Project #10

Helpful Sites

    In my search to find new tools to help me teach that we do not cover in this class I came across three different sites. These sites are Teachervision.fen.com, Historyteacher.net, and Turnitin.com. Teachervision.fen.com and Historyteacher.net are both incredible sites that are filled with tools for teachers that they may use to help students understand. These tools include videos, interactive websites, and worksheets. Turnitin.com will be a great tool for me to use if I ever assign a paper or even blog post to students. Turnitin.com aids teachers in checking papers for things such as plagiarism.

Blog Assignment #6

Learning through Networks

     In Wendy Drexler's video Networked Student tells a true story about what is happening as result of connectivism entering the classrooms. Connectivism occurs in the classroom when students learn through new advances in technology and by connecting with others across the globe to both learn and discuss their focussed subject. In these networking courses a student discusses, listens, communicates, and learns about the subject with other peers, professors, and experts from across the world.
     Towards the end of this video it brings up a very important question. If the teacher is not the one teaching the students why have a teacher at all. The teacher is the one responsible for helping the student build up this network. The teacher becomes the learning architect, modeler, learning concierge, connected learning incubator, network sherpa, synthesizer, and change agent. The teacher is no longer the only source of information reaching the student.
     Through Networked learning students are able to find tools that fit their personal learning methods and their personal interest. This allows students to become more involved in their own learning. This will also help students retain more of the information because they are not being handed information but instead they are actively working their way through the knowledge they obtain themselves.

PLE in Action

     PLE stands for Personal Learning Environment. In this video you are able to watch as a student guides you through her PLE for her seventh grade science class. It shows all the tools she uses and the opportunities she has available through this PLE. It truly blew me away to see this in action for the first time. It creates a wonderful tool for students to become active learners, and it acts as an amazing step in their educational development

Blog Assignment #5

The Dream of Innovation

    Krissy Venosdale is an inspiring teacher who strives to impact her students through creating an environment that allows students to find their own creativity and innovation while giving them the tools to become active learners. In Krissy's blog post she reveals her dreams of a new kind of school. A school where the students are encouraged to explore their own interest. This school would work up a desire in its students to always want to come and join in and to always be learning. This school is wonderful; however, I do not believe it is a practical, realistic idea that can be implemented into schools and learning. In a perfect world this would be a perfect school. Realistically students would take advantage of the schools lack of structure instead of its openness for creativity.

Structured Innovation

    If I was able to create my own school it would be a lot like Krissy's except it would be more structured, organized, and practical. Like Krissy's school: it would be comfortable and it would be set up in such a way that made it easy and comfortable for students to collaborate and work together. It would be colorful and include things to help spark the imagination of the students It would have classrooms filled with tools to help students learn that subject. Professionals would come to teach students about all different careers and opportunities. The school will be a center of encouragement of the child's growth, knowledge, achievements and learning. All forms of technology will be used daily, these are tools for their learning not distractions.
    Somethings I would do differently than her are grades and grade levels will still be in place and structured these will allow the students to feel and see their accomplishments. Although grades have such a negative mark currently this school's grades will not. this is because students will not constantly feel as if they are failing because grade will work up from zero instead of fall from 100. Also, passionate teachers will be around at all times to help tutor and give advise to students at all times either at school or online. Curriculum would be set this, however, would be to help the students know what they will know after coming out of the class not to confine what they can learn. Field experiences (not field trips) will be encouraged. These experiences will be used to inform and encourage students in that field; not entertain or give them an off day. Students will not be able to attend random classes; however, students will have the opportunity to choose elective courses that they are interested in and that prepare them for the career in which they are pursuing. Students will have the constant opportunity to just ask questions to school advisors about the future such as what college should I go to? How do I get a loan for a car? What career options are their for people interested in art? This school would be set up for students to meet their needs not just standards set by board members who have never even interacted with the students.

Different Voices Come Together

    In Eric Whittacre's virtual choir he composes and virtually conducts for 185 different voice from across the world by using using the internet to gather individual voice and placing them together to create one incredible choir. This means that his choir made up by people across the world may also be viewed by people across the world. This all comes about through and by the power of the internet and the new abilities it has given us.

Teaching Children Today

     Kevin Roberts presents some compelling information about the role of a teacher in the 21st century. He explains that as technology evolves the more opportunities students have to obtain information on their own. This means that teachers are no longer the only means of information. It is now important for a teacher to teach student how to sort all the information they come across daily. It is the responsibility of today's teachers to help student learn how to effectively analyze information to determine it's truth, obtain the knowledge, apply the concept, and to create new ideas and creations.

Flipping Your Class

     Flipping your class is a new idea on how class should be conducted. In class before now lessons were set up to so that Information and concepts are presented in class while the applications of these concepts are to be done at home as homework. A new style of teaching has risen now. In these flipped classrooms information is presented to students via tools such as vodcast which the students are to watch and understand at their own pace as homework in preparation for the next days class. Class time then is spent on the application of the concepts learned.
     This method is very important to me as a future history teacher. This is because the knowledge of the date Hilter rose to power is pointless triva unless you understand how and why. Yet, even the knowledge of how and why this event happened isn't that important unless you can look at it and learn from it and understand how as a citizen you can prevent such events from occurring and then understand the concept on a smaller scale such as how to handle a boss who is discriminating people based on things such as the color of their skin or religious beliefs. It will be my job to prepare my students for their future by looking into the pass.

My Sentence Video

Special Blog Assignment #1

Misunderstandings

    As the students in EDM 310 began to post about the "Did You Know?" video it became apparent the some of us misunderstood the statements made about the population differences between the United States, India, and China. It was thought by many of the students that the statistics mentioned on the video spoke on the matter of educational level as opposed to the population. WolframAlpha; however, shows that there are 1.21 billion people in India, 1.35 billion people in China, and only 309 million in the United States. This mean that the populations of both India and China are about four times the population of the United States.

Finding the Facts

     I used WolframAlpha to compare the populations of Islam, Judaism, and Christian religions. I discovered that there are 1.25 billion Islamics, 14.1 million Jews, and 2.07 billion Christians. This shows that although Islamics are not far behind there are still more Christian believers.

     My last search was on the number of High school students and teachers in Alabama. There are 755,878 Alabama Students in secondary education while there are 62,761. This puts the student-teacher ratio at about 12:1. That's not too bad; however, we know it doesn't always work out perfectly that way. Some of our schools are flooded with students while others are not.

WolframAlpha in the Classroom

    WolframAlpha is a great tool for an teacher to give to their students. It allows both the teacher and the students to preform quick and easy search on almost all subjects. This site may help students in writing papers, doing projects, or just to better understand the subject matter.

C4T #1 Summary

Comment 1

    In her blog, Angela Maiers created a post titled "What's your 'one play?'" This post is about you focusing on one thing and becoming great at it as opposed to being average in multiple different things. This means that you should focus on your area of study. You cannot fix everything in the school system; however, you can work hard to be the best you can be in your subject.
     This post made me question what is my one play? How will I teach? It made me focus on what I could do to constantly practice, fix, and adjust my one play to make me a better teacher. Being an effective teacher is my responsibility. Just like it is the responsibility of a goalie to protect the goal. We both must work hard to be able to fulfill our responsibilities.

Comment 2

     In Angela Maires' post "Innovation is Not a Project; Its an Invitation" she discusses the time she spent at Dell's Innovation in Education Think Tank conference. As the videos show, at this conference Angela speaks on how schools should focus on incorporating the student's own genius and contribution. She also talks about the student's desire to be noticed by you.
     After reading this post I sat down to ask myself how will I incorporate my student's genius and contribution. What will I do to make my student's feel noticed? I decided that I will begin to ask my student's what would you have done if what happened in our lesson that day happened right now. Could you have made a difference? and then I want to meet my students at the door and welcome them to class, say their names, and show interest in their life and abilities.

Blog Post #4

Podcasting in the Classroom

    For this Blog I choose to look into Flat Staney,The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom, and Podcast Collection These post focus on how to create podcast for your class and how to incorporation making podcast in your lessons.

    I believe that podcasts are very effective tools to help teach your students. They allow your students to access to the lessons where ever and whenever they need them. I do not; however, plan on making a habit of incorporating students creating podcast too often.

Blog Assignment #3

There Write or They're Right?

    Peer editing is an extremely important part of an writing process. This is because everyone makes mistakes. Peer editing gives the writer an extra set of eyes and perspective. These act as a double check to catch any confusing sentences or grammatical errors. You should remember; however, that there is a wrong way and right why to effectively conduct a peer review. Peer Editing With Perfection is a great slide show to help you out on all the do's of peer editing while Writing Peer Review Top 10 Mistakes reveals all the don'ts.
     I was to peer review Brody Brown's blog post this week. As I read and reviewed his post I decided to give my peer review to him through a comment. I chose this method because my critic was on contextual matter rather than grammatical errors. Clear context is important to allow the reader to understand. I commented on his post to help other reads understand the material better.

Mountbatten In Class

     The Mountbatten is a great tool to aid blind students in your classroom. It empowers them to write essays and engage in other classroom writing exercises just as effectively as your other students. This allows them to grow as a part of a normal class and develop through their education.

To Enable the Disable

    Advances in technology have given teachers an incredible opportunity. It is now possible for deaf and blind students to engage effectively in normal class setting. Through new tools for math, reading, and writing these students are no longer confine to alternate school for the deaf and blind.
     As someone who has a deaf and blind uncle I find this to be incredible! The thought that all of these deaf and blind students are receiving the opportunity to join in and interact, becoming just another student in class is absolutely amazing.

Digital Learning

     In the video Harness Your Student's Digital Smarts Vicki Davis displays the incredible work and program she has created for her students. In her class she works with multiple different technological devices to allow her student to become learners and even teach her!
     In her classroom students are given the opportunity to connect to the world. Her class learns from and teaches students across the globe. This style of teaching not only promotes using technology as a tool to both your work and education; it helps students reach out, connect, and better understand different cultures.