Blog Assignment 5

The iSchool Initiative

This is a very influential video published by Travis Allen when he was a high school senior. Travis addresses and brings out a solution for the massive budget cuts for schools. The iTouch is easy to use and can serve the needs of students as well as teachers and parents. Applications like Chemical Touch, Star Walk, and Formulae can provide the academic needs of a student. While Recorder can be used to record class lectures, Notes can be used to write lecture notes. These applications can also be used by teachers to send out to their students. Furthermore, iHomework is an application that breaks down courses for the student. Other applications like Calendar and Email can be used to stay up-to-date with assignments and due dates.

An application, such as Classic (which is a book reader that can access textbooks and library books), can have several advantages. Think about the paper, ink, and money it would conserve! With the continuing and increasing emissions of greenhouse gases, this would a great way for schools to become environmentally conscious. Travis says that school systems spend about $600 per student. On the other hand, the cost of iSchool would be only $150. Most importantly, iSchool is a great way to prepare children for the technological world. I agree with Travis on all of these points and believe that the iSchool should be adopted by all schools. Not only is it cheaper and environmentally conscious, but it also serves the needs of students in every way by enhancing the learning environment.


Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir

This is an amazing video to see if you want to see the power of the internet. It is unbelievable to see how 185 voices from 12 different countries have been put together to create this great performance! After watching this it is easy to believe that the Internet can provide a basis for so much creativity. It also reminds us of how we are not taking advantage of this great potential. Just image what can be done in the education system. With greater communication between students and teachers around the world, new ideas can spread and grow. Today's learners can become effective problem-solvers and leaders in tomorrow's world.


Teaching in the 21st Century

In this video, Kevin Roberts questions whether the school curriculum be focused on facts rather than skills. Since students can find facts anywhere and anytime, teachers are no longer the sources of information. Kevin points out that teachers are the filters of this information and should teach students how to use these resources to attain skills. Some examples that Kevin gives are how to get hired, how to find other routes to avoid traffic, and how to keep up with the latest innovations and ideas. Other skills that Kevin mentions are technological skills, such as podcasting, animation, and blogging, and being able to paraphrase, subscribe, twitter, reflect, and many others. Who will teach these students how to apply these tools in the correct way with accurate knowledge of pirating, plagiarism, copyright, and professionalism?

The availability and advances of technology has called for a change in teaching. I agree with Kevin and believe that these skills can be taught and experienced by the student. It is necessary that the student learn these skills to be successful. By making lessons engaging, educators can create effective learning built with the ability to problem-solve, evaluate, collaborate, and publish. As a future educator, technological resources can be utilized in a positive way to produce successful results. This blending of creativity with the requirements of the curriculum can prove to be a dynamic way to prepare the student for skills needed in the long-term. Similar to a point made by Kevin, as a future educator, I will have to prepare myself by researching new tools, collaborating with others already using these techniques, and taking some risk.


Flipped Classrooms

I believe that the approach of the flipped classroom is a great way to accomplish engaging learning. This technique has been applied by Ms. Gimbar and Ms. Munafo. In summary, the flipped classroom requires students to watch lectures and work corresponding problems at home before coming into the classroom. This gives the teacher time to facilitate learning rather than waste time lecturing. Since the lectures can be re-watched, struggling students can stay caught up.

I can definitively use this approach in my teaching. It is a way to use time wisely and incorporate additional, creative activities since the students will come already prepared. I will get more time to get the students to apply the knowledge rather than memorize.

Project #6: My Sentence Video

C4K Summary for September

Mao is a fifth grader at Point England School. On September 18, 2012, she posted about her school assembly that gave a farewell to a teacher, Mrs. Verry. Mao was very emotional about the fact that her teacher was leaving. As a honor of her teacher, the groups from her school did dance performances, for which videos were posted by Mao. She described Mrs. Verry as a lovely teacher and the "Queen of Bling". She closed her post by saying that she will miss Mrs. Verry and may god bless her family. In my comment, I replied back to her by complimenting how well she had communicated her feelings. Also, I wrote about the things we had in common. For example, I felt the same way when I had to leave my 11th and 12th grade science teacher when going to college. Also, just like Mrs. Verry is the "Queen of Bling", my fifth grade teacher was the "Queen of Shoes" because of the different sandals she wore everyday. I was able to connect to Mao by saying that some teachers are so memorable.

Dustin attends a middle school in Iowa. His most recent blog post, called "Homecoming Week", was published on September 25, 2012. In this post, Dustin described the different things his school is doing each day of the week for homecoming week. I replied by telling him about the homecomings I had when I was in high school. I wrote that my school had homecoming t-shirts made which could be worn on the day of homecoming. In addition, I commented that Dustin's school seemed unique to me because the students were allowed to dress up as cats and wear 50 different things.

Project #5 Presentation

Blog Assignment 4

Mr. Joe Dale, in his video, lays out the benefits associated with podcasting in the classroom. Podcasting gives students a way to connect to their academics outside of the classroom. Since today's students are technologically-oriented, it is an applicable way to assign projects and listen to lectures. In terms of projects, Mr. Dale says that there is a lot to take away, such as the promotion of creativity. In addition, parents are able to find out what their children are involved in at school. Mr. Dale provides a How to Podcast link at the end of the clip, which will come in handy when I am creating my own podcast.

Ms. Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano has done an incredible job integrating podcasting into the learning environment.  For example, in one of her projects, students were assigned an endangered or threatened animal in Florida, where students had to describe the animal's habitat and explain why it is was endangered or threatened. Students not only learned about these animals but also acquired numerous skills. In her Reflections of Podcast Project post, she make it clear that technology tools can be used to sharpen academic skills. In Podcasting with 3rd Grade, Ms. Tolisano provides a summary of skills that students take away, such as research, sound editing software (record, edit, and import files), and copyright issues. 

I found the Producing a Podcast to be very efficient. This process will be very useful to me and my group when creating a podcast. Ms. Tolisano divides the process into several parts.

After reading through the different approaches that Ms. Tolisano took with podcasting, I can conclude that podcasting can be an enjoyable way to learn. Furthermore, using technology can motivate and engage students. It is a rewarding method!

C4T Summary for September

Ms. Kolbert published "Are You Riding a Race Car or Horse and Buggy" on September 3, 2012. She used the analogy of the Amish people's use of the buggy and horse for movement when comparing to the education system's lack of use of technology. She says, "The rest of the world is competing in Nascar-like races, and you're hoping to win in your buggy". In her post she made some important points about the education system of today who is retarding the ability of students to learn and communicate in the world. I commented by adding on to Ms. Kolbert's post by saying that the world is moving so fast (race cars) while teachers and the education system are lagging behind without the use of technology (buggies). Since it is a teacher's job to help the student be successful and prepare him or her for the future, if technology is not integrated in the classroom, he or she is not doing his or her job right. Educators should prepare students to stay up to speed with society and its advances.

Because Ms. Kolbert did not have a newer post, I chose to go back and comment on an older post. Ms. Kolbert published "Some Things I Learned at ISTE" on June 29, 2012, on her blog. Her post mainly discussed what she got out of ISTE. She learned a lot about herself, such as how inspired she was and how she had made new friends. Furthermore, Ms. Kolbert discussed that there was a focus on helping teachers see that they are valued, but there were some people who argued that teachers were alone out there, which she felt was wrong. She was happy about the fact that new people had joined the Bloggers' Cafe. Lastly, she discussed the features of the iPad app, called Soundnote, that she had recently learned. I commented by replying that it was a a good thing that she was able to deepen her relationship with people that she had only previously known. In addition, I agreed with her that it was good that teachers were being valued. Every individual teacher can have a great influence on his or her students for the rest of their lives. So, it is important to help them feel empowered.

Make it Public or Keep it Private?

When editing a blog post of a classmate, you can choose to comment publicly or privately. I believe that commenting should be done publicly because it can help others find the same mistakes in their own posts. As long as commenting is done positively, there is no reason for comments to be embarrassing. Furthermore, if the peer editing process stated in Blog Assignment 3 is followed (the three-step process of complimenting, suggesting, and correcting), the comment will be very effective in bringing change.   

Blog Assignment 3

Peer Editing

I used to always think that I successfully fulfilled the task of peer editing until I watched What is Peer Editing? and Writing Peer Review: Top 10 Mistakes. In addition, the slideshow Peer Edit with Perfection! outlines how to peer edit. To summarize from these videos, peer editing should be done very positively and specifically. You should start with compliments, such as "I really liked your topic". Then, move on to give suggestions on word choice, details, organization, sentence structure, and topic. Last, show the writer what corrections and improvements can be made in punctuation, spelling, grammar, and sentence structure.

In my opinion, these videos effectively broke down the process of peer editing. I also agree that it is important to be positive in the process. What I learned most in this video is to give specific corrections. The point of peer editing is to show the writer his or her mistakes so he or she does not repeat them. It is almost invaluable to say that "you have a few grammar mistakes". It must be pointed out for the writer to notice.


Technology in Special Education

In this video Ms. Lace Cook explains how incorporating technology in a special education classroom can be rewarding. When she interviews her students, all of them agree that technology has made life easier for them. Ms. Cook believes that technology can facilitate student participation by capturing attention to the extent that they become interested and eager to learn.

Ms. Cook moves around the classroom and shows how each of her students are using technology. One student uses his iPod to listen to his audio book because he needs someone to read the book aloud. This way, reading can be made exciting and independent for these kids. A computer can magnify things for kids who cannot see properly. Also, it can help special children communicate and do their assignments more efficiently.

I believe that technology in a special education classroom can positively impact a child's education. I agree with Ms. Cook that it holds attention. It is a way that creativity can be implanted in education to make learning more interesting.


An iPad App for Special Education

After watching How the iPad Works with Academics with Autism, I would use the Science360 App in a classroom to improve learning. This application features interactive images and videos gathered from scientist, engineers, and colleges. This would be amazing to use because these special education children would be able to travel the world and look at what science has to offer. They would be able to learn about how things work, which may even open their creativity! Interactive images and videos would make learning about these things more fun and understandable, at the same time expanding a special education child's vocabulary and world.


Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

Vicki Davis is a teacher and IT Director at a school in rural Georgia. She uses technology to connect her students to the rest of the world. She believes that having a paper and pencil only allows some of her students to succeed. Ms. Davis "accomplishes her curriculum but customizes what happens in the classroom". Her goals include to teach new software, how to learn, using wiki, blogging effectively, and collaborating. At the end, using skills sets of thinking and brainstorming, she wants all of her students to be comfortable with any type of technology.

I believe that Ms. Davis has done a great job implementing technology into her curriculum. It allows her students that live in a rural area to actively share and be a part of bigger projects that other students are taking part in the world. I agree with her when she says that a paper and pencil only allows some to succeed. This verifies that when technology is used in a classroom setting, learning can become more captivating.

Project #2: A Wordle About Me

Blog Assignment 2

Did You Know: A John Strange 2012 Version

This is a video created by EDM 310 professor John Strange that outlines an interesting set of statistics about the relationship between the present student and technology. In a very short amount of time, there have been many technology advances, such as laptops and smart phones. What is surprising is that almost every student, including minorities, has one of each! People use these devices, and are able to socially connect through people all around the world, whether it is personally or professionally.

The main message set across the video asks if you are ready to be an educator. It is time that we realize how much technology can impact education. The purpose of education is to prepare students for their future, and if we are not using technology ourselves than there is no way we can help a student progress. It is almost like the world outside of school is advancing while teachers are using the same teaching techniques as 100 years ago. As educators, we need to upgrade our teaching techniques and meet the demands for the upcoming technological world.


Mr. Winkle Wakes

This is a video about Mr. Winkle who has woken up after 100 years. He wakes up to find a world that has changed extremely. He finds offices with telephones, computers, and printers. He sees people communicating with laptops across the world and having meetings. Mr. Winkle is surprised by the technology in hospitals like x-rays and lasers and other things that keep people alive.

However, amid all the changes, there was one place that he found familiar. That place was a school where a teacher lectured his or her students all day and the students took notes. It was this place where the outside world had not influenced. This video also captures a great message: why has the world moved on, while educators have remained where they were 100 years ago? As a student, I had gone through the same kind of teaching technique, which I found torturing. Technology can enhance creativity in the learning environment.


A Day Made of Class 2
This is a very unique video which shows  future technology and how it influences the world ahead of us. The girl in this video wakes up with her tablet and has all of her items stored into it, including her favorite music, her wardrobe, and her educational  needs. The very surprising thing is how it incorporated into the education.

It is amazing for future educators to see and understand that we need to progress or we will never be able to catch up. Technology is moving too fast. If educators do not make the change now, they may never be able to catch up.


Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity

Sir Ken Robinson is a creativity expert who challenges the education system and encourages today's system to bring out the creative in children. I agree when Mr. Robinson says that creativity is very important. He says that we get educated out of creativity as we become adults. However, as children, people are creative because they are not scared to be wrong. As we become more conscious and grow older, the creativity slowly disappears.

Mr. Robinson says that "if you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original". He is encouraging educators to change and become more creative. He challenges them to use creativity as a device to help children advance.