Blog Assignment 6

Randy Pausch's Lecture

 This was a very helpful video. Mr. Pausch  presents some interesting information on how to work with students and push them academically in the classroom. In the lecture he talks about achieving childhood dreams and how to enable the dreams of others. He says that there will always be brick walls that will get in your way and try to stir you off from accomplishing your dreams. Although, these  brick walls are not necessarily bad. Brick walls allow us to prove how bad we want things. Indeed, brick walls let us show our dedication. This was an  inspirational video.

     He gives some helpful advice on setting goals. He had six childhood dreams  and he accomplished all six in some way.  Mr. Pausch floated at zero gravity with some of his students. Also, he was an author of an article in the world encyclopedia. He didn't become Captain Kirk, but he did meet him. He won a lot of stuff animals at amusement parks. In addition, he worked for Disney Imagineer for  a while. He did not become part of the NFL, but he joined the football team when he was nine. He says that one of his coaches really gave him a hard time. Another coach suggested that he did that because he cared about Randy. His coach just wanted him to succeed and be successful.

     Teachers should always push their students and enable them to accomplish all their goals. Teachers should let their students know that they can do anything if they work hard and keep their mind on the goal. Mr. Pausch brings up how teachers should set their expectations high. Mr. Pausch says "students can be having fun while learning something hard."  This allows the students to reach a higher level of education. Motivators tell you when you do something wrong, because they have not given up on you. They tell people the truth.

     Teachers, parents and friends should be the best support system for an individual.  The support system should keep motivating the individual. Teachers need to focus on others and find the best in everyone. People should not complain when trying to accomplish goals, because in the end there will be happiness and success. This lecture was about how to lead your life and dreams will come to you. No one should bail out on their dreams, instead they should try harder. As Mr. Pausch says, "Never lose the child like wonder."  By watching Randy Pausch's lecture, I've learned that encouraging students is the best kind of educational tool.
Link to see video  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo

C4K Summary for February

  Elizabeth's post called "Death of Amanda." Was a story about a young girl being murdered by a old man.  She told of  the old man killing everyone that lived on her street.  I told her that the sound of rain she had playing in the background made the story seem more real. I said that the story reminded me of a movie I had once seen. Also, I said her descriptions were great. This post can be viewed on Elizabeth's blog

       I commented on a post written by a student named Lammer's. The post was about Michael Jordon's history and of him being a great basketball player. I learned the teams Michael Jordon has played for. I was amazed to find out Michael Jordon scored 3000 points in just one season. I wrote that I agreed that Michael Jordon was a great basketball star and a wonderful role model. Also, that it was amazing how one guy can score that amount of points in one season. This blog post can be found on   Lammer

    

   Lucy attends Galley Hill Primary in England. Her post was titled  "100 Word Challenge." She wrote about a guy name Ben who walked into a haunted house and heard a conversation between his best friend Ron and a ghost. She tells of what Ben sees as he walks in the house. Ben saw a skeleton with its head  tilted and its arms  resting on the sides of a chair. He tells of how Ben slowly backed away from the door trying not to feel like a coward. She says,  Ben went back to his house and had a sigh of relief on his face.  I commented saying that the post was great. Also, that it was amazing using only 100 words to tell this experience. Also, I replied saying her descriptions  of the skeleton helped  the readers picture the experience. Link to post http://galleyhillyear5.primaryblogger.co.uk/2012/02/19/100-word-challengeby-lucy/#comment-6149.  Lucy


    I commented on student SP7CK. This students is in Mrs. T.G's 5th grade class in Iowa. Her post was titled "Why we deserve stickers." She listed five reasons why the class should receive stickers for behaving and following rules in the class.

1.We work quietly during tests and concentrate.
2.We get good grades because we study hard .
3.We listen in class during important events.
4.Respect teachers desisions.
5.We read diligently.

I replied saying that these are great reasons for her and other classmates to receive stickers. I believe rewards should be given when students follow the rules and show excellent behaviors. By following these reasons, the students and teachers can be happy. These behaviors are wonderful to show everyday. I ended saying this was an interesting post and great way to show her point of view. The post and comment can be viewed at SP7CK  or  http://5p7.edublogs.org/.

Timetoast Project 9

Blog Assignment 5

 

  Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?

    Scott McLeod has a Ph.D and is the Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Kentucky. He also is the Founding Director of the UCEA  Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE), and was a co-creator of the  popular video series,  Did You Know? (Shift Happens).  McLeod is recognized as one of the nation’s leading academic experts on K-12 school technology leadership issues.

       I think Dr. McLeod's  post is interesting and I agree will him on some parts. Dr. McLeod is all for the use of technology in classrooms. He uses sarcasm to get his point across. I to believe that technology can sometimes be dangerous. Technology has it's pro's and con's. He talks about how his students will be more prepared for the future, because they are doing all the positive things in technology and are not by fear. We need to prepare students and children for the future opportunities.  All jobs now days require the use of technology. We do not need to shelter the children, but we do need to protect them to some extent. Some sites help the children become well rounded. We need to teach our children from a young age the difference between appropriate and inappropriate behaviors on a computer. Parents and teachers do not need to teach technology with the outcomes of fear.  We should use technology in a way that we don’t become dependent on it. Also, I agree that paper and pencil should not entirely be thrown away. These materials help our students with their handwriting abilities. Technology is not all bad.
http://www.dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2009/08/dont-teach-your-kids-this-stuff-please.html

The iSchool Initiative and ZeitgeistYoungMind's Entry

      Travis Allen's The iSchool Initiative and ZeitgeistYoungMind's Entry is about embracing the digital life. Travis talks about revolutionizing the way of learning in schools. He presents a possible solution to our current education problems He talks of changing from basic book learning to  mobile learning. The iSchool will be built on Apples popular iTouch platform. The iSchool has many apps for teachers to accomplish any curriculum.   The iSchool allows access to apps such as, email, chemical touch, U.S constitution, world wiki, USA presidents, star walk, formuli, recorder, scientific calculator, notes, calendar, classics and  iHomework.
   
     Students are able to do homework, class assignments and access book materials all with iSchool. This form of learning saves the environment by not using paper, number 2 pencils and copier machines. It saves the schools at least  600 dollars worth per student.Teachers are able to store and track assignments.  The teachers have instant access to school material at all times in the palm  of their hand. The iSchool is only about 150 dollars per person.  The iSchool prepares the students for the working environment and the future. The iTouch is already made an impact on the environment and this app will too. Therefore, I am all for using iSchool in my classroom. This will help me to interact with my students more and embrace higher learning skills.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68KgAcx_9jU

 Jennifer Chamber’s post and Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir

    It's amazing that 185 people that have never met actually performed a song together. Eric Whitacre had an amazing idea. With the use of internet and technology  anything is possible to accomplish. No matter how far away people are from one another technology can pull us all together.
 http://techliterateteacher.blogspot.com/2010/05/eric-whitakers-virtual-choir-lux.html

           Teaching in the 21st Century by Kevin Robert's

         I think Kevin Robert's believes teaching in the 21st century should be about risks. We need  to rethink the tools we use to teach and the problems we ask students to answer. One phrase he said really caught my attention "Teachers are not the main source of  knowledge, we are the filter."  Students gain knowledge from anywhere now. Technology is expanding everyday and there are many apps that can be used to learn  school materials online. Technology is good, but not always good. Teachers need to manage lap tops, cell phones and i pods just like paper and pencil.  We as  teachers need to let our students know about plagiarism, copyright, pirating, slander, crowd sourcing and confidentiality.  Any lessons teachers create and no matter what tools are used should engage, be relevant, and challenging. When  I become a teacher I will corporate some 21st century skills to help me teach my material and help the students learn about the technology. Most importantly we need to engage our students in what the future has to hold. Teaching will become stronger by using diverging tools and including technology.
http://www.edm310.com/Teaching21stCenturymed.m4v

 Reading Rockets

    There are various resources that can  help me when I become a teacher. The one's that I found more interesting are read-alouds and phonics. Read-alouds help children become actively involved with asking and answering questions. It allows the children to make predictions rather than passively listening. These read-alouds are interactive or dialogic. The read-alouds result in gains in vocabulary, comprehension strategies, story schema, and concept development. Reading- aloud lets  the students become the characters of the book. Phonics develop  memory and attentional abilities for thinking about sequences of sounds and the language for discussing them. The children are challenged first to identify single sounds and then to identify each one of a sequence of sounds. By using this tool, I can help students grow stronger in their grammar.

      Also, for children to attain more subject matter there are ways for us teachers to help. Teachers can  provide retrieval practice for students. Games allow children to understand topics in a fun way.  By giving teacher-prepared handouts prior to class lectures, the students are able to learn the subject beforehand. We need to teach students to be active readers. Breaking down the subject in steps can help students to grasp the concept better. As, teachers we should attain the information in our  memory prior to teaching/learning. Help students develop cues when storing information.  Furthermore, libraries have several  resources that can help teachers and children to expand their knowledge. As a teacher, I will let my students go to the library more. 
http://www.readingrockets.org/ 

 

Blog Assignment 4

Langwitches- Listening-Comprehension-Podcasting

   This post tells of A World Language teacher who incorporated pod-casting into her classroom. Podcasting helped this class improve in their language and speaking skills. Recording and editing a podcast allowed language learners to play with the mechanics of their language. It gives the learners the opportunity to see their voices, read the sounds, manipulate the sequence of sentences and edit their voices. This post informed me that podcast can be used for a lot of different tasks.
http://langwitches.org/blog/2011/03/30/listening-comprehension-podcasting/


  Langwitches- Podcasting With 1st Grade

      A group of first graders used podcast to help then understand and interact with their readings. Podcasting allowed these students to interact with others. The students were able to act like the characters in their readings. The shy and quiet children started to come out of their shell. The skills addressed were listening, speaking, presenting, comprehension, storytelling, performance, voice acting, oral fluency, media, and technology. By using podcast, the first graders were prepared for the following years in school. Given this information, I will try to incorporate podcasting into my classroom. This will help my students use their creativity and keep their attention. Podcasting will cover the curriculum. Indeed, podcasting can be used for all ages.  
http://langwitches.org/blog/2009/12/11/podcasting-with-first-grade/

   Benefits of Pod-casting in the Classroom: By Joe Dale

      Joe Dale talks about the various benefits of using pod-casting in classrooms. Podcasting allows differentiation in the classroom. Students are able to use creativity and innovation. Podcasting uses and helps gain higher order thinking skills. Using the podcast helps the students review the subject matter covered before upcoming exams. The students that are unable to attend school are able to learn their lessons on podcast. This helps them stay on track with their school work. By recording the class lessons, parents are able to see and hear what their children are doing in school. I will use the podcast to help students understand concepts that they were unable to grasp in the class room. My students will be able to review the topics I cover in class as many times as they like. This will help me corrupt group activities in the classroom.
 http://joedale.typepad.com/integrating_ict_into_the_/2009/04/the-benefits-of-podcasting-in-the-classroom.html

My Sentence Video

The Days of My Life... Project 5

C4 Teachers #1

      I commented on Ms. Jennifer Brokofsky's post Purposeful Practice. The post talked about different ways to practice for a subject and the meaning of practice. She gave a list of her practice beliefs. She talked of what practice is in education. Also, how teachers and  coaches need to put the practice into the game.
     I told her how I agree on how practice does not make perfect but it can make it better. Nobody can be absolutely perfect but the teachers can be part of the students experience in advancing their knowledge in the subject matter.The teachers definitely need to give the students enough practice time so they can make sure the students understand the subject. Part of making mistakes is learning from the mistakes. Games make learning fun and if we get on the students level, the students are more than likely to understand the concept better.


     A Mad Minute- A Tragic Tale of Defeat and Remorse is a story of  how Ms. Jennifer Brokofsky corporated an assessment she learned into her classroom. The assessment  "A Mad Minute" proved not a good idea. Ms. Brokofsky learned giving assessments really do not help the students and it does not take away of how teachers do not know the material. After evaluating the outcomes she set standards and beliefs to follow. This is a copy of what I said.
      I am  Allison Cullars from EDM 310. This is a great post I really enjoyed reading it. I agree with the statements about teaching and learning. These steps are good to follow and abide by while in a classroom. Teachers need to know the subject matter before they teach. Just giving assessments to students is not going to help them learn. People learn in different ways, so we need to assess the characteristics and learning abilities of the studies. I had an assessment just like this in one of my classes and it scared me every time. This post is a motivation for teachers to improve in their knowledge. It inspires success in teachers and learners.

Blog Assignment 3

Technology in Special Education

a.     Technology has helped students with special needs to advance in their learning abilities. The i pad has helped students understand the words in a book by hearing the words. Computers have helped various students in their writing skills. Also, computers help people to see better because it allows the print to be magnified. Special Education students are able to finish their assignments faster by using some type of technology. The students in special education are eager to learn. Using technology can help make connections. If the teachers aren't able to clearly get a concept across to students maybe technology can.

      When I become a teacher I will use technology to facilitate student participation. A lot of students are able to understand a concept more by interacting. I can use computers and i pads to read to students as they follow along and repeat the words.There are a lot of learning games and different apps to use. The different software programs can hold the student’s attention. With deaf students and students with motor involvement, I will help them use the keyboard. I will use Cameras to help capture important information and moments. The software systems will help me create lesson plans. Also, I will teach the students about the different technology so they will be prepared for their future and career.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPnlC5K-CzA&feature=related

b.       I will use the app Motion Math Zoom to help my special need students understand math in a fun and delightful way. Special education children are able to learn more by visualizing and interacting. Math is a difficult subject for many, but with this app students can be at ease. Motion Math Zoom is a animal adventure that takes the children through the world of numbers. This app helps students master place value. The app allows children to navigate among concrete objects that represent abstract numbers. I will teach the concepts and then allow the students to play the games as an assignment. This device will help my students tackle the most complicated math problems.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPnlC5K-CzA&feature=related

Gary Hayes: Social Media Count

       Technology is growing and billions of technology is sold everyday. Large amounts of people are joining different sites and downloading apps. Technology has become the high point of everyone's lives. The rates display that as I advance in my career I too should advance in using technology to teach. Teachers need to use material that is up to date and techniques the students can relate to. Incorporating technology in the classroom can be both a learning tool for students and a teaching tool for the instructor. Children seem to relate and know a lot about technology. For this reason, incorporating technology in the classroom is a great way to increase a child’s interest in learning.

        Teachers need to start using smart boards in place of traditional chalk or white boards in their classroom. This saves the teacher time in presenting the material and decreases the exercise gone in to writing it on the board. Incorporating videos into lessons help the students get a visual of the subject matter. By using the technology students are familiar with can help them advance in technology and in the subjects. Using technology makes teachers job easier. The world is built around a social media and just about everyone is socializing using technology. Teachers need to prepare their students for the future. We need to make learning fun and understandable.  
 http://www.personalizemedia.com/garys-social-media-count/

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today

          People go to school everyday and do not learn anything. The college classes are so huge and full of people that everyone can not comprehend the subject matter. Huge classes do not allow one on one time with the teacher. Thousands of dollars are spent on books that are not even used. In addition, some people spend thousands on school, but never attend the classes. The students are made to multitask between classes, school work, work and various other activities. A lot of college students time is spent studying. Teachers have been sticking with the same routine of presenting the lessons. Chalk boards are hard to see for the people in the back of the class rooms and they exclude animations.

        Students use technology everyday and even in the classroom. School systems need to update the technology in classes. If teachers use technology in classrooms then the students will be more interested in the subject. Using technology will be less strenuous on the teachers and students. Students need to be prepared for the future, not the present. Technology is used in about every job. Some say that technology can save us. More people are likely to come to a class were they can use technology, than to a class that is just lecture based. Technology can make learning easy. Since students are already on some sort of technology in class, then the teachers need to teach and help students learn with that technology. School systems do not need to be left behind in advancing in technology and in the world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Ftechliterateteacher.blogspot.com%2F&feature=player_embedded