Final Reflection

Blog Post #14

Jose Picard's Blog was very interesting. He use a lot of technology in the classroom and really enjoys it. He gave a lot of tips on how to use technology in the classroom in this video which I took in and will use in the future. I think technology in the classroom is a great idea as long as it isn't strictly technology only. It gives you more resources to look up a lot of information and get connections.

People look at the disadvantage and don't think about the advantages so they think of technology in the classroom in a bad way. If you monitor and teach the children about the disadvantages then you shouldn't have a problem. Overall you have more of an advantage than a disadvantage if your doing it safely and right. You can even get benefits out of the social networks such as facebook and twitter. Before this class I didn't use the sites for benefits of school but now I see that even that is very useful. The EDM310 facebook page is a great example. That page answered a lot of my questions plenty of times to where I didn't even need to email my professor because he already answered it.

Final Report on PLN

This is my final report on my PLN. I find it very useful and helpful. I really enjoy using it and will continue to use it. It helps me to be more organized and make things a lot easier for me with having a busy schedule already.

C4K summary post

In the month of November I had the pleasure of reading and commenting on a few kids post! I really enjoy reading and seeing what kids are learning! With this going on now, it will prepare all of us for a better future. The first post I read was on a special student segment on CNN. i didn't even know they had a weekly segment for students. I really enjoyed it and will continue to keep up with it.
The next post was by Jay'Lee and it was on Camp Bentzon's Team Meanings. She talked about her experience and the significance of each building she saw. It was very interesting and I really enjoyed this post also.

C4T summary post

In the month of November I read and commented on post by Pernille Ripp. The posts were very interesting to me. The first one was on "10 ways to make it their room". I took a lot of this into consideration and may use this advice when I become a teacher myself. If you make the students feel like it's their room they may behave better and make them more comfortable which is a great thing.
The second post was funny to me. It was about the dangerous tools in school and how we need to remove them. It went on to say what was dangerous and it named everything that students need! It went from permanent markers to paper, pencils, textbooks, rulers, compass, erasers, and scissors. I responded that if that's the case then everything is dangerous because I'm sure you can find something dangerous about almost anything regardless of how silly or ridiculous it may seem.

Project #16

Book Trailer Project

Skype Interview

Additional post #1

I totally missed the metaphor in Tom Johnson's post. I took it as if he literally meant what he said. Instead of looking for a metaphor I took it seriously. I knew that it didn't sound like he could be serious  because it didn't sound right to me but instead of trying to think into it that way I just took what he said as though that's what he literally meant.

Blog Post # 13

E-media Fast

It was very hard trying to go 24 hours without technology. Our world is now surrounded with technology. I had to start over a couple times because I'm so use to being on my phone, checking email, and most of my class work is online so I decided to just have a relaxed day. I cut my phone off and left it at home while I spent time at my friends apartment. We talked, sung, and did a lot of random fun things. I also went to the rec and played basketball. This took up a lot of my time along with a couple of naps. The hardest part of going without technology was being without my cell phone. I am so use to contacting people through out the day and also checking emails and things from my phone also.

Smartboard part 2 lesson plan

Blog Post #12

Write a paragraph on your experiences of technology throughout grade school if any. If none or not enough, write how you think school could have been better with it or how it could have been improved.

Throughout grade school at my schools we use technology but not as much as I think we should have.I remember my teachers encouraging technology mostly for research on projects, power points, and typing papers. We were not allowed to bring any type of technology with us to school. I think school would have been more interesting and people would have been eager to learn if more technology was used. I think blogging would have been a great tool to use. We have seen teachers using blogging in there classroom and it was a success. This is a great way for students to express themselves on different topics and to get feedback from people around the world is motivational. I think you can evaluate how well your students are doing better this way rather than grading strictly on test. Students can cheat on homework and test but they can't cheat with this option and get away with it. Also, if it is interesting they wouldn't want to cheat anyway and would love learning. I think technology is great to use in the classroom.

C4K Mrs. Yollis' Class Blog

Mrs. Yollis created a class blog with her students and I thought it was awesome. It was really motivational seeing the things that she is doing with her class and I admire her for that. The blogs were very interesting and informational and I enjoyed it. You can tell that the students love the way there class is set up and I think more teachers need to be like Mrs. Yollis. To teach and have your student eager to learn is something great. The best way to teach and to make sure they are really taking it in is to make sure that they are enjoying it and it's interesting to them. They are also getting feedback on there blogs which may also inspire them to keep doing better. When you see people from all over the world commenting on your work, especially being a child, that inspires you. Mrs. Yollis is an amazing teacher and I want to take on some of her teaching styles one day when I become a teacher.

Progress Report on Final Group Project

My group members consists of Brittany Grogan, Alyssa Jackson, Katie Wilhelm, and myself. We have decided to create a "How to" video using all the resources we have learned about throughout EDM 310. We are meeting up soon to discuss everything and come up with a topic.

C4K summary

I commented on five post during the month of October and I really enjoyed reading them. The first one was by a little girl named Brit. She talked about her ten favorite countries and why. The second post was on room 3's blog. They had pictures on there blog sharing the things that they have learned. I thought it was really nice. Third, I commented on a video by room 10. The video was very interesting and I really enjoyed it. I thought that the picture that they made of Thierry Dusautoir looked great. My fourth comment was on a post by a little boy named Tristin. He wrote on why he write. I really enjoyed this post and I agree his points. Writing is a way to communicate in some sort of way, whether it is with others or yourself. My last post was on room 17. They created a post on frog adventure and they took the worg highgate to describe the frog. I thought it was really neat. I really enjoyed reading all of the post that I commented on and I look forward to reading more.

Blog Post #11

I really enjoyed this video and I think that Mrs. Cassidy is a great teacher. It is amazing how these young children are learning to use technology. I agree with Mrs. Cassidy's views on the use of technology in the classroom. Like she said, technology is not something that is just going to disappear and it's a big part of the world so I think that it is necessary for them to learn how to use it. This also makes it fun for the students while they are learning. It also excites them to see how many people are actually reading what they had to say and even comment on them. I believe that this motivates the children and make them want to keep doing better. It also benefits the parents as well. Parents can look at there blogs online whenever they want to see what is going on in the classroom and to see how there child is improving. Mrs. Cassidy's teaching style is very inspiring and I hope that more teachers will think about the points she made and think about doing some of the same in there classrooms.

Blog Post #10

Do You Teach or Do You Educate?
This video shows the difference between a teacher and an educator. A teacher usually is known for giving out facts and testing you to see if you learned anything. An educator is on a more personal level. An educator is concerned with you overall. They may give advice in your personal life and show you how certain decisions you make now an affect you later. I want to be an educator. I really love kids and love to see them learning. I want to make a difference in my students life and help them grow into the best that they can be. I want to teach them the subjects required and life lessons because life isn't all about just taking test and making good grades. It's great to make those grades but we are in the world everyday facing different problems everyday. I want to teach them how to deal with challenging situations so that they know how to go about solving there problems or even avoid the problems. I want my students to be comfortable enough with me to come and want to talk with me about there problems. I want my lessons to stick with my students throughout there life.

Tom Johnson's Don't Let Them Take the Pencils Home!
I don't think that not letting them take pencils home is a good idea. Every student isn't the same and what work for one student may not work for another. So why would you stop them from taking pencils home? Just reading is not going to work for everyone. Some people need to actually write notes as they go or draw things for them to learn better. I think we should let students take pencils home and encourage them to find out what strategies work best for them.

C4T summary post

I read and commented on two of Ripp Pernille's blog posts and they were interesting.
The first one was "Why Are So Many Students Absent?" and I explained that I think the best way to make sure students come to school is to motivate them and make it interesting for them to learn. If they are interested they would look forward to coming to school.
The second post was "Giving Grades is the Easy Way Out". I agree with his points in this post. It might be better to have conversations with students to determine there grade based on the progress and improvement. Also the effort they put towards the class because you have to realize that everyone is different and for some students, it may take them longer or they may learn a different way than how you are teaching. You have to take those things into consideration.

Blog Post # 9

What I've Learned This Year
May 27, 2009
The first post I read from Mr. Joe McClung was "What I've Learned This Year." This was his first year as an elementary school teacher and I can imagine that he must have been nervous of the mistakes that he might have made. He shared with us his experiences and the lessons he learned for this year. I must say that he made some very valuable points and gave some really good points. I'm going to use his advice when I start teaching. He shared with us how to read the crowd, be flexible, how to communicate, be reasonable, don't be afraid of technology, and lastly never stop learning. I feel like if you take a look at these points and get a clear understanding about how to go about doing these things, you will be a well rounded teacher and everyone around will know that you have a true passion for teaching.

What I learned This Year
June 23, 2011
This is his Mr. Joe Mcclung's third year and he is still experiencing new things. This year he picked up new and exciting tasks. This is his first year being head coach and also coaching cross country. This is also his first year being a computer applications teacher. He talks about being excited about change and don't be afraid to be an outsider because obviously everyone isn't the same. Everyone thinks differently and that's why he says don't expect everyone to be as excited as you are. If you are excited than be excited. Another thing he talked about was how his classroom mom taught him don't touch the keyboard. What she meant by this was don't touch the keyboard while training. She was taught this while working on an airline. This same concept can be used in the classroom also. When you teach make sure you are still making sure that they are learning and doing the work themselves rather than you doing the work for them while teaching. If you do this than they aren't really learning.
I really enjoyed Mr. Joe McClung's post and there going to stick with me. I will use these guidelines when I start teaching!

Smart Board Project #13

Blog Post #8

This is How we Dream
These videos were interesting. He talked about how we are able to multitask anywhere and also about how we can do research without ever going in a library or actually reading physical books. We now can view books online. He also shows how we can communicate instantly. I can agree because this applies to me. Most of everything that I want to learn about and even things that I can't find in my textbooks, I just look it up online. With communication I email most of the people i know or even through social networks like facebook, and twitter. I can even talk and see people as I talk with them through programs such as skype, oovoo, and facetime. Another thing was how you can take different events and collaborate them together with visual and sound documents. He also says that “Ideas don’t belong to us individually but to as a culture”. This is a good way for us to get our ideas into our culture. He says it is a way to make sense of the world we live in. It makes us able to relate to things better this way.

CARLY PUGH
I really enjoyed her videos and I think that her assignment should be used in the future edm 310 class. I think that this will really help students become more creative and think on there own. Also to get out there beliefs rather than research on what someone else believes. Everyone is different and thinks different. If you a teacher is getting what every students feels about certain subject it might even open there eyes to things.

The Chippers Series
This was a good video that I really enjoyed. This video is talking about procrastinating which I believe everyone has been guilty of at some point. I would have to admit that I am a procrastinator at times but I'm trying to change that. Edm 310 is really opening my eyes to the fact that procrastinating is not good at all and catch up with you in the long run. Things that really matter requires that you work on it throughout a period of time to really understand it. Procrastinating leads to cramming which is not the best way to learn because once you take that test you may forget the the information for the long run. To be successful at learning I believe that pacing yourself with a period of time is best because you actually read and do the research. When you go about it this way I think it really sticks to you.


Edm 310 for Dummies
This video was very funny and entertaining. I think the point was that you just need to keep up and don't fall behind. Also actually put effort in to get something out of it. Also looking at the class syllabus had instructions on everything and if you still don't get it we have student assistants at the lab everyday to help us. Overall we have lots of resources to stay ahead.

Learn to Change, Change to learn
This video is a great way to show how our teachers feel about education changing with the society. Students connect with the social network all day and everyday. Although technology has it's downfalls and people shouldn't get dependent on them, it also has it's advantages. The world is changing through technology and to keep up students need to learn about them. It makes things a lot more easier and convenient. It also has lots of great resources that will help students learn better. Although I don't think this should be the only way students should learn and that people should not get dependent on them, I do think that keeping up with it and learning about it will really have its benefits in the long run.

Blog Post # 7

Randy Pausch's last lecture was very inspiring. He told his audience that he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was given three to six months to live. He didn't seem down and depressed about it because he wasn't He felt as though he accomplished his dreams in life and is spreading it with everyone else in a joyous way. He didn't want the audience to feel sorry or have pitty on him and even made jokes saying that he may be in better shape then some of them and got down and did push ups. He kept a smile on my face as I watched this because of his joyfulness. He talked about his dreams as a child and showed pictures which he was smiling in most of his pictures. His first childhood dream was being at zero gravity and his second dream was to play for the NFL. He had a lot more dreams. He didn't accomplish all the goals he wanted but he still accomplished valuable things in the process. Pausch was a great professor who helped others achieve there goals. He is very inspiring and this lecture will always stick with me.

Project 9b TimeToast

Project #11 Short Movie

C4T #2

I was assigned to comment on Royan Lee's post. The first comment was on a post titled "Excuse #421. This post is about preparing students for the future by requiring a little more than what they expect, even at a young age. Mr. Meaniebobeanie assigns students to do things that the next grade level may require to have them prepared for what they are going to get anyway. I said "Sometimes Mr. Meaniebobeanie is just doing his job or going by what the rule requires. Not all teachers want to give out a lot of homework its just what is required so it has to be done. Sometimes this can be stressful on kids but in a way it teaches time management which you have to apply to every aspect of life."




The second post that I commented on was titled "The Dos and Don'ts of Blog Design and that is pretty much what the blog was about. He just stated the dos and don'ts that he came up with and I agreed on everything about it.I thought that they were good rules to follow when designing a blog.My reasons for that is because you want it to look nice but you also want to be able to read it clearly and understand it so you don't want it to be too complex.

Project #10 PLN

I chose Symbaloo for my PLN and I really like it. I really look forward to using this tool alot. It really helps to stay organized and is really easy to use!

C4K Summary Post

I read several kids blogs over the month of September that were very fun and interesting. These kids had so much to talk about and seemed very interested about what they were writing about. I have read about places they want to visit and the reasons why, poems about themselves and what they like and different things that they have done research on and what they found interesting about it. I have enjoyed reading these kids blogs and how they express what they have learned. I look forward to reading more.

Blog Post #6

The Networked Student

In this video I think it was interesting the way he presented. I believe that networking is a great tool for sharing ideas and seeing other people's point of view. It broadens your mind so that you won't think only one way on different subjects. Although I think it's a great tool I wouldn't agree on students learning from blogs. Yes, you can get good ideas and share your ideas but you have to remember that blogs are mostly opinions and you can't confuse opinions for facts. Students should learn the facts and express how they feel about those facts through blogs. The two are not the same.

This video asked the question, "Why does the network student need a teacher?”
Well I think that a teacher is very necessary for this type of learning. Since blogging is mostly opinions students aren't told whether they are right or wrong. If they don't have that question answered there mind won't be at ease because every class before this one tells us if we are right or wrong and gives us a grade so we have an idea on how well we are doing in the class. We know where we stand but if we are throwing out opinions and not seeing grades or any type of feedback we don't know how everything is going because everyone thinks different and just because we think we make sense doesn't mean that the teacher is thinking the way we are. They might see it in a different way and we need feedback .


A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment or PLN

This was a very interesting video. I think that this is great organizer and might make learning and doing work a lot more easier. It also gives you a little more freedom to go at your own pace. From listening to this student it seems as though it makes students want to learn more and actually do there work. I think that this is a great tool although this shouldn't be the only tool. This student says that her class is paperless and for a 7th grade science class I don't think that's a good idea. At her age they should be doing more hands on things and building projects at home.

Project 8

Project 9a

Blog Post #5

Don't teach your kids this stuff

Dr. McLeod is a an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Kentucky. He is also founding director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education. In Dr. Mcleod's post he is trying to warn parents and teachers that there are dangerous things that can occur through technology and that they shouldn't teach kids anything about it. I agree that there are some disadvantages of technology that can be bring about danger but I also think that there are advantages as well. Yes, you have predators online chatting with people through fake identities, scams, and etc but at the same time you also have the advantages. Through technology you can do so much and obtain a lot of information. I think that a child should have it explained to them the advantages and disadvantages from someone who knows it. They should know to not talk to strangers or give out personal information.

Ischool Initiative

Ischool Initiative was a great video made by a high school student named Travis Allen. In this video he talks about how we should convert everything in school to ischool. He explains how much money is spent on all of the supplies and tools needed in school for things like pens, pencil, graphing and scientific calculators,textbooks, notebooks, and etc. His estimate that he came up with was minimum $600. The price of the ischool is $150 average and it contains all of the supplies in that one item. He also brought up the point that this will save on our natural resources. This all makes a lot of sense even though many people may not like the idea of no books and they want there children to actually write and read in real books. Some kids learn better when they actually have books and is writing with a pen or pencil on paper. Travis Allen's idea of ischool is a great way to save on money and natural resources but personally I don't think that kids should learn only through technology.

Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir
This video was amazing! I have never heard of a choir being created online and performing from home. These choir members never met and it sounds really good together. It is amazing what you can do through technology.

Teaching in the 21st century

This was a very interesting video by Kevin Roberts. Roberts believes that teaching in the 21st century is not just transferring information and facts into the students head but rather to be the filter. What he means by this is that all of the resources are here for the students so teachers should be teaching them how to use there resources so they can actually think and learn on there own. This is helping them to prepare them for the real world because in life it is the same way. It's not all about taking information in memorizing it to spit it out for a test then forget it later.

Blog Post #4

The benefits of podcasting in the classroom

In this video they talked about how podcasting can be beneficial in the classroom. I agree because this is a way to keep students entertained and excited about learning. It is also a good way to teach outside the classroom such as if it is an online class or simply for extra help. It is also smart because if a student has to miss class they won't be behind. It can be a great resource for students and also parents of the students can see what is going on in there child's classes. This video was interesting!

Eagle Nest Radio & class blog

This was a podcast by a third grade class. I thought it was very interesting. The students learned about Rome and is talking about it. They had a lot of information to share and that really impressed me. I think that the music should have been a little quieter so that we could hear the students clearly. Overall I really enjoyed it.

The Practical Principals

In this podcast there was a variety of different topics which I thought were really interesting. They were talking about the different issues that teachers can face and how you can go about solving them. They also talked about improvement plans for teachers and why teachers can get on it. They talked about all the different tools that could also help in the classroom. I thought this was a very helpful podcast and it taught me some things that I didn't know!

This is my Sentence. Project #6

Project 5

Blog Post #3

It's Not About the Technology

Mrs. Hines made a lot of good points. When teaching it really shouldn't be about the technology. I believe that it should be a tool that teachers use but not teach students completely. Some students do better going to a classroom and interacting with the teachers and students.

Is It Okay To Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

Karl Fisch created a list that I believe is a great guideline for teachers to go by. I believe that this will lead teachers to become really successful and I would recommend that all teachers read over these standards:

1. All educators must achieve a basic level of technological capability.
2. People who do not meet the criterion of #1 should be embarrassed, not proud, to say so in public.
3. We should finally drop the myth of digital natives and digital immigrants. Back in July 2006 I said in my blog, in the context of issuing guidance to parents about e-safety:
"I'm sorry, but I don't go for all this digital natives and immigrants stuff when it comes to this: I don't know anything about the internal combustion engine, but I know it's pretty dangerous to wander about on the road, so I've learnt to handle myself safely when I need to get from one side of the road to the other."
The phrase may have been useful to start with, but it's been over-used for a long time now. In any case, after immigrants have been in a country for a while, they become natives. We've had personal computers for 30 years, and I was using computers in my teaching back in 1975. How long does it take for someone to wake up to the fact that technology is part of life, not an add-on?
4. Headteachers and Principals who have staff who are technologically-illiterate should be held to account.
5. School inspectors who are technologically illiterate should be encouraged to find alternative employment.
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.
7. We should stop being so nice. After all, we've got our qualifications and jobs, and we don't have the moral right to sit placidly on the sidelines whilst some educators are potentially jeopardising the chances of our youngsters.

After reading this I hope that our teachers will go through there career following these guidelines.


Gary's Social Media Count

I was amazed after looking at Gary's chart. So many people are active in technology and can do it through laptops, phones, ipads, ipods, and so much more. It's so convenient because you can carry these items around with you throughout the day. It seem as though almost every person is involved in technology in some kind of way.

A Vision of Students Today

This video is showing how students don't take education as serious as they should. I believe that a lot of students are in college only because of how society pushes going to college after high school is the best thing you can do. They are wasteing time and money that it takes to go to school, fees, books and so much more. I hope that this video makes students want to strive in whatever they do, especially in education.

Project 2 Wordle

Blog Assignment #1

ABOUT ME!

My name is Morgan Sims but I go by my middle name which is Brittany. I'm from Point Clear, Alabama. I am twenty-two years old and my birthday is May 3, 1989. This is my junior year here at USA. I live at the Grove apartments on campus and I work at the dining hall here on campus also. I chose USA because I think it is a good school and it is still close to home but not too close.

My major is education and my focus is elementary school although this isn't my major goal. I want to get my Bachelor's degree and then my Masters so I can become a school counselor. I like working with kids so that is my passion. I don't have any kids but I have plenty of younger cousins that I help take care of and also a nephew. I'm very good in dealing with them and they love talking and being around me. It excites me to see them excited when they see me. I love teaching things to them and seeing them learn. I'm also one of the oldest of my siblings so growing up I had to set an example and teach and help them with situations.I feel like the field of education is for me because I am a well rounded person. I played trombone in marching band and concert symphonic band in high school. I also played at church at times. I can also play piano a little bit and I want to learn more. I am also the athletic type of person. I played basketball in school and I also like playing almost any sport just for fun. Music and sports are some of my favorite hobbies and I love it. Another reason why I feel like this is the field for me is because I have been through a lot of situations to where I can help other people and can give good advice.

I was raised by my grandparents after my father passed away. My grandmother taught me a lot and her being older and have seen more in life helped me understand things better than having younger parents. They raised my sister, younger brother and I and I am the oldest of us three. I have one sister who is 18. She just graduated high school and is now attending Tuskegee University. I have three brothers. My oldest brother is 26 and my younger brother is 20. My younger brother attends Faulkner State Community College. My other brother is 24 and I recently met him this summer. He lives in San Jose, California and hopefully I can meet him in person really soon. All my life I wondered about him because I knew that he existed but he was adopted at birth so we never met. I always wanted to find him one day and now that I'm talking to him and learning about him has me really excited.



RANDY PAUSCH ON TIME MANAGEMENT

In this video Pausch is teaching us how to manage our time better and the better way to go about gettin it done. According to him you should start with the harder things on your to do list first and I agree with him. He came up with a funny scenario that if you have to eat three frogs then eat the bigger one first. It makes sense because if you get over those big or more difficult things first, then the smaller things may seem easier. Another thing is I learned that I need to plan ahead of time and when it comes to studying to schedule it for a daily thing to do.

Practice Post

My first post