For my second comments for kids I was assigned to Siabhaon's blog. She is new to the class. She has some cool posts up about herself and about where she is from. Welcome to Siabhaon On my first comment I introduced myself and found out about Siabhaon's name. Comment:
Hi Siabhaon,
This is Stephen and I am from the University of South Alabama in the United States. I have just started blogging and I have been assigned to comment and explore your blog. You have a very interesting class and I have really enjoyed your blog. I have never heard the name Siabhaon. It is a very cool name. I hope you have as much fun blogging as I have these past few weeks. Keep up the good work! If you are interested, here is a link to my class blog: EDM310 ABOUT ME (Siabhaon)!!! My next comment is one the post where Siabhaon tells everyone about her interest and what she likes. Comment: Hey Siabhaon,
It is me, Stephen again and it looks like everyone who commented, including me, loves chocolate! I really think my most favorite kind of chocolate is dark chocolate! I live somewhere very similar to a farm out in the country. There are not many farm animals, but I have had dogs, cats, and even horses. I think my favorite animal is the otter. I’m not sure how many otters are around this part of the world, but many of them live in rivers and close to the shores of the ocean.
Your blog is looking very nice! Keep up the great work.
I found this post to be so interesting and so helpful and I haven't even taught a class yet. I love how this is a post on Mr. McClung's first year. I think I will learn so much in my first year too. I think the key to his success is a picture at the top of this post. The picture says:"An important decision I made this year is stay positive." I have been told by so many people that I look up to that staying positive is very important in keeping your focus on the task at hand. I know it is easier said than done, but I truly believe that a positive attitude is really important when you are teaching a class that is full of children who look up to you.
One thing that he highlights that I feel like I should work on is being flexible. I totally see what he means when he talks about how he wants things to be a certain way. Even taking this class has made me realize how one tiny thing can change everything I want to do. I really do want things to go one way but I understand that being flexible is very important in the classroom.
Never stop learning! I really think this is the most important thing that a teacher can do when he or she is teaching any grade level. How can we be expected to be a good teacher if we don't learn new things about what we should know? In this class I have learned that things are changing so fast that we must stay on track to keep up with everything. I think everyone should read this post and try to follow this advice. I know that it is a great reminder to me so I can be a better teacher.
I can say that this lecture is one of the best ways to really look at yourself and try to understand how you want to live your life. Many people don't know how to really be the person they want to be, or they don't know what their purpose is in life. In this video Randy Pausch shows us how his life was effected by others and how his ways can be a guideline to all our lives. He talks about the importance of dreaming and how our childhood dreams make us strive to become good people. He talks about leadership and how it can create such a good thing for everyone that is connected with you. He also talks about the importance that we can't do everything by ourselves.
I think one thing that Pausch said that really made me think was fundamentals. I really think that the importance of fundamentals is really something you have to experience to really know why it is so important. Students who are going to the next grade and don't remember the fundamentals of math shows me the importance of fundamentals, because how can they learn the more involved things if the fundamentals are not there? I really want to make sure that I teach fundamentals as much as i can so that my students don't have to be burdened with relearning something they should already know.
Leadership is something that I lacked in high school and for most of the time I've been in college. I really think that leadership is something I need to possess while I'm a teacher as well as all teachers. Just as he pointed out, Captain Kirk wasn't the smartest on the ship but he was the one who had the most leadership. If I can show leadership in my classroom, I think that it will rub off on some of my students. If my students can show leadership where they work, or whatever they decide to do, they can pass that on to the next person they met or accompany.
We can't do everything ourselves! In this video, Randy Pausch talks about how he couldn't have done anything he accomplished without someone's help. I know I couldn't have gotten into college without the help of all my teachers and of course, my family. I know as a teacher, I will not be able to have a successful career as a teacher without the help of my peers or my families support. I know that everyone has their own way to help others. Maybe my way of helping others is to teach my students so they will learn the little things in life from me. I hope I can also be the person that helps someone else.
My PLN is coming on slowly but surely. I have several blogs I am following that seem to be very good in showing new teaching and technology strategies. Here are some of those.........
I recently contacted Bryan Phillips to ask him some questions about teachers. He is not a teacher anymore but he said he would refer me some teachers to get in contact. I haven't heard from him yet.
I commented on Mrs. McGeady's blog and this was here response: @ Stephen,
Thanks for another great comment. The blog looks great! Unfortunately I only teach primary so I’m not the best person to ask about secondary teaching but I do write a blog for teachers that you may find interesting. This is the address http://primarytech.globalteacher.org.au/
I was assigned the 2KM's blog at Leopold Primary School. This school is located on the Southern end of Victoria, Australia. This class blog is so amazing because I see how children can interact with the world and spread their new found knowledge to other children and even older people like me. Recently, 2KM had a reading day which looked really cool.
On the newest post on 2KM's blog they talk about what happened on reading day. The teacher, Mrs. McGeady, got the idea form a school in Connecticut. Here is a slide show of the class on reading day.
Comment:
Mrs. McGeady,
Wow, I wish I could have had a reading day when I was in school! Maybe I would like to read more than I do today. I am a student at the University of South Alabama and I am assigned to your blog. I really have found this blog to be full of information that so many classes can use to make their classroom better. I am studying to be a high school science teacher so if you have some ideas on how to get started on class activities I would love to hear from you. Here is a link to my class blog: edm 310.
Another part of the post was when Bianca created her first Guest Post. Here is the post....
I found this to be very cool to see how beautiful the places were she visited.
Comment: Dear Bianca,
This is very impressive! I have never been to the 12 Apostles but it looks like a very interesting place. You did very good on researching and you really do have beautiful places to visit. Keep up the good work.
Stephen.
Last, we have stories from Clancy and Tom. They used Five Card Flickr to make up a story. They picked five cards and used the pictures from the cards to make up a story.
You did a great job on these stories. I love how you used the cards to make up a story and then used your imagination do the rest. I hope to hear many more stories from you guys.
I knew since I started this class that English and Literature classes would be dramatically changed. Watching this video, it quickly showed me how little I knew about this new age of learning and "writing". I like how he points out that now we can communicate instantly all around the globe. That is so amazing to me that I can look up anything that someone wants to share. So many things are happening with technology that is so hard to keep up. It was amazing to me how he created a whole article just by using his computer.
Right now, I know that I am not ready to write with multimedia. I am so eager to learn how to use this because I think this can make research so much more easier and more organized. I hope that my class will be willing to learn how to do this, and I hope they will realize how much this will help them in the future. I hope that my students will also realize that they really don't have the option to not use technology anymore. Sometimes I think about how I will cope with all the things that are changing and this video shows that so many more things are changing at a very fast rate.
This video really shows how books have taken a new step in making itself available to everyone. Its really cool to think about how he talks about how things are updated right in front of our eyes. He also talks about how we as educators should be in the business of sharing ideas and sharing discoveries. I hope people in education will really try to keep ideas and keep updates on all the new ideas that can help EVERYONE be better at what they are training to become.
This video really clears up some of the understanding I didn't have about networking and my personal learning network. I can really see how this is an important tool these days in researching. I've said this so many times before that I wish I would have known about this when I was doing research papers about a year ago. I could have used the PLN to get some incite from people who where much more connected to the subject than I.
As someone who is just starting to use videos to help others learn and understand, I really like the way that the video was shot. The cartoons make it interesting and simple to follow as the narrator speaks on how to use and the example of the networking. The tools listed in the video are really cool and it amazes me on how much more information we can cover by using these tools.
Over all, I really enjoyed this video because it is informative and it really helps to clarify what a PLN is and how it is used. Many people can use the PLN to research anything they want! In a way, using a personal learning network can be a hobby. I think with practice I can use the networking tools to help improve my searches on specific subjects. Toward A New Future of Whatever-Michael Wesch
Here is another great video on media communication and what it means for us today. Youtube is one of the highlights in this discussion of media and how it affects all of our lives. Professor Wesch talks about how Youtube has changed our communication and how people now see themselves and how they are expressed to others. I've been conscious of this when we did our videos for this class. It is very interesting to notice how we see ourselves as apposed to how we thought we looked and talked with face to face conversation. I think that this video is a wonderful way to learn why media tools are so important and how these tools can change the whole world in an instant.
I think this post was focused on the side that Smartboards are really expensive and not worth the money. Even though I've never used a smartboard in a classroom for a class, I do see so many things that the smartboard can do. I might change my mind one day, but I think just by my research that the smartboard is well worth the money. I think why i disagree with the point that we can use our mouse and pointer to interact is because kids don't want to use a mouse. They want to go in front of the class and write on the board. I think children really like to be the one drawing on the board instead of the teacher.
I think this post is just something that I've always known, everyone is different. Some people just don't like certain things. I'm sure the person who made this post was someone who is very smart and likes to use technology, but this is just a reminder, not everyone likes interactive whiteboards. I encoarage you to read the whole post and make up your mind yourself but here is something I want point out. Here is a quote from the post: "I ask you: Do we really want to spend thousands of dollars on a tool that makes stand-and-deliver instruction easier?" This to me says that this person thinks that smartboards only make instruction easier. Is that really all we could do with this? I'll let you decide.
This website has some very interesting comments on why smart boards in classrooms help children learn. I encourage you to look at this and read the comments on this page. I like the comment from CreativeRachna. She has an ancient Chinese proverb that says: "I hear and I forget,I see and I remember,I do and I understand." I think this is a great way to explain the way so many teachers and students feel when they use the smart board. Smart Boards are hands on, minds-on
This is a link to a website of the Wilmington news journal in Ohio. I like to see that this kind of achievement is in the news. This is just another piece of evidence that suggest that students want to use technology to learn. Another part of the Smart Board that I think is important that was stated in the article is this: "The technology utilizes lessons and templates — templates that can be used and adapted to suit a teacher’s needs for specific grade levels." I think this is important because ANY grade level can use this in their classroom.
I think one thing I would like to do in Edm for dummies is how to use a Mac! I recently did a video with Anthony and Jamie Lynn and I got to use a Mac computer. I really liked the different things about it but I had no idea what I was doing. I think it's important that I learn to use Windows and Mac because who knows; if my student has a question about something on their Mac computer and I have a dfferent computer, how will I help them?
First of all I want to say that I really enjoyed listening to all of these podcasts. I think what was most interesting is how the children really want to act out the part that they have because it is something exciting. Before, if they didn't podcast, they would probably think these things were very boring and probably not important.
Now that they can act out a specific part and they look at history, or any other subject, with such a different view. How can this help a student pass a grade and learn? Well, I think that sense they are really much more involved, they will know or retain so much more of the information they receive.
I really like how the students in this podcast express themselves. They have so many things going on with sound effects, dialog, and acting that they are really preparing for so many other things later in life. I like how they are all part of the podcast in some way. I think this is a great way to get the kids involved and want to learn.
I liked that in this podcast they have the vocabulary words in the cast. Man would have loved to have that when I was in elementary school! I really struggled in spelling and vocabulary. I think if I would have been able to listen to the words over and over, I would have had a better experience in that subject.
This is a very cool podcast where the students are interviewing a shark guy who dives with sharks and knows many things about them. I think that the children really like when they get close to something they are learning about. Even though they are not actually seeing a live shark, they are talking to someone who has been there, and I think that interests them.
Again, this is a great way to get the children involved in the subject and get them thinking about what they are learning. I like that the teach lets one of the students do the interview and the class had lots of questions. Normally, children would read about this in a book and not really want to know more about the sharks. Now they are excited, asking questions, and you hear them yelling "Wow!".
This podcast shows us how cool podcast can be. I like that they start off with music and all of the introduction stuff. This is also really cool because she is not even there! She is using Skpye to talk to him and do a podcast at the same time.I really think that this could be the part of technology that I uses to comunicate with the parents of my class.
I could set up a podcast that is like a review of what will be going on in the class that week. Therefore, the parents wouldn't have to wonder what their children are doing in class! I really think the parents would really enjoy know what their children are doing every week.
I like this post because it explains from a teacher's point-of-view on how a podcast helps students learn and why they choose to use podcasts. The teacher goes on to talk about the different tools in using the podcast and explains that the children are not just learning to use podcast and other tools, they are learning the regular subjects also.
Another cool thing is that toward the bottom of the post there are pictures of the different things that the children use in the classroom. Around the pictures there are the different skills that each tool helps and I encourage everyone to look at those! It's really cool to see the different things that each tool helps the child to learn and practice. My favorite one is probably the podcasting skills because I can find a few skills that I would have loved to have developed when I was in grammar school.
Don't teach your kids this stuff. Please? This guy is pretty funny but gives a good message at the same time. His idea about technology is that he wants his kids to be ahead of the game, so he tries to convince parents to not let their children learn these things. I want my children to be able to understand that technology will be very important when they are entering the work force. He does raise some good points that there are bad things that children can be in contact with on the internet, but they are easily taken care of if the parent knows how to use the technology themselves!
Scott McLeod is the co-creator of the Did You Know? video. He also helped in creating the country's "first graduate program designed to prepare technology-savvy school leaders."
The iSchool initiative This is just another great video showing us how technology can change how students learn, interact, and progress. As I've said before, technology opens doors to new ways of learning and also this will bring about a whole new way of life for some students. How can so many things be available in one simple device?
I think the most appealing thing about this video is the idea that the iSchool could save a student $600! Plus not to mention the school saving money. Another part that really gets me thinking is everything is on one device. This is so much more convenient that carrying five or six books home every night to work on your homework.
Lost Generation Thinking about the way some generations act I think is the key for our generation to turn things around. Some say that generations before are ones who had a strong will to work and do more manual labor than newer generation. So, attitudes change and generations are stereotyped, but over all they are right to say that newer generations are not willing to do certain things, because they don't have to do those things. The movie shows us that all the things that were said at the beginning can be reversed. We can reverse these things by having the right attitude and start looking at ourselves with reflecting eyes and ask ourselves, am I really who I want to be?
Eric Whitaker’s Virtual Choir Over the past few years I've learned one thing about myself. That one thing is that many things that amaze me don't amaze many other people. After watching this video, I don't see how anyone could not be amazed. None of these people singing have even met each other! What an amazing video that shows yet another way technology can be used.
A Vision of Students Today I think anyone who has attended college can relate to this video in one way or another. This video shows me some surprising facts about students such as: One student would write over 500 e-mails in one semester, and It shows how much more time we spend listening to music and surfing the internet than we spend doing anything else. It's very humbling to hear that over one billion people make less than one dollar a day.
How can technology help students? One way I think is to keep students motivated to do well in class. One part of the video was talking about how students use facebook and other social devices while they were in class. How much more would students learn in a class if the class was incorporated in technology in some way? How much more time would they spend on class work? I think they would spend so much more on something that is recent to the students age or something that could be updated. Maybe students would be more active in a class that was required to share ideas and comment on things in the class, and with technology, this would be an easy way to do just that.
It's Not About the Technology This post brought forth a new way of thinking to the technology in education idea. I think there are some very good points and questions raised in this post, but i think the benefits of technology in education out-weigh the problems that are addressed. Here is the comment I left on the post.
I really think that students would benefit strongly if a teacher incorporates technology into teaching. I know that this post is saying that it's not "all" about technology but I think it my be a very effective way to get children thinking. Maybe some student needs help from a teacher face to face, or maybe another student is a quick learner. I think the use of technology can accomplish both of those students needs. I did want to comment on one part under where the post said: "Technology is useless without good teaching." I agree that there are so many teachers out there with the technology to use with their class and refuse to use it. I think that those teachers are probably not willing to learn about the type of technology themselves, but I think if the students can use technology with a teacher who allows them to explore on their own, these students will benefit in the long run.
The Fischbowl What a great post on technology in education! I really enjoyed reading this because it opens up things to me that I didn't think about before. I agree that a teacher should be technologically literate for the sake of the children they teach. I think that so many teachers want their students to do better in their class, but refuse to let them take up the most useful and helpful tools.
I think what really caught my attention in this was when he talked about reading and writing in the 20th century vs. technological literacy in today's time. People sometimes think that it is acceptable to not understand everything about technology and how to use every aspect of it. I'm not so sure that is the right attitude we need to take when we are teachers trying to help students prepare for their future. We should have the attitude: "How can I use these tools to help my students learn more?"
Gary's Social Media Count This media count is something that you really don't fully comprehend by just looking at it. So many things are happening on the web today that we may never really understand how big of an impact it is having on our lives. If we as teachers can incorporate some part of these medias into our teaching, I think that we would reach so many more students and also have them prepared for a very technologically based work place.
Here Is my comment on the first Comment: As a student I have heard the words: “How could you not know this? You should remember that from last year.” I agree that as an educator, teachers must remember that students will always forget things and surely will be out of practice after summer.
Comment:I am from a very small school where there are maybe 2 computer labs on the whole campus. Even though that our school didn’t have the equipment need for 1:1 interaction, I would bet that 75% of the students at that school had a computer or laptop they could bring to class. I think the parents would jump at the opportunity to get their children these needs for class if it was required. Parents want their children to well in school, and if technology gets more affordable then I think the majority of parents would buy a laptop for their children.
Comment:I think the post and all the comments make a great point in saying that teachers need to learn why the social media can be effective and useful to the them (teachers) and the students. Soon I think there will be more and more social networks to communicate with and this will mean more ways to find knowledge! If that’s not a reason to teach children how to use these social medias, then I don’t know what to think!
Comment:I know some people really don’t understand math as well as others. I think that many people don’t want to put forth the effort to really understand it. People who say they just don’t understand technology probably don’t want to understand technology. I agree with this post most defiantly.
Did You Know? This was a very interesting video that really brought many things to my attention that I had no idea even happened. After seeing that video I think it is safe to say that we do live in a very small world. Technology is a very useful tool for us in classrooms as teachers and classmates, but the fast rate of technology growth has really created a challenge for teachers. This Did You Know video shows us as potential teachers how important it is for us to "teach" kids how to use these tools and make them a part of our lives.
The last part of the video has the question "So what does this all mean?" I think it means that we must prepare our youth for so much more than the past generations have. I think that many students around the world in years to come will be so reliant on technology that if they are not shown how to use these tools they will not be prepared to live in the world that will be.
Mr. Winkle Wakes This video is great in showing how things are around us today. This is one of those kinds of videos that really depicts the way our ways so true and so well. How many of us know that our teachers in high school were so like the one that Mr. Winkle visited? I know my high school was this way. Why should kids be taught to learn to use technology?
This video showed us why children should be taught to use technology when Mr. Winkle was in the work place. Everything that was in the building was computers and internet based machines. If children don't get a head start on using technology, how can they be expected to prosper in society?
Ken Robinson Video Ken Robinson really wants people to understand how creative children can and should be. I think his opinion on creativity is really true and how we should carry that out in the class room. I like when he says that children should be prepared to be wrong. If we teach children to never be wrong, when will they ever learn new ideas and new theories?
He goes on to say how diverse our education is that we should let children explore the education that we have. He says that we should not limit our children to such a small and narrow part of our education system. So many things can be developed from this because the children will be exposed to so much more and be more involved. I think technology can give us a way to do just that.
Digital Smarts She makes a good point in saying how some children have limits with just pencil and paper. Children can have less limits with a computer. They can have more ways to express themselves. Its all about learning and she shows the great ways that computer technology is changing the lives of our children and how great these tools are to everyone, not just students in a classroom.
She says that its so amazing to see children learn things that she didn't teach them. This is a great way to understand how kids should learn and that they feel accomplished when they learn something on their own. The blogs are real important in their class room because they share ideas and learn a new type of social skill. This is important to children who live in rural areas because they now have access to many more sources from around the world.
This should be very interesting to see! I've never created a blog before and I never really got the whole idea behind it. Maybe this is the start to a great and fun experience.
