Final Post/Reflection

Record your screencast online

C4K Summary Post

The first blog I commented on was Linda's blog. Her post was about Halloween and what she was going to dress up as. She added a picture on the post of what she thought she looked liked in her devil costume. In my comment I asked her if she went trick or treating.
Read her post here!

The second blog I commented on was Yasmine's blog. The post that I commented on was titled, Rabbit. It was about how her and her friend got a rabbit and named it Snowball. She said she wanted to try and train it to jump on command. She was excited about it, it was awesome to see her be so enthusiastic.
Read her post here!

The third blog that I commented on was Amy's Blog. Amy is in the second grade and her post was about her three month old kitten, Marragold. She said that the other kittens in the litter died, but Marragold survived. She says that the kitten gets lots of special attention.
Read her blog here!

Project #16

Final PLN Report

Throughout the semester I have used my Symbaloo page. I have added some more links to my page such as Craigslist, Flicker, and my banking website. This website is so beneficial to anyone who uses it, in my opinion. I also added Google Scholar and Wiki Answers. Also, I have a phone that is able to go on to the internet and using this website on my phone makes it easy for me to check weather, my bank account, email, etc.

Summary Post C4T #4

My fourth teacher for C4T was Michael Kaechele. He is a middle school technology teacher from Michigan. All of his posts are interesting. In many of his posts, he uses videos. The first post that I read was titled, 'Passion'. The article said that passion was an important aspect to everything we do in life, especially with teaching. He states at the end of the blog post that we must expose children in our classrooms to every learning experience and opportunity possible.

The second article was titled, 'Why I (often) don't sing in church.' This post started off with the metaphor that singing and the songs in church can be a time for reflection in your life. It's important to reflect on things that occur in your life, it relieves stress and allows one to be more at peace with the things in life. It's important as a teacher to meditate and reflect so that they can be less stressed in the classroom.

Additional Assignment #5

Adventures in Pencil Integration:

John Spencer's blog posts are very entertaining and informational to read. I'm glad that we had been assigned to read these posts. John's posts are about personal experiences and also his opinions. He uses the metaphor of pencils to represent technology. After reading these four posts, I learned that they are all about different experiences. Through reading these posts, I also learned that Spencer is able to see the importance of change in technology and how it relates to the classroom. In the post, "Sketchy Portraits: 8th Graders Identity and Pencils", Spencer shares a conversation with another teacher. He is explaining to her that the age of the students has everything to do with their reactions and emotions and that he in a sense is shaping who they become. I believe this is true. A first grader is going to act over-exciting and sometimes out of line because that's their age. I believe whatever grade I end up teaching, I must take age into consideration in teaching methods and the way I treat my students.

Project #15-Movie Trailers

Blog Post #13

When you go onto the ALEX website, you have the ability to log on and post lesson plans for other teachers to view. You are able to view lesson plans from every subject and for every grade k-12. There are many other links such as a link to podcasts, a personal workplace, and a link to professional learning websites. ALEX stands for the Alabama Learning Exchange. It really is a great resource for teachers to exchange their knowledge.


When I went to the ALEX website, I became very excited. It is an amazing resource for teachers. The fact that you can look up lesson plans for any subjects, is a cool thing for me to see. I didn't know that there was a website out there such as ALEX. There is also a link to many educational podcasts. There is also a link to content outlines for every subject. ALEX is a great website for all teachers in the state of Alabama. I'll definitely be using this website as a resource for my lesson plans and for my classroom.

Progress Report on Project #16

This will be my group for project 16:

Amani Alloul
Amanda Brewton
Sarah Davis
Samantha Deardorff

Plus:
Tara Watson

We are still discussing possible ideas for Project 16. We do know however that we are really enjoying doing Project 15. We want to improve our ideas and come up with one big idea for Project 16.

Blog Post #12

Assignment:

Watch this video made by 3rd-5th graders filmed by Ms. Jackie Gerstein.(7:57) The students are acting out scenarios about the "Great Debate-Tech vs. Text" As you watch, think about the scenarios are the students are acting out. Write a paragraph response to your side of the "great-debate" and how you will use technology in your classroom.

Discovery Student Movies

Read this BLOG. The first post is about a website called 'Qwiki'. After reading, go to the website. Write a one-two paragraph response to your opinion on the website. What it is and would you use it?


My answers:

I really loved this video. The great debate about technology in the classroom is an on-going debate. Having the students act out scenarios of the use of technology in the classroom is a great and very creative idea. In doing this video, the students are able to see the benefits of using technology in the classroom. In my own classroom, I will want to incorporate technology in the way that Ms. Jackie did. I will have my students use video and computers to enhance their learning experience.

Qwiki is a search engine that uses voice narration to show the results in video, images, and text. You must request an invitation to use the full version of Qwiki, but it's well worth it. Qwiki is still being worked on and not everything you search for will be on there, but it is getting more advanced each day. In the classroom, you can use it for anything. Older or younger students will enjoy it and it can be used in many different ways.

Project #6- Form Results, Analysis, and Commentary

On my questionnaire, 19 people responded.
1.) Over half answered Junior.
2.)Over half answered off campus.
3.)Over half answered choice of majors.
4.)Over half said South Alabama was not their first choice college.
5.)Over half were accepted to other colleges.
6.)Everyone had selected a major.
7.)Over half said teacher/student interaction was important.
8.)Over half said school athletics were important.
9.)Over half said we are paying too many fees.
10.)Over half said South was what they believed it would be.

From the responses that I received, I learned that South Alabama is a university that was not the first choice school for most, where they are paying too many fees and many live off campus. The majority of students were juniors, most likely because EDM is a 300 level class. School athletics were important to most and I think that the football team was a great addition to our school, except for the fees that we had to pay to get it back. Being able to interact with teachers is important too. Having the access to interact with Dr. Strange and the lab assistants is another great aspect about this class. I wish that more classes were like EDM310.

Project #14

Free online screen recorder

Blog Post #11

Interview with Ms. Cassidy

I really enjoyed watching both of these videos, especially the Skype Interview with Ms. Cassidy. I love her approach to using so much technology in the classroom. Some say that students in first grade are too young to use something like this or that it wouldn't be a good idea to put the student's pictures online. Ms. Cassidy has a safe way of putting her student's names and pictures online and the students enjoy blogging. She also says that technology is not going away and by not using technology is only handicapping your students and yourself. I believe that this is true. By not using computers and technology, we are only putting ourself behind in the technology society that we live in today. I'm really excited to use blogs, skype, and other programs in my classroom. With the ideas from Ms. Cassidy and the ideas and tools that I've learned in EDM310, it excites me to be able to use technology in my classroom.

Summary C4K #3-7

C4K #3:

I was assigned to a student named Cyrus. I commented on a reflection post of his to a story-telling assembly that they had earlier in the week. In the post, Cyrus was filmed doing two reaction videos. In his videos, he shared his favorite character and was very animated as to explain the story a bit. I loved the way that the teacher set up this class blog, using videos is a great approach. I hope to one day use the same technology in my classroom.

C4K #4:

For this comment, I was assigned to a student in New Zealand, named Sophie. Her posts are always interesting to read and the one that I commented on was a summary of her father's day. She shared with us that for father's day, they had a nice breakfast at home before driving to the beach for the day. Her grammar and spelling were almost perfect, only a few mistakes. I loved her enthusiasm and the way that spending the day with her family made her so happy. It's really good to see children happy like that.

C4K #5:

For this assignment, I was assigned to comment on Dane's blog, a 7th grade boy. The post that I chose to comment on was a post about his reactions to friendship. He stated in the post that their class had learned about friendship values. Dane said that he would rather have one friend that really cared about him, rather than a lot of friends just to be popular and who may not care about him. I liked reading his post, it was so sweet and insightful.

C4K #6:

The student that I was originally assigned had not posted any active blogs, so I decided to comment on Abby N's blog, the first student on the class list. I commented on a story that she had written herself about a tornado. She used very descriptive words and it actually kept my interest. I really enjoyed reading the story and was excited to see that students were putting their work on their blogs.

C4K #7:

I was assigned to a student named Jazmin. She is a student at Leopold Primary School. The blog that I commented on was a reaction post to her experience at 'Activity night.' She stated that there was a magic show and a pizza party and those things made her very happy. It's neat to see the things that other schools are doing for activities outside of normal school hours. I think they are essential for the growth of the classroom and schools.

Summary Response- C4T #3

For my comments for teachers, I was assigned to Matthew Needleman. Matthew's blog reflects the issue of using multi-media in the classroom. Many of his posts are how to use it effectively and how to break the 'digital divide' as he states it. The first blog post that I commented on was entitled, "Six Ways Teachers Can Improve Education This Year." Although, I won't be a teacher for another 2 years, I really want to use the tips that Matthew layed out in his post. One of my favorite tips was the first one, "Say Hello At the Door." In this part of the blog, he shares that saying hello and goodbye to your students is essential for them to feel a belonging in your classroom. In my classroom experience, my fifth grade teacher used to use a method called, 'Hug, Handshake, or Highfive.' At the beginning and end of each school day, she was stand by the door and allow us to choose one of the three interactions. It always made us feel special and that we were liked by her.

The next post that I commented on was a post entitled, "The Right Ways to Show Movies in Class." I was intriqued by this title for I didn't know that there were multiple ways to show a movie in class. Isn't there just one? You turn and the television and hit play? Not according to Matthew. Matthew believes in nine tips that have shown to be affective ways to show a movie in class. An example of those tips include, showing movies other days of the week besides fridays and not putting down the remote control. There should always be a follow-up to the movie, such as a KWL chart. To reduce noise while the movie is playing, Matthew states that you should have the students raise their hands if they recognize something in the movie, instead of shouting it out. Also, he says that by having them right down important facts that they are hear, leads to them paying better attention.

Overall, I really loved Matthew's blog. I plan on bookmarking it and going back to check on his new posts as I continue my education and even when I'm in my own classroom.

Blog Post #10

An Open Letter to Educators



Morgan's article really spoke to me and I could relate to it. She says that her classes that incorporated technology and multi-media, such as PLNs, Twitter, and blogs, have been the most beneficial to her. When I graduate college, I want to leave with insight on how to use the technology of today's society. I don't want to leave with just a bunch of handwritten notes from my history class of 200 students. By taking classes such as EDM310, I have learned many ways to use technology to my advantage. When I graduate, I will be able to use a smartboard, a PLN, Twitter, Google Docs, and many other things. I think more classes need to incorporate technology and not just a powerpoint with a lecture.

Two Questions That Can Change Your Life

I really liked this video. It brought up a good point, your sentence can be your true motivation. It's very hard to think of 'my sentence.' Thinking of one sentence to sum up your motivations is not an easy task. I think though if I had to create one, it would be this, "She is a kind person who wants to be a helpful and motivational role model for her future students in the classroom.

Smartboard Lesson

Additional Assignment #3

Sir Ken Robinson: Changing Educational Paradigms

There were so many important things in this video in my opinion. From the beginning of this video, I knew that everything that Ken Robinson was saying would be of value to me. The way that they presented the information was interesting and kept my attention. One of the things that I liked about what he said was the discussion about ADHD. He said that he does not believe that it is an epidemic and that children are being medicated for ADHD as much as people get their tonsils out. He brought up a great point though, we are living in one of the most stimulating time periods ever. There is so much information being fed to students and so many new technologies coming out to distract people. He also says that we have also started to give students more meds because of the raise in standardized testing. I couldn't agree with this more. I don't believe in standardized testing by any means. It shows nothing about how a child learns, it's simply a test to state how well a student can spit back information. We need to lower the number of standardized testing in my opinion. If I were to create this with a group of people,I would like to be the designer or the narrator.

Skype Interview

Blog Post #9

"What I've Learned This Year" by: Mr. McClung

The article written by Mr. McClung was great and very informational. A lot of teachers are nervous about their first day of teaching, it's normal to be nervous. A lot of the points that he made are useful and new teachers can use the post to help them with their first years of teaching. In the blog he states, "NO LESSON IS EVER PERFECT. THE LESSON YOU TEACH AND THE ONE YOU PLAN ARE ALWAYS DIFFERENT." I really like this quote. Most teachers get so bogged down with teaching the content in a state approved manner that they forget how to teach for student learning. It is important to follow the state standards, but don't take away from inspiring the children with your lessons and ideas. Mr. McClung also brought up technology in the classroom. He states the teachers must not be afraid to use technology. If they are worried about it at first, it's important that they take baby steps along the way. Student would rather have a fun teacher who teaches at a slower pace, then a fast, non-recptive teacher who is only in for teaching because of following the states stndards.

Short Video Project #12

Timetoast Timeline- Instructional

Blog Post # 8

Dr. Miller Discusses Writing With Multimedia

This video talked about the changing world of technology. He states that writing by hand is becoming less and less used and the use of computers is becoming the norm. He states in the first video that when writing up an article, he never had to use the library or the a book. He was able to find everything online and was able to write up the article on Google Docs. The paper is available online for anyone to see at any time and it was written, published, and shared all at the same time on the same computer.

In my experience, I have always been able to have access to computers and technology. I was always required to take a computer course to become more prepared in the technology field. I still remember in first grade, using the JumpStart computer program. I feel that with my preparation in school with computers, I could catch on fast to the extensive use of technology and multimedia in the classroom today.

I believe that students will be able to keep up and will be able to use multimedia. Children today are becoming more technologically advanced younger and younger. For example, I know of a six year old who has a facebook and runs it without help of her parents. This is crazy to think. When I become a teacher in a few years, students will be able to catch onto multimedia easily in my opinion.

The Chipper Series and EDM310 For Dummies
Chipper was all about procrastination, much like a lot of others. She wanted a way to be taught and not have to learn on her own. By being hand fed everything in her class, she wouldn't have to go out of her way to learn on her own. This video relates to how I feel about EDM310. Sometimes I get so frustrated with having all of this work and not having a professor constantly helping me with the work. I have realized though that by doing all of the work in EDM310 by myself, I have learned a lot.

EDM310 for Dummies was a great video made by Jamie Lynn. The video says that with the help of others, you can achieve anything. The message of this video is a good one. Don't ever be afraid to ask for help and work with others to finish tasks. Once you get past the basics in the networking, technology world, you can do things a lot easier.

Smartboard Arguements
I really like Smartboards. In the classroom that I'm in observing in right now in EDF 315, my teacher actively uses the Smartboard. The children love when she uses it for lessons. They are able to interact and use the Smartboard during her lectures. The two articles we were assigned to read weren't in favor of the Smartboard. They believe it is too expensive and more of a 'cop-out', rather than a good investment for the classroom. I found a website that agrees with the use of Smartboards in the classroom. Here is the URL: www.smartboardrevolution.ning.com/. On this website, teachers are able to share their ideas and tricks that they use with the Smartboard. There are always two sides of everything, but as of right now, the majority of teachers love the Smartboard.

Additional Assignment #2

I really enjoyed watching this video. Scientist Sugata Mitra is a very inventive person and listening to what he has done for children all around was very interestiing.

1. What do you think? If learners are motivated, can they teach themselves? That video proved that if learners are motivated, they will teach themselves. The children in India were able to teach themselves how to use a computer within a short amount of time.

2. If those motivated learners are kids, can they teach themselves? Of course, if children are motivated, they will teach themselves what they want to know.

3. What conditions are necessary for kids to teach themselves? For anyone to teach him or herself? There has to be some sort of motivation. Kids will work for what they want, they will teach themselves whatever needs to be learned if motivated enough.

4. What role do computers and internet access play in the process? They play a huge role in the process of learning new things. Programs such as google and youtube create ways for students to gain information.

5. What role does motivation, a desire to learn? If there is a desire to learn, motivation follows that.

6. What roles do a problem, a question or multiple problems or questions play in the process? By having problems in the process of learning, only teaches students to use problem solving skills to find out what they are wanting to find out.

7. How do you motivate someone to learn? By giving rewards or getting them excited by what they are going to learn.

8. How are you motivated to learn? Yes, very. I'm always willing to learn new things. It builds character and makes you more intelligent.

9. Can anyone who is not motivated to learn learn? There is always a way to motivate someone to learn, in my opinion.

10. Do you teach yourself? When? Why? Yes, I teach myself through this class for example. We are given a list of things to do and I have to learn how to complete the tasks by myself.

11. What role does a teacher (either answer generally or use a specific example) play in your learning? A teacher is a monitor and a motivator. They the ones who make sure you are motivated to learn and that you are doing a good job.

12. What is the most important idea, question or emotional response you take away with you as a result of watching this video? Technology plays a large part in learning for students around the world. Technology is never going away, it's only getting stronger. We must learn to embrace technology and use it to benefit us.

13. What other questions or issues are raised by this video that should be considered and discussed by aspiring teachers? Teachers should realize that technology is a self-organizing system and that we need to embrace technology in our classrooms.

Blog Post # 7- Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

I have actually seen this video a couple of times before being assigned to this. We watched the whole lecture in church and our pastor created a sermon from it. When I read that we were assigned to watch it, I was very happy. It gave me another reason to watch it and be inspired by Randy. The theme of his last lecture was 'Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.' The title alone is intriguing, everyone has childhood dreams.

During the first part of the lecture, Randy shares with us that he is suffering from pancreatic cancer. It saddened the audience to see this, although most of them knew already. For someone to be suffering from an illness that would take his life away in a matter of months, it was so incredible to me that Randy was in such good spirits. That is what I believe makes him a special man. Sure he didn't want to die, but he accepted it and made his last few months memorable.

Randy talked about his childhood aspirations, leading up to him talking about teaching and the classroom. Randy was a professor for a few years before becoming an Imagineer at Disney. His teaching style was creative and hands on with his students. He always made sure that the students were learning while having fun. Randy said this, "And even though I did not reach the NFL, I sometimes think I got more from persuing that dream, and not accomplishing it, then I did from many of the ones I did accomplish." This quote is inspiring, Randy always taught his students to chase their dreams and even if they didn't accomplish them, at least they tried.

I believe that everyone needs to watch this lecture given by the late Randy Pausch. It is not only inspiring, it's informational, and it gives people a new perspective on life. The things that Randy said in his lecture were profound and well spoken. For example, he said this, "It's not about how to achieve your dreams, it's about how to lead your life, ... If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself, the dreams will come to you." Everyone needs to see watch this and educators of today and the future should lead their life like Randy led his life.

PLN Post #1

When I first began using the Symbaloo site, I was amazed at the ability to keep all of my bookmarks in one place. This is a very convenient thing to have whether you're a student, teacher, or are constantly using technology in general. When going on to the homepage, I noticed a link to a new teacher friendly Symbaloo page. This page is great for teachers who use technology as a way to teach their students, which is the majority of teachers today and teachers in the future. In my PLN, I added the links to Gmail, My Jaguar Mail account, facebook, Skype, Pandora, and Google search. As the semester continues on, I will find more references to add. Symbaloo is such a great site and I would have never known about it if it wasn't for this class.

TimeToast Timeline- Personal

Summary Post C4T #2 and #3

For my comments for teacher number 2, I was assigned to the blog of Lisa Thumann. Her blog is filled with useful information. She is a user of all things Google, sort of how we are in EDM 310. The post that I read and commented on was titled, "I Love, Love, Love Technology, But..." The article was about a teacher in Jersey that had written to her about her conditions in her school. The conditions regarding technology were so sad; the school didn't even have an email system set up for teachers. In today's society, email and technology are very important to keep up with what is going on between teachers and in the school. Lisa listed a few websites that could help with funding for this school and as I scrolled through the comments, I found some more websites. I liked reading this article, it was thought provoking and helpful at the same time.

Blog Post #6

1. The Networked Student
I really enjoyed watching this video. The ideas are similar to those that we use in EDM 310. This video is a reminder of how technology is affecting our schooling and the way that teachers teach. Our society is becoming technologically advanced and one day there may not be a need for teachers because of all of the new ways to connect with other students and professors simply through a computer.

As far as my career as a teacher, I am willing and almost obligated to become advanced in the use of technology in my classroom. It is essential that I am kept up on everything new that is happening in our society. I must be able to teach my students these things as a way of keeping them informed and advanced in technology as well.


2. A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment

This 7th grader's video was very eye-opening. It shows that students in middle schools are becoming very technologically advanced. There was no possible way that when I was 7th grade, any of what she was explaining was possible. Her PLE was very informational and I admired all of the work that she had put into it. Her video could be used a intro to PLE's or PLN's for other students in schools.


3. The Machine is Changing Us
This video was so full of information about the changing world of technology. I really enjoyed watching Dr. Wesch's lecture on technology and how it is affecting us. He states that websites such as Youtube, have their own online communities. Technology is advancing everyday, every minute, every second. In my college experience, in almost every class, the internet and technology was used. For example, in EDM 310, we are required to have our own youtube channel. This relates to the ideas that Dr. Wesch stated in his lecture about youtube. I liked a quote that was used 40 years ago, "We live in the world of an instant replay. Events are not only recorded, but replayed." This is so true. We can go onto youtube to find a video of anything that we could think of replay it. In my future career, I will definitely use youtube and technology in my classroom. Whether it's finding a documentary or posting classroom podcasts on youtube, I will use it and it will be beneficial to my class.

Summary Post C4K 1 and 2

For my first comments for kids, my student was Carmen who is in the 8th grade at Noel Jr. High School. At first, I read Carmen's learning manifesto. I noticed that teacher had commented and stated that she had not really followed the assignment guidelines, but I preceded to read and comment on what she had completed. Spelling and grammar was a big issue in her first couple of posts, but by the time I had commented on her About Me, her spelling and grammar had improved. Her about me showed that she was proud of her family and of her heritage. I really admired their class's willingness to learn and all of the blogs were very good.

Podcast Project

Blog Post # 5

The first podcast that I listened to was the third grade class, Eagles' Nest Radio. I really enjoyed listening to these podcasts. I believe that the students are benefiting from this new way of presenting information. I have never seen a classroom blog where they use podcasts as a way of learning. Allowing students to use podcasts in the classroom gives them the opportunity to use technology and be familiar with its advantages at a young age.

I then read the information written by Judy Scharf on how to make a successful podcast. The information was helpful to me and I will use some of her advice when doing my podcast. In her blog she gave tips for success, examples of podcasts from youtube, and information about podcasts in general.

The next page was I looked up was the Practical Principal's podcast, written by Melinda Miller and Scott Elias. Scott lives in Colorado and Melinda lives in Missouri. This shows how people from different parts of the country can connect and record a podcast. In their podcast, they share how their day goes as a principal and the experiences that they have at their schools.

Listening to these podcasts was helpful in learning how to make my podcast better. I learned that podcasts are beneficial for almost everyone. I really loved the idea of using a podcast in the classroom. I will definitely think about using a podcast in my classroom as a way for my students to connect with one another and keep up with what we are doing in the class.

Blog Post # 4

1.) Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff, Please? By: Scott McLeod

When I first read this post by Dr. McLeod, I thought how can you think technology is not important? It's the essence of our future. I then realized that was exactly the point of his blog. He took a sarcastic approach to his post, making it more effective and thought provoking. I really enjoyed his approach and I agreed with the argument he was making. In researching Dr. McLeod, I found out that he is the co-creator of the video, "Did you know?", a video we watched for a previous blog assignment.

2.) The iSchool Initative

This video was about an idea created by a seventeen year old high school student. He created a concept called the iSchool, the idea that school could be completed in it's entirety on an Apple iTouch. There are already a multitude of apps on the iTouch that could be used for the iSchool and with modifications, more apps could be added that could make the iSchool possible for students everywhere.

I don't know what to think about this idea. It would reduce waste in our environment, I agree with that, but I'm not sure about the efficiency of the iSchool. I think the iSchool would be better if it was integrated into regular schools gradually. A classroom could still meet and do tests and things in the classroom, but gradually the iSchool would be introduced for homework assignments and a way for parents, teachers, and students to communicate.

3.) Lost Generation

I really enjoyed this video. The information that was given is a reality for my generation if things do not change in our society. At the end, they reversed the situation given as if things were changed now. I believe that we will celebrate the anniversary's of our divorce, will care more about our careers than our kids, and we will be lethargic and lazy. That is, if our society continues to progress towards this. We must work to change the standards for what people think we will become in the future.

4.) Ed Whitaker's Virtual Choir

This video was very soothing. I enjoyed it very much. As I watched it, it seemed like it was just a video of a choir and a combination of pictures of different people, but after reading Jennifer's post, I realized that these people had never met, their videos were combined. That is a hard concept for me to grasp. It seems as though the internet has become a tool for everything and anything in our society. The fact that it is possible for so many different people, who have never met, to come together and create a beautiful song just shows that the internet is used for everything in today's society.

Additional Assignment #1

The search engines Google Squared and WolframAlpha are both great tools to use in the classroom.

a. When I practiced searching in Google Squared, I found that it was very useful. Unlike www.google.com, Google squared lets the student find information about a topic on one page and all together. If you were doing a search on the planets, you could find anything you wanted about it on one page. You could also add a topic and instantly receive the answer to that topic.

b. WolframAlpha is also very useful. When you search for something on this search engine, you will find a picture or a map to go along with it as well as a plethora of information. Unlike Google Squared, the information goes down the page instead of using a table.

c & d. I had not heard of either of these search engines before this class.

e. Once I read the comment on my Did You Know assignment, I realized that I was in some way like Mr. Winkle. I have used computers since I've been in elementary school, but technology has advanced so much since then and all of the new technology today is very overwhelming to me.

f. This exercise has showed me that there is so much out there that I have not even come across. I didn't even know that these two very helpful search engines existed and if I did, projects that I have done in the past would have been much easier. I've learned that I react very surprised with the statistics about technology. I do not know as much as I thought it did when it comes to technology in our society today.

Food For Thought: I enjoyed the article Food For Thought, it is a crazy that the six year old, illiterate boy could work an iPad with no instruction.

Blog Post # 3

1.) Micheal Wesch: A Vision of Students Today.
I agree with the message of this video. It shared facts and statistics of the lives of college students in today's age. A couple of facts stood out to me, for example, students spend one hundred dollars on books that they never open. Another statistic stated that students only read 49% of their reading assignments, but will read 2300 pages of online books. Technology is becoming the future for everything, especially education.

This video seemed to relate to the way my college experience so far in many ways. The relation between the statistics that involved technology were mostly all true. The one that stated the majority of students today graduate, they will have jobs that do not exist today. People pay for classes and become in debt, only to not attend class. To add to this video, I would use more statistics that relate to technology today. The video was filmed in 2007 and in three years, technology has advanced.

2.) "It's Not About the Technology." by Kelly Hines
The post made by Ms. Kelly Hines was one that I couldn't agree more with. She explained that in a society where technology is taking over in education, we must not focus completely on the technology. We must focus on teaching teachers how to teach with the new advances in technology. Teachers must be ready to learn and must have the right mind-set about using the technology that is being presented to us.

Ms. Hines also said that teachers must be learners. Teachers need to be motivated to learn. They also need to keep up to date with all of the new technology. She suggests workshops and teaching sessions on the new technology available, ie; smartboards, blogs, wikis, etc. I couldn't agree more with what she states in her post. Without the motivation of teachers and the help that they need to learn about the technology in the 21st century, the advancement of the classroom will not happen.

3.) Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
Mr. Fisch's post was by far one of the best posts I've read so far in EDM 310. I'm sure that is because this post won the most influential post of 2007. I couldn't agree more with the points that he made. In the beginning of the post, he gave a list of what he thought was and wasn't acceptable in a school. One rule on his list that stood out to me was number 6. "Schools, Universities and Teacher training courses who turn out students who are technologically illiterate should have their right to a licence and/or funding questioned." This is a bold statement, a very bold statement, but should be considered.

I also really agree with this statement made, also very bold. "If a teacher today is not technologically literate - and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more - it's equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn't know how to read and write." In today's society, we must use technology. There is no way around it. Whether it's emails, the use of microsoft word, or looking something up on google, technology in schools cannot be avoided. Because of this, if a teacher is not technologically literate, it can be related to a teacher of thirty years ago who cannot read or write.

4.) Gary Haynes Social Media Count
This website is really an eye opener. I know people are using technology each and everyday, but seeing the numbers change and increase each second is very eye opening. When I refreshed the page, in one second over 40,000 youtube videos were viewed, over 1,000 tweets were posted on twitter, and 40 people joined facebook. For me as a teacher, this means that each second, each hour, each day, and each year, the number of people using technology is growing. If 40 people were joining facebook in one second, think about the number of people who will have join facebook in two years when I graduate and become a teacher. The number of people sending emails, joining social networks, and even using google is increasing every second. The people who are 'technologically illiterate' will be left behind. As a teacher, I must be familiar with the technologically advances in our society.

Project #5

C4T#1 Summary Blog

The first blog post I read posted by Andy, was called, 'Maintaining Oral Standards.' This post was talking about oral testing and the challanges it brought along with it. I agree with what was said by Andy when he talked about different grading styles playing a role in testing. Students don't also know how the teacher will grade or even what the teacher is looking for. He stated that of the students he spoke with, 35% did not know what their father's occupation was. This is alarming to me. Communication between families, I believe, is the most important thing. Children need to have an open mind about communicating with their parents and the same goes for parents having an open mind about talking with their children. Communication is important to the success and well-being of a child's future.

The second post was entitled, 'Why Should Age Determine Ability.' This post explained the relationship between age and language learning. The author gave an example of a situation that may, for example, take place between an adult moving to China. The adult told the teacher that they were 42 years old and the teacher wanted to place them in a level 6 class because of his age. This just does not work. Just because he is an adult, does not mean that he knows the language at a level of 6. If age was an issue with that program, then they need to teach the adult privately and not in a class of adults. Administrators and school officials need to put in place programs for students of all ages.

Blog Assignment 2

Video 1-Did you know?
This video was very interesting and scary at the same time. The information that was scary was the fact that our world is becoming so advanced, so very quickly. The first few facts that were shown, ie. the amount of honor students in China, exceeding the number of children total in America, was pretty crazy. It seems as if our country is so far in advancements of the mind and technology as the other countries in our world.

Another fact that struck me as crazy was the fact that we send and receive everyday exceeds the number of people on the planet. I don't know if it's just me, but isn't that very extreme? Our society is becoming so dependent on technology and the advancement of technology. The fact that 1 in every 8 couples married in the U.S. last year met online is also incredible to me. More and more people are using technology to do everything in our current times and we as a society are becoming completely dependent on it.

Video 2-Mr.Winkle Wakes
This video explains the story of Rip Van Winkle awakening after a 100 year slumber to see the world after 100 years. It showed the busy environment of a business office, the advanced environment in a hospital, and a school classroom. It shows that Mr. Winkle did not like all of the technology that he saw. He didn't understand it and it made him stressed out as he tried to figure it all out. The one time that he felt comfortable was in a school, an environment that had not changed too much except for that one computer in the back of the classroom.

The video shows us how technology has advanced so much in 100 years. In our society today, everything that Mr. Winkle didn't like is a normality to us. We can walk into a busy office to hear a million noises at once and it doesn't phase us. The same is true with a hospital. Everything we see or hear in a hospital is normal to our society. We know the procedures, the technology used, and the way the doctors interact with us. Technology is a normality in our society and it is only going to become more advanced.

Video 3-The Importance in Creativity
I really enjoyed watching this lecture. Ken Robinson believes that creativity in education is just as important as literacy or math. He is completely right, I believe. Schools need to have more time for art, dance, and other ways that students can be creative. At many school systems around the country and maybe even the world have cut programs such as music and art. Something that Ken said that was very interesting to me was that the students who start school now will retire in the year 2065. Our world is advancing technologically every year, how different will the world be in 2065? Will the education that we are giving our children now even be useful in the year 2065?

Ken Robinson also stated that Picasso once said, "All children are born artists." Ken believes that the children today are educated out of creativity. He asks why are children taught more math than dance? Another quote from Ken, "Creativity is the process of original ideas that have values." We should not hinder one's original ideas in a classroom. If a student is doodling during a math lesson, should we tell that child to stop? I don't think so. Children need to be able to be creative in all situations.

Video 4-Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
This video was very cool. I love the things that Vicki Davis has started in her classroom. In today's society and also in the future, everything is and will be surrounded by technology. I believe in 50 plus years, we won't even have paper and pen, computers will run everything. That is why students in today's society need to learn how to be more connected with computers, phones, and the internet itself.

I feel this class, EDM 310, is similar to the class that Vicki Davis has set up. We are learning to blog and how to connect to other students and teachers around the world through blogging. It's important to learn new things in technology so that as our society progresses in advancements we can be more well equipped. I also think that student's in high schools and middle schools all over our country need to begin to do what Vicki Davis's class is doing with technology advancements.

Wordle

About Me

Hey EDM310 class! My name is Samantha Deardorff and I'm a junior at the University of South Alabama. I was born in Missouri and have moved a total of four times in my life. I have one sister and I'm close with both of my parents. I chose to major in Elementary Education because I want be a mentor and teacher to young children like my teachers were for me. Right now I am employed at Pump It Up. Every time I go in for a shift, I'm exposed to the diversity in children. I love working with kids, they make me smile and I hope to be a mentor for them when I have my own class. It's my dream to move back to Michigan, where I attended elementary school, and teach. The school systems in Michigan are very advanced and I would love to spend the rest of my life there teaching.