodate that attitude.

As a teacher of social studies, he had to initiate class discussions, which were difficult for him because his students were not thinking independently or analytically but were looking for his answers and opinions. He states that he solved this by encouraging them to think analytically. Mr. McClung suggests having a mentor at your school to help you learn routines and help you out on bad days. It is important to not be too "cool" to make a fool of ourselves sometime. In order to make memorable lessons or engage students, we may have to do things that make us feel silly but the satisfaction of our students learning the lesson is the feeling that will stay with us. Mr. McClung suggests that we delegate some of the class work (like passing out papers) to our students. This gives responsibility to the students and makes them feel important and like they are contributing. He says that is not only important to teach in depth, the subjects that you are interested in but all subjects because they are important to the development of your students education. I also learned that assessing that the students understand the information is just as important as teaching it because it a pointless lesson if your students did not comprehend what you think you taught. I agree with Mr. McClung on the point that no matter what is going on with you personally it is important to realize that if you let it affect your performance, then your students unfairly suffer. Overall, it is important to always listen to those who know more than but remember your own philosophy and remind yourself that you are always growing.

Project 13- SmartBOARD

Blog Post 8

This is How We Dream Parts 1 and 2
In Mr. Miller's, "This is How We Dream" videos, Part 1 and Part 2 he shares how text and print are almost becoming obsolete in our society today. We work just about wherever we like, thanks to our laptops and obtain information through the internet. Therefore, we spend less time in offices and libraries. He shows how technology can and should be used to write, research, share and teach. A very different and groundbreaking way that we can collaborate and share information through the internet by composing documents that contain text, pictures, music, video and charts/diagrams.

Mr. Miller said, "ideas are not our own, they are our cultures." I love this quote because it is important to share our ideas, especially in education, if we want to fix may of the issues that are present in the education system. I mention our education system because that is the field that I am entering once I graduate but through the internet, anyone in any field can create and share their ideas on any topic. Mr. Miller states that it is important to create "beautiful compositions" because it will engage more viewers and can be shared globally much sooner than if it were written in plain text. We want and need to share information to make changes and learn from one another, so why not take advantage of the tools that are available to us?

With the changes that are always taking place in technology, we definitely need more educators to teach the students how to use the tools available so that they can learn, create and share their ideas in the future. I am learning how to write, create and share my ideas through technology and will continue to build on what I have learned. Since teachers are not the only educators and students themselves have become educators through Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites on the internet, it is important that give our students something positive, useful, engaging and important to the future to pass on.I know that I have a lot to learn but I feel like I am already writing with multimedia, on a much smaller level, in this class.






Carly Pugh's Blog 12
I believe that Carly's Blog 12 assignment is definitely an example of what Mr. Miller is referring to when he says "writing with multimedia". Carly shows just how creative she is with this idea. As we learned from Yong Zhao, in the video "Learn to Change, Change to Learn", "technology is just not here to help teach traditional subjects, but has invented a completely new environment." I would call this a digital or multimedia lesson plan and a very great way to engage more students in learning about different and almost any subject.

I am really enjoying this opportunity to explore Youtube because prior to this class, I used Youtube solely for music and funny videos but I am seeing that there are many videos there to teach and inspire. By creating this playlist, we will not only have resources to teach and engage our students with but have resources to remind us of our own philosophies and motivations.






The Chipper Series & EDM310 for Dummies
I believe that the primary message of both The Chipper Series and EDM310 for Dummies is that we, the students, have full control of how we progress through EDM310. We have every resource that we need from the beginning of the semester, therefore, there is no reason to fall behind in our work. I will admit that even though I have never turned any assignment in late, I am really busy with my other classes and my family and am only able to keep up with assignments due that week. I do, however, allot time each week to work on these projects so that I am not late.

I think that I would like to make a video that shares with my viewers how I balance my student, family and personal life. It is far from perfect but compared to the beginning of the semester, I feel much more grounded and haven't experienced any anxiety when I look at my checklist since then.





Learn to Change, Change to Learn
Learn to Change, Change to Learn, is a very interesting video addressing the issue of how students are being taught in our technological based society. The educators in the video share their opinions but also some facts about the "schooling" of today's students. According to Cheryl Lemke, these students are learning so much more outside of the classroom through the internet, communities, museums, libraries friends and family. The amount of resources that they have outside of the classroom is almost limitless, so why does so many classrooms place limits on what kind of technology the student has to learn from?

Stephen Heppell explains that with these new technological advances, teachers must be given a place to experiment with educating and share their results with one another. Daniel Pink states that giving students standardized tests is not going to prepare them for the jobs that they will be working. He states that the jobs that they will be working will not require what he calls the, "right answer vending machine approach". Daniel Pink says that the jobs that they will be working will require them to be creative, able to collaborate, understand context, and problem solve, just to name a few. I agree with what the educators in this video are saying. Our resources to learn and teach have been limited until now but our resources are almost limitless and all that is required of us as educators is to take the initiative to research what it is that we want to teach our students. I believe that it is also our responsibility, as Richard Miller stated in his "This is How We Dream" videos, part 1 & part 2, to share this information with others because "it is not ours but our culture's".

Tyrone the Big Bad Bully Book Trailer

Short Movie Project 11

Blog Assignment 7

Last Lecture

In Randy Pausch's video, "Last Lecture", he shares with the viewer teaching methods to carry with us throughout our careers and throughout our lives. Randy Pausch believed in having fun, sharing knowledge, helping others, being loyal and staying determined to reach his dreams, just to name a few traits that I learned from his video. He accomplished what he wanted to in his life and he shares with us a few lessons on how we can do the same for ourselves, as well as, passing on so that others can also achieve dreams.

Randy had many great mentors in his life and I believe that one lesson that he taught through his video is that we all need mentors and need to pass it forward and help others by becoming mentors to someone else. He mentions that focusing on others is a way to get others to want to help us. Other ways Mr. Pausch advises us on how to receive help is by practicing good karma, being honest, being earnest and always apologizing when we mess up.

One method that Randy discussed was the importance of dedication. "Brick walls are there to let us prove how badly we want things", is a quote that he shares with us multiple times in his video. Randy tells us that brick walls will determine who really wants it and who doesn't and I believe that to be true. We will be discouraged many times throughout our lives but we must keep fighting for what we want. We must stay dedicated and focused to reach our goals.

Another method for teaching others how to reach their dreams that Randy shares with us is to not set the bar for our students. He shares a story about when he first started a course named "Building Virtual Worlds" and his students blew him away with their first project. He could not think of where to go next with his class because they surpassed his expectations so he called a mentor at the time and his mentor told him to tell his students that they did well but could do better. I really believe in what he and his mentor did with the students because many of the students would have stopped growing at that point. Their expectations of themselves would've ended there because their teacher was satisfied and so Randy really helped them grow by masking his amazement.

I enjoyed watching Randy share his excitement and passion for living and learning in this video and I did get the first "head-fake" early on. I love the quote that he shares, "The best way to teach someone something is to have them think they're learning something else." He has given us valuable lifelong lessons on how to get what we want out of life. This is definitely something to take with you into life and to share with others. I forgot by the middle of the lecture that he was terminally ill so the fact that the video was for his children didn't really cross my mind until he shared that with us in the end. It makes sense either way that he would leave something for them to live by whether they had him around for another week or a few more decades. Randy Pausch is a remarkable man and I appreciate all that he has shared with me.

Project 9b The History of Popular Music

Project 10 1st Progress Report on PLN

My PLN


In my PLN, I have added Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, the EDM310 class blog, MyMindGap blog, The Principal of Change blog, the EDM Checklist Fall 2011, Evernote and the Innovative Educator blog just to name a few. I have really benefited from having a PLN and I am still building upon it. Having all of my favorite and frequently used websites in front of me saves me so much time because I don't have to try to remember the addresses of any websites that I may not have used in a while. I will continue to use my PLN to keep up with other educators and resources that will benefit me in my career and life. Please visit some of the links that I provided above because you will find some really interesting posts written by really interesting people.

Project 8- Team Gryffindor Podcast

Blog Assignment 6

The Networked Student

I loved Mrs. Drexler's video, "The Networked Student". Mrs. Drexler explains reasons why personal learning networks are so beneficial and how to go about building a PLN. Through PLN's, the amount of knowledge that can be obtained is multiplied because the student will share what information he has learned with his network and in turn, they will share the information that they have, which is multiplied by other people within their PLN.

I believe that this is the way that educators need to encourage students to learn and to foster a love for learning. It is time for our education system to catch up with the rest of the world as far as taking advantage of the technology that is available to us. PLN's are excellent ways to share information but it is important that our educators make sure that the student is able to identify valuable and credible information. Mrs. Drexler addresses the responsibility of educators following the question "Why does a networked student even need a teacher?". Mrs. Drexler states that the educator provides guidance, teaches students how to communicate with others within a PLN, find credible sources, and collect and make sense of the large amount of information available on the internet.

I must admit that the question of if I am ready to be a teacher of a networked student places a lot of pressure on me but I feel confident because I am preparing myself for that position by taking advantage of what I am learning in EDM310. I am understanding better what a PLN is and I am building and learning from mine. I am also comfortable in saying that I will not know everything that there is to know by the time that I begin teaching because I do not think it is possible and also because it is a life-long journey. I will still be learning as I am teaching my students and I believe that that is beneficial to myself and my students because I will be modeling that even though I do not know all of the answers, I am determined to look for and them.






A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment

"Welcome to My PLE!" is a video about a 7th grader's personal learning environment. I was very impressed while watching this video because of how thorough the student was in building her personal learning page. On this page she included her science class blog for videos and assignments, Facebook, Youtube, her agenda, Evernote, Delicious, and her own personal blog just to name a few but she shows that having a PLE or PLN really organizes and aides in obtaining information. It was apparent through her blog that she is a hard-working student and she really has benefited from having a PLE. Her glogster was also very impressive because it contained audio, video, text, and graphics. This is amazingly different from the posters that I created when I was in school.

"Welcome to my PLE!" has answered many questions that I had about what exactly a PLN is and how it is used. I have benefited a little from my PLN but now that I understand what it is and how it works, I feel more confident building upon it and customizing it to my needs.

Summary Post C4K 1,2,3

My first student to leave a comment for was Chandler in Mrs Krebs'class. Chandler's post was about some of his favorite things. His class had to bring in a few things to describe themselves. He brought in a basketball, football, baseball, deer, a Nebraska cornhusker's hat. I commented on how impressed I was at how well his blog was done and also that I noticed a guitar pick in with some of his favorite things. I asked him how long he had been playing the guitar and his favorite song to play. You can visit his blog here: Chandler's Blog

My next student to leave a comment for was Jephte at Pt England school. Jephte shared a few facts about Latvia and Lithuania on his blog, such as their population and favorite sports in the country. I commented that both European countries share an interest in basketball and soccer with the American countries here. I also asked Jephte what were some of his favorite sports to play. I ended my reply by complimenting him on how well he manages his blog. You can visit his blog here: Jephte's Blog

My final student to leave a comment for was Chandler again. In his post, Chandler shares that his class is helping raise money for the American Cancer Society. His group came up with many good ideas on how they could do this. One of their ideas was to babysit children in the community and the have the parents donate any amount of money they would like to the American Cancer Society. Another idea was to construct a tree of hope for anyone fighting cancer. Their last idea was to keep a bucket in each classroom and have the students donate money into their classroom's bucket and at the end of the week, whichever class donated the most money to gets the chance to pie a teacher. I commented that the parents of the community would appreciate a night of free babysitting but it sounded like a whole lot of fun to pie a teacher. I encouraged Chandler to attempt to do all three ideas if he and his group are able. I complimented him again on how well of a job he is doing with his blog and him doing his part in bringing awareness and support to the American Cancer Society. You can visit this post here: Chandler's Blog

In all of my comments, I made sure to leave my blog address and email so that the students could reply to the questions that I asked or if they wanted to comment on any of my posts.