Sunday, December 7, 2014

Sunday, November 30, 2014

November C4T

First C4T for November

Two weeks ago I committed on a blog written by Henrietta Miller from Sydney, Australia. She recently traveled to New Zealand to explore technology in the primary school system. Ms. Miller wanted to find out if the technology was helping the students with language and literacy. She found that the students take their test online, giving the teachers instant results. She found all the schools in New Zealand were using Ipads, laptops, chrome books, and using a BYOD model. The students and teachers are expected to already know how to use technology in the classroom. Almost all the teachers are using blogs weekly to communicate with the parents. According to Ms. Miller technology in the right hands is a great learning tool. I feel like this is a great idea to use technology in the classroom. By using technology students become engulfed in learning, by hearing, seeing, and interacting through technology.

Second C4T for November

For my second C4T I choose Edna Sackson, who teaches at an International Baccalaureate PYP school in Melbourne, Australia. One question that Ms. Sackson brought up was, "Why don't we abandon report cards altogether?" Since we are using technology in the classroom, why do we still need to send report cards out twice a year. By using facebook, twitter, and blogger teachers are already communicating with the parents on their child's progress. Ms. Edna calls people who communicate through technology "Cloud Grannies", who are people of all ages. I think using blogs, twitter, and facebook would encourage more communication between the teachers and parents. With my ten year old I have to contact the teacher to find out her progress or wait until the report cards.  It would be nice to see how she is doing daily or weekly.

Saturday, November 29, 2014

Blog 5 Part 2

I have learned a lot about Personal Learning Networks.  I now use TwitterSymbalooPinterest, and Padlet for my Personal Learning Network. I hope in the future these sites will help me along my path to becoming a teacher. Symbaloo helps me organize my projects and materials; Pinterest helps me to gather important information together; Padlet lets me work on projects with other people and with Twitter I learn new viewpoints and information. I may not be using Twitter as much as I would like right now, but I am planning on expanding my social network. At the beginning of the semester I knew nothing of Personal Learning Network, now it all makes sense and I hope that it keeps growing. I believe different sites will appear along the way and I will explore them to gain greater knowledge to benefit my students.  Learning is a part of life, it is exciting and refreshing, so I will never stop learning. I will use my knowledge that I gained from this class to help improve my teaching and learning style.



Sunday, November 23, 2014

C4K November Summary

My First C4K for November
I read a post by Jacob in Mrs. Myers 8th grade class. Jacob wrote a blog post about product design, where he shows two videos on how to make a small container out of juice bottle caps. In the first video How to Make a Soda Cap Container, a person could make a container to store stuff in for survival.  In the second video Make a "Matchless" Survival Fire Kit showed us how to make a matchless fire starter stored in the Soda Cap Container. I feel these are two really good videos for when you go camping.

Second C4K for November

For my second C4K I read a post by Danielle, who is in Mrs. DeBuhr's 8th grade language class at Kingsland High School. Danielle wrote about blogging for the first time and how she carefully proof reads her blogs before she post them.  When she first found out she had to write a blog she felt "stupefied" now she feels "tranquil".  Reading her blog I feel the same way.

Blog Post 14

According to Teaching Can Be a Profession by Joel Klein we need to change the way we recruit teachers. He states that we need to hire only the top third of our students, and improve academic training for teachers. He also states that teachers are paid the same and it is hard to get rid of incompetent teachers. Depending how long you have been teaching depends on your pay raise. Mr. Klein states that the best teachers are often hired into middle class communities while the poor communities suffer. In the article he states that the late Albert Shanker suggested we make teaching into a profession.

I agree with Joel Klein that we need to change the way teachers are recruited. We should start training them in college to be effective teachers. Teaching should be a profession that offers better initiatives. I do not agree with accepting only the top third of our students, I think we should offer higher quality test instead. Some students may be poor in certain areas but strong in other areas. Offering workshops will help keep the instructors in touch with the newest teaching methods.   Training the teachers in project based learning will help to improve their teaching methods. As stated in the above sentence about hiring only the top third of the students, not all people are geared to teach.

 In today's world technology is taking over, teachers and students are always learning and will continue to do so. Teachers are there to instruct and guide students through the learning process, it is up to the students to learn. A teacher can graduate at the top of their class and still be incompetent.  By training teachers early on, we will improve the quality of teaching and learning.

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Project #12 B Smartboard

Group 8 Smartboard Presentation 12B


Blog Post 13

Answer these questions after reading Pros and Cons of Allowing Digital Devices in the Classroom and Tablets vs. Textbooks. Watch the video Mobile Devices in the Classroom.  You can also use other websites to support your answers.
1. What are the pros and cons of smartphones in the classroom?
2. What are your thought on tablets vs. textbooks.
3. After reading these articles will you still use technology in the classroom? Why?

Smartphones in the Classroom
Pros
1. In case of an emergency students can call their parents.
2. Students can look up information on their smartphones for a class project.
3. Students can find new and exciting ideas and projects.
4. Students can excess instant videos, music and images.
5. Social information - students can share information with each other.
Cons
1. The EPA discourages too much exposure to video screens, which could harm people.
2. Students can excess material that is not monitored by the school.
3. Child predators and cyber bullying can hurt students and it can get worse.
4. Some people are concerned that students will stop interacting with their peers and rely on electronic devices instead.

Tablets vs. Textbooks
Pros
1. Tablets help students learn faster.
2. Tablets can hold up to a 1000 books on 1 gigabyte, which reduces storage space.
3. E-books are cheaper than a textbook.
4. Tablets can excess information that is not in a textbook.
5. Textbooks are heavier than tablets and has been known to cause back-pack injury.
Cons
1. Tablets are more expensive than textbooks.
2. Some homes do not have sufficient broadband usage for tablets.
3. Tablets are expensive to fix.
4. Tablets can freeze, crash, or get hacked.
5. Tablets have too many distractions for classroom use.



Using tablets in the classroom will give the students a wide range of information than from a textbook. By using their smartphones, students can talk with people from different countries to get an idea of what the world around them is like. In an earlier video, Anthony Capp mentioned that you should always have a backup plan just in case an emergency occurs.  You never know when the electricity will go off or the tablet quits working, so you should always be prepared with something non-digital.  Having lectures with open-ended questions, project based, and technology is a great way in directing our students for the future.

Monday, November 10, 2014

Post C4T Teacher #3

First Blog  National Day on Writing October 20

Anna cockerille wrote about the National Council of English Teacher's sixth annual National Day on Writing. In her blog she gave some ideas on how to celebrate NCTE which included:  Chalk-A-Bration and Theatrical Shorts. Ms. Cockerille mentioned that this year's theme is "Landscape of Knowing". In conclusion to her blog she made a suggestion to form a group with your older students and do a Moth-Style story session.

Second Blog Work Smarter

While grading papers Ms. Anna Cockerille  would make suggestions for the student to fix them, but some of the students were confused or could not read her writing. So she decided that organization and elaboration matter the most when writing papers. Organization is how the paper is put together, and elaboration is the amount of information that fills the paragraph up. When reviewing a student's paper you should concentrate on these two categories to help the student become a better writer. If you want to review one item at a time, it is up to you.  Knowing what your students need to work on, you could divide the paragraphs up into sections.   Take your time in grading the papers and do not feel overwhelmed with the task.

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Project 14 - Project Based learning 2





Links

Checklist
Lesson Plan
Calendar
Rubric

Blog Post 11

What can we learn about teaching and learning from these teachers?

In the video Back to the Future the students watched a hot air balloon take off, the movement, and landing, then Mr. Crosby had the students write a story about them being the hot air balloon. The students posted their stories and pictures on their blogs in a story format. Having these students become the hot air balloon helped them to learn about the air currents and the students had fun creating their stories. Mr. Crosby is teaching his students to write, share, tell stories, articulate orally, getting feedback, and connecting globally to other people.




Watching Teaching Digital Citizen by Sam Pain, students learned that using the internet they need to be respectful, responsible, and not to give out personal information.  Mr. Pain had the students create a superhero to convey being a good digital citizen.  Students created a comic strip using pictures of themselves, their superheros, and a situation of not being a good digital citizen.  In these comics the superhero would tell the students what not to do.  The students seemed to enjoy doing this project and it helped them learn what to do and not to do on the internet.


By watching  Blended Learning Cycle I learned that Mr. Anderson introduces the subject with a driving question, which gains the students interest.  Then he has the students investigate the question and elaborate on it.  Next the students discuss any questions they have with Mr. Anderson.  Finally the students can take a quiz until they understand the subject.  By having blended learning the students can research the material on their own, watch classroom videos, and speak to the professor.  This gives the students extra learning material instead of just lectures.  And watching Roosevelt Elementary's PBL program I learned that project based learning gives the students in-depth learning, integrated thematic instruction, real world problems, and teaches them to research and present their presentations. These teaching methods help the students to learn in-depth information and the students enjoy the accomplishments after completing them. Teachers now have to instruct the students how to use the media and equipment for learning. If the students need help the teachers are their to guide them through any problems they have, which includes acdemic questions. Teachers and students are teaching each other new and exciting information everyday.

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Project 6, C4K October Summary

My first C4K comment for October was Alex in Mrs. Jackin's fifth grade class. Alex's blog was about his grandpa, who he calls Wampy. In his blog he described his favorite memories are when Alex and his Grandfather go out for ice cream. Alex also mentioned that he enjoys his video chat with his grandfather. I think it is really great to have good memories to share with others. For my second C4K I posted a comment on Aly's blog in Ms. Naugle's class. Aly's blog was about helping an younger student on Dot Day. She helped the student with her dot project and played twister. My third comment was to Ariana in the Pt. England School, who wrote about studying maps in class. Ariana's post was about her slide project on reading maps and how much she enjoyed doing the project. In elementary school I remember studying maps and how fun they were, but without google slides.

Blog Post 10

What Can We Learn From Mrs. Cassidy?

In the videos Interview with Kathy Cassidy Part 1 Part 2, and Part 3 I learned that Mrs. Cassidy uses computers, Ipads, Blogger and Twitter to teach her first grade students. Using Twitter Mrs. Cassidy learns new ideas to help improve her teaching methods. By using a class blog the parents and students can see what is happening in the classroom.The students can log into the class blog and find links to websites that are safe to use. Each student writes on their blog at least once a week, depending on how much work they have.  After seeing someone post a comment to their post the students get excited. Watching the video Little Kids...Big Potential showed that the students really enjoy using technology in the classroom. They get to make videos, talk to people from all over the world by using Skype, and each students has their own webpage for their class assignments. Watching these videos I think I will have my students create their own webpages to put their assignments on.  I will  use a class blog so parents can see what the class is working on. As for individual blogs, I think it depends on how many students and teacher aids there are before we can use them. The downside of the internet you have to be careful what sites you log into for security reasons. To help protect the students from predators I will have the students create avatars and only use their first names. I will not put names or any information when posting pictures online,  When finding sites for them to use, I will check them out first and guide the students through them. I think the students will enjoy doing these activities because they create their own websites and they learn to work with each other.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Blog Post 9

What Can Teachers and Students Teach Us About Project Based Learning?

Reading Seven Essentials of Project - Based Learning by John Larmer and John R. Mergendoller showed good examples of how project based learning can help in the classroom. The article mentions that the finished product is not important, but the knowledge the student gains is what matters. It also mentions that students must acknowledge the project as meaningful, and it provides learning for educational purposes. I thought it was very interesting how the author gave a fictional story to help explain project based learning in the classroom. In the article there are seven essentials listed for project based learning. Essential number 1, open up an entry event such as: class discussion, field trip, quest speaker, and videos.  Essential number 2, Have the students come up with "A Driving Question" to help solve the issue. The author says the question should be open ended, complex, and linked to what the students are learning. Essential number 3, the students can create public service announcements, web pages, and brochures. Essential number four, Have the students form groups to plan and organize their projects through technology. Essential number five, the students research information and create more questions to solve. Essential number six, students can critique each others' work. At this time they can revise any problems they find with their work and fix then. Finally essential number seven, students present their projects to their peers, family, and community.



In the video Project - Based Learning for Teachers by Tony Vincent, showed us that students learn collaboration, communication, and critical thinking skills. By meeting deadlines, focusing on the process, and revising the project the students can teach themselves and others. This is just a few of what Tony Vincent put in his video. He mentions that students have a voice to create their own decisions.

Friday, October 10, 2014

Blog Post 8

What Can We Learn About Teaching and Learning From Randy Pausch?

Watching the video Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams I learned that Project Based Learning can be fun and rewarding. Randy Pausch created a course called Virtual Worlds, with 50 students divided into groups, each group did a project every two weeks. After finishing the first project the students exceeded his expectations, but he was advised to let them know they did good but they could do better. Each time the students finished their projects they kept exceeding his expectations. I learned that having fun, helping others and loyalty will go a long way in teaching and learning. Randy Pausch explained that most of what we know, we learn indirectly or by "head fake". In the video he mentioned the best way to teach someone is to teach them something else. Randy Pausch showed us that we can have fun learning new and wonderful things. With hard work, trust, being prepared, and finding the best in everybody you will achieve your goals and no matter how many times you hit that brick wall, keep trying.

Special Post

Part 1
After reading the Study by Zogby Analytics I think smartphones are important, but some students use them too much. People rely to much on these devices, 87% never let their smartphone leave their sides. I realize it is important to carry phones, they are useful. But there are more important things out there than starring at a tiny screen all day. What happens if the internet and cell phone service goes down? What are you going to do? Then there are the 34 who think that there smartphones are safer than a PC. I think it would be easier to hack into a phone than a PC that has protection. And taking pictures of a check, I hope they are deleting the photo afterwards, because if their phones get hacked, their information goes with it. They are great for looking up information and taking pictures for school projects though.

Part 2
Here is a list of what I would use smartphones and tablets for in the classroom.
1. I would have students take pictures of plants for a research project.
2. On a field trip have students record their adventures.
3. After finishing a project have the students record their thoughts.
4. Have the students write their own script and producing a movie.
5. I would have the students write blogs and post pictures of their projects.
6. For social studies the students will go on a virtual field trip to another country. then they will download pictures and write about their experiences.

C4T # 2 Summary

I did my C4T with Ms. Deb Frazier who teaches first grade. I thought Deb Frazier's post on Wild Readers  was great. She said that students read more when they are interested in the subject, for example students like to read books about television shows. To introduce the students to more reading material she puts different genres of books in a tub. She also post a blog where students can recommend books. This way the students can get a variety of books to choose from. Ms. Frazier's post on "The Best Part of Teaching - Learning alongside the kids" showed us that some of the best ideas come from your students. She mentions that some of the idea are not planned and she enjoys having her students give her the ideas. Her classroom is divided into work stations, and after each work station the students gather in a circle and share what they have learned with their peers.

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Blog Post 7 How Do We All Become Learners

When I started this class in August, I never heard of Record MP3QR Code Monkey SoftwareDiscovery Education, and Popplet. After watching these videos, I have a long way to go in researching different resources online. I believe all ages will benefit from using these sites. Young and old will teach each other how to use these websites to explore different concepts and places. In today's world I will continue to learn new websites that are being created to help teach my students. These sites will be a fun learning tool to motivate the students to explore more.

In the video How to Make Audio QR Code by Michele Bennett a librarian at Gulf Shores Elementary School is teaching the students how to make their own QR Codes using  www.recordmp3.org and www.qrcode.monkey.com. The students are recording themselves reading stories, so they can return back later and listen to them. Ms. Michele Bennett explained that the students will listen to the story 2 or 3 times after recording their stories. After recording the stories the students copy it to a URL, then go to www.qrcodemonkey.com which makes a code for students to use later. Finally the students copy the code onto a word document and print for later use. If the parents want to listen to the audio all they have to do is scan the code, by using a scanner.

In the video  iPad Reading Center Ms. Ginger Tuck explains one of the uses iPads can be used in the classroom. The students record themselves reading on the iPad so they can improve their reading skills. This way the students can listen to the story as many times as they need too. The instructor walks around the classroom encouraging and helping the students.

Ginger Tuck in the video  Poplet with Ginger Tuck demonstrates how to use Popplets . Using the iPad student start with a blank screen, then they press a spot and a box appears. In this box they can type a script, Veterinarian was used in the video. After adding other boxes to the screen the students download pictures from the internet or take pictures with the camera.



In the video AVL and Kindergarten Students, Mrs. Tuck shows us how to use the Alabama Virtual Library. The students choose a word from a list, type it in and AVL shows them pictures, videos, information, and audio on that subject. Once they have done their research they work on their worksheets, by drawing  pictures and writing sentences.


I watched three videos that described how to create a board on Discovery Education. These videos included Tammy Shirleys' Moon ProjectMrs. Tassin 2nd Grade Video on Glacier Park. and Mrs. Tassin's 2nd Grade Video on Animal Foundations. The students downloaded pictures with information on the boards. One group was raising money to help the animal foundations, and the other group went on a virtual field trip to Glacier Park, Alaska.

In the video Using iMovie and the Alabama Virtual Library in Kindergarten John Strange interviews Michele Bennett and Elizabeth Davis.  Michele Bennett explained how kindergarten students enjoy iMovies to create book trailers.The students downloads pictures from a book and write their own script for the trailer. Elizabeth Davis explained that the kindergarten students use Alabama Virtual Library, and how safe it is to use. She has the students pick a word and research it as an activity.According to Bennett and Davis the students really enjoy these activities.

In the last video We All Become Learners  John Strange interviews Michele Bennett and Elizabeth Davis on how devices make us all learners. Michele Davis explained that using devices such as Padlet and Popplets  changes the way we teach and learn. By using these devices the "teachers teach the students, students teach students, and students teach teachers".

Project 13 - Project Based Learning 1

My group decided to use the 9th grade for this project, and the lesson plan follows the Alabama Course of Study. The students are to identify scientist and philosophers during the Scientific Revolution, and Age of Enlightenment. For this study the students will be divided into four groups. Each group will choose a name of a key player that shaped the future. The students will have a week to complete their project, using Powerpoint or Google Slides. After the week is over the students will have 2 days to present their presentations to the class.

Links:

Lesson Plan
PBL Calendar
Checklist
Rubric




Friday, October 3, 2014

Project 7 Four Movies Part B

Movie for the parents of the students in my class.




Introducing myself to my students.



Saturday, September 27, 2014

Blog Post 6

What do you learn from these conversations with Anthony Capps?

Watching  Project Based Learning Part 1 and Project Based Learning Part 2 I learned that project based learning creates a project for students to learn a goal.   It can be taught by content, raises the students interest, and uses authentic audiences.   Students feel pride when they are working on their projects.   Anthony Capps explained that by using project based  learning the students go beyond what is expected of them.

In the video iCurio Mr. Capps explained that using iCurio helps students safely search for information, videos, and pictures for education purposes.  I learned that iCurio helps students to store and organize their research material.  And by using the read aloud feature iCurio assist people with disabilities.

The video Discovery Education explains that students retain more information when they see text with illustrations.  Accoring to Anthony Capps this website allows students to research different things and enhances reading and writing.



The Anthony - Strange List of Tips for Teachers Part 1 listed five tips for teachers:
1. An individual must be interested in learning.
2. Learning must be a hobby. Learn during your free time.
3. Always be flexible when problems arise.
4. Have all the students engaged and motivated to learn.
5. Reflect on how to make learning more interesting.

Watching Don't Teach Tech - Use it, Mr. Capps explained that instead of teaching technology you should learn something from it.   Choose one technology at a time; then once you have learned it, learn another.  According to Mr. Capps you will not always get what you aim for, it is not a perfect system.

According to Additional Thought About Lessons there are four layers to lessons.  The lessons are divided into units for the whole year.  The first layer is what you are going to cover for a year.  The second layer is what you will cover in 6 - 8 weeks.  The third layer is lessons covered in a week.   And the fourth layer is broken down to a daily plan.

C4K Summary for Month of September

I posted a comment to Faafetai's post that self management is important for being self reliable, resourceful, and resilient. Faafetai attends the Pt. England School in Aukland, New Zealand. She posted a blog about self management and how being self motivated can make you a leader. She listed all the words that have something to do with self motivating oneself.

Carly in Ms. Horst 5th grade class posted about Dot Day and how much she loves it. She even showed a picture she painted of dots. I commented that we just did a project for Dot Day in my Art of Education class, which turned into an Easter Egg.

In Mr. Jonah Salsich's class Andre posted a blog about his favorite football player Russell Wilson, a quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks. He wrote how he loves the way Russel plays and throws the ball. It was hard to comment on his post since I do not know much about football. So I told him that it was great he loved sports, and I hope that the Seahawks have a great season this year.

Project 8 Book Trailer


Saturday, September 20, 2014

Blog 5

Personal Learning Networks

Personal Learning Networks or PLN are networks for people to share information and news with a group of like minded individuals. FacebookSkype, Google, and blogs are tools used for personal learning networks. When creating your Personal Learning Network find a tool to use. I am using Twitter and Symbaloo to start my personal learning network. Find individuals that you have similar interest with, I am following my EDU 301 instructor Ms. Paige Vitulli and EDM 310's class blog. You can use Pinterest and Symbaloo to organize your information and websites. Personal Learning Networks are great for staying connected for the latest news and resources.

Project #3 Presentation

Monday, September 15, 2014

C4T #1

In Ms. Amanda Hernandez's blog, she explained that Mentor Text is a great way for students to learn sentence structure and encourages them to think, instead of memorizing the rules of grammer. She also likes that it focuses on the right way of writing and not focusing on the wrong. I believe that mentor text is a great approach to teaching sentence structure, by having the students pick out a sentence and pointing out the different parts of it.
Mentor Text





I thought Ms. Amanda Hernandez's blog on Daily 5, is a great idea for teachers to use in helping the individual needs of students.  The video on EdTech Workshop, under "Daily 5" showed us the right and wrong way of reading a book. The right way is to quietly pick a book and sit down to read. The wrong way in reading is making lots of noise and fidgeting. She is hopeful that teachers will use these checklist.

Daily 5 Implementation Checklist


Saturday, September 13, 2014

Blog Post 4

What questions do we ask? How do we ask?

According to Asking Questions to Improve Learning, when asking questions be specific about the topic you are presenting. Plan your questions in advance, and make notes when to ask them. Plan different types of questions closed, open, and managerial. Closed question are limited to correct answers, while open questions can lead to a more effective class discussion. Managerial questions ask the students if they understand the assignment. Give the students a few seconds to answer the question, this will give them a chance to volunteer. Try not to ask leading questions, you want the students to think for themselves. Even if the student is incorrect with their response, show that you are interested in what they are saying. When a student misses a concept ask them what they missed, then if they still do not know the answer open up a class discussion. Also if you are asking yes or no questions make sure you ask the students why they answered the way they did.
Asking questions

Project 15 - Search Engines

Search Engines

Yahoo.com was founded by Jerry Yang and David Filo in 1994. The Corporation is located in Sunnyvale, California. This website has a large search directory to locate information for school and work. Yahoo has other search engines, such as Yahoo Mail, Yahoo News, and other sites. I use this search engine for my primary email and looking up the news.


Yahoo.com

Yummly.com was founded by David Feller. The corporation is located in Redwood, California. This website searches for food, cooking, and recipes. It allows users to look up ingredients, nutrition, and meal courses. I use this website when I cannot find any recipes at home.

popovers

Indeed.com is an employment related search engine. It post job listings from thousands of websites such as job boards, staffing firms, and company career pages. Members can apply for jobs and post their resumes on the website.

indeed.com

Mocavo.com was founded by Cliff Shaw and launched on March 16, 2001. This search engine has millions of records and historical documents online. Mocavo provides its customers with tools to build a family tree, and genealogical and historical research. Unlike some search engines, you have to pay to use this one.

Mocavo

WebMD.com was founded by Jim Clark and Pavan Nigam in 1996. This search engine provides health information and healthcare. Gives you a checklist for various illnesses and provides personal medical information. I thought this was a great website, but one still needs to see a doctor.

WebMD

Bing.com/news is part of Bing, which is a web search engine. From different sources news is collected and categorized for users to browse the top stories in the news. Bing news also provides articles on politics, business, and entertainment.

Bing news

Wolfram Alpha is a computational knowledge engine. This search engine answers problems dealing with math equations, it calculates them for you. In other words it helps you figure out math on the computer without pencil and paper. My finite math requires us to use this search engine. Unfortunately I am still figuring out how to use this program.

Wolfram Alpha

Lexisnexis.com is a computer based website that helps corporations and individuals with legal documents, research, and risk solutions. It was an experiment done by the Ohio State Bar in 1967. According to Wikipedia it is the world's largest electronic data base for public and legal records.

Lexisnexis.com

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Blog Post 3

What is Peer Editing

Watching the video, What is Peer Editing and the slideshow,  Peer Edit With Perfection Tutorial showed me how to edit someones' post. The video and slideshow are similar on the methods of editing a post. First, compliment them on something written in the post, and do not insult them. People respond better with positive criticism then negative. Second, make suggestions to improve the content of the paper, by suggesting they add something or take something out. And the third, is correcting any punctuation or run-on sentences. Make sure the content of the post is the same as the topic, and stay focused on the post.

Writing Peer Review Top 10 Mistakes

The video Writing Peer Review Top 10 Mistakes introduced ten mistakes you should not do while editing someones' work. Do not be pushy by making someone take your advice. Do not be loud, please be respectful to those around you. If someone has an extra space between the sentences, please do not be picky, mistakes do happen. Because you can miss a correction in editing, do not rush through it. Please do not insult the paper you are editing, your peers will become defensive. Care about editing their paper, peers can tell when you do not want to help. Stay focused on what is in front of you, not your fellow classmates behind you. Also stay focused on the review, not what you will eat for lunch. And finally when editing a peers' paper do not let it bother you when they get upset.
July | 2009 | Lisa Gold: Research Maven lisagoldresearch.wordpress.com

Sunday, August 31, 2014

Blog Post Assignment 2

1). In the video "Mr. Dancealot", the author shows us that curriculum with lectures but no class participation can be an ineffective teaching tool. He proves this by having the students take notes off the board while the instructor lectures about dance. During the class, the instructor does not let the students practice, but demonstrates the dance moves behind a large counter that blocks the view. At the end of the video, the instructor has the students demonstrate the dance for a test grade, but they are confused on what to do. Lecturing does not always work by itself but needs class participation to succeed. I thought the author made an excellent point that participation is essential for students.

2). The video "Teaching in the 21st Century", by Kevin Roberts, shows us that teaching in the 21st century is changing. Students can now learn on their own with the help of technology. They can get information on cell phones, facebook, blogs, wikapedia, and twitter. Even though they can get the information, they still need someone to guide them through the sites. So teaching is changing to accommodate technology. But students still need teachers to show them how to blog, answer questions, apply, analyse, evaluate, and create the information. With todays world changing, people need to have knowledge of technology and how to apply it.

3). The video, "The Networked Student" by Wendy Drexler gives an example of how students still need instructors to teach them. Students can learn on their own, but instructors can teach them how to build networks and how to use them. If there is a problems the instructors are there to guide them through it. I thought this video demonstrated that teachers are still needed in the classroom.

4). In "Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts" by Vicki Davis, the instructor is teaching the students the different technologies to use. Her thesis is every student works at a different speed, that lectured based curriculum causes a disadvantage for some students. She analyzes the students's curriculum and helps them feel comfortable with what they do. As she is teaching, she throws out terminology for the students to look up on the web, this gives the students confidence. I thought this video was a good representation of how technology has changed since I was in high school. Students of today are given better opportunities to learn through the different kinds of media.

5). In the video "Who's Ahead of the Race", by John Strange, I would have to say the elementary students are further ahead then the undergraduate and graduate students. I feel that the elementary students begin learning technology when they enter school and at home. A lot of undergraduate and graduate students did not grow up with the technology we have today, so it is harder to understand it.

6). "Flipping the Classroom" by Ms. Munafo, is a video where the students watch the lecture online at home and do the homework in class the next day. This concept is new to me, and I do not quite agree with it for a couple of reasons. One reason is not every student has a computer, ipad, or cellphone at home, and having to watch the video the next day in class will put them behind the other students. Secondly having them watch the video at home may be difficult, because elementary students tend to play games and watch cartoons after a long day at school. A third reason this may not work, some parents do not believe in having a computer, television, or other technology in the home. I believe this concept will work with the older students, since they are mature enough to do this on their own.

7). "Bringing the Locker Room in the Classroom" by Greig Owens explains how coaches' techniques on teaching can help with math, science, and other subjects. He believes that problem based learning can help students solve problems among themselves. Mr. Owens came up with this idea by watching a basketball game, so he implemented the technique in is class. He lectures on the subject, then he lets the students discuss the idea among themselves. By doing this technique the students are getting involved in the learning process.

Monday, August 25, 2014

Blog Post 1

What about EDM 310

My first day in EDM310 was scary, there are several things I do not understand. I have heard of blogging and HTML, but did not know what they were. Now I understand a little of what a blog is. HTML that is another story, it is a whole new language for me. I think the hardest issue for me, will be trying to express my thoughts on paper. Another issue would be missing a concept or getting behind in the course. I think the best way for me to overcome my fear is to ask the instructors questions and do research on the subject. Right now I do not have any questions, but I am sure I will in the future.

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Who am I

It has been a few years since I attended college, so my writing is rusty. My name is Monica Aldridge and I live in Mississippi. I graduated in 1987 from Niceville High School, located in Florida. After high school, I attended Okaloosa-Walton Community College, which is now West Florida University. During college I moved to Georgia, where I worked at T.J.Maxx for a few years. While in Georgia I met my husband and moved to Mississippi. We now have two children, Shelby and Miranda. Shelby is eighteen, and joining the navy this fall. Miranda is ten and has autism, she is in the fourth grade. I enjoy reading, cooking, and spending time with my family. About seven years ago I attended Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College for a semester, to finish my general degree. It has been difficult to go back to school, while working full time and raising a family. But my dream is to become a special education teacher. In elementary school, Ms. Simpson encouraged me not to give up but keep trying until I get it right. Because of her I want to make a difference in someone's life. I believe an educator's job is to plan lesssons, keep records, present material, evuluate, and meet professional responsilbities. By doing this they are instilling values and knowledge for the future.