All Good Things.....

You know the saying: "All good things must come to an end". As this semester winds down, so does the EDM 310 Fall 2009 class blog. It has been a great journey, and I have enjoyed much of it. I'll never look at shoes again without thinking of Tresher, and I really want to go to Deals Gap, thanks to Brooke's presentation. I'm sure I'll see most of my classmates around campus in January, so have a great Christmas, and be safe.

Some Things I've Learned in EDM 310

There are so many things that I have learned in Dr. Strange's class, that I'm afraid I can't name them all...but I'll tell you as many as I can.
iTunesU--who knew you could find anything educational on iTunes--not I; until now.

YouTube--ok, so I've got ONE video on YouTube. More to come? We'll see.
Picasa--was already using that, but did learn how to resize pictures in it.
Blogs--Will I continue? Probably.
Wikis--Whatever.
Google Docs--Wonderful! No more worrying about flash drives falling apart. Yes, my flash drive fell apart with a half-finished project on it. Let your documents live in the clouds and retrieve them whenever you want.
Google spreadsheets--Fun, but not something I see myself using.
PLN--Promising
Twitter--We'll see
Comments4kids--Adorable. I loved doing this project. I loved commenting on the student's work.
Skype--love it! I love talking face to face--over the computer! And it's FREE!!!
Videocasts--I was not made for video.
Podcasts--I was not made for podcasts. I'm too Country!
Movie Maker-- I really enjoyed making the movie. This is something I know I will do again. If not for my students, then for my family. I really enjoyed the editing process, as well as the creative process.
MyTinyURL--I'm so glad Dr. Strange showed us this site. Great for adding links in blogs. Simple to use.
Wordle---LOVE ME SOME WORDLES! I know that's not correct grammatically, but I really do. :)

I can't think of anything I wanted to learn but did not. This class was so much more than I expected. I could have done without some of the Skype chats. Sorry, but the kids were more fun to chat with than the adults. I was absolutely excited about chatting with the Pt. England school. They were fantastic. I don't think Twitter should be required, but I'm glad I learned a little more about it.

Am I technologically literate now? Yes. Is there more I could learn? Yes. Will I continue to update my technological education? Yes. How? By keeping up my PLN, and following some of my new teacher heroes.

Did I miss anything? I hope not, but if I did, just let me know!

Happy Blogging!

Smart and Stupid Things Teachers Do

"I'm not one to freely use the word "stupid", but I have to agree with Doug Johnson when he created his list of 7 Stupid Mistakes Teachers Make With Technology. Some people, not just teachers, do some stupid things when it comes to technology. My two favorite mistakes he lists are #4 and #7. Number 4 states: "Thinking online communication is ever private". I'm amazed at the number of people who send cruel, rude e-mails and junk from work. Not to mention the ones that are of poor taste. E-mails are easily traced, and even when erased, they can still be retrieved. Number 7 talks about the staying power of technology. It reads: "Thinking technology in schools will go away". Technology will continue to grow and evolve, and the more we embrace it, the better teacher we will be.
Mr. Johnson did not just talk about the stupid. He also compiled a list of smart things teachers do. Seven Brilliant Things Teachers do with Technology lists great ways teachers have embraced and used technology. His #3 point, "Make conferencing real time", talks about the importance of keeping parents informed through e-mail, blogs, wikis , and telephone calls. As a parent, I constantly lose my son's weekly newsletter. If I could access it online, I would have one less thing to worry about.
Along with Mr. Johnson's lists, I reviewed 15 New Classroom Rules that Dr. Strange had posted. My favorite two rules were numbers 12 and 13. Number 12 states "Keep you hands to yourself, but share all your ideas and knowledge with others in your Personal Learning Network". I like this rule because it acknowledges the importance of learning from each other. Someone may have a truly fantastic idea, but may not realize the importance of it until they share it with someone else. Rule number 13 says students should "Be quiet in lines, hallways, and restrooms, unless you are at home and logged into your on line classroom, in which case you can dance and play music". (I would also add sing to that last bit.) Some people are more productive in a more relaxed, less structured atmosphere. I've taken more than 40 credit hours of classes on line, and absolutely love it. I'm so glad that online classes are not a thing of the future, they are here now, and won't go away.

My Personal Learning Network

At the moment, my Personal Learning Network (PLN) is very small, but I expect it will grow as time passes. I currently follow Mr. C, Mr. Lamshed, and the other teachers on At the Teacher's Desk, as well as the folks at Pt. England school New Zealand. I am also establishing contacts on Twitter. I currently follow Mr. C, Mr. McClung, Karl Fisch, and Dr. Strange. I will hopefully add many more to this list.

Thank You Mrs. Digman

One of the classes I am taking at South Alabama requires me to perform service hours for teachers at different schools. On Monday, November 9, I spent the day with Mrs. Digman and her class at Faith Academy . I was very nervous going in because I have only been in a public school setting and was not sure what to expect at a private school.
Well, I have to say it was one of the most rewarding days of my education adventure thus far. I had a FANTABULOUS time! I was completely taken in by Mrs. Digman and her 5th graders. They are a great group of students, all eager to learn. I was welcomed with open arms, and felt like I belonged there. I hated to see the time come for me to leave. I was there from 7:45 until 12:45, and the entire time was spent in hands-on learning. I was fortunate enough to be able to help the students make rockets, which they planned on launching on the following Friday. I hope they were a huge success!
Again, thank you Mrs. Digman, and also Mrs. Skelton, for letting me come into your class and be a Ram, if it was only for a day.

My Visit to The Teacher's Desk

"At the Teacher's Desk" is a blog maintained by...you guessed it, teachers. Ten teachers, to be exact. Boring you say? Think again. The collaborators are educators from at least three different countries, yes, countries. New Zealand, Australia, and USA.
The content is as varied as the individuals are, and the substance is great. You will find work by the students as well as thought-provoking posts by the collaborators. You could spend days exploring every nook and cranny, or as technical people call them, links. In fact, I challenge you to explore this blog. If you don't find something that sparks your interest, or causes to you pause and think, let me know. I would love to see an example of what you do find interesting and helpful.
I'm really impressed with the effort that goes into maintaining "At The Teacher's Desk", and would be thrilled to be part of an effort such as this. Who knows, in a couple of years I could start my own collaboration with another group of teachers. Anything is possible.
Can you tell I think collaborative blogs are a good idea? If you were not sure, let me say one more thing. With a collaborative blog, you have a support team that you can turn to for fresh ideas, a helping hand, or a sounding board whenever you need them. They may be a world away, but with the world wide web, they're only a mouse click away.

Project 11

Once again, Dr. Strange decided to challenge us to do something new. New to us, that is. The following is my answer to his challenge. It was something I had never done before, and had never really considered doing, until EDM310. I made a very simple video of my 9 year old son Mark Wesley reading one of his books. It was an easy process, once I learned how to do it. (I actually did not know that I had Window's Movie Maker on my computer, but that's another issue.) As with many first projects, it's not very good, but I did learn from it, so I guess that's what matters most.

Whatever, Dr. Wesch

How do Dr. Wesch's comments in his video fit my life in regards to me personally, as a college student, and as a future educator? That is the question Dr. Strange has asked us to address. Personally, I was an MTV watching teen, and can remember when 'whatever' meant 'I don't care". I remember how bad cable t.v. was for us, but we watched it anyway, and what do you know; we turned out okay, for the most part. :)
I never really realized people were so engrossed in YouTube. I've really just thought of it as a source for entertainment, and I use the word 'entertainment' very loosely. The thought that YouTube has/is a community boggles my mind. I wonder, do these people have lives?
In the end, I was glad I watched Dr. Wesch's video in its entirety. The challenge, or idea, that a new meaning for 'whatever' be developed inspired me. I love the idea of people not just saying "whatever it takes", but living "whatever it takes". I want to be a teacher that says...WHATEVER! (Applying the new meaning, of course.)

Why Blog?

Ok, let's face the fact that if it were not a requirement, many of us EDM310 students would never blog. Not that we would not want to or have not wanted to in the past; some of us were just too intimidated. Now that we do blog, well most of us; do we see the importance of it? I would have to say YES. I have found a few examples that, I hope, will convince you of the importance of blogging and posting student's work for others to see.

In New Zealand, Pt. England school posted videos of their students reading. The students were able to see themselves and know how well they are doing. They are also able to let others see what a great job they are doing. Click here to take a look at some fantastic reading going on. Need more?

Take a look at the blog and video here. These are great examples of why student's work should be posted to blogs. The wonderful rendition of Fleetwood Mac's song Landslide was too good to keep hidden. The children obviously enjoyed singing the song, and put their hearts and souls into delivering a powerful performance. Because their work was posted on a blog, Stevie Nicks herself saw them and invited them to perform with her!!! Amazing! Still need more evidence of why student's works should be posted on blogs?



Then take a look at Ms. Cassidy's class blog. She teaches a class of 6 year old students in Moose Jaw, Canada. There you will find pictures of the students and their work, class room artwork, and even videos of the students doing their work.
With families living so far apart, isn't it wonderful that student's accomplishments and hard work can be shared globally; just a mouse click away.

My Response to Anthony Capps' Post

It is evident in Anthony's post that he has a great vision for the future. I especially loved the statement: "Students must learn how to compose for today's audience. We as teacher's of tomorrow must be able to teach our students this visual literacy." It is essential that we enter the classroom knowing not only how to access the technological tools that are available; we must also know how to create new projects that will keep our students' attention and encourage an enthusiasm for learning. I believe Anthony is well on his way to doing that. Take a moment and read Anthony's Post, I think you'll appreciate it.

ACCESS Distance Learning

ACCESS Distance Learning is an online program that allows high school students in Alabama the opportunity to participate in classes that are not offered in their area. Courses are offered in two formats: video conferencing and web-based instruction. Courses include Math, Science, Social Studies, Foreign languages, and various electives. There were approximately 75 courses that were offered for fall 2009. This program gives students in areas that are typically lower income or more rural the same opportunity to learn as those students in more populus areas. While the program is only open to currently registered 9-12 grade students in Alabama high schools (at no cost to the student) the potential is there for the classes to be available to anyone who would want to take them. I'm of the opinion that out-of-state students would pay a fee for the use of the program; it's something for the administrators to consider.

What is ALEX?

ALEX is an acronym for Alabama Learning Exchange, a website for teachers in Alabama. On the website you will find materials for teaching 11 different courses of study, plus Counseling, Character Education, and Information Literacy. The materials suit all grades (K-12). You will also find lesson plans, web links, and podcasts that can be used to supplement your own lesson plans. You can also upload your own lesson plans to share with other users.
Registration is simple: submit name, user name, password and an e-mail address (that can be confirmed), and you will soon be an active participant.
I think this would be a very helpful resource as a teacher. Sometimes we run out of fresh ideas; this would be a great source of inspiration. It also gives some great supplemental materials that could be used for several grade levels. I picture ALEX as a way to collaborate with other teachers, and know that the state standards are being met.

Kaia's Trio

This past week Dr. Strange asked us to look at a series of posts/blogs about Kaia, a 3 year old in Qatar. The three posts are not all by Kaia, but rather are about her, and how her journey into blogging is affecting the world. Dear Kaia is a photo essay done by Kaia. Her dad provided the written material, but the photos are all hers. It was a new experience to see things through the eye of a 3 year old. Kudos to her dad for encouraging her. Mr. Chamberlain's class then posted a voicethread and video as a response to Kaia's blog. How they found it is still not clear to me, but that does not matter, I guess. I like that they took the time to not only respond to Kaia, but that they responded in a way that she could fully comprehend. I wonder if she realizes that people on the other side of the world are taking note of the things she does, and truly enjoys her work. Her dad certainly does. In response to the voicethread and video, he posted his take on the photo essay and how it all came to be.
This assignment made me think about how a small pebble thrown into the big pond makes ripples beyond where you can even imagine. It's fascinating to follow the ripples, and see where they happen to go.
When people wake up and realize the positive impact blogging can have on education. We can "meet" a wonderful array of people from all over the world without ever leaving the country. Education can go so much farther if we give technology half a chance; otherwise, we may see education as we know it die an early death.

What is New Media Literacies?

According to their website, New Media Literacies is not a new add-on subject but rather a shift in the way things are taught. Because young people today are more involved with technology based games, social networking, and various forms of media there is a greater need for them to learn how to properly work with and navigate through the technological world.
The New Media Literacies Project is a project of MIT, and is founded in part by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur foundation. The project lists twelve skills that are deemed necessary to be able to effectively work and learn in today's technologically advanced world.

New Media Literacies

Watching The New Media Literacies video was very distracting. The choice of colors and graphics overpowered the message. That said, I did eventually focus on the message instead of the video. My review of the content follows.
Some of the skills discussed are necessary in life no matter what your career choice is.You should always use good judgment in making choice, whether they be career choices, school choices, or social choices. Negotiation skills, Play skills, Multitasking, and Appropriation skills are all also necessary to succeed in life. All the skills mentioned are very valuable, some more than others in different career fields.
I believe I already possess a number of these skills, thanks to previous work history, marriage, and motherhood. For me, Multitasking is a daily norm; as is judgment,performance, and visualization. The skills I am lacking in, will have to be learned or sharpened through personal learning networks, and good old fashioned experience.
The main thing I take from this video is the fact that when we enter the teaching field, we will have to be willing to work collaboratively, and less independently in order to succeed.

The Networked Student

The video by Wendy Drexler asks the question "Why does the networked student even need a teacher?". I believe teachers will always be necessary. There has to be someone the student can turn to for support and advice on the work they are doing. I have taken about 45 credit hours of course work online, but without an instructor to turn to when I got stuck, I would not have succeeded. Teachers are necessary to guide the students in the direction they need to go, and also to TEACH the students the skills they need in order to learn. We can have successful programs without textbooks, and also without traditional classrooms, but we still need teachers.

I am more and more becoming a 'networked student'. Yet am I prepared to become a teacher of networked students? I believe I will be equipped to be a teacher of networked students. As I learn and become more technologically literate, I will be able to pass that knowledge on to others.

The teacher of the networked student must be prepared to help his/her student grow and develop their own personal learning network. This means that the teacher will have to be continually learning, and staying abreast of the latest advances in technology. The technological world continues to evolve; so must the Technological Teacher.

Passing It On

I was able to work as a substitute yesterday at Tanner Williams Elementary. During my break I took a moment to talk to the Media Specialist about Wordles. She said she had seen a Wordle, but did not know how to create them. I was able, in less than five minutes, to share with her how to create a Wordle about readers at Tanner Williams Elementary. It was fabulous! Thanks to Dr. Strange for teaching me so I could "Pass It On"!

Week 5 Comments4Kids

This week for Comments4Kids, I listened to students from the U.K. read poems about a river. The students did a good job. They read with feeling and expression, creating a sense of suspense or excitement about the works they were reading.
I believe that recording the students reading and posting it for them to be able to listen to will help them improve not only their reading skills, but also their self confidence. This is a great project that I could see myself doing with my students someday.

My First Wordle

This Is How We Dream

Like Richard Miller, I too grew up around books. I developed a love of books at an early age and, to this day, still have a great relationship with those bound pages of endless adventures. Mr. Miller addresses books as they are used in an academic context, and compares them to online information. He points out how easily it is to access several sources of information without ever stepping foot into a brick and mortar library. He then discusses how to take that information, and compile it into a multimedia project.
He points out that books eventually are removed from circulation and the information is basically unavailable. But with electronic technology, the project is always available to anyone who wishes to access it.
Mr. Miller wants to see students complete projects using the newest multimedia technology. I don't feel that I'm prepared to write with multimedia, yet. But, with a little more time, I'm sure my project will be posted right here, for all who care to see.

Using iPods in Instruction

I had never given much thought to using iPods in teaching until I took Dr. Strange's class. Now, I am learning that the use of iPods in teaching is almost limitless.

In addition to reading about Duke University's use of the iPod as a study aide, I found that the iPod is being utilized by teachers in a variety of ways. For example, in Orange County, CA ESL students are using iPods to strengthen their English skills, first-graders are improving their fluency, and teachers are playing famous speeches acquired from The Library of Congress.
I also found that at the University of South Florida Special Education student Allison Papke used iPods to help her students be able to perform better on tests. Instead of having to leave the classroom so a test could be read to them, the students were able to listen to the test on an iPod, and repeat any question needed, as often as needed. This gave the students more self confidence, and made them feel more included in their class.

What an EXCELLENT use of iPods!

iTunes U

Whether you are a teacher, a student, or any other individual, iTunes U can be very useful.

As a teacher, you can use iTunes U to continue your own education, do research, and explore ideas that other teachers have posted. You can also share your lessons that you have created with other iTunes U users.

As a student, you can listen to lessons from many different schools. Lessons are available from K-12 and University levels. The lessons available are not just from the United States either. There are lessons posted from K-12 schools in Florida, Utah, New Jersey, and Scotland, to name just a few. On the University level, there are lessons posted from Indiana University, Johns Hopkins University, M.D. Anderson University, and Oxford University. As iTunes U continues to grow, so does the learning potential.

The "Average Joe" can now learn things they never thought possible, thanks to iTunes U.

Alice Christie's site

When I explored Dr. Christie's site, I saw several things that could be used effectively in a K-12 classroom. However, one part in particular caught my attention.

Dr. Christie has a section explaining Google Earth, and how it works. Google Earth is a valuable tool that could be used in any classroom. You could use it teaching World Geography, as well as studies on communities in lower grades. You can even use Google Earth to teach Weather during your Science lesson. I like that Dr. Christie gives all the information needed to access Google Earth, as well as tutorials on how to use it.

Mr. C

Week 5. Wow. It's hard to believe we have come this far. This week I explored Mr. C's Class Blog.

Mr. C is a teacher in Missouri, and I believe he loves his job. The creativity seen on his blog is wonderful. I also loved seeing the number of blogs that he is involved in and follows. That shows me that he cares about his students and their learning process. I want to have that kind of drive and dedication.

Week 3 Comments 4 Kids

For week 3, I viewed a blog of 5 year (kindergarten) students from New Zealand who posted riddles. I enjoy the opportunity to read and respond to posts by children on the other side of the world.

Maybe Mobile County Public Schools will realize the learning potential that is being wasted by keeping access to blogs blocked in our schools. I certainly hope so.

Comments 4 Kids

For week 4, I watched a video of a young man telling a piece of the story "Snow White". Children love to see themselves on video, so I think this was an excellent choice. The student was, I believe, reading the story, not just telling it. What a way to build reading skills! When the students see and hear themselves reading, they are able to know right away how well they have done.

Mr. McClung

Although I'm just over two years from teaching I still think about what it will be like my first year of teaching. Mr. McClung's advice is something I know I will keep and refer back to often, not only as I prepare for my teaching career, but when I begin to teach as well. He made some great points about things that may seem obvious to some people, (such as communication, flexibility, and listening to students), but are often overlooked by first-year teachers. There are so many things they are trying to learn and teach their students that the obvious is sometimes overlooked.

Can Wikipedia be Trusted?

I've been a college student for 3 years now, and one thing I have always been told by my professors and/or instructors is that Wikipedia is not to be used as a resource for papers. The format was too unreliable. Is that still the case?

Some say yes, others say no. The debate is still ongoing, but some people, such as Virgil Griffith are working to make it reliable. I'm not too sure that's possible, but attention has been drawn to the way many companies will self-edit entries about themselves, deleting negative information and replacing it with complimentary information.

My thought is this: for general information, Wikipedia is probably ok. However, for serious research, or if you are trying to make an educated decision about a product or a company, check with a truly unbiased source, and check more than one source.

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

When we were asked to view this lecture by Randy Pausch I was not sure how I would find more than an hour to sit and watch it, much less write something that made even a tiny bit of sense about what he had to say. I managed to find the time to watch it; twice. The first time I watched it, I really enjoyed it. However, it was so full of insight I could not retain it all.

I love that he uses humor and has fun throughout his lecture. You can't fake enthusiasm like that. It's genuine. You either love what you're talking about or you don't. He obviously had fun and enjoyed every moment of the lecture. Interestingly, hidden within his humor were some great nuggets of wisdom. The following is a brief look at a few of my favorite nuggets he shared.

• You don't have to accomplish a dream to be able to learn from it. I look at it from this point: If we don't learn from our mistakes and failures, then we won't learn even when we succeed.
• Learn all you can from all the people who know. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Surround yourself with people who want to see you succeed.
  
• How you say something is as important as what you say.
• Don't be afraid to learn from your students.

Dr. Pausch was a master at the 'head fake'. He made you think he was talking about one subject but was really talking about something else. He took the concept of childhood dreams and turned it around to show how to succeed in all of life.

This video is one that I will go back to; I learn more each time I watch it.

Karl Fisch

It's not only teachers who are afraid of technology. Many adults are afraid of the unknown, and for them, technology is the unknown. I like the way Mr. Fisch equates technological literacy with reading literacy. I realize that they are not exactly alike, but there are similarities worth looking at. Most students today expect technology to be used in their education. When it's not, what are we telling them? Are we telling them that they are not worth the effort for us to learn something new? It would seem that way.

Like Mr. Fisch, I do not like to hear parents say "I was terrible at...". It's almost as is they are giving their children permission to fail. When I hear these statements, it makes me want to encourage the student to put forth even more effort to overcome the preconceived notion that they too will be "terrible at...". We have to be more than teachers, we have to be coaches, motivators, and cheerleaders too.

Kelly W. Hines

After reading "It's Not About the Technology , rereading it, and then reading it for a third time, there are several things that capture my interest in this post. First, I agree that there has to be a change in the way teachers think. We can't stand in front of a room full of desks and talk about things in a book that children believe have no relevancy to them and their lives. We have to understand what motivates them, and use that to help them learn. What motivates the children of today? Technology. Wii, I-pod, You Tube, computer animation, Facebook, Twitter. These all involve technology. Why not use their interests to our advantage. No, as teachers we can not assume that everything has to use technology, but if it's what interests the students, we should not ignore it.

Which brings me to my second point. I fully agree with Ms. Hines that teachers should never stop learning. The more we can learn about technology, the better equipped we will be to properly use it in our classrooms. Technology is constantly changing. It is our responsibility to stay abreast of developments and find new ways to reach this constantly changing youth.

And a final point that grabbed my attention was the statement: "Teachers who customize the learning experiences of their students to involve critical thinking and problem solving are doing their students a greater favor than those who misuse technology as a means of facilitating learning." I love her choice of the word 'misuse'. Teachers can use technology to teach critical thinking and problem solving, they just have to be sure that technology is not their only tool in their chest. How many carpenters do you know that use only one tool to build a house? How many tools should a teacher use? I say as many as possible, because using only one tool won't get the job done.

Students Today

Although I am a non-traditional student, I can relate to the message of the video A Vision of Students Today. Student loans, sleepless nights, and $100 or more textbooks that are used seldom, if ever, are a part of our lives now. We study from traditional books as well as e-books, and much of it does not have a direct relation to the career we are preparing for. As a future Elementary School teacher, I don't believe my job will be obsolete before I graduate, but some people will face that situation, as well as the reverse; training for jobs that have not been created yet. Hard to imagine! For non-students, this video does a good job of giving the viewer a gimpse of what our lives are like.

If I could add anything to this video, it would be the perspective of the students like myself. Those of us who are married, have children, and still carry a full course load (I carry 15 hours) have a different set of challenges in addition to those that traditional students face.

As for the quality of the video, the text was a bit difficult to read at times. This was due to mainly two reasons: the camera moved away from the message too quickly, and at times was too shaky.

All in all, it was a good video that presented an excellent message.

Preparing for a podcast

In order to prepare for my group's podcast, I reviewed Eagles' Nest Radio Episode #3. I was very impressed with the students who participated in this particular episode. Their podcast was a lesson on Ancient Rome. I loved the music that they chose, it gave a very dramatic flare to the podcast, capturing your attention from the beginning. There were a few times that the music was too loud, making it difficult to hear the speaker, but it was still a good podcast.

Review of The Technologically Literate Teacher

Unfortunately, it was quite difficult to view the video The Technologically Literate Teacher . That said, it did give me the opportunity to know some things I don't want to do on my video cast. The ladies did not look at the camera, instead, they looked at their papers most of the time. Eye contact with the camera is, in essence, eye contact with the audience. It would also be better if the dialogue flowed more like a conversation instead of a presentation of facts.
The sound quality was good, as was the picture quality, but unfortunately, it was just too long. One of the ladies did seem to use her notes a lot less than the others, which was a good thing. Maybe had the setting been a bit more casual they might could have relaxed a bit more. Good effort though.

Multi-Facated Me

Blogging is not just for techies!

Last week I posted responses for 4th and 5th graders in New Zeland; this week it was for 1st graders in Canada. The world is getting smaller by the week! I hope that our local schools (Mobile County Public Schools) allow blogging by the time I have my own classroom. These children are learning from an early age that with technology we can do so much more. What an awesome motivational tool!

Comments 4 Kids

I have absolutely loved doing the Comments 4 Kids assignment. I love seeing what children on the other side of the world are doing in school. The excitement you see in their eyes on posts they have made is contagious. When someone asks me about school, I have to tell them about this assignment/program. It's marvelous. I hope to be able to use a program similar to this in my classroom one day.

Mr. Needleman

Mr. Needleman is an innovative thinker. He's not afraid to think outside the box. His willingness to try new solutions to an age old problem is fantastic. Most children like to play dress-up and pretend. That's what he let them do; he just asked them to write down what they wanted to 'play' in advance. He was able to show the children that writing is not a chore to dread, but an adventure waiting to happen.

Exploring Podcasts

I was not sure what to expect when we were assigned to listen to various podcasts and post a response. I had heard of podcasts, but that was the extent of my knowledge. The first podcast I listened to had me a little leery. The podcast was SMARTBoard Lessons--Teachers Connecting 11: Year End Ideas. (The host was Ben Hazzard, and his guest was Joan Badger.) The introductory music ran into the conversation and made it difficult to hear what was being said. The music lasted 2 plus minutes, a little long for an introduction. I hung in, however, and actually liked some of the ideas discussed between the Mr. Hazzard and Ms. Badger. One thing in particular involved using movie clips in Math class. The movies mentioned, such as Father of the Bride, had scenes that could be used in math class to teach concepts like multiples and factors. I never would have thought of an idea like that had I not listened to the podcast.

The second podcast I listened to was Kidcast #62, Some thoughts on Video Podcasting. I did not care for this podcast. The speaker was Dan Schmit. I say speaker because it seemed like I was listening to a lecture. And it was not a very good lecture at that. The content was not awful, the delivery, however, was. Mr. Schmit made some good points about the benefits of video casting, but his speech was so riddled with "uhm's" and smacking that it was hard to focus on the content.

I also listened to This Week in Photography: 104 Like Penguins, Feeding their Young. There were several people participating in the podcast. I'm not a photography buff, I only take family pictures, but I found their podcast to be quite interesting. They covered a variety of topics relating to photography ranging from accessories, to cameras, and even some benefits of copyrighting photographs. The information was given in a friendly, lively manner that made it enjoyable to listen to. If I were interested in pursuing photography, I could learn a lot from this type of podcast.

The last podcast I listened to was MacBreak Weekly: # 154Graceful Degradation. This podcast was also presented as a discussion. Leo Laporte, Andy Ihnatko, and Alex Lindsay carried on a discussion of various electronic devices such as an iPhone, Kendal, and G1 (what ever that may be). I was actually quite lost in the discussion. This podcast is, in my opinion, for someone more tech advanced than myself. Even if I listened to their podcasts regularly, I don't think I would benefit from their information they share.

Vicki Davis

I am absolutely amazed at what these high school students can do! It's not because they are teenagers, it's because I always believed that it took 'super-smarts' to be able to do such amazing things with a computer. I think it's amazing that Ms. Davis has the students teach part of the class, and I love that she lets them teach her new material. All too often, we think children have nothing to teach us. Wrong.

Ms. Davis' students are working with other students all over the world to bring light to issues that affect their lives. Fantastic! They are able to learn new technology and utilize it. It appears that their creativity is indeed encouraged, and at the same time, they are learning how what we do connects to others around the world.

Sir Ken Robinson

Sir Ken Robinson points states his belief that "All kids have tremendous talents and we squander them pretty ruthlessly". I can see how he reached that conclusion. Because I'm a nontraditional student, my elementary school years were probably quite different from many of the students in Dr. Strange's class. I attended school in a small community (Gardendale) north of Birmingham. I can remember taking both art and music along with math, reading, and the other 'basics' the entire school year, not one semester of art and one semester of music. We were given ample opportunity to explore what our talents may be. We were taught how to play simple musical instruments, and I still remember the feeling of accomplishment when I played "Hot Cross Buns" on my small wooden recorder. Today's elementary school music class occurs once a week for only one semester per school year. Art is treated the same. When children are in the classroom, whether it be art or math, we expect them to sit still and keep quiet; and if they don't we medicate them so they will. We have taken the talent and creativity they have and told them to forget about it and do things our way.

I loved the story Sir Ken Robinson told of Gillian Lynne. It was a perfect example of how we try to put everyone into the same little box and expect them to learn the same way. People with children may be familiar with the Hannah Montana episode that addresses this point. Miley could not learn her science lesson until it was put to music. Once music was incorporated, she was able to successfully learn the bones of the body. Music is not just for fun. It can make learning fun, and in some cases possible, if we utilize it. We know that not everyone learns the same way, so why do we not choose alternative, artistic ways to educate.

Mr. Winke Wakes

Matthew Needleman puts a new spin on the classic Rip Van Winkle. He shows us that if you take a look around us, not much has been unchanged by technology. Businesses no longer rely on the single bookkeeper in a quiet office, they have multiple employees all over the world. Keep in mind that when televisions were first invented, most people could not afford one. Today, many families have 3 or more t.v.'s in their home. The first cell phone used weighed 30 ounces; today, they weigh somewhere around 3 ounces! And the medical field continues to advance daily.

The one area that has failed to change with the times is education. We still expect students to sit obediently and listen while we try to drill into them things that may or may not help them to succeed in life. We do not try new techniques, and we expect the students to be eager to learn in this boring environment. When will we wake up and realize that education should not be 'one size fits all'?

Did You Know?

Version 4.0 of "Did You Know is now out. The world around us continues to change. Things are continuing to move at an amazing speed. The future that we imagined as a child is more advanced, more technological than we could have imagined, and it continues to grow and change by the minute.

"Did You Know?" is a fast-paced, information-packed presentation designed to show how quickly the world around us is changing. The five-minute video is packed so full of information that I had to watch the presentation multiple times to be able to catch all of the statistics of the changes taking place around us.

If you examine the facts alone, they are amazing, even staggering; throw in the music and you have a dramatic presentation that almost overwhelmed me. Some of the information that was given did not surprise me. Most of the statistics,however, made me realize just how fast the world has changed in the last 10 years. I can only wonder: What's next?

Who I am

There are many things that describe me, but no one thing defines who I am.

Fifteen years ago I became a wife. Almost 13 years ago I became a mother. I now have two sons. They are 12 and 9 years old. When my youngest started kindergarten, I became a substitute teacher. After working as a sub for several weeks, I realized that I love being in the classroom. In January of 2006 I enrolled at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College where I could take online classes. On May 14, 2009 I graduated with with honors and received an Associates degree. I also celebrated my 15th weeding anniversary on that same date.

I have a very strong Christian faith that helps keep me going and gives me the strength to accomplish all I do. I am very active at my church, Tanner Williams Assembly of God.

In my spare time, what little I have, I love to be outdoors. My family and I camp, fish, and go biking as often as possible. I also love to garden.

If it is raining, I can curl up with a good book and be content for hours. Murder mysteries, Historical Fiction, and even a sappy love story can hold my attention.

This is but a brief glimpse into my life, so don't be surprised about anything new you learn.

Come on in!

Welcome to my world. I'm inviting you to see a small portion of what goes on in my head. I'm totally new to blogging, but here I go!