My EDM 310 Blog Assignments are Now Complete!

This was such a fun class! I hope you all have a good summer and get to relax before next semester!

This Semester

I learned so many things this semester. The first thing that I am so glad I learned about is Google Documents. I had never even heard of Google docs before this class and I was missing out on some great tools. I am also glad we went over Google Earth! I think this will be such a great tool for use in the classroom. When an application can make it so that the class can go on a virtual field trip anywhere around the world, you know it's worth something. I'm also glad I learned the educational value of blogging and twitter. I knew about these two before I took the class but never gave them much thought. Now however, I see them as educational tools that I will definitely use in my classroom.

We learned a lot in this class so it's hard to think of more things that I would have liked to learn about. The only thing I would have liked to learn about is more websites for specifically for teachers. The podcast on this was very helpful but I would have liked to explore some of these in class. I cannot think of a single thing that I learned that I wish I had not. Everything we learned in this class can be of use to us in one way or another! Thank you so much Dr. Strange!

Twitter

Twitter is a very interesting social networking site that we have been learning about. I have done a lot to learn about twitter in these last few weeks. Usually social networking sites come pretty naturally to me, I have a Facebook and a Myspace. However, twitter is a lot different than the usual websites. It took me some time to figure twitter out, it's much more than just posting whatever you are thinking. One of the first things I did when I made a twitter account was look for an app for my ipod touch. I found TwitterFon which is free, and allowed me to read other people's tweets wherever I was.

Being able to tweet almost anywhere was pretty interesting. This also allowed me to practice tweeting more often. I also followed a bunch of people to help learn about twitter. Christinadotcom was particularly helpful, she was one of the only people that responded to my tweets. Following Mr. Chamberlain was also very helpful. I also followed the Twitter_Tips which turned out to be a great reasource. I checked my Twitter a few times a day. However I feel like I didn't tweet or respond to other people's tweets enough. I think if more of my friends joined I'd be more outgoing on Twitter.

Despite my lack of tweeting I still believe that Twitter could definitely be a great reasource for teachers. At first I thought that Twitter was silly and would never have a place in education. I was wrong, and the more articles I read about Twitter, the more I began to see its merit. I liked the example in an article I read of students asking questions through Twitter while a teacher lectured. I think Twitter would be a great tool for creating a classroom communtiy. If every student had an account they could keep in contact outside of the classroom and help eachother with homework, projects, ect. I think I will definitely use twitter as a teacher. I will encourage students and their parents to contact me via twitter anytime the have a question. Keeping in touch is very important, with all the new technology coming out there is no reason not to take advantage!

Podcasts Galore!

I had a lot of fun listening to some of the podcasts done by our class. The first podcast I listened to was "Using iTunes and Google Earth in Instruction," by Dr. Shaw, Bryn Jarvis and Miranda Hill. The second podcast I listened to was "Websites for Elementary School Teachers," by Mary Davis, Matt Quimby and Johnetta Dixon. The third I listened to was "How Technology is Used in the College of Education," by Carol Perez, Christina Moore and Michelle Ward. The fourth I listened to was done by my group, "The Pros and Cons of Wikipedia," by Courtney Rose, Annie Hutson, and I. All the podcasts were great but could also use a little bit of improvement.

I noticed in one of the podcasts the group did not introduce all the members first, instead they waited until each person was done with their piece. Introducing themselves in the middle of the podcast disrupted the flow of the conversation and was a little awkward. I also noticed that in most of the podcasts one person spoke and did their piece, then the next person would go, and so on. There was very little interaction between group members, for example commenting on what others say or asking eachother questions.

I think my group's podcast was decent but there are a lot of things we could have improved upon. First of all, we all, at some point or another, sounded like we were reading a script. Our dialouge should've flowed a little more naturally. Also are podcast was short compared to the other ones in our class. We should've added more topics to talk about. Another thing I would have fixed, there was little interaction between group members, it did not sound like an actual conversation. Overall I think my group and all the groups did a great job. If we all could go back and do them a second time I know they would be even better.

Blogs in the Classroom

Using blogs in the classroom was a new idea to me when I first started the EDM 310 class. At first I thought that blog use in the classroom would just be basic. The teacher just posts homework assignments to remind students and let parents know. As the class progressed I learned so much more about blogs, and realized that there are so many uses for them. They are definitely a great tool to use in the classroom and can help teachers accomplish many things.

The are many positive aspects to blogging in the classroom. One huge benefit of having blogs is the communication it facilitates. The teacher can communicate with the students even outside of class. If they have a question on the homework they can leave a comment about it. That's extremely helpful because other students may have the same question but were to shy to ask. Blogs also help students communicate with each other. If every student has their own blog then they can comment on each others. Also, it helps parents communicate with the teacher. They can ask questions about assignments, or just ask how their child is doing in class.

Another positive aspect of blogging is that it is fun! I think most students would love creating and customizing a web page about themselves. I think they would also love sharing their ideas with their classmates and the teacher. It will be fun for them to be creative and to do something out of the ordinary. Also since blogging is so much fun they will be more engaged in it. They will be willing to read what the teacher says because it will not feel like homework.

It's hard to think of any negative aspects to blogging. The only negative thing I can think of is that not all students will have access to a computer at home. These students may feel left out of a crucial part of class. One way to remedy this is to schedule regular trips to computer lab. Also if there are computers in the classroom the children could work on their blogs during class. I think blogs are a great tool and I will definitely use them when I am a teacher.

"Growth" vs. "Fixed" Mindsets

I had the pleasure of watching the video podcast, "Growth" vs. "Fixed" Mindsets in Learning by Standford University. The video was very interesting and introduced a concept that I had never heard of before, "Growth" vs. "Fixed" mindsets. These are two different mindsets that can effect students while they are learning. The growth mindset is where students believe that their intelligence is meant to be developed throughout their life. This development occurs through going to school and a passion for studying. In contrast the fixed mindset is where students think that intelligence is fixed and they are stuck with what they have. When these students do a task they think about if it will make them seem smart to their peers.

In the video, they talked about an interesting study that shows how important the growth mindset is to learning. In the study they separated students into to groups. One group they taught study skills and the growth mindset, and the other group they just taught study skills. The results for each group were drastically different. For the first group, learning about the growth mindset made a huge difference. Their grades improved and they were more excited about the learning process. Conversely, for the second group their grades continued to drop, they had no motivation to use the study skills they were taught.

This video podcast is very important to me as a teacher. This is great new information that I will definitely be able to apply in my class. Teachers need to teach the growth mindset. Although some students will realize it naturally, others may fall into the fixed mindset if we do not help them. If teachers stress the growth mindset students will be more interested in their education. Also they will be more intrinsically motivated when it comes to their schoolwork, they will not just do it for the grade. Students will be more motivated to exercise their brains outside of the classroom as well. The growth mindset is definitely very important and I am glad I learned about it.

iTunes U comes in handy once again!

WGBH in iTunes U has a bunch of great video podcasts for K-12. They also break the videos up in different ways so anyone can find just what they need. I watched a few of the videos in the K-5 section. I watched "Observe Clouds," "A night in the coral reef," and "Solar Eclipses." The first video is about watching how clouds move and change shape. The second video is about what the different inhabitants of a coral reef do at night time. The third video explains what happens during a solar eclipse and shows actual footage of one.

These videos, and others like them, are great resources for teachers. They have videos available for many different subjects and grade levels. This way teachers can find videos appropriate for their classes. Videos can be extremely helpful when teachers are trying to explain a certain concept. They can introduce the topic, play the video, then continue explaining it and give the students activities dealing with the concept. I know from my own experience in the classroom that videos usually helped the concept we were learning come alive. Videos are great for things you want to show students that is not possible through actual experience. For example a school in the U.S. probably can't take a field trip to African to see the desert wildlife, but they can watch a video about it and get a good representation.

I could definitely use the three videos I mentioned in my future classroom. The first is great because it talks about watching clouds which students can do on their own time. I could use this video to introduce a science lesson on clouds or weather. We could then talk about the different kinds of clouds and how clouds are formed. The second video could also be used in a science lesson. This video is great because it introduces and explains some great vocabulary words like herbivore, and luminescent. The third is great because it explains and shows and actual eclipse which many student might not get a chance to see in real life. This would be a great video to show the student as they are learning about space.

Great ideas for future teachers!

The edible school yard was about a middle school in California that is using a different method to teach social studies and science. The students are planting and keeping up with a huge garden and learning many different things. They also take the things they plant and make different foods. A Night in the Global Village was about a school that takes a group of students and puts them in the place of people from other countries. They have to trade with each other to get basic supplies like food, water, and wood for a fire. This extreme experience helps them be more conscious of poverty and hunger and how they effect other countries.

I think both of these videos can be of use to me as a future teacher. They both have their own lessons that teachers can learn from. One of these is that it can be great for the students if their teachers break from traditional curriculum. Students can learn a lot from a traditional curriculum but do they really remember it? Teachers should come up with fun and interesting experiences to teacher their students certain concepts. The students will likely remember these fun experiences for the rest of their lives. Also these experiences teach student things that they cannot learn from a book. They can learn things like cooperation and working together to create a product.

Another lesson that can be learned from these videos is that with a traditional curriculum not all students have a chance to succeed. However, if teachers try new and interesting ways to teach a concept, students that fail in a traditional curriculum may succeed. For example in the edible school yard video a teacher talked about how someone who is not good at math or who is not articulate may be great with their hands. Conversly a student who is great at math may not be so good at gardening and working with their hands. I think both of these lessons are important and I will definitely keep them in mind when I become a teacher.

iTunes U

Sadly, before this class I had never heard of iTunes U. It is a section of iTunes that can be extremely useful to students and teachers. It is full of educational materials from top universities around the United States. The best and brightest professors are uploading great content that anyone can look at for free. One thing I really like about iTunes U is the many different ways you can search to find what you want. You can search by university, you can search by category (business, science, ect.), or you can use iTunes search and filter the results so that just iTunes U results show up. Once the person finds what they are looking for they can download it to their iTunes program. They can also subcribe so that they get they automatically get new content.

There are many ways that iTunes U can be beneficial to studnets and teachers. First of all it incorporates different learning styles. A good amount of the content is just audio, but there are also a lot of videos that show demonstrations and other things. These demonstrations can be recreated in the classroom for the kinesthetic learners. Another great thing is that people can download these materials on to their ipod to take wherever they go. This is great for busy students who never know when they will have spare time to study. Also, I found out that there is not only college material available. There is a K-12 link that provides some great resources for K-12 teachers. One thing I found very helpful while learning about iTunes U was Apple's Introduction to iTunes U. It gave a great overview and showed me things that I may not have discovered on my own.

iPods in Education!

I found a great site when I searched for "iPods in instruction." It's called Learning in Hand and it talks about all the great features that iPods have and how they can be used in instruction. They have resources for the iPod touch and iPhone and also for all other iPods with scroll wheels. For the scroll wheel iPods there are twelve sections on different uses. Not only does it tell you what they can be used for it tells you how to use the feature it is talking about. A few things that I found interesting that I did not know, is that people can download dictionaries onto their iPods. Also a useful thing for teachers and students, you can download PowerPoint files onto iPods.

I also found out more information on how Duke University is using iPods in their instruction. They started out by giving all incoming freshmen free iPods. Since then demand for iPods has grown from both students and faculty. The faculty are starting to alter their lesson plans in order to make full use of the iPod's capabilities. For example, professors are having the students make a podcast instead of doing a traditional paper. The results have been great so far, and everyone is looking for new ways to use this technology in education.

Dr. Alice Christie's helpful site.

I think Dr. Christie's Website was extremely helpful in so many ways. Everywhere I looked I found something interesting that I could use in my future classroom. If I had to pick a favorite part of the site I would pick her section on web design. I think that this is extremely relevant to me as a teacher who will be using a blog in my classroom. Although I will not be designing my blog from scratch, she give a lot of great layout tips that will definitely help me design my blog. There were a bunch of helpful links that I will certainly use when making my class blog.

The first link she gives in this section is "Text Based Design Tips." On this pages there are a bunch of tips for creating a website. First their are some overall tips then it gets more specific and talks about the Layout, the purpose of boxes, the use of color, and how to grab the users attention. All of the tips about these subjects would be helpful to me when creating a class blog. Another thing that I thought was extremely helpful was that she provided links to what she thought were good and bad sites and explained why she thought so. Overall I think Dr. Christie's site was extremely useful and I will definitely visit it again in the future.

Last Lecture

I loved Randy Pausch's Last lecture. I thought it was very interesting and inspiring. In his lecture he talks about various teaching techniques that he used that I thought were great. First of all he did project based learning. The students would do 5 projects a year. This means the the students spent the whole time making things and getting experience in the field. This was also great because he avoided what he called "book learning." By avoiding "book learning" the students were probably way more engaged in the material and got much more out of the course.

Another teaching technique that he talked about was group work. All the projects the students worked on in his class were in small groups. I think this is great for students. Through group work students have the opportunity to learn from each other and the teacher. They can also practice communication and collaborating with others to make a product. Another part of this was that the partners would be switched around at the end of each project. This allows the students to meet new people and learn something from everyone in the class.

The third technique I thought that was very important was that the students had to share their projects with others. At the end of each project the class would show off their projects to each other. Eventually it grew and other people came to watch these presentations. This is beneficial to both the students and the people watching. The students get practice showing off their products in front of large groups of people. The people get the beneifit of seeing what bright young minds can do with technology.

The last technique that Randy used that I thought was amazing was not setting a bar for his students. He let his students make whatever they wanted for their projects and they surprised him with the results. He didn't let them stop there however and each project got better and better. He had high expectations and his students rose to meet them. I think Randy did a great job of describing these techniques and I will definitely try to work some of them in when I become a teacher.

Fischbowl Post

I read the August post of the Best of Fischbowl 2007. It was titled "Creating Personal Learning Networks: Part 1." I thought this post would be very relevant since it's one of the things Dr. Strange wants us to do. This blog focused on how teachers can help students create a personal learning network, so it's extra helpful because it gave me ideas to use when I become a teacher. The author talks about a Language Arts teacher who is assigning the students a semester long project. They have to have a blog and they have to have an RSS Reader. She gives them a list of things that they have to subscribe to, then they can subscribe to whatever else interests them.

Another part of the assignment is that the students have to share interesting articles that they find throughout the semester. This assignment is great especially for language arts, but it would be an amazing experience for all students. The students practice reading, thinking, writing and presenting, not to mention that the topic will be something that is interesting to them. Students are also practicing, "Critical thinking skills [and] information literacy skills." All of these skills are important for every student to have.

Class Podcast

I listened to "Watchers and Listeners- How do we respond" by John Hardman, John Strange, Keri Ashworth, and Autumn Jordan and "Can You Tube be used for Educational Purposes?" by Adrienne Lynch, Joylyn Reese and Brian Stevens. I thought both podcasts were very good and well thought out. I liked it best when everyone was free to contribute at any time, it sounded more like a conversation. One thing I would definitely improve on is awkward pauses. I noticed this more in the second one, a person would be talking and they would pause after a thought. I think they paused because they were looking at their notes and trying to figure out if they had anything else to say. I'm going to try to learn my notes very well so that I can talk naturally.

I also noticed that sometimes there were pauses between when different people started talking. I think we could cut down on that time in our group if we loosely plan when someone is going to pass the mic. Perhaps when someones done they could say "okay now back to what you where saying," or "was there anything else you wanted to add." One last thing I noticed, when the group is free to talk sometimes concepts got repeated over and over. I think if we loosely plan were we want our podcast to go we can avoid this problem. Other than that, I think my group will be very enthusiastic about our topic, which will make it more interesting for our audience.

My life in 14 slides

Teachers can't be technologically illiterate!

I thought The Fischbowl article was very interesting and made a lot of good points. I agree completely with the author that teachers cannot be technologically illiterate. I think the set of standards he wrote was very important. We need to start holding people accountable for having teachers that do not know about technology. Whether we go back to the collage where they were educated, or if we hold the principals who hired them accountable, someone needs to take responsibility. I think the analogy he used comparing people who were proud of not being good at math to how some people feel about technology today was very meaningful.

We have to start thinking about our students, as the author said, "they can't wait for us to figure it out." Students need knowledge of technology to be successful in this world. We can't expect them to be taught meaningfully if the teacher barely knows what he/she is talking about. When a teacher has and in depth knowledge of technology he/she can not only tell the students how to do something, but model it in everyday life. As the world is becoming more and more reliant on computers it is important that our students don't fall behind.

Podcasts

I listened to five of the six podcasts Dr. Strange recommended. I did not listen to ConnectLearning because I could not find it, instead I listened to The Podcast for teachers. It can be found in the Listeners Also Subscribed To tab from the SmartBoard Page. I learned a lot about podcasts from listening to these six. They each had unique characteristics about them, but there was a bit of a formula present in each one.

The first thing I noticed was that each podcast started out with an introduction. Some had music, which made it a little more interesting. During this time they usually said the title of their podcast and a website it is connected to. I think it's a good idea to have a website so that that audience has something to look at while they are listening to the program. Also they usually introduce the topic that they will be talking about. They have to make it sound as interesting as possible so that the audience will continue to listen.

Usually after the introduction the people in the podcast talk informally to each other before jumping straight into the topic. This helps the audience get to know the people talking and helps make the beginning interesting and usually comical. After that they get to the meat of their topic. I noticed that the topics were subjects that the speakers were passionate and very knowledgeable about. Also they usually brought up different websites associated with what they were talking about. This helps the audience more clearly see the topic and may help them understand what the speaker is talking about.

There were also a few other random things that I noticed in these podcasts. I noticed that in most of the podcasts the speakers were in different locations. I think it is amazing that people in different states or even different countries could get together and create a podcast. I also noticed that it is important to talk at the right pace. Too fast and people will not get your message, but too slow and people may get bored, normal conversation pace is the best for podcasts. Finally, I noticed that when the speakers gave examples they would describe them in depth. When the audience just has the speaker's voice to rely on it's important that the speaker describes everything in a way that the audience can visualize what they are talking about.

Examples of blogging in the classroom 2: International Edition

The first blog I found was made by a teacher in Manchester, UK. He teaches year 2 students (6-7 year olds). His blog is mostly for the students. He posts questions and pictures and asks for their comments, he also posts homework assignments. To encourage kids to take up blogging he gives out weekly blogging awards. He also posted links to math games that dealt with the concepts he would be teaching in class. Of course he also keeps in contact with parents on the site by putting up pictures from class and explaining special projects the class did. Here is a link to the blog: Mr. Sloan's Year 2 Blog.

The second Blog I found was created by a Primary school teacher in Ireland. She uses the blog to talk about what projects the class did. She posts a bunch of pictures of the students' finished products. She even has a special page for parents to go to where she has listed important upcoming dates. One of the entries said how she showed the students an internet safety video. I think this is important, she is preparing the students to get on the internet and view her blog. Here is a link to her blog: Mrs. Quinn's Class Blog.

Examples of Blogging in the classrooms

The first blog I found was made by a second grade teacher in a New York City Public School. The main purpose of the blog was to communicate with parents and to let them know about special projects the students are doing. She puts pictures up of the students doing activities. I think this a a great resource for the parents, not only do they know what's going on, but they can help their children prepare for upcoming projects. It helps parents that may never be able to come to the class to visit feel like they have on certain days. It was pretty basic. Here is a link to the blog: Mrs. Phillip's Second Grade Blog

The second blog was made by a third grade teacher in a Birmingham School. This blog had a lot more information on it and was updated almost every day. Everyday the teacher would post the homework the was due soon. She also posted information and pictures about special projects the class was doing. On the side there were a ton of links to various resources. She posted a curriculum overview and links to the school's main website. It was a little more in depth than the first blog, but I think each blog fulfilled their purpose. Here is a link to this blog: Mrs. Harvath's Class Blog

Adding a Picture

This is Dave Grohl, he is the lead singer of the Foo Fighters. He ROCKS!

What a cool video!

The video was very interesting and thought provoking. It shows just how important technology is to the world. So many people are using computers and the internet not only for fun but to communicate and to educate. As computers are becoming more important in this world, it is becoming a necessity to have at least some computer skills. Also, as more programs are being added that do more complex things, computer knowledge is going to have to go deeper. I thought it was great when they brought up the point that students from different countries are collaborating on projects. It is important to work with people with different experiences, ideas, and backgrounds.

This video did open my eyes in many ways. I realized that they were absolutely right about having schools teach computer classes so that students can function in 21st century society. Most people are being exposed to computers at an early age. For those families that cannot afford a computer however, it should be up to the schools to pick up the slack and make sure all students are computer literate. If students aren't exposed to computers in school, they will be at a loss when they go out into the world. Most jobs they get will probably require them to use a computer. Also if they decide to further their education, most colleges have registration online, and many professors have the students use e-mail to submit assignments. It is essential that all students know how to use computers!

I wish I had ACCESS when I was in high school!

Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, and Students Statewide (ACCESS) is a great program that gives high school students in Alabama distance learning opportunities. ACCESS offers many online and blended courses, that cover many subject areas. This gives high school students access to AP courses and courses that their school may not offer. One of the greatest things about ACCESS in my opinion, is that the students have a greater responsibility for their learning. It is also great that all of the courses are ran by certified teachers, the best of the best. Also these courses benefit students with different learning styles. Video conferencing is also an important part of ACCESS. This is a two way system that can link two classrooms that are in different parts of the state. This way schools can help each other better serve their students.

I think ACCESS is very important, and I will definitely use it when I am a teacher. Even though the online courses are for high school students, the video conferencing could be very useful in an elementary school class. I think that after teaching them a concept it would be helpful for my students to watch how another teacher teaches the same concept. This will help them see the concept in a new way, and may help those who did not understand it the first time finally grasp it. It would also help me develop professionally to see how other teachers teach, they may have thought of a way to convey a concept that I never had. ACCESS helps to link schools so that teachers can all benefit from each other.

ALEX is amazing!

The Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX) is a great online tool for current and future teachers, but also for parents and students. It is an incredible resource and has so many things available. First of all, the site has a large amount of lesson plans that are submitted by teachers. They sort these lesson plans in many ways. You can look for a lesson by subject, grade level, or a key word search. There is also a section for web links. They list a great amount of links to other sites that are helpful to educators. Also there is a section for professional learning, which gives educators the resources to better themselves. Finally there is a personal workspace. This is where teachers can join the site and upload their own lessons.

This is the first time I've ever even heard of ALEX, and I was amazed at what a great tool is it. I think ALEX will be extremely useful when I begin teaching. I can go on ALEX and see examples of how more experienced teachers create their lesson plans. Also if I am having trouble thinking of an activity for a certain concept, I can check ALEX for examples. I will also be looking at the professional learning space quite often. When I am a new teacher I will use this space to help me learn about professional development opportunities and new teaching techniques. Then when I am a more experienced teacher I will contribute to ALEX to help other new teachers.

All about me!

I guess I'll start with why I happen to be in this class and go from there. I am an elementary education major here at South and this class is required for graduation. I transferred here from Anne Arundel Community College which is in Maryland. All of my immediate family still lives in Maryland. I live with my fiancee, his sister, and two of our close friends. I'm a full time student but I also work part time at Books-a-million. If I'm not at school or at work (which seems to happen rarely) you will usually catch me reading or playing video games. My favorite video games of all time are the four Metal Gear Solid games. It's hard for me to pick a favorite book because I have read a lot of good ones lately. I just got done reading Bruce Campbell's second book which was hilarious. I also have 2 dachshunds which I consider my children, their names are Scooby-Doo and Shorty. I was really excited to take this class because I love computers. I've used computers since I was little and got my own in high school. I love learning how do to new things on the computer and I'm sure I will make use of what we learn in this class. Other than that I can't really think of anything else that's interesting about me.

Blogging

So this is my third blog. My first was a Xanga and I used it quite often in high school. When Myspace rolled around however, I abandoned my Xanga. When I got my myspace I pretty much stopped blogging because there was so much other neat stuff to do. I'm kind of excited to have a blog I actually use!

Hello

I'm Leah, welcome to my blog!