The Class 12's blog was done by a 4th grader on a book called France changed into small by Amel. The student retold the story beautifully. He/She was able to recount the story of a young person startled by a loud knock. When the young person ventures out to see what the noise is, the young person finds a box. In the box there are small items that look like French objects, such as the Eiffel Tower. The student was able to place the read in his/her words as if they were reading story verbatim. I really enjoy seeing young students blogging. When I read an elementary student's blog, I can see a difference in their writing elements. They are straight to the point. They write how they talk. Their writing mimics how they see the world.
I asked if he/she, "Did you like the book?". I gave a bit of encouragement to the student. Overall the read was simple and straight forward.
I decided to write on Mr. McClung's first year as a teacher. His blog What I've Learned this Year attempts to unfold his introduction from student teacher into the realm of teacher. He explains how certain misconceptions in teaching about what was expected of teachers really played an inconsequential roll in actually teaching. He went in like we all do trying to please our supervisors instead of focusing on the important aspects, the student. As his year unfolded he learned some key points in the day to day life of a teacher. Be flexible in your lessons for the day, "there is no perfect lesson plan". Communication is key to interpersonal relationships with teachers and students, "build those strong relationships". Don' be afraid to use technology in your classrooms no one is an expert at first, "so jump in head first....the water feels fine". Never stop the learning for yourself or for the students, "We work in a learning environment, why not soak [it] up...". These and other key points mentioned in his blog were the foundations that Mr. McClung has learned to utilize in his teachings. His success should be our lessons.
I decided to read Mr. McClung's latest post, What I've Learned this Year to see if his beginning fruitions still held true. I was surprised, not only did he still cling to those beginnings, but he expanded on them. According to his post he has focused more on the students than before. His first bold statement reads,"Our decision making process should always be student centered and not centered around pleasing adults". This bold declaration builds upon his earlier remarks about teachers should focus on students instead of their supervisors. His last comment really hit home for me as an aspiring teacher, "Don't Get Comfortable". We so often get our dream jobs and we excel in them to the point they become routine. When this happens we get comfortable, this can be a bad attitude to have in some workplaces, especially teaching. Mr. McClung see this as a way for teachers to not grow, to not succeed, and to let education down. As teachers he states, we should be "movers and shakers...". Teaching should be dynamic. So education does not end up "stagnant" .
I have read Mr. McClung's first and last reflections and I believe them to be uplifting and eye opening. I would like to continue to look to his blogs as a guide in my own upcoming profession. I believe his blogs could further my teaching skills and offer an inspiring way to look at teaching. I thoroughly enjoyed his parts on don't be concerned if you are an outsider with other teachers, focus on the students. I myself feel immature sometimes, Mr. McClung said it worked for him in his class. He did what most anthropologist do, he lived with the school natives, students, and they accepted him. I want to be like that, I want to be accepted by my students, so I can build a stronger education within them.
The video This Is How We Dream Part 1 discusses topics on how the modern language has changed. We are in an age were we can connect to all peoples globally, through the digital innovations of our age. The author of this video Richard E Miller moves through his beginnings of his print material and on into his digital article. He sees the inevitability of how printed material can end up wasting in landfills, while his digital print is forever located in the article pages of that web site. As well, digital print is accessible by all peoples that have access to an internet connection. Richard moves on to say, that print media has not changed in its foundations, but instead in increments. People are able to access print media just in different forms.
In the 2nd part This Is How We Dream Part 2Richard E Miller moves beyond the shift from printed text to conceptual web print. As individuals grow with this new media, people can conceptual the new thoughts on the web in many different and fantastic ways. An author can take a low brow article and turn it into a dynamic read for all those who access the material. Imagine being able to drastically change how print material is read and interacted with. Ideas free flowing on the web, being shared with all people. The exchange of of material in such a dynamic fashion could change how education is taught. From how it is taught and where it is taught. Richard shows a model of the building he teaches in and how it is adapted to the necessity of an automobile. He states, with a little imagination and Auto-cad he and a colleague are able to show a building that is green and more adaptable to a future full of wireless students.
In conclusion, as we grow and our imagination becomes more fact than fiction, our surroundings will need to adapt as well. Something as simple as printed material being on the internet, instead of a hard copy bound on a shelf in a central building, can revolution the way students interact with all aspects of education. As the revolution of web media grows and how authors utilize it, we will need to arm our students and ourselves (the teachers) with the tools of the trade. Are we prepared? Are our students prepared? I don't think anyone is prepared. But with material like this constantly showing us the possibilities of what we can achieve. I think we are on the way to being those students of the future.
Carly Pugh's EDM310 Post #12 was a truly stunning accomplishment for the task at hand. Her attempt at adhering to Dr. Miller's use of multimedia in the writing was well done. I honestly think she hit the proverbial, "nail on the head".The ability to interweave all the different dimensions of writing and media into one well developed plan was simply genius. As I read through her post I found myself thinking of ways to use multimedia in my future classrooms. I believe that was her point of the post, to get students to think. Her use of YouTube to add depth to her writings was a great addition. If I were a student in her classroom, I believe, her technique would allow me to understand English in a new way. I really never excelled in writing or reading, but with the use of multimedia in projects, teaching, and homework I may have been a better student in that subject. This is where I want to be in my level of multimedia in writing. So, I too can pass along the knowledge to my future students.
Effort and Creativity
Creativity is a wonderful thing, as well as, an intangible mistress when you sit down to try and create. I watched both of theses videos and kept thinking how hilarious, wonderful, and thought provoking they were. I too feel like there should be an EDM310 book for Dummies. I understand the satire of Chipper. We have all been there before when the work load is to much and sometimes it would just be easier to quit. I think that is the point of these videos is to show that with effort and creativitywe can succeed no matter what the odds.
Creative project:
A Video Journal, this would show the progression of the student and any problems he or she may face in there classroom, for example EDM310. I believe during EDM310 a video journal could be very useful to the teacher. It could help the teacher see where students succeed and fail. I believe it would also benefit the student in the form of an honest outlet of what feels like insurmountable odds sometimes. Because this is such a drastic new medium for most of us, it can feel overwhelming and cause a lot of us to be lost. I believe if we were able to record 10 minutes of our progress on our current status in EDM310 periodically throughout the semester. We could see our own progression from novice to semi-professional. At the end of the semester we would turn in this video journal to our teacher.The professor could see each and every student being frustrated or being excited about each and every one of our projects, blog posts, C4K, C4T, and etc. I also, feel that video journals would help students with their shyness, anxiety of being in front of the camera, and the technical savoy of working with their computer or the lab computers. Video journals could be adapted to daily life, much like writing a journal. The process could also, I believe, find a niche in schools. This electronic way of recording ones thoughts, feelings, and directions could be a way to bring a more human face on our technological path into our future.
If you had asked that question 3 months ago I would have said, "yes, this is arbitrary to learning". But after taking EDM310 I have learned a great deal about how kids could improve their learning in schools. We could integrate education around the World with student's social media and other technological developments geared toward network connecting, such as iPads, Tablets, and cellphones . We could network our classrooms, teachers, and Parents throughout all facets of the scholastic realm. An "E School" is what we are seeing now with programs such as, iTunes U. This program is that beginnings of online education and networking students and teachers in an open free expression of idea. This environment starts to mimic what these educators were talking about in the video. To see current educators promoting this environment now adds more levels of excitement to the possibilities for our future education system. I am truly excited at what these environments for learning will produced for a student.
I have done a few presentations with Prezi and I was amazed at the quality of this product and amazed that it was free. But I was unaware of the deal offered to students and teachers for this product. I had signed up for a general account previously and now I have gone back and signed up as a student. By doing this I have better access to features of this Prezi website. If I were a teacher I would upgrade to the Pro version, which is $100 off the regular price, making it $59 a year. It is an amazing tool for education and it can be a true benefit to all who need a presentation software in the scholastic field.
In Mr. Spencer's blog his parody is designed to show the tool cost from one medium to the next. On the on hand, students can choose pencils, which are cheaper, but fragile, and on the other hand students can choose the "Ticonderoga" the costly tool, but it is cooler. Both will achieve the same desired results. One medium has the style of the times, while the other has faint remembrances of scan tron tests. In other words, we see technological tools as an innovative use in education, but his satire shows us that technological advances may not always be the best investment.
I commented on Mr. Spencer's blog, citing that I did not agree with his point of view. I understand the nostalgia of pencils in the classroom, but nostalgia does not prepare students for a digital future. I stated that when I started my program, I was ready to buy a chalkboard and a lifetime supply of chalk, but as I have been introduced to this new media my eyes have been open to better ways to reach students. Even though the investment monetarily is great in the beginning, the outcome far out weights the cost.
In Adventures in Pencil Integration Mr. Spencer attempts to use a game to implement learning. The game is done in such a way the kids are creating a "factory" and there output is writing text. The blog centers around this game Mr. Spencer was implementing, but the game was being viewed by superiors as a bad idea. He goes on to say that, the principal asked him to stop games all together. The principal takes it further sighting that Mr. Spencer should focus on certain prep test and/or algorithm work packets.
As you read this blog you begin to feel drawn into this material. The reason is it is a conversation between Mr. Spencer and the principal and it is presented to the reader in a dynamic fashion. It is written in a dialogue, so as you read you actually feel like you are in the room.
I really enjoyed this read and commented in that fashion. I agreed with his position on games in the classrooms. If they are beneficial to learning then we should be implementing them everyday. This blog adheres to Mr. McClung's final reflections, on focusing on the students not your superiors. Mr. Spencer is doing that, he is focusing on learning and his students, not the principal and his agenda. In turn the students find the activity enjoyable and the students absorb the material without ever realizing they are learning. I believe that is what we should all strive for as future teachers. Teach students in such a way as to make it fun, yet they absorb those lessons we teach without them ever knowing he/she was taught.
The Networked Student is a video on the implications of learning about a subject in a non-traditional way. Typically we have all sat in a classroom, took out our pen and paper, and listen to our teachers lecture. All the while we are day dreaming, doodling, and generally not paying attention. According to this video, all that could be a thing of the past. Students would utilize their personal or school computers as the classroom. Students would connect with each other across the globe without ever stepping foot in a classroom. Students would interact with teachers in a virtual setting. The teachers would be more like coaches and encourage learning through guidance instead of the traditional style of teaching.
These feats are accomplished through a well crafted PLN (Personal Learning Network) by students. This is a software that takes your researched web pages and compiles them into an easy and organized accessible database. Some examples of these PLN pages are Symbaloo, Netvibes, and Google Reader. These types of PLNs can include all the student's researched web pages or connections the student has made on the scholarly level. There are several different ways to customize a PLN allowing the student the freedom to evolve the information as new material is updated.
As I grow in this class each day my astonishment diminishes for each new readings. The technology currently available is vast, but it is limited by the users that are using it. The idea of not being in a classroom with my students is foreign to me at this juncture. In the future, this type of education would be much more common, I believe, therefor less foreign. As the technology grows in our classrooms, so should the teachers. Schools will need to put educators in place who will have the experience and knowledge to handle these new improvements. As current students training for this profession, I believe we should grasp these opportunities and lead our future students into the next millennium.
The power of this student's PLE is extremely impressive. The student has utilized the PLE in a manner that is beneficial to school and assignments. The teacher sets up certain assignments to be completed by the student or the teacher a lots the student time to work on existing projects. The student was able to use the connections created to contact professionals for feedback on completed or in progress science projects. The central theme, I think, to this post was the freedom to do well, while self-monitoring. The student in this kinda of environment was allotted an extremely large amount of internet freedom. With this freedom the student felt the weight of responsibility to focus on the tasks at hand, instead of carelessly traipsing through the internet. The given control over the individuals own work seemed to impact the student's desire to do well on assignments.
As for a comparison between this student's PLE and my PLN, I can honestly say I am at the Kindergarten level. I have just begun my exploration into PLN and PLE web pages. I am hoping though with a little more time and a lot more practice I will be zooming through my PLN much like this 7th grade student is doing. I will hopefully have good scholarly connections so my future projects benefit, much like this technical student.
Mr. Crosby wrote on his blog about Should kids' grades call the shots on who teaches and who goes home, which eluded to another article Teachers Talk about Evaluation. He was asked to comment on this article and his response was simple. He believed that social issues played a large role in how kids act and learn in class and that test should not be a way to measure the performance of a teacher. He felt that we should "face it head on", the social problems that effect our children. The article goes beyond his response to say that tests were being implemented as performance tools on teachers. Theses new procedures would take scores on standard test and award teachers with the highest grades and punish those with the lowest test scores. Most to all teachers polled agreed this was not the best way to evaluate teachers and that the measurement required more defining before it was released nation wide.
My comment was directed toward how teachers should look at this as an opportunity to grow in their field and not as a way to hold them back. Its funny teachers tell students to look at tests as a measure of their progress and not a way to put the student down. Yet, when it is applied to teachers it is being utilized in a way to put them down or keeping them from getting that deserved raise. I went on to explain that if teachers were interested in making money they were in the wrong profession. Teaching is a calling, not a lottery.
This post is on the same teacher I previously reviewed, Mr. Crosby, but this post focused on children growing and making relationships across the US. The post Leaving Their Mark - Redux, Redux focused on his achievements using Skype to reach out, not only to his students, but to other students nationwide. He taught his students the value of technology by incorporating it into his daily classroom life. He also, managed to wedge in a "head fake", to quote Randy Pausch. Mr. Crosby was able to teach grammar, writing skills, and technology in his use of Skype and blogging. Overall his intent, I believe, was to allow the student to grow intellectually but in a natural way and by the end of his 3 years with them he had produced a better student in technology, proofreading, writing, and spelling, as well as touching the lives of other students around the nation.
I was profoundly inspired by this piece. I was amazed at the level these young children excelled too. In the beginning they could barely explain where they lived and by they end they were blogging and using Skype like veterans. I was especially amazed at the multifaceted way Mr. Crosby incorporated the education into the daily interactions with technology. To educate children without them knowing they are being educated is truly the highest form of teaching. I hope that as I grow into the position of a teacher that I too could follow in the steps of a great educator like Mr. Crosby and help my future students excel in their scholastic journeys.
I was assigned to read a class blog from Waikato, New Zealand called Pipo Ako: Room 2. These kids blogged about a kitchen garden that they had taken a trip to and what they found in that garden. They explained about the different vegetables and fruits that grew in their garden. They even spoke of a flower, the Marigolds, that were used to keep bugs away. I was unaware that those flowers could be used in such a manner. They ended their post by asking if anyone could help them with creating a scarecrow. They were having problems with the birds raiding their garden.
I commented on their blog in a positive way, there were no real spelling or structure errors in the blog. I began with an introduction of who I was and where I was located. I went on to tell them I thought their small field trip was awesome, how they got to go to a kitchen garden and learn about what was being grown there was a great educational experience. I talked about my childhood and how my father had a garden. How it was a great learning experience for me. He taught me about planting vegetables, how to care for them, and how to protect them. I went on to discuss how we built a scarecrow. How it was the scariest thing, I think I had ever seen as a child. I suggested they take on building a scarecrow as a class project, but aim for making the scarecrow more funny and less scary.
I really enjoyed this blog it was short but to the point. The experience seemed profound and absorbed. I see this as the highest form of education. Students need to explore to grow. Books are fantastic tools, but limiting students to pages is like saying "the World is flat". You can only go so far before you fall off. I think these kids went further and absorbed more in a small field trip to a quaint kitchen garden.
This comment was done on a post for a girls school in Oregon. The post was on An Equal Society Start in the Classroom by a student named Elisa. This article included a documentary of a teacher who divided her classroom by two (2) physical differences blue eyed children and brown eyed children. Once the class was divided the children with the blue eyes were given special privileges while the children with the brown eyes were not. Then on the second day the roles reversed, children with brown eyes were favored more than children with blue eyes. The results were unbelievable. Friends no longer were friends, test scores were worse, and barriers began to manifest from nothing. This documentary was designed to show how races were treating one another. That Civil Rights were and are important in society. The student blogging about this tried to parallel this documentary with today's events and in the classroom. The student went on to say, "that we will become healthier individuals that are empowered by self-initiative to work for justice and equality." Her post on this social issues was most informative and I believe she will be a valuable voice in the continual fight for human rights, as well as her classmates.
As for my comment, I explained that I had been exposed to that documentary in high school. It was moving than just as it is still to this day. I went on to explain that people that hold hate and anger inside them and express it to their neighbors and social circle only perpetuates these problems in equality. Instead we should address the person in front of us not the physical appearance and use acceptance and tolerance to begin our social relationships. I enjoyed this post and I am definitely excited to see what our younger generation will be doing with the World.
Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams was an inspiring tale of a man who used education to accomplish great acts for students that were directly and indirectly connected with his words. Throughout the video I heard him speak of ways to breakdown barriers with simple strategies. He spoke of smiling, allowing people to realize how brilliant you can be, offering something of value, and being honest. He set his life in motion with such humble goals, but those goals turned his life into one fantastic adventure after another. He was able to work with some of the top professionals in Virtual Reality and work with some top companies in the field, such as Disney's Imagineers.
Randy Pausch spoke on aspects of treating people. What and how we say things to others greatly impacts how we are perceived. He spoke of several examples that set him back in the eyes of peers and mentors, because of his actions or what he had said. I too, have had issues with interactions with peers and mentors. I come off as over barring and a little too direct, lacking tact, which makes me look like a person who is not a team player. Randy lists a few suggestions that could get people to help you (me) in the future, so as to not come off as not a team player. He starts off with, we can't get there alone, meaning we need others help to achieve our goals in life.Tell the truthand be earnest, these according to Randy would be attitudes he respects far more than hipness. Hip will fade away but a truthful earnest worker will not, they will last. He goes on to say, acknowledge when you screw up, admitting when your wrong is a way to learn from your mistakes. The last topic he covered was focus on others, not yourself, in my opinion this can be the hardest attitude to garner. We spend so much time as individuals improving ourselves, so we can be better, we sometimes forget that others make us better. As future teachers we will need students, parents, and other teachers to make us better at educating.
His teachings in this video are great guidelines for new teachers. A constant phrase Randy kept using was, "Brick walls are there for a reason, they let us prove how badly we want things". He continually used that phrase in each obstacle he retold, citing only people that do not want something let those "Brick walls" stop them. As teachers we will run into those walls everyday but it is up to us to tear those walls down. Another theme that is integral to being a good teacher brought up in this video was, include all who want to learn. His teaching were in virtual reality but he opened up his doors to included all who wanted to learn. He was able to broaden his simple course Building Virtual Worlds at Carnegie Mellon University into a great learning experience for all students on campus. He inspired the future of our country. That is important to us as new teachers to inspire students. We could all learn a great deal from how he approached life.
In conclusion the video Randy Pausch Last Lecture:Achieving Your Childhood Dreams is an inspiration to all who want to be in the education field. His legacy is of a man who took something as simple as a smile and courtesy and turned it into a way of being and interacting with others. He was able to open doors that would have normally been closed tightly with his ability to apply some simple steps he had learned throughout his life. He was able to enter into Disney's Imagineers when no one else was allowed. He was able to use virtual reality as a door prop to involve students on campus into his creative world. He was able to inspire all he interacted with on a daily basis. His inspiration lives on in each one of us (the future teachers) who watch his videos and absorb his lessons.
