Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Blog Assignment 9
Mr. McClung started teaching in the fall of 2008. For every school-year he has taught, he has written a blog post about what he has learned.
2008-2009
I was really interested in reading the post for his first year of teaching because I was sure that it addressed the issues that I may be having. In his first year of teaching, Mr. McClung says that an important decision he made was to be positive. I believe that there is nothing greater than to remain positive. Face it, very few things go smoothly and as planned, but positivity enables us to see problems in a completely different light.
He also says that teachers are more concerned with the delivery of the content rather than student comprehension. It is crucial that you have to "let your audience drive your instruction". Another lesson he had learned was that no lesson is ever perfect, and the lesson you teach and the one you plan are always different. So, when things go wrong, work with the circumstances with a big smile. Wow, for me Mr. McClung just addressed two big issues that I would have had.
In addition, Mr. McClung says that communications is the best way to solve any problem in a workplace. I think communication is very important, especially between students and the teacher. It is very important that the teacher makes the students feel comfortable and builds strong relationships. A teacher should listen to his or her students and take more interest in their lives. I think this is the way that a student can feel close enough to discuss issues and change potential downfalls into successes.
Mr. McClung also states that it is impractical to hold high expectations from students. Instead, a teacher's job is to "simply pick them up after they fail, dust them of, and encourage them to try again". He also says that there is no reason to be afraid of technology. Last, he ends by saying that never stop learning. I really liked when he said that it was never too late to change the way of learning, thinking, or style, and I believe that technology plays a big part in this.
2011-2012
In this post, Mr. McClung starts out by saying that he had been trying to please his peers. In the process, he realized that it was not important. What is important is whether the kids are having fun. I agree that this is the #1 priority for a student. It is actually worth making a difference in your students lives and seeing them happy.
He says if you get too comfortable as a teacher, "you start to get lazy and ultimately your lessons will start to suck, which then in turn means that kids are not enjoying your class". I agree with Mr. McClung that the goal of an educator should be to make sure that the students are enjoying class and do not resent school. A teacher plays a vital role in shaping the future of the students.
2008-2009
I was really interested in reading the post for his first year of teaching because I was sure that it addressed the issues that I may be having. In his first year of teaching, Mr. McClung says that an important decision he made was to be positive. I believe that there is nothing greater than to remain positive. Face it, very few things go smoothly and as planned, but positivity enables us to see problems in a completely different light.
He also says that teachers are more concerned with the delivery of the content rather than student comprehension. It is crucial that you have to "let your audience drive your instruction". Another lesson he had learned was that no lesson is ever perfect, and the lesson you teach and the one you plan are always different. So, when things go wrong, work with the circumstances with a big smile. Wow, for me Mr. McClung just addressed two big issues that I would have had.In addition, Mr. McClung says that communications is the best way to solve any problem in a workplace. I think communication is very important, especially between students and the teacher. It is very important that the teacher makes the students feel comfortable and builds strong relationships. A teacher should listen to his or her students and take more interest in their lives. I think this is the way that a student can feel close enough to discuss issues and change potential downfalls into successes.
2011-2012
In this post, Mr. McClung starts out by saying that he had been trying to please his peers. In the process, he realized that it was not important. What is important is whether the kids are having fun. I agree that this is the #1 priority for a student. It is actually worth making a difference in your students lives and seeing them happy.
He says if you get too comfortable as a teacher, "you start to get lazy and ultimately your lessons will start to suck, which then in turn means that kids are not enjoying your class". I agree with Mr. McClung that the goal of an educator should be to make sure that the students are enjoying class and do not resent school. A teacher plays a vital role in shaping the future of the students.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Project #10: PLN Progress
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Blog Assignment 8
This is How We Dream: Parts 1 and 2
Dr. Miller discusses the difference of incremental changes and fundamentally changes. Incremental changes are simply those things that we work with now on our desktops. We research and put together things stated on the web, solely of text. Another change is the use of collaboration. Collaborative work makes it possible to produce works with text, images, and sound. Dr. Miller states this is an incremental change too.
In contrast, fundamental changes occur within the scopes of a digital environment. An example would be of how material changes before our eyes. Dr. Miller states, "Ideas do not belong to us individually, but they belong to us as a culture....We as educators must share ideas freely." Such a way is by using iTunes U. He sees a time when students will be using multimedia instead of word processing to compose.
These are great videos for future educators to see. They give a dose about the changes in technology and what lies in the future. Future educators, such as myself, need to become more aware of these fundamental changes, in order to become more prepared for teaching students in the age of multimedia.
I think that without keeping up, we would not be able to effectively teach students the necessary skills. Technology will never stop progressing. It is also important to know that multimedia can be fun. Why not utilize it?
Carly Pugh's Blog Post #12
Carly was a former student in EDM 310 in the Spring of 2011. In her 12th blog post, Carly makes an assignment for future educators, in which she assigns students to make a playlist consisting of various YouTube videos. (Check out her post for more information about her assignment.) In short, she wants us to symbolize our philosophy as a teacher. She combines various aspects that are important to an educator, such as creativity, program tutorials, and improvements in education. By expressing what it means to be a teacher combined in a single playlist, Carly is providing a great tool for other educators. At the end, other teachers can view her playlist and find what they need. They may even become inspired. Carly was able to combine types of material, such as YouTube videos, links, pictures, and text, to almost create multimedia.
EDM310 is Different
The Chipper Series
This series sets out to address the most common issues of students that keep them from success. It is based on a student named Chipper who makes some bad decisions. Her procrastination and bad work ethic lead to her downfall. After dropping out of school, she gets fired numerous times as a teacher and waitress due to her poor skills.
EDM310 for Dummies
This video presents student with the idea of not getting overwhelmed by the class. Instead, they should remain enthusiastic and open to the idea of learning. Tutorials of Blogger, Audacity, Skype, Delicious, Twitter, YouTube, and Google Docs will certainly help in this journey.
Videos for the Future
Other videos can be created similar to these to help students with EDM310. One I would suggest is based on peer critiquing. I have realized that peer editing can be so important when done properly. So, there should be a video made on the step-by-step process and the efficiency of peer editing. Another I would suggest is how to write a blog post. Many students still seem to struggle in putting in links, adding pictures, summarizing, and editing.
Learn to Change, Change to Learn
I think this video accurately attacks our current education system. I agree with all of the points made. Schools are like factories, where students are told to memorize and output information on a standardized test. But, how does this prepare students for their life? It simply doesn't. The only way to prepare them is through technology and the building of community learning. This will give them a sense of creativity, innovation, and teamwork, which is essentially what they will need in their future. In addition, it will teach them how to find, validate, analyze, synthesize, and communicate information. They will learn how to problem-solve with this information. Traditional schooling is ineffective since students are more stimulated outside of school through email, instant messaging, and social networking. Only if these tools are brought into our schools can we create a world of connectivity and learning.
Scavenger Hunt 2.0
1. photopeach.com: This is a great video tool, especially for educators. Some of its great features include that many student accounts can be created without the use of email addresses. You can organize projects with tags and publicly publish them. These videos can can be customized by your own soundtracks. Transitions effects can also be customized. Last, you can have unlimited videos with no limit on how many pictures per video. This tool puts together pictures, sound, and text to help the student in whichever way he or she learns best.
2. edmodo.com: This is a great networking tool for teachers, students, and parents. Teachers can post notes, alerts, assignments, quizzes, and polls. Groups can also be created. In addition, there is access to Google Docs, as well as a calendar and a gradebook. Teachers are able to send notifications and messages to parents. They have access to grades also. Last, teachers can communicate with other teachers.
3. polleverywhere.com
Dr. Miller discusses the difference of incremental changes and fundamentally changes. Incremental changes are simply those things that we work with now on our desktops. We research and put together things stated on the web, solely of text. Another change is the use of collaboration. Collaborative work makes it possible to produce works with text, images, and sound. Dr. Miller states this is an incremental change too.
In contrast, fundamental changes occur within the scopes of a digital environment. An example would be of how material changes before our eyes. Dr. Miller states, "Ideas do not belong to us individually, but they belong to us as a culture....We as educators must share ideas freely." Such a way is by using iTunes U. He sees a time when students will be using multimedia instead of word processing to compose.These are great videos for future educators to see. They give a dose about the changes in technology and what lies in the future. Future educators, such as myself, need to become more aware of these fundamental changes, in order to become more prepared for teaching students in the age of multimedia.
I think that without keeping up, we would not be able to effectively teach students the necessary skills. Technology will never stop progressing. It is also important to know that multimedia can be fun. Why not utilize it?
Carly Pugh's Blog Post #12
EDM310 is Different
The Chipper Series
This series sets out to address the most common issues of students that keep them from success. It is based on a student named Chipper who makes some bad decisions. Her procrastination and bad work ethic lead to her downfall. After dropping out of school, she gets fired numerous times as a teacher and waitress due to her poor skills.
EDM310 for Dummies
This video presents student with the idea of not getting overwhelmed by the class. Instead, they should remain enthusiastic and open to the idea of learning. Tutorials of Blogger, Audacity, Skype, Delicious, Twitter, YouTube, and Google Docs will certainly help in this journey.
Videos for the Future
Other videos can be created similar to these to help students with EDM310. One I would suggest is based on peer critiquing. I have realized that peer editing can be so important when done properly. So, there should be a video made on the step-by-step process and the efficiency of peer editing. Another I would suggest is how to write a blog post. Many students still seem to struggle in putting in links, adding pictures, summarizing, and editing.
Learn to Change, Change to Learn
I think this video accurately attacks our current education system. I agree with all of the points made. Schools are like factories, where students are told to memorize and output information on a standardized test. But, how does this prepare students for their life? It simply doesn't. The only way to prepare them is through technology and the building of community learning. This will give them a sense of creativity, innovation, and teamwork, which is essentially what they will need in their future. In addition, it will teach them how to find, validate, analyze, synthesize, and communicate information. They will learn how to problem-solve with this information. Traditional schooling is ineffective since students are more stimulated outside of school through email, instant messaging, and social networking. Only if these tools are brought into our schools can we create a world of connectivity and learning.Scavenger Hunt 2.0
1. photopeach.com: This is a great video tool, especially for educators. Some of its great features include that many student accounts can be created without the use of email addresses. You can organize projects with tags and publicly publish them. These videos can can be customized by your own soundtracks. Transitions effects can also be customized. Last, you can have unlimited videos with no limit on how many pictures per video. This tool puts together pictures, sound, and text to help the student in whichever way he or she learns best.
2. edmodo.com: This is a great networking tool for teachers, students, and parents. Teachers can post notes, alerts, assignments, quizzes, and polls. Groups can also be created. In addition, there is access to Google Docs, as well as a calendar and a gradebook. Teachers are able to send notifications and messages to parents. They have access to grades also. Last, teachers can communicate with other teachers.
3. polleverywhere.com
Saturday, October 20, 2012
C4T Summary for October
In another blog post titled "Finding Time for Tech", Ms. Worrell states that she wants to teach some tech skills to her students. Her students have laptops, but she is asked questions like "how do I change my background?". When faced with these questions she has a plan of action. First, she tries to save some questions for her technology class. Second, by telling her students to google or ask the neighbor, she encourages them to use YouTube tutorials and build the skill of problem-solving. Third, she plans a "Get to Know Your Laptop Day", for which the students are asked to make a list of questions about their laptop. Then, she answers these questions by demonstrating. Fourth, she has tech-tip Fridays, which is when students show the class something "cool", such as keyboard shortcuts. In addition to this, Ms. Worrell discusses how she wants to start a tech help team with students. In my comment, I said that it was great that she was teaching students tech skills because they will surely need it in their future. Since I really liked the idea of Get to Know Your Laptop Day, I may even use it as a teacher. Last, I discussed how I was in some kind of tech team when I was in elementary school and helped with the school website. I suggested that she could use the idea herself.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Blog Assignment 7
The Networked Student
In essence, this video uses the example of a student in the 21st century in high school studying American Psychology to show how connectivism can be a vital tool to maintain a learning network. The student's teacher does not lecture but uses the technique portrayed by connectivism, a theory that states that "learning occurs as part of a social network of many diverse connections and ties". It is a tool that can enable students to take control of learning.
The student in this video practices finding information using Google scholar and his school library database to search for scholarly peer reviewed articles. He uses a social bookmarking site, such as Delicious, to post his own searches and read what others have posted. He finds that he can subscribe to blogs to get updated information, while also make his own blog to post his own reflections on the summation of the new information he is finding. iTunes U can give him access to recorded lectures of some of the best professors, while Skype can give him a communication tool.
So, why does he need a teacher? The video outlines that a student needs a teacher to guide, teach how to communicate, teach how to seek information from experts, show how to differentiate between good and bad material, and teach how to organize information. In the end, the goal of the teacher is for the student to learn how to maintain his or her learning network and use these tools in the future. I agree with the teacher's role in connectivism. Firstly, there is now so much information available on the Internet that a student must be taught how to use this information. Secondly, a student needs to be taught how to use this information in a positive and profitable way for his or her own learning.
I think guiding students in using connectivism can empower them with tools with which they can solve about any problem. On the other hand, I feel that there is a downside to using connectivism for the purpose of learning a subject. Not all students are motivated and dedicated to take control of their learning. Not everyone has the thrive to use communication tools to accumulate information. This may be especially true in subject areas where a student may not have an interest at all. So, I do not see it as a means to facilitate learning in all students. In summary, I believe that there should be an intermix between connectivism and teacher instruction for the purposes of learning about a particular subject.
A Seventh Grader's Personal Learning Environment (PLE)
This video shows the tools a seventh grade student uses for her science class. It is amazing to see how much these tools have helped her in expanding her knowledge. The following is a comparison of her PLE and my PLN:
In essence, this video uses the example of a student in the 21st century in high school studying American Psychology to show how connectivism can be a vital tool to maintain a learning network. The student's teacher does not lecture but uses the technique portrayed by connectivism, a theory that states that "learning occurs as part of a social network of many diverse connections and ties". It is a tool that can enable students to take control of learning.
The student in this video practices finding information using Google scholar and his school library database to search for scholarly peer reviewed articles. He uses a social bookmarking site, such as Delicious, to post his own searches and read what others have posted. He finds that he can subscribe to blogs to get updated information, while also make his own blog to post his own reflections on the summation of the new information he is finding. iTunes U can give him access to recorded lectures of some of the best professors, while Skype can give him a communication tool.So, why does he need a teacher? The video outlines that a student needs a teacher to guide, teach how to communicate, teach how to seek information from experts, show how to differentiate between good and bad material, and teach how to organize information. In the end, the goal of the teacher is for the student to learn how to maintain his or her learning network and use these tools in the future. I agree with the teacher's role in connectivism. Firstly, there is now so much information available on the Internet that a student must be taught how to use this information. Secondly, a student needs to be taught how to use this information in a positive and profitable way for his or her own learning.
I think guiding students in using connectivism can empower them with tools with which they can solve about any problem. On the other hand, I feel that there is a downside to using connectivism for the purpose of learning a subject. Not all students are motivated and dedicated to take control of their learning. Not everyone has the thrive to use communication tools to accumulate information. This may be especially true in subject areas where a student may not have an interest at all. So, I do not see it as a means to facilitate learning in all students. In summary, I believe that there should be an intermix between connectivism and teacher instruction for the purposes of learning about a particular subject.
A Seventh Grader's Personal Learning Environment (PLE)
This video shows the tools a seventh grade student uses for her science class. It is amazing to see how much these tools have helped her in expanding her knowledge. The following is a comparison of her PLE and my PLN:
- Her PLE: Google Docs, Delicious, Blogger, Evernote, Glogster, Skype, YouTube, and Facebook
- My PLN: Google Drive (Docs, Presentation, and Spreadsheet), Blogger, Skype, Twitter, YouTube Google+, Timetoast, and Google Calendar
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Blog Assignment 6
Randy Pausch's Last Lecture: Acheiving Your Childhood Dreams
What a wonderful and humorous lecture to hear to get the dose on the potential in life. Mr. Pausch's lecture focused on achieving your childhood dreams and enabling others to fulfill their childhood dreams. However, the main idea behind his lecture was how to lead your life. Through his experiences and ventures, he touched the lessons he learned in his life as well as those that he taught to others. As a future educator, I found his lecture to be very resourceful.
Something that Dr. Pausch said that he had learned earlier in his life is that critics are the ones that will show you that they still care. Others who stop telling you where you are messing up in life are the ones that have given up. Dr. Pausch urged that students become more reflective on criticism. He says that arrogance limits what you are can accomplish; therefore, instead of neglecting your mistakes, accept them and learn from them. This way, you are able to clean up and polish your skills. Peer-criticism is one technique I can use in my teaching. It is a great way for students to learn underlying skills, such as listening to feedback, and wisdom that will always be used latter on in their lives.
In many of the courses he taught, such as Building Virtual Worlds, he used the format of group-work. He wanted to impart that bonding between group members and learning how to work together is very important. It teaches how to work with different people (the class had people from all departments). I believe that group work allows you to learn to make all kinds of adjustments. I can't think of a better way to teach the hidden agenda of cooperation, leadership, membership, effective listening, and positivity. As an educator, it is crucial that students learn such skills, even though they are not found in the curriculum.
Another technique that I found essential was to keep "raising the bar". In the first year he taught Building Virtual Worlds, Dr. Pausch was simply amazed with the excellent first projects that his students had created. They exceeded his expectations. His mentor advised him to tell his class that the projects were good but could have been better. In this way, students worked harder, and he was able to get even more out of the students. I think a little challenge can get students to achieve more than they think they can achieve.
What I found to be the most important technique conveyed by Dr. Pausch was to find a fun way to teach something useful, something he called "edutainment" . He said that "the best way to teach something is to have them think that they are learning something else". For example, in his lifetime, Dr. Pausch used the approach of letting his students create movies and games to learn computer programming. As an educator, it is important that kids have fun while learning something hard. I think it is a great way to get attention and focus as well as dedication.
What a wonderful and humorous lecture to hear to get the dose on the potential in life. Mr. Pausch's lecture focused on achieving your childhood dreams and enabling others to fulfill their childhood dreams. However, the main idea behind his lecture was how to lead your life. Through his experiences and ventures, he touched the lessons he learned in his life as well as those that he taught to others. As a future educator, I found his lecture to be very resourceful.
Something that Dr. Pausch said that he had learned earlier in his life is that critics are the ones that will show you that they still care. Others who stop telling you where you are messing up in life are the ones that have given up. Dr. Pausch urged that students become more reflective on criticism. He says that arrogance limits what you are can accomplish; therefore, instead of neglecting your mistakes, accept them and learn from them. This way, you are able to clean up and polish your skills. Peer-criticism is one technique I can use in my teaching. It is a great way for students to learn underlying skills, such as listening to feedback, and wisdom that will always be used latter on in their lives.
In many of the courses he taught, such as Building Virtual Worlds, he used the format of group-work. He wanted to impart that bonding between group members and learning how to work together is very important. It teaches how to work with different people (the class had people from all departments). I believe that group work allows you to learn to make all kinds of adjustments. I can't think of a better way to teach the hidden agenda of cooperation, leadership, membership, effective listening, and positivity. As an educator, it is crucial that students learn such skills, even though they are not found in the curriculum.
Another technique that I found essential was to keep "raising the bar". In the first year he taught Building Virtual Worlds, Dr. Pausch was simply amazed with the excellent first projects that his students had created. They exceeded his expectations. His mentor advised him to tell his class that the projects were good but could have been better. In this way, students worked harder, and he was able to get even more out of the students. I think a little challenge can get students to achieve more than they think they can achieve.
What I found to be the most important technique conveyed by Dr. Pausch was to find a fun way to teach something useful, something he called "edutainment" . He said that "the best way to teach something is to have them think that they are learning something else". For example, in his lifetime, Dr. Pausch used the approach of letting his students create movies and games to learn computer programming. As an educator, it is important that kids have fun while learning something hard. I think it is a great way to get attention and focus as well as dedication.
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