Project 9b - Create a WIKI

For this assignment, I used PBworks to create my WIKI. You'll need to request access to view. From my WIKI I can create documents, build web pages, embed images and video, create a syllabus, and organize files, grades, etc. This will be an awesome tool for my classroom! I can invite students to join my workspace and share access to information sources, book lists, and links to good articles. The PBworks Support Team sends me daily emails to walk me through step-by-step tutorials so I can make the most of this awesome tool! If you'd like to set up your own WIKI, here's a link to an online webinar to get you started.

C4K Assignments 1-3: A Summary

For my first “Comments 4 Kids” assignment, I visited the blog of Ms. Naugle’s 4th Grade Math Class. Ms. Naugle teaches math and social studies in New Orleans, LA. Her twitter bio indicates that she uses Web 2.0 tools like Blogger, Ning, Jing, Skype, and Wiki in her classroom. She has 34 years of experience. I commented on Madison U.’s student blog post "The Great Geometry."

I told Madison a little bit about myself and linked an interactive tangram puzzle link for Madison to learn more about geometry in a fun way! I also commented a week later on Madison’s blog post "A Sweet Kind of Project." To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Ms. Naugle’s class used conversation hearts candy to learn about estimating and predicting. Students were given a box of candies and told to guess how many were in a box. Yummy and fun! I congratulated Madison on her very close prediction.

My second C4K assignment took me across the ocean to Pt. England School in Aukland, New Zealand. I watched and listened to the podcast KPE Episode 339: Fantastic Mr. Fox by Kayla & Sylvia, students in year 6. Kayla and Sylvia read Fantastic Mr. Fox, by Roald Dahl. Here’s a little bit of what I said in my comments: “I really enjoyed hearing the enthusiasm in your voices when you told about the characters in the book. You're right! The moral, "don't steal," teaches honesty and integrity! You can take this lesson alone and go far in life! Have you seen the movie? My oldest daughter had a course at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in film making. She learned to make films based on the techniques used in the movie version. I emailed her and told her that I had viewed your podcast and she told me to tell you a little about how the movie was made. It's really a neat process. It was made with a technique called "stop-frame animation." All of the sets and characters were made by hand. They were not digital. Pictures were taken of the characters in different positions and settings (stopping and framing them.) Then the pictures were combined (24 pictures per second) to make the movie. I can't even imagine how much time this took and how patient the animators had to be! Can you? The animators told about a night when they took a break from filming to sleep. Overnight, it rained and the humidity changed the position of the set by less than one centimeter. Because the animation is so precise, they had to scrap all of their work and start again.”

It was my 3rd C4K assignment that introduced me to Heremaia, a year 6 student at Pt. England School. Her teacher’s name is Mr. Somerville. Heremaia wrote a very imaginative story about a superhero named Broly. Broly uses a laser beam to fight evil and saves the day! I posted the following comments to Heremaia’s blog: “It is so exciting to be able to communicate with students like you who are so far away from the U.S. We have all heard about the terrible earthquake that struck New Zealand recently. I looked at a map and was relieved to see that Aukland is not located near Christchurch. Do you have any family or friends in Christchurch? We are praying for everyone there. I am so impressed by your story, "Broly the Superhero." I'm sure your teacher, Mr. Somerville, is impressed with your imaginative storytelling too. I think it's great that your superhero, Broly, was on the side of good! Have you thought about animating Broly? Maybe you could draw or paint a cartoon picture of him and upload it to your blog! You'll never guess how old I am!...Just to prove that you should never stop learning, I'll tell you my age. I am 41 years old! I want to teach English. I love being in the classroom and can't wait to have my own students! I look forward to reading your next post, Heremaia.”

I enjoyed blogging with all three of my “kids” in this first C4K cycle! It opened my eyes to how tech-savvy today’s students are and how important it is that I train myself to use the same tools. How cool is it that we can communicate globally with students of all ages? What an exhilarating time to be a student and become a teacher!

Blog Post 6

Am I prepared to be a teacher of the “networked student?” This is a question for all teachers (present & future) to consider. The Networked Student video introduced, Wendy Drexler, a teacher who is a “student” of connectivism - “a theory that presumes that learning occurs as part of a social network of many diverse connections and ties made possible by various tools of technology.” Interesting! Since I don’t have a classroom yet, I can only compare myself to the examples given in the video and not my own personal experience. She is a: learning architect, modeler, learning concierge, connected learning incubator, network sherpa, synthesizer, change agent. I must admit that I had to look up the term “network sherpa” to understand what that means before I aspired to be one. Interestingly enough, of all the examples listed, this is the most appealing to me. She not only guides her students, but is “led” by their interests, objectives and knowledge. I am learning to build a PLN and plan to teach my students to do the same. I agree that it is essential to teach student’s how to “differentiate between good sources and propaganda and organize those mountains of information.” I will be teaching middle and high school aged students. This group of students will likely benefit the most as “networked learners” because they can navigate more easily than younger students. EDM-310 is preparing us all to be teachers of the “networked student.” These are the skills we will use as 21st Century educators.

A 7th Grader's PLN Wow! I just got “schooled” by a 7th grader! I have a lot of work to do on my PLN. I really like the note taking application she referenced called Evernote. Evernote will allow me to organize these resources for future reference in a way that’s easy to manage! I thanked Ms. Drexler and her 7th grade student in a comment to their video post. I plan to research more of the programs referenced in their video to pick and choose the one’s to add to my PLN! Great stuff!

My take on the Critiques of Smartboards: Michael Staton, Why Smartboards Are A Dumb Initiative and Bill Ferriter, Why I Hate Interactive Whiteboards is that both educators need more training to integrate IWB's into their instruction. However, my perspective is somewhat limited because I haven't been trained in their use nor do I have classroom experience with them. Consider this post: Technology Combined with Good Teaching Leads to Success. Educational research and practice expert Robert Marzano, conducted research comparing teacher's who use IWB's to teacher's who use standard, teaching tools. The proof is in the results! Of those classrooms whose instruction involved IWB's, students saw immediate improvement in scores and achievement. Marzano warns against, "taking the human being out of teaching!" Success comes when teachers are trained to use the technology and use it often. Teachers who used IWB's for at least 2 years in 75% of their instruction had the highest percentage of improvement in student scores. I agree with Marzano's point that "balance is needed." He says the "sweet spot" comes when there is: 1) a clear focus of content, not just bells and whistles 2) student's learning is tracked through voting and 3) student's feedback is used to guide further instruction. He points out that the best teachers "evolve in their own educational theories."

Project 9a Timetoast - "Looking Ahead to Lloyd Family Fun In Fairhope"

Blog Post 5

The following sources offer creative ideas to develop a podcast. You'll be impressed with the exceptional students in Ms. Edmison’s 3rd grade class at Eagle’s Nest Radio & Class Blog! The 3rd grade “eaglets” produce informative audio podcasts (radio shows) that tell about the “latest, greatest, most fascinating things they are learning in their classroom.” Their audio podcasts feature musical introductions and closings, informative content, and pictures related to the topic. Listening to the audio podcasts puts the listener in the classroom! Take a moment to listen to, “A Shark-tastic Interview” where students host a skype video conference interview with a resident shark expert. You can hear the student’s excitement, laughter, spontaneous questions and answers! It made me wish I was in Ms. Edmison’s class! Students also post original artwork with blogs about their experiences and video news reports. Ms. Edmison uses podcasts as tutorials for math concepts! Lucky students! She also encourages reading by updating students on current books SHE’S reading...how’s that for modeling?!?

The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom by Joe Dale is a slam-dunk argument FOR podcasting in the classroom! He points out that we will be teaching students who are typically referred to as “millenials” (born after 1980 who have never experienced life without pc’s and technology.) I agree with all points expressed in his podcast and appreciate the way he included interviews of students, teachers, and administrators to promote podcasts as “tools for project-based learning using higher order thinking skills.” Podcasting promotes teamwork and as one student said, “makes learning fun and keeps my attention.” Podcasts allow students to “teach” others. For parents, podcasts give them a window into their child’s learning experience.

100 Ways to Use Your iPod to Learn and Study Better Wow...I’m excited to learn about all the downloadable learning devices mentioned on this site! My husband just gave me an iPod Nano for Valentine’s Day. Thanks for providing this link, Dr. Strange! I will definitely be adding several of these tools to my iPod!

Group 3 Podcast: Should a teacher request a K-12 student as a facebook friend?

Click the image to listen to our podcast.

Project 3 - C4T #1 Comments & Summary

I was assigned to follow the blog, Middle School Matrix, created by Hadley Ferguson, a teacher in Philadelphia, PA. First, I want to give a sincere thank you to Dr. Strange for partnering me with Hadley. Her response to my first post was very encouraging! She replied that we have much in common and welcomed me to the conversation. I commented on her post Heading to Educon - Year 2. She explains that, "Educon is a conference that brings together educators from around the world to discuss teaching and learning in the 21st century." Through Educon, Hadley met the members of her PLN (personal learning network) face-to-face. In her words, "It was a remarkable experience to be together with people I had met on Twitter and shared so much with, but had never shaken their hand or heard their voices." She considers her PLN members as "anchors in a world that's constantly changing." They are “some of the most generous and thoughtful people she has ever met.” Hadley’s comments prove that technology is powerful in its ability to connect people and form lasting partnerships!I was excited to hear a recap of her Educon-2 experiences which she elaborated here Movement as a 21st Century Skill. Hadley’s fellow colleague, Betty Ann Fish @bafish10, is head of the PE Department at her school. Betty Ann conducted a session at Educon-2 that focused on the incorporation of movement and activity to enhance curriculum instruction. Her ideas included relay races to learn the stages of butterfly development to team puzzle construction races using life-size states to form a map of America. I applaud Betty Ann Fish and educators like her! Let’s get back to where we came from, moving to learn, moving to live!

Blog Post 4

Scott McLeod: Don’t Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?

Who is Dr. McLeod? His blog bio indicates that Scott McLeod, J.D., Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Educational Administration program at Iowa State University. He also is the Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE), the nation’s only academic center dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators, and was a co-creator of the wildly popular video, Did You Know? (Shift Happens). Dr. McLeod blogs regularly about technology leadership issues at dangerouslyirrelevant.org and occasionally at The Huffington Post. In his own less formal introduction he refers to himself as, “Associate Professor. CASTLE Director. Blogger. Idea generator. Solution builder. Agitator. Catalyst. “If the leaders don’t get it, it’s not going to happen.”

As a future English/Language Arts teacher, I give Dr. McLeod’s post an A+. It was a clever way to present the argument FOR tech literacy. Here's a brief summary of my comments, “I am joining the long list of bloggers assigned to you by Dr. Strange at USA in Mobile, AL. Our EDM310 class instruction has been enlightening! As students, we have been exposed to various forms of technology to enrich our learning experience! I’m already brainstorming ways to use blogs and Twitter in my classroom! Thanks for being part of our conversation and instruction!”

Travis Allen: The iSchool Initiative

Should we make the iSchool a reality? Travis Allen, creator of the idea, thinks we should. His arguments for the iSchool in brief are: 1) massive budget cuts, larger classroom size, and loss of teaching units signal a broken educational system that needs to be changed, 2) applications already available on Apple’s Itouch are classroom ready today, 3) iSchool will save school systems about $600 per student and have a positive effect on our environment and 4) enhanced communication between parents, teachers, and students. Here are my reactions to his proposal: Pros 1) innovative, exciting method of teaching and learning 2) technological skills development equipping students for the workforce 3) access to interactive virtual resources for problem solving/research (apps) Cons 1) Will this eventually affect the number of teaching units needed in school systems/eliminate units? 2) As equipment and programs age out, will the expense continue to justify the benefits? 3) Will this be a tool to aid or become the sole method of teaching, learning, collaboration? 4) Who will determine how much access is too much access and what apps are appropriate or need parental approval?

Jonathan Reed: Lost Generation

Thank you for recommending this video, Dr. Strange! In 1:44 a profound message is conveyed. At the time that I viewed this, there were 15,065,755 views. The creative reversal from a negative message to a positive one was dramatic and effective. It’s easy to see why this won second place in AARP’s U@50 challenge (a contest to create a dialogue between generations and know what young people are thinking today.)

Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir

Wow! This was a moving video! My reaction, like Jennifer Chamber’s, was one of amazement! I had to know more about the history behind the project. I visited the web site mentioned in the credits http://ericwhitacre.com/the-virtual-choir/history and found the following facts: Featuring 185 voices from over 15 countries worldwide, The Virtual Choir began as a simple experiment in social media, but it seems to have grown into something much bigger than I ever dreamed possible. Lux Aurumque has amassed over 1.2 million views. Technology...it’s a powerful thing!

Kevin Roberts: Teaching in the 21st Century

Meaningful and powerful engagement starts with me! Technology is one of the tools used to engage (to teach) in the 21st century. This would be the perfect video to show on the 1st day of class in EDM310! The presentation made me want to learn more about every aspect of educational media and how to use it in the classroom.

Project 6 "This Is My Sentence" Video

Blog Post 3

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today

I viewed this video over and over again because I really wanted to get the messages that were being presented. The findings of the class survey give a clear vision of students today. The statements: “I will read 8 books this year, 2300 web pages, and 1281 facebook profiles. I will write 42 pages for class this semester and over 500 pages of email. I will spend 3 ½ hours a day online. I spend 2 hours on my cell phone. When I graduate, I will probably have a job that doesn’t exist today,” definitely prove that technology is a much bigger part of our lives than we realize. Truth be told, to pass EDM-310 alone, we are spending more than 3 ½ hours a day online. One thing is for certain, I will never look at a chalkboard again without thinking about this video. It would be great to move beyond the 1800’s and replace every chalkboard in America with a SMART Board! What do you think?

Kelly W. Hines: It’s Not about the Technology

I sometimes wonder. Is technology causing us to be more connected to machines and less connected to one another? As a parent, one of the traits that I teach my children is to look a person in the eye when speaking to them. Most of us spend countless hours hunched over a smart phone or laptop “communicating.” It is an integral part of our workforce and everyday lives. Ironically, many employers complain that today’s prospective applicants lack communication skills. In face-to-face interviews, they lack the confidence and know-how to answer questions because they have communicated on a keypad for so long. Even cyber interviews involve face-to-face dialogue. I recall a Friday night football game that I attended last fall. My husband enjoys the view from the nosebleed section. This gave me an interesting perspective on “modern technology.” We were surrounded on all sides by spectators with “smart” phones. Instead of voices, keypunching reigned supreme. One could not help but be impressed by their lightning fast texting speed. However, when conversing actually took place, it involved the latest text on their phone. What about the play on the field or the music of the band? Are we sacrificing the art of conversation for the speed and convenience of information? Is this becoming our identity? I understand that technology is here to stay. Ms. Hines states, “We must be up to date on current trends, research and tools. We must know what our students are doing and where they are coming from when they enter our classrooms.” I agree. We must also envision where our students will go and equip them to be more than just tech-savvy students. They must know that they are already equipped with an onboard supercomputer, their brain. Consider this. In a class session in one of my computer based courses, progress came to a screeching halt when the network was down. The instructor said, “I guess we can go home now since we don’t have access to the server.” Every student in the class had a textbook. After a few moments, the technical problems were resolved and class resumed. Classrooms should never revolve solely around technology! Computers can be wonderful tools. They should never be a substitute for the real thing, the innovative mind of a passionate teacher! We must teach our students to use common sense and action, communicate with their minds, voices and hearts, not just their keypads.

Karl Fisch: Is it Okay to be a Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

Mr. Fisch makes a very strong argument for technological literacy. I applaud his statement, “In order to teach it, we have to do it. How can we teach this to kids, how can we model it, if we aren’t literate ourselves?” I agree and will go a step further and call it hypocrisy to expect the very best effort from our students and not expect the same of ourselves. We have the distinct privilege of shaping our own destiny by what we instill in our students today. They are our future! Each one teach one. This statement only means something if what we’re teaching is relevant to the here and now, not stale information. Our students are too smart for that and they should call us out! We must be ready to give them our best and that means never being complacent or puffed up in what we think we know. Every day presents the gift of new knowledge. Technology is yet another way to open that gift. So I, for one, plan to open it, put it to good use, and share it with others!

Gary Hayes Social Media Count

Dr. Strange said it best in our assignment instructions. These changes are happening at an “astounding rate.” What then does this mean for our professional careers as teachers? Plain and simple, it means we must stay connected to our students through social media. We must make the effort to educate ourselves on the current trends and tools of technology. One thing is certain, our students will!

Blog Post 2

Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod: Did You Know? 3.0

Did you know there are 24 hours in a day? Did you know that we decide how to use our time? “We are living in exponential times.” What does that mean? Click here for the definition. Today’s society isn’t simply defined by it’s pace. Is it? Tell me that there’s more to life than just joining the rat race.
Yes, information is coming hard and fast. Yes, technology has and will continue to influence what we do with our “time.” We must use our time wisely and not allow technology to make us idle thinkers but active learners. As for the statement, “By 2013 a supercomputer will be built that exceeds the computational capabilities of the human brain;” we must not forget that the human brain is superior to machines. Machines can’t feel or express real emotion. While the information in this video is compelling, it shouldn’t send us into a panic about “keeping up.” We have been and will continue to be learners. We are innovative. We can use the tools of technology to our advantage. This will require us to be life long learners. Isn’t that exciting? We must use the exponential flow of information to make the world better for the time we have in it.

Matthew Needleman: Mr. Winkle Wakes

This video was a creative way to convey the message that most if not all schools in America need continued funding for technology in order to keep up with the demand for new and better tools for learning. We should never become “comfortable” with the status quo. Our students deserve better. How much respect can a student have for a school system whose technological resources are antiquated? How can we expect our students to compete in the marketplace with outdated technological skills? Unfortunately, with proration looming, the top priority must be keeping teachers in our classrooms! It is the sad state that we are in at the moment. The plain truth is that tough decisions have to be made on how to allocate funds. With much regret, technology may be forced to take a back seat until our economic climate improves.

Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity

I wholeheartedly agree with Sir Robinson that “Creativity is as important in education as literacy and we should treat it with the same status.” “No Child Left Behind” could be called “No Child Makes Mistakes.” Sir Ken’s comments argue this point when he says, “We’re now running our national education systems where mistakes are the worst thing you can make. The result is that we are educating people out of their creative capacities.” Education has been moulded to meet the needs of industrialism. Creativity is snuffed out for job training. He cited an alarming statistic, “In the next thirty years, more people will be graduates through education since the beginning of history. Suddenly, degrees aren’t worth anything.” Is that where we stand today? It is our responsibility to teach the whole being and value creativity equally with literacy and technology. Job creation in hard economic times will rely on creative thinkers.

Cecilia Gault Interviews Sir Ken Robinson

What do you get when you combine a young, creative mind with today’s technology? You get Cecilia Gault’s blog post with a linked video interview of Sir Ken Robinson! I applaud Cecilia for her interview skills and composure. Her article was informative and well constructed. She put forth statistics that should challenge each of us to improve our standing in the global educational community. After viewing the video and reading the article, I wanted to know more about Finland’s curriculum. Here’s a link to a 2009 article I hope you’ll find interesting.
Finland offers a single straightforward curriculum in all schools and emphasizes “creative problem solving.” The article points out that Finland has made education a national priority and maintains top funding for schools and educators. This was echoed in Sir Robinson’s interview comments.

Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts

Vicki Davis is a “teacherpreneur” who should inspire us all to embrace technology! What’s not to love about every aspect of the classroom featured in the video? I admire that she strives to as she put it, “customize the classroom to students.” Every student featured in the video appeared engaged in the task at hand, collaborating as a team. You could just see the wheels turning in their minds and that’s what technology can do. Turn school upside down! If anyone remains unconvinced that technology can make a difference for all learners, and teachers for that matter, they have only to watch Vicki Davis and her class at work! Wouldn’t it be great if projects like Digiteen and Flat Classroom were part of the everyday curriculum in our schools? This would allow students who don’t have the opportunity to travel abroad to experience other cultures as Vicki’s students have.

Personal Intro - Project #5