C4K#2

Kid's Blog
    This site is for Mrs.T.G's 5th grade class. She refers to it as their share site. It is not only designed for students to blog, but to also keep parents and others updated on events going on in the school and the classroom. The site has videos and pictures of different assignments as well as projects that the students have been involved in. I was so impressed with this site. The site allows not only mom and dad to see what the kids are doing but other friends and family members as well. Mrs. T.G. even has an area for homework where students can see their daily homework assignments; which can be super helpful if you are sick.
    The kid that I was assigned posted a blog on February 22nd in the form of a letter. He wrote this blog to his parents giving them the reasons why they should go on a family vacation. The student actually looked into prices for different places that he was interested in such as Cancun and Yellowstone. He told his parents that he did not believe that it was too costly, and that it would be a good experience. Overall, the student had many good points most importantly though he just wanted for his family to all have fun together and create memories no matter where they went.


My Comment
I really enjoyed reading your letter to your parents. It sounds like you did a lot of research about the cost of different places you would like to go.Which place do you think you would like to go more than anywhere else? I never went on many family vacations because of the cost. Just remember some place may not be expensive to visit but you still have to have money to get there and food cost. Yellowstone could be a really good place to go. You could probably bring your own food and make it into a big camping trip. I hope you get to go on your family vacation and have lots of fun.


Class 12 Blog    
   The title of this blog is, Hello! I'm Flapper! Flapper. He is the new pet Goldfish in Class 12. He enjoys learning and is hoping that the students will teach him lots of new things. Flapper is not very fond of Mr. McLoughlin music and insist that it is boring. Flapper was really worried about the students in Class 12 liking him. As soon as Mr. McLoughlin showed him to the class and Flapper heard the students say. "awh" he felt much better.

My Comment
    I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I wanted to tell Class 12 that they are so lucky to have such a handsome. I know at the daycare that I work at our class loves their pet fish. They think it is great when they are allowed to feed him. Sometimes you just need a class pet to brighten up the room. Well I hope that Class 12 teaches you a lot Flapper.

Project #14

Project #11

Blog Post #8

Richard Miller
     In Richard Miller’s video, This is how we dream, he brought to life the change from a world of books to a world of media. Currently most of us still love books but when it comes to research and writing where is the first place we go. The first place we turn to is the web. It gives us the capability to read information, but as well, as listen to it, and get live updates by the second. We are living in a world of cultural media.
In one area Miller made a statement along the lines of the need to make learning or writing more beautifully enhanced as well as creative. The web gives us the tools to make learning and or writing more appealing to others. Today we are more drawn to things that are eye appealing not just a bunch of words. The want to see videos, hear the actual voice of the people that we are reading about, and the want of fast information only leads us to on place. Many of us who like viewing these things cannot even create them ourselves and this is where we have to stop being scared of the internet and start embracing it.
     A second point that really stuck out to me from Miller’s video was the fact that using the web is such a convenience. An example that he gave on this was when he was writing an article on the shooting of Virginia Tech. He discussed all the different time saving possibilities that he ran into. While writing this article he never had to make a trip to the library and dig through books. Miller was able to log on to the web and look up information in between other task that he had to do. He was also able to publish his work more quickly. The readers were even saved time by being able to go to the website that the article was one and read it at their convenience.
     We have so many options with web media and we need to embrace it full force. I am learning in EDM310 how to write with the different technologies of multimedia. I know that I still have a lot to learn and I am enjoying the learning experience. I want to be able to create different types of multimedia works that I can use inside my classroom. I also want to be able to teach my students the different uses and was to write using multimedia. I know with the ever-growing demand of technology that it will always be a learning experience.

Carly Pugh's Assignment 
     I was very inspired by Carly Pugh’s blog 12 assignment. I felt that it was a great way for students to not only discover what they felt was important but for others to see as well. It is not only a good project for learning technology and our world of multimedia; it is a good project for discovering ourselves. Therefore, the only way that I could think to actually give the deserved credit to her idea was create a play list myself. I decided that I would alter it a little bit on the instructions and use it for an example inside of an everyday classroom other then the one she gave. Therefore, here is the assignment to my class based off Carly Pugh’s amazing idea.
     My example:
   It is the first week of class and what better way to get to know your students then to have them make a play list of their life by using You Tube. In the assignment students will choose at least five videos that they feel, best describes their life. They must then give how they feel these videos describe them. Students must then also share with the class there videos. Here is my You Tube play list and why it describes me.
     My name is Constance Dixon and I am a huge animal lover. When it comes to my love for animals however there is no greater love then for the love of my pugs. They will make you laugh with their famous head tilt and will keep you up all night with their pug snoring (until you get use to it). My love for animals is great but my love for family is more. I am a first time expecting mom and I could not be more thrilled. I have not had a strong family base but my husband and both are going to make family our first priority. In today’s society, family tradition no longer seems important. Senses Fail’s music video Family Tradition describes to me what many families have become today and I fear that. I believe in a strong family support system with family traditions. A nurturing environment where kids can grow and have the love and support they need. I am working on getting a degree in Secondary Special Education. I learn so much from those with disabilities and special needs. Too many people count them out and they are just as much a person as you and me. I consider those with special needs or have disabilities as my equals and I know that I could learn so much from them. Some of them such as Hee Ah Lee can even out shine me in many areas. I have a couple of hobbies that I enjoy and one of them is baking. I have made some really yummy as well as nice looking baking project. I made a wedding cake for a friends and it turned out nice. Even though I have had some success in baking it was not always the case I have had some baking go terribly wrong. My next biggest hobby is horseback riding. I have a quarter horse named Cooper and he is a handful. I love riding him and taking care of him. He can be quite the handful we he wants to be. My life is not always action movie exciting but I still love every minute of it.

Students' Videos on EDM 310
     In the videos that were student made for EDM310 I was very impressed. These videos have actually covered to things that I had to overcome in EDM310. The first Video about Chipper and her procrastination was very true for me and probably many other students in EDM. I started this semester being on time if not early on every thing and then I started procrastinating on my work. I would get side tracked with other things going on in my life and always tell my self I can work on it tomorrow. It made me fall behind in my work and I struggled to keep up. I am not normally a procrastinator so it did not take me long to figure out that I need to adjust my work schedule when it came to class. In the second video about EDM310 for Dummies, it showed the stress that many students felt from this class. Students were overwhelmed not necessarily with the workload but not understanding it and having to figure it out on their own. I felt this way when I first saw all the projects and blogs we were suppose to be doing for the class. We do not have an actual EDM310 for Dummies book but we have amazing lab assistants that are always willing to help. To me having them there to help me through processes is better then a book.
When I have to think about a video that I might like to do for the class, I thought about making a commercial of EDM310. Make a video to try to get more students to take the class kind of like a sells pitch. In the video you could talk about your every day paper filled, teacher at the board classroom. In the second half of the video introduce the new technology, fun filled classroom that can be given with the help of EDM. The class has so many good qualities about it and I think that they should be noted.

Learn to Change, Change to Learn
     In the video Learn to Change, Change to Learn you really receive an eye opener about the true nature of what many educators are feeling about the inside of a classroom. We are relying too much on burp back education that is not really preparing students at all for the world that they will face. Students are not receiving the hands on and real world education that they need to prepare themselves. WE as teachers should be providing that for them and yet most of us do not. We ourselves are too scared to actually learn this technology and learn the capabilities that it has. Most of us are still stuck on the dangers that come with it. Even though there are some dangers, there is more danger in not learning about the technologies of our world and teaching it to the students so they learn it in a right manner. Students are in more danger of us hiding it from them. We are not preparing them and showing them what can be done with this multimedia world. I feel that these educators are right it is a time for change and we are the start of it.

Scavenger Hunt 2.0
     In our assignment Scavenger Hunt 2.0, I actually enjoyed the different tools that I encounter. I enjoyed even more the fact that I knew what many of these tools were and had even used some of them. These tools I had never encountered before EDM310. Here are the results for my scavenger hunt:

1) Classroom 2.0 is the social network I decide to join. My request is still pending approval but just from the parts of the sight that I am able to view, I am excited about the possibilities that await. Classroom 2.0 is a social network that allows you to find colleagues and others that are also in the educational field. Post are made daily by the members sharing with one another the different questions and thoughts they have as well as interesting things that they have discovered on the web. It even offers groups that you can join. One of the groups that you can join is titled Cell Phones in Education. This sight allows you to discuss ideas as well as get ideas for your classroom. They even have a tool called Classroom 2.0 Live. This is where you can have discussions with other teachers and educators and even some times a teacher will be featured for you to talk to.

2) I found the create your own comic under related links. I had a lot of fun with this tool. I even created my own and did it on EDM310

3)Poll Every Where is a tool that can be used at any time and any place in order to create a poll of the topic of your choice.

Make a live audience poll at Poll Everywhere

Book Trailer Project 12 "Noel the Coward"

Progress Report #1 on Project #10 (My PLN)

Progress Report #1    
     My Personal Learning Network is slowly expanding. I am using the website Symbaloo to organize my PLN. So far I have included three different teacher's blogs to my PLN and the social networks that I most often use. I have added Reading Rocket to my PLN as well. I have been trying to find other websites, sources, and blogs that I feel could help me become a better teacher as well as learner. I never knew that a Personal Learning Network existed but I use mine daily. I hope to better improve my PLN over time.

My Sentence Project

Project 8

Blog Assignment 7

Networked Students   
 In the video Networked Student,it talks about the connective learning that takes place inside some classrooms. This system better prepares students for 21st century learning. This is done by allowing the student to find most of his learning materials himself. This is done through blogs, educational sources, and other forums. In this particular video, the student even used his MP3 player to download lectures of some of the best professors available from Itunes. The student then creates a networking system in order to educate oneself in the topic. Students also create this networking system in order to create a place where other students can gain information.

     The question “Why does the networked student even need a teacher?” is asked during this video. The teacher is there in order to teach the student about how to use of this networking system. She gives the student the tools to know the correct sources to use. She also can help the student when they are stuck in a specific area.  Even with the student is mainly working alone a teacher is needed in order for guidance in the right direction. What I mean when I say this is throwing a student that cannot speak English in to an advanced English class would not profit many results.  More results will likely profit from a student who is assisted by a teacher while working at his or her own pace.
     I feel as if we need to prepare ourselves to become networking teachers; however, I am not fully prepared for this yet. I feel as if I have much to learn in the world of technology. My understanding of it is becoming much better. I feel as if I am not prepared to take on guiding students in this area. I would one day like to be able to have the confidence in order to teach a networked classroom. I think it would be a very interesting experience.

7th Grader's PLE
      In the video  Welcome to My PLE, a 7th grade student shows us her PLE (also known as a PLN). The student created her PLE for a science class that she is in that is paperless. The students has greatly expanded her PLE for social networking as well as her school assignments. Her PLE allows her quick reliable access to information that she can use for her educational research and learning needs. This student is using a website called Symbaloo to organize her PLE.      I am also using the site Symbaloo to organize my PLN. I have just recently started actually putting mine together. I have found it to be very useful in many ways. Like the student I am able to have all the different social networks here. More importantly websites that I have found to be helpful to me on my path of becoming an educator are also located her. PLN's are a very useful and important tool for students as well as educators to have it allows us to continue learning.

Project 9b Instructional Timeline

Blog Assignment 6

       After watching Randy Pausch's , Achieving Your Childhood Dreams, I have learned so very valuable lessons that I can carry with me as I become a teacher. He devoted his life to bettering his students and educating them to his up most ability. Many people in this world do not take the time to really learn lessons throughout their life instead they just look at a situation and see the immediate offerings it has. If we as people can walk away from different experience learning one thing; the lessons we learn are continuous. In this video I pulled many life lessons from it. I had four key lessons that really stuck out to me from this video.
     "Brick walls are there to prove how bad we want something." Randy Pausch made this statement in his lecture and it is one that I felt everyone needs to remember. I have learned this statement indirectly through out my life but to hear someone put it into words was something that I need to hear. This statement applies to everyone. I feel as if it is one that should be taught to students inside every classroom. So many children today not only struggle at school but at home as well. As teacher's we need to teach them that there will be brick walls as well as bumps in the road but they can overcome them as long as they keep trying. So many teachers just do not encourage their students to keep trying. What if you had that one student in your classroom that had no support and that was why he made failing grades; because no one at home cared enough to teach him that his education is important? Would you make that effort to give that student the support that they need to believe in themselves. As students get older those brick walls scare them more and more and we need to be their as teachers to be their safety net and let them know that those brick walls are only there to keep those out that are not willing to try.
     Another lesson that I learned in this lecture was one that I believe Jon

Snoody made, "Wait long enough and people will surprise you". We do not always know what is happening in our students life and for some if could be a rough one. With ample amounts of support though they my be the one at the end of the year to surprise everyone, even them self. As teachers never giving up on a student can mean so much to them. Sometimes you have to believe that there is good in all people and that they are capable of anything. It may take time and it may feel like you will never see it but in the end remember people can surprise you. Things are not always done when we feel they should be but everything has its own time.
     As teachers we sometime have to set out and try something new. It might be a new method of explaining a problem, or it could be a new approach in encouraging students. At some point and time all good teachers are going to have to find a new way to accomplish something within their classroom. And the one thing that we must always remember with pioneering something new is something that Dr. Pausch learned in one of his pioneering adventures, "if you do something pioneering you will always get those arrows in the back". What he is stating here is that no matter what you are going to have those that do not want you to succeed and others that want to be Negative Nancy about everything. This can be very hard and frustrating but we have to learn to keep going and teach the best way we know how. We also need to be willing to watch and learn from other educators as well as to what they have found works and does not work in their classrooms. This piece of advice is not only for teacher but students as well. They need to be prepared that they are always going to come across those that doubt their abilities. They need to learn that they have to just keep on and push through it.
     The last lesson that I really came away with from this lecture was," if you are screwing up and nobody tells you it means they have given up on you". I do not want to be one of those teacher that gives up on their students. They have so much left to live for and learn. Sometime I know that they might believe I am being to hard on them but it will only be

because I wan t them to be successful in what they do. Being a K2 teacher I have been put in a lot of uncomfortable situations where people think that I am too mean to my students and that I do not care about them. This is far from the truth. I have encountered some very independent head-strong students.What makes me know that I am doing a good job is when they leave my room the following year and they still want to come and give me hugs or tell me "hello". The highlight of my day is when my students will tell me they love me. I know then that I am doing okay as a teacher. Kids need to know that they can depend on us and we need to show them that by teaching them to become a better and stronger person.
   

C4K#1 Overview

    In this blog post I have visited young students blogs and commented on some of their work. I enjoyed this assignment very much. It has helped me to realize that most of these young students do not get many comments on their blogs. I was happy to be able to hopefully put a smile on their face by them knowing someone is actually reading their work.


20RNielsen's Blog Post
20RNielsen's blog post was talking about a game called Tanki and how much they enjoyed playing the game. He also mention that he was high ranked in the game as well. He did not go into much detail in to what the game was about except that you customize your tank and fight. So I did a little research on the game for myself. It seems that you actually customize war tanks and battle friends. You can also form teams in order to defeat enemies. I did not actually play the game but it looks like for some it could be very interesting to play. You can visit Tanki and start customizing your own tank; however 20RNielsen request you use his email, ultoguimaker@yahoo.com, to use as a referred friend he gets point for the referral.


My Comment

20RNielsen,

   Tanki sounds like it could be a very fun game to play. Congratulations on becoming high ranked in the game. I was a little confused about about something you said. You stated that in your tank you, "fight invite friends". I was not sure if it was a error or if when you invite friends you try to fight them in the game. Just some friendly advice be careful with your sentence structure it can get a little confusing. I look forward to reading more post of yours.

Kye's Blog Post

The student that I was assigned was Kye. This blog site was created by the faculty at Galley Hill. Kye is in part of Years 1 and 2  They give the students different assignments to not only have their students get use to the idea of blogging but to create better writers. In this assignment the students were required to create a story about people having fun using only 5 sentences. I have included Kye's post of his "5 Sentence Challenge".

    "Winter is snowy and soggy. When they go out side they all ways go on the exhilarating sledge.     

     After a while they went to make a snow man. They went out to the market in the slippery snow.          

     Then they ran home to have tea."

My comment

Your sentences were very good. I liked the way you described winter as soggy. I live in Mobile, Alabama so if we see snow it barely covers the ground. Your sentences really make me want to visit somewhere with a lot of snow so that I can play in it. Remember you always know good writing if it captivates the audience and you have done a good job at that. 

Connor's Blog

     This site is for Mrs.T.G's 5th grade class. She refers to it as their share site. It is not only designed for students to blog but to also keep parents and others updated on events going on in the school and classroom. The site has videos and pictures of different assignments as well as projects that the students have been involved in. I was so impressed with this site it allows not only mom and dad to see what the kids are doing but other friends and family members as well. Mrs. T.G. even has an area for homework where students can see their daily homework assignments; which can be super helpful if you are sick.

     The student that I was assigned to name is Connor. In his blog he discusses the benefits of boys joining groups such as the Boy Scouts. He started by listing three reasons that it was a good choice to make they were the following: better community, it is fun, and learning safety in the wilderness. He then went into details about each of the reasons he listed. He was very enthusiastic about joining the Boy Scouts. He reveals at the end of his blog that he is actually in the Boy Scouts himself. 

My Comment

 Connor,

   I enjoyed reading your blog. I could tell that you are very proud to be a Boy Scout and that it is important to you. Most boys your age just want to discuss baseball and video games; however you found something that can benefit so many people to also be a part of. You should be very proud of yourself. My husband was actually in the Boy Scouts for a long time he made it all the way to being an Eagle Scout. He tells me stories all the time about his camping experiences. So I know the lessons you learn now you will carry with you and that is something very important. What level have you reached? Keep up the good work and you should make a blog about one of your camping trips that would be very interesting to read and to hear what all you learned.