Blog Post #10

What can be learned from Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

It was a privilege to be introduced to this video of Randy Pausch. It was one of the most inspiring stories that have touched my future career for a lifetime. The lecture begins by revealing that he has terminal cancer, and was told that one month ago he was given only six months to live. He displayed a picture to the audience and showed how bad the cancer had spread. I thought that I would have to listen to him talk about how devastated his life has become since he was disbursed the devastating news. Astonishingly enough he discussed how he has lived a fulfilling life, had a loving family, and loved every aspect of the life that he has lived. It was clear that he lived his life to the fullest. Randy Pausch discussed how he put his family first and everything else second. I loved hearing how successful of a person that he was knowing that he had put his family first the entire time of his career. He knew that if he accomplished his own dreams first he then could help inspire others to achieve their own success as well. I want to inspire my own students that they can pursue ANYTHING in life. One of my biggest goals as a future teacher is to ensure that every child is given the opportunity to reach their own potential. Pausch looked at failure as an opportunity to learn and grow from the mistakes that were made in order to conquer success. He viewed failure as an opportunity to learn how to succeed. Failure does not mean that an individual is incompetent of achieving their task, but learning that the way that they are attempting it is not working. It is vital that my future students know that making mistakes is OK, as long as you learn from it. This is not only something students can apply to school work but also to real life. After all, we should be teaching our children to be successful not only in the classroom but in real life as well. Pausch was dedicated in absolutely everything that he did. I have always said, “If you are going to do something, give 110 percent effort. If your finishing product is not your absolute best, your time has been wasted. You did not reach your potential!” Randy Pausch taught his students more than just curriculum he taught his students lifelong lessons. I want to be the teacher that goes beyond the textbooks, and standards. While meeting standards are vital, teaching students lifelong applications is much more important. It is possible to teach meeting all the standards required while applying lifelong lessons as well. Learning how to communicate with others is something that an individual MUST learn to do to be successful in REAL life circumstances. To be successful every student MUST know how to LISTEN. Every student MUST learn how to work with others and work in groups.These are lifelong applications I will instill in my students. Randy Pausch always seeked to learn more. Dr. Strange's motto is for his students "to be lifelong learners." I am honored to say that I will continue this motto in my own future classroom! Please watch Randy Pausch Last Lecture you will forever be inspired as an educator!

Project 14

Meet My Mammal

This is a project based lesson plan for 3rd grade science. Students are taught how to classify an animal as a mammal. In this project based lesson plan, students will be split up in assigned groups of four. Each group will be assigned a mammal. Students will conduct a research project on their assigned mammal and create a Google slide presentation. Groups will present their mammal to the class using their Google presentation. After all presentations have been presented, individually students will be asked to choose their favorite mammal. Students will paint their favorite mammal, and identify which of the 11 mammal groups their mammal belongs.

Objectives

Students will understand the following:
1. Mammals are a class of animal.
2. Mammals have certain traits that distinguish them from animals in other classes, such as fish, reptiles, and amphibians.
3. There are many different types of mammals.
4. Mammals are classified by two shared characteristics. They all feed their young with mammary gland milk, and all have hair.

Project Overview & Project Calendar

Oral Presentation Rubric

Blo Post #9

Mr. Brian Crosby




Mr. Brian Crosby is a teacher who had the same 4th graders for three years. He had them for the 4th, 5th and 6th grade years. His students are from a low economic background but were excited about learning, because of how their teacher incorporated technology. Mr. Crosby points out in his video, that some of his students were unable to answer even the most simple questions. Many of the students did not know the city, state or country they lived in, and many did not know their address or phone number. He shared this status to point out how technology has made a difference in their lives. Mr. Crosby points out that even though a narrowed curriculum is not what educators want to teach these students, that a narrowed curriculum is what these students have been living with all their lives. After watching this video, it made our group reflect on our own lives. To us, some students, who may be very intelligent will begin school at a disadvantage. We believe some students are at a disadvantage because of the lack of opportunity due to their upbringing and childhood.
Technology definitely helps students level the playing ground for the disadvantaged students. It allows students who have not had the opportunities like we have had in our lives, or will never experience trips/vacations like we have. Technology also allows his students to visit other people around the world, on topics being discussed, that will be remembered forever. After watching the section of the video on High Hopes, we know his students learned more from releasing the balloons and watching them in real time, over what they can read in a book. Active learning is what he called it, it empowers his students to be better learners. This is a learning style we all wish could’ve been available to us earlier in our grade school years. It is a learning style we definitely intend on incorporating in our future classroom. The High Hopes lesson is one that we would like to do with our future educational classes.






Blended Learning Cycle







The podcast by Mr. Paul Anderson focused on the Blended Learning Cycle. Blended Learning is taking the techniques of online, mobile, and classroom learning and blending them together. The Learning Cycle is a excellent way of presenting material in a classroom by first engaging the question, then exploring upon that question, explaining the outcome of the experiment, expanding on the topic, and then reevaluate the question. When combining these two techniques at the same time it creates the Blended Learning Cycle. Anderson provides six steps that he uses in his Blended Learning Cycle. These steps are as follows:

• Question - When presenting to the class it is best to begin with a question to hook the students focus in to the lecture.
• Investigation/Inquiry - Teachers should allow their students time to search and experiment their topic to get a better understanding.
• Video - Using a video instead of just lecturing allows the teacher more time to interact with the class and gives the students the opportunity to learn independently.
• Elaboration - This allows the teacher to focus on explaining the topic more in depth.
• Review - At this point the teacher should evaluate the students to see if they are comprehending the subject.
• Summary Quiz - The last step is to test the students on the information they have learned to see if they understand the topic.

Mark Church: "Making Thinking Visible

Mark Church is a 6th grade teacher who inspires his students to form answers to valid questions in order to promote learning. After watching Mark Church's video Making Thinking Possible it was encouraging to see how students navigated their way to find their own answers. Mr. Church chose a project for the students in order to walk them through the process of thinking through a topic. He allowed the students to split up into small groups and work on a topic that they had been discussing. The topic was where they originated from and how they got here on Earth. After being split into groups, he then asked the students to come up with a title that summed up what the students were doing. He wanted this to be a phrase that could bring the groups thought about the topic to life. Every group came up with their topic, and shared the topic with the class. Then the students were asked to begin creating the project in there groups. Mr. Church explained how much each group’s topic had changed by the end of the project. This is a prime example of how we as teachers can make thinking visible. It shows how the students got from point A to point B and formulate their own thoughts and opinions. We all thought that this particular lesson of having the students formulate something from the beginning and watching and change at the end is an excellent tool in which we plan to use in our own classroom. Mark Church's valid point of making thinking visible is a fantastic resource to see how our students will navigate themselves to their own answers. We believe that it is critical for teachers to walk students through a process similar to the one Mark Church presented.

Project #9 Podcast

C4T #2

I was assigned to view a teacher, Jerrid W. Kruse's blog Teaching as a Dynamic Activity. The following is the post that I commented on...

Author: Jerrid W. Kruse
“Teachers create all other professions”.

Teachers also create their own profession. Some of the students in your class will eventually become teachers.

To what extent are you modeling effective teaching for those students?

I was a late comer to education. Teaching did not seem an interesting option for my life’s work.

I was wrong.

When are you explicitly discussing teaching and learning with your students? How are you helping your students recognize the intellectual challenge of teaching others? In what way do you explicitly share your passion for teaching with kids?

After reading this post carefully and giving myself time to reflect I then posted the following comment to Mr. Kruse's Blog:

Hey! I am a student at the University of South Alabama in EDM 310. I have been assigned to read your blog post and comment. I do not have my own classroom yet, so the questions that you have purposed really go unanswered at this point right now. “Teachers create all other professions.” This statement is so relevant in teaching and is true. We are laying the foundation for our students! Many teachers I had growing up did not take their position as serious as it seems you do. Since I am unable to answer the questions that you have brought to my attention, I would love to hear your personal answer. “To what extent are you modeling effective teaching for those students? When are you explicitly discussing teaching and learning with your students? How are you helping your students recognize the intellectual challenge of teaching others? In what way do you explicitly share your passion for teaching with kids?” Could you give me your personal answer to these questions? What is your main way of teaching in your own classroom?
Please feel free to contact me:
Email- Victoria.williams9207@gmail.com
My Blog: http://williamsvictoriaelizabethedm310.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @tori_williams92

Thanks, Victoria Williams

The second post I read of Jerrid W. Kruse was on the topic of teaching technology in his classroom. Mr. Kruse taught ed tech to be exact. He wrote about the irritability of his students frustrations when not understanding how to perform something correctly. He explained to his students that his goal was "critical curiosity"! I believe that this a wonderful way to covey to students that learning can be frustrating but it takes curiosity for one to learn. I commented with my reflection in a comment stating the following:

"Technology in the classroom can be both positive and negative at times I feel sure. As a future elementary teacher, we are taught in all of our college classes to incorporate technology in our future classrooms. We are constantly pushing the envelope with new ideas as to what we can come up with to develop even further technological tools/resources. I believe that it is vital to use technology in the classroom for students to learn. This decision has been reached due to the fact that students use technology on a daily basis. If we do not incorporate technology into our classrooms students are not going to stay engaged in the material that is being presented. Although there are many pros and cons to technology use in the classroom, the good out ways the bad."

~ Victoria E. Williams
University of South Alabama
EDM 310

Blog Post #8

Finding the Right Tool
Authors: Victoria Williams, Phillip Hall, and Duane Nelson (Collaborative)




Blog Post 8 challenged us to find new tools and tell how we would incorporate them into our classroom as future educators. We did not realize when we began research on this project, that we would come across so many different tools that would be beneficial when teaching. Phillip had to learn how to incorporate technology into physical education. He thought this would be a hard task, until he did the research for this project. After collaborating as a group we found many tools that Phillip could use to provide technology into physical education. We discussed how to incorporate ipods into physical education to offer music while students perform activities such as running. We also thought about incorporating tools such as the Wii Fit and Heart rate counters.

While researching this project, we came across some amazing resources/tools. The websites Phillip will incorporate into his lessons are: Electrikids for Teachers www.electrikids.com and www.peuniverse.com. Electrikids for Teachers provide teachers, parents and students, free fitness related activities to download and use. These website's also provide other websites related to physical education. Electrikids include activities he intends on incorporating into his individual lesson plans. Some of the activities listed included: Traffic Cop, Body Map, Applauding Heart-rate and Bean Bag Hockey. All of these activities include helpful tips and demonstrations on how to keep our bodies healthy and fun ways to enjoy physical activities. PE University is another website found while researching this project. PE University provides PE video activities, demonstrations on how to use weight-lifting equipment properly and social media websites exclusively designed for the physical education profession. The social medial component is compared to YouTube and Facebook.

There are also many other tools that can be used in the classroom. Victoria Williams becoming a future Elementary educator and Duane Nelson becoming a Secondary Educator the possibilities of using different tools in the classroom are limitless. One of the great tools that can be used in the elementary setting is ePals. This gives students a great opportunity to connect with anyone, anywhere. This tool will allow students to explore different cultures of their own and communicate with other people globally. Another great tool that can be used in a Secondary setting is Ning. This tool allows anyone to make a personalized social network which is a great use for both students and teachers alike. The number of tools of technology that can be used in any grade level are countless. It just takes research and drive of the teacher to incorporate these amazing assets into the classroom.

Although the tools listed above, is more than sufficient to improve classroom objectives, we came across another tool that Phillip plans on incorporating in his physical education class. The tool is the Wii Gaming System. The activities on this game is directly linked to the physical education classroom. This will be a most useful tool in Phillip’s class, especially on rainy days. Phillip learned that physical education should always include teaching that will promote good health, but also include learning that is enjoyable and fun. This in turn, will hopefully help Phillip's students become life-long lovers of physical education. Wii Youtube Video


Technology Used in the Classroom

Authors: Victoria Williams, Duane Nelson, and Phillip Hall



We all became excited when discussing what all could be used in the classroom when acknowledging technology available. Many teachers are unaware of all the resources that are steadily provided to us on a daily basis. We plan to use iCurio for our students to look up important people they are interested in doing research for that is relevant to the lesson. Victoria discussed how using iCurio in her elementary classroom would be a safe way for her children to navigate the web without stumbling upon negative or inappropriate material. Discovery Education is another beautiful resource to use especially when engaging in science. Discovery Education allows students to watch science in life action and bring the pages of a textbook and what students are reading to life! The SMART board is one of the latest innovations at the moment which we all can not wait to have the opportunity to use in our classrooms. The use of the SMART board is crucial to all of us because we did not have the opportunity as students to learn through an engaging process using technology, which the SMART board demonstrates so effectively. All of these resources have been discussed in our EDM 310 class so we took it upon ourselves to discuss resources outside of what has been brought to our attention in EDM 310. We discussed the many reasons that we could incorporate cameras and camcorders into our classrooms. Cameras and camcorders could be a wonderful asset when applying project based learning. We recently wrote a Project based lesson plans on for third grade science about insects. Cameras were used in this project/lesson. Which can be found on our blog. Cameras and camcorders could also be used in the classroom to engage students in participating in a learning scavenger hunt. There are endless possibilities to incorporating cameras and camcorders into the classroom. To be the best teachers that we can be it is a necessity to keep up with the latest technology and learn how to incorporate it into our classroom. Students will be more willing to learn material when they are using devices and experiences that many use on a daily basis.

PLN 1st Progress Report

My Personal Learning network

It has been so exciting creating my own personal PLN, also known as Personal learning network. I am currently using Symbaloo as a start to make my learning network become inspiring to myself. I chose Symbaloo because it is a very simple way of beginning your learning network without becoming overwhelmed. I have a personal section which includes Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. I also have an education section that has blogger, wanelo, and google. I am currently learning how to use other networks that can be used in my teaching career. I never thought that Twitter would be powerful outside the rem of drama, and my own personal social life. It has been very interesting and inspiring to view the efforts of other teachers, authors, and many other people that are affiliated with the efforts of teaching. I look forward to the opportunity of building my PLN to be even better than it is as I continue to grow in EDM 310. I know that my PNL will definitely be a method that I will use long after this course. My PNL is an excellent resource to providing me with materials and tools that will play a crucial role in the teacher that I have dreamed of becoming my whole life!

Project #13

PBL Lesson Plan
Authors: Victoria Williams, Phillip Hall, and Duane Nelson

This is a 3rd grade science project based lesson plan. The name of the project is titled "It's a Bugs Life!". The object of this lesson plan is for students to learn abot insects, and how to classify an insect and it's main features. Students will be split into groups of four, and each group will capture their own insect. Students then will collect research in their groups using iCurio. Last students will produce a presentation as a group using google slides. Please view our project based lesson plan and Rubric below!

Project Based Lesson Plan

Rubric

C4K Assignment

C4K Assingment October

The First student I was asssigned to was a student who was assigned to write about someone. This student decieded to write about "Tupac" and "Natorious BIG" which are two rappers who were steadily successful in the 90's. I was actually shocked that the student even knew who these individuals were because I belived that these rappers began before my own time. It was interesting to find out that this student knew he these rappers were when there stories and fame occurred long ago. There were alot of things that occurred throughout these two individual's lives that I was unaware of and the blog post was very intriguing to read and be apart of.I was proud to see that the author/student really became excited about what he was writing due to the subject chosen. It seemed as if the topic motivated him to write. There were a few grammatical errors that I addressed with the student and ofcourse I practice positive reinforcement. I encouraged him to continue to write on topics that interest him and allow that to be his motivation and inspiration in establishing writing methods.

The second student that I was assigned to was a younger grade level then the first gentleman I commented on. I read a student's blog whose name was Helen. She choose to write about "Dot Day". "Dot Day" has been inspired by a children's book by Peter Reynold's known as "The Dot". We actually recently celebrated "Dot Day" in a course that I am currently taking known as Arts in the elementary classroom with Dr. Vitulli. We celebrated by creating a quilt. We put together a quilt with each pice of computer paper that every student designed by makeing their "Dot" with crayons. Even as college stuents our classed was very inspired by Peter Reynold's book "The Dot". I told Helen of our experience with the freshly inspiring book, and what we created in our own college class. I thought it was fascinating to find an elementary classroom who was using this very same inspirational book and believed it to be funamenal.


Another blog that I read was a student who attends Pt England School in Auckland, NZ. Kaycee is the student whose blog I was assigned to. Kaycee is in seventh grade at her school. In New Zealand they refer to what grade you are in by saying "year 7" for example we would say seventh grade and they would say year seven. I found that to be extremely interesting and so neat to find the diversity of learning in other countries. I read a post that Kaycee wrote called "Outlook For Someday Workshop. Amamauls Studios". You can visit her blog by viewing Kaycee Pt England School. In this post Kaycee wrote "What a great opportunity it was to have two of the OUTLOOK FOR SOMEDAY representatives do a workshop with a class of students from Pt England School. It is definitely something worth remembering." Kaycee and some of her classmates made a video to apply what they had learned from the workshop. Please watch the video Outlook for Someday Workshop at Pt England School. In this video students demonstrated Project-based learning. This is the future method in which I would like to use in my own classroom. I was so excited to have the opportunity to watch these students learn by "doing". This method was much more effective for Kaycee and her classmates versus the teacher telling the students to open their book to a certain page number and highlight a few things to study. While the students made these videos to reflect what they had learn they were learning by having the privlege of a hands-on experience. How do you think students in Kindergarten know the color lime green? I can tell you it most likely is because they were coloring and someone said that is not green that is lime green. The kindergarten student learned by doing! I am thrilled to have hd the privlege to watch Project based learning occur in a seventh grade classroom! It is exactly the approach and vision I have for my own classroom. Are you not for Project based learning? Do you have an issue with attempting to figure out how to use it effectivly in your own classroom? Are you unsure if project based learning is even effective? These are all questions that can be answered by watching this video Kaycee and her classmates put together. This video reveals no only what project based learning is but how it functions as a tool in the classroom. Should you have any other furher questions on PBL visit WHAT IS PROJECT BASED LEARNING?

The last student's blog that I was assigned to was a fifth grade student named Saffron. I first introduced myself when commenting on her blog. I thought the name Saffon was a very different name. Saffron chose to write about an activity her teacher Mrs. Ripp introduced her students to do. The activity was known as "Brain Teaser". They were asked to get into pairs of two and they were not allowed to talk. They had to write the answer down to the question without talking to each other. The only thing they were allowed to write down was the answer, but they were allowed to use hand gestures to help lead each other to the correct answer. Saffron said she could not wait to talk again! I thought that it is an excellent way to practice coropoorative learning in the classroom. It also provides children with the idea of learning if they could not speak what it would be like. This gives children the ability to establish empathy and compassion for others with disabilities. I told Saffron it was an activity I would ove to do in my own future classroom. I encouraged her to apply more detailed descriptions to her writing. I explained that writing gives everyone the opportunity to be more in depth than in conversations. I hope Saffron intends to apply my advise to her own writing! After all, there is always room for improvement!

Blog Post #7

What Can be Learned from Conversations with Anthony Capps?
Author: Victoria Williams, Phillip Hall, and Duane Nelson (Collaborative)

What is project based learning? How can it be used effectively in the classroom? Can a teacher that uses project based learning confirm that this form of learning is more effective? These are all questions that many may have questions when thinking about Project Based Learning. These questions can be easily answered in the interview Dr. Strange held with Anthony Capps Project Based Learning 1 - Experiences of a 3rd Grade Teacher and the conversation continues with Project Based Learning 2- Experiences of a 3rd Grade Teacher. Anthony Capps is a 3rd grade teacher in Baldwin County in Gulf Shores. Mr. Capps uses projects as a method in which students learn. Anthony Capps said it best when he said "It is not only a means to show students of what they have achieved but a method used to teach students how to learn. As Anthony Capps said " Project based learning allows children to engage in learning.  Project based learning allows students to get excited about what they are learning and giving students the opportunity to OWN what they have created through the learning process. The goal of a good project is one that has an authentic audience (so that the kids are rewarded for the work that they do and motivated to do good work). One that has student interest and is relative to the student's life. The best is to have the project relate to the community some how because it relates to the real world experience. Students are driven by content. Content standards that are based from the ACCRS, which is the content the state expects each grade level to know." Project based learning is the MOST effective way for students to LEARN. It has been proven by many including Confucius and Aristotle who first practiced project based learning. Students LEARN more when they are learning by doing, and having a hands-on experience.

iCurio in the Classroom

Mr. Capps presents a fabulous way to incorporate iCurio in our future classrooms. This can be found by watching the interview Dr. Strange had with Anthony Capps iCurio. What is iCurio?How do we allow our students with the opportunity to search through the internet for projects? iCurio easily provides a safe search engine and prevents children from viewing things that are inappropriate. When using iCurio as a search engine in the classroom it allows students to not only be able to view text but also images and videos as well. iCurio possess a storage capacity that allows students and teachers to store material that they find valuable. iCurio is a very effective way for students to easily organize their work. Anthony Capps brought up a resourceful tip when he mentioned that in the classroom their are sudden changes that cause students to have to come to a complete stop. This means having to stop and go to lunch, or recess, ect. iCurio presents students with the opportunity to pick up exactly where the student left off and saves the progress that each student has made. iCurio is also a wonderful tool for ALL students including students who face disabilities. For example, iCurio make this possible by providing opportunities where students can click a button and hear the material read out loud. This is a wonderful tool to use for someone who faces challenges with reading or someone who is blind. iCurio incorporates diversity into the classroom and provides students with individual resources, which they can use to learn.

Discovery Education in the Classroom

Anthony Capps reviews how to use Discovery Education in the classroom in Dr. Strange's interview Discovery Ed. What is Discovery Ed? Discovery Education is a beautiful resource in project based learning. Anthony Capps said "Well, I think there is a phrase 'a picture is worth 1,000 words, and a video is worth a million. Discovery Ed is worth every but of that!" Discovery education provides the text book to come to life through videos and pictures. It could not have been said clearer when Mr. Capps said "Discovery Ed brings other people into the classroom via video". Dr. Strange made a wonderful point when stating "Often times students learn by listening and watching versus reading and writing due to the technology that is accessible to our students and society." Discovery Ed is a program that goes hand in hand with reading and allows the experience of reading to be more enjoyable process. For example, Discovery ed gives students the opportunity to watch a video on sharks instead of just listening about sharks, they are provided the resource to WATCH how sharks react in real life. We are sure that this provides a wonderful experience for students and gives them the opportunity to learn through Project based learning. Discovery Education allows students to learn in a fun and exciting way, one process in which many of us were not given the opportunity to learn as a child.




Additional Thought About lessons

Author: Phillip Hall





Anthony stated that a lesson is 4 layers thick. The first layer of a lesson consist of the school year the teacher has to work with. As an educator, ask yourself, how will you incorporate all the content standards, and have you written a map that makes sure all the standards get covered. The second part of a lesson is the unit size. The unit size is a layer within the first part of the lesson. You should unfold the unit into a stair step, which stretches the lessons out to make it easier for the students to comprehend. The objective of the stair step is not throwing all the material at them at once. This layer should be meaningful and connected in some way. As you approach the end of the lesson the students should be able to master the outcome which should take 6-8 weeks. The third layer is a week scale. You should ask yourself, how are you devising your week? So that you can accomplish day by day goals for that week. The final layer consists of daily lessons. Daily plan's are how you deliver the lesson to your students that particular day. Daily lessons should catch the students attention and engage them to learn for that day. At the end of the day, you should measure what they've learned during that day to know where to pick up on the lesson the next day. All these components are equally important to making a great lesson.




Preparing yourself as a Teacher

Author: Duane Nelson



There are many aspects that all future teachers should follow to prepare themselves as a successful educator. Anthony Capps and Dr. Strange provided many great tips and points as a guideline that will help up and coming teachers in the classroom. Many great tips when preparing oneself as an excellent educator are as follows :

• Be a Constant Learner- All teachers should keep the drive of constantly wanting to learn even after becoming an educator.


• Teaching Never Ends- Remember when working and playing work is not separate from play. Hard work is very rewarding for you and your students.


• Be Flexible- Always keep an open mind when teaching because the unexpected will happen.


• Start with a Goal- Always have a lesson plan so you can reach your achievements.


• Engage 100% of your Students 100% of the Time in 100% of their Projects- As an educator you should constantly figure new ways of keeping the students interested in the subject topics.


• Reflect, Revise, and Share Work with an Audience- When producing a topic in a curriculum setting a teacher should always review and edit their work multiple times before sharing to the class.

Don’t Teach Tech – Use It

Author: Collaborative Duane Nelson, Victoria Williams, Phillip Hall



Technology in the classroom is still a controversial topic even in this modern age. Technology should not be a question on use but a necessity that all students should be able to have access to on a daily basis. Regardless of high income or low income areas technology is present in a student’s everyday life. When using technology in the classroom allow the student to explore the device and learn on their own. At this time of age, technology is natural for students and they will enjoy the curriculum even more. Referred to by Anthony Capps technology should not be taught as part of the curriculum but used during the curriculum. This will let students use their own thought process and ideas to create an original made project. By letting the students work off their own skills students will be proud of what they have achieved and will proud of their new skills. Hopefully sometime in the near future technology will be used as an everyday tool in the educational setting.

Project #8 Book Trailer

Blog Post # 6

What Do We Need to Know About Asking Questions to be an Effective Teacher?

Asking questions in the classroom plays a vital role in creating a learning process that is successful for our students. Why do teachers ask questions? Teachers ask questions to tell who is paying attention, and who has knowledge of understanding the particular lesson. Most importantly, teachers ask questions because learning extends outside the classroom. When a teacher ask questions in his/her classroom the teacher is modeling what students should be doing themselves. For example, asking questions in the classroom encourages students to ask questions outside the classroom. While it is important to ask questions in the classroom for many reasons, it is also vital to ask questions in the right way. Unfortunately, many times teachers tend to use this method incorrectly. I found some strategies that could be very beneficial resources to use in my own classroom at Asking Questions to Improve learning.

When asking questions it is important to keep in mind the course goals or objectives that you would like your students to accomplish in your own classroom. Whether these objectives are to understand the concepts of long division, or develop critical thinking skills. Avoid asking "leading questions". This regards to questions that have one direct answer. The reason a teacher should refrain from using leading questions is because it discourages students to think on their own. The other students do not participate in the questioning process and shut down knowing they are "off the hook". Follow a Yes or No question with an additional question. For example, encourage the student to ask why the student answered the way that he/she did. Asking the student why after answering a yes or no question also allows other students to be a part of the questioning process. Aim for direct, clear, specific questions. Instead of asking questions that are multilayered, ask questions that you can build on and that will create complexity. Use class time to help show students how to walk themselves through the multilayer questioning process. In class discussions, do not ask more than one question at once. This is because students will not actively participate because the students are unsure what question you want the students to answer. You will find in your own classroom that this tip is one that is hard to follow. When you are in the middle of a class discussion and everyone is participating at once it is very easily to jump ahead of yourselve and begin to ask all th questions that come to mind.

Include notes on your lesson plans of when you will pause to ask students questions. Actively planning questions outside of the classroom and knowing when you will provide a given time for questions will help create the questioning process to be successful. Do not be closed minded to only using one type of questioning method. For example, you should ask all types of question methods but remember when each question would be appropriate with what is being learned. For example, closed questions should be used to test student’s retention and comprehension of important information that they will need to remember. Closed questions are questions that can only have a certain number of answers. Managerial questions are used to make sure that each student understands the assignment and has the necessary utensils to complete the assignment. Open questions are used to encourage class participation with multiple answers and active learning. As Dr. Strange says himself, “questions are more important than answers!”

My Sentence is....



My Passion is...

Blog Post #5

How can iCurio and Discovery Education be Used Effectively in Teaching?

Project #3 Presentation

C4T Assignment

Teaching Matters Blog

After reading the blog found on the Teaching Matters Blog. I became very interested on how to teach our students to be "relevant in society". This particular teacher’s way of expanding his student's knowledge is to help them create opportunities to participate in political and social events to voice the student's opinions on current issues within our society. Many Social Studies teachers embark on a journey known as "Teaching Matters - Voices and Choices program.” This particular program teaches the students to become involved with movements in society such as the Civil Rights issues. This is a fabulous program for students as it expands educational growth and gives students knowledge to shed light on current events in our global world. This philosophy from which I gathered was a hands-on experience for students to learn by a project-based environment. This program also uses the Common Core Standards, and has recently been found to be a successful resource. The program even had the opportunity in launching personal careers for student's future. This six week movement in which social studies students take part in, provides students with the ability to view past historical evidence, and vital historical legislation pieces. I believe this particular outlet for students is a wonderful way to encourage our students to be more aware of not only the importance of the past but also to prepare our students voices to be heard on current issues of today.

I later went back onto the teaching matters blog site and read a more recent article that perked my interest, which can be viewed at the Teachers Matters Blog. This post regards to the new assessments that have been set into place in New York schools. These "new assessments" have disputed a lot of insecurity, because while the testing has been changed, the curriculum in which teachers are currently using has not. These changes have scared educators in fear that they may not be able to reach the new adaptations and/or requirements in which these tests evaluate. There are several tips in which the author suggest will help create a recipe for success. One of the tips provided by the author is to use informational data to assess and/or identify learning challenges. I agree, this is a major importance in the classroom to know which students may face learning issues which could present stumbling blocks in teaching the lesson. Fortunately, addressing the situation before hand will help the teacher create lessons to help meet all the needs of his/her students. In order to achieve success as a school, it is important that all faculty and staff can manage to support each other and work as a team. This provides an open line of communication for teacher’s to work together in efforts to serve students in a successful way. Rather than merely applying pressure to the teacher's, the principal and school boards should provide their educators with resources to provide students with the capability of learning. Our education system is lacking a stimulating curriculum for students. I would love our students to have more engaging activities, and project-based learning for the strings to success. Every teacher must have a vision for each child to be given an equal opportunity of success and the privilege of learning.

Blog Post #4

Why Podcast? How do we podcast?

When I first began to research what "podcasting" actually was, I started by viewing Langwitches Blog . This blog was an excellent resource for teaching me what podcasting was all about in the classroom. In this blog, Ms. Tolisano taught her students how to make an audio book by creating a podcast. This project was collaborative and allowed the students to have a hands-on experience. Allowing the students to make an audio book through using podcasts also created a project-based learning style. This learning style is one I will use in my own future classroom. The students brought the characters to life by working as a class to project perfect pitch and correct pronunciations. Many students repeated the characters they were portraying into the recording numerous times. Ms. Tolisano’s first graders finished their audio book. I had the privilege of listening to the audio book, which was an absolute thrill! When listening to the story displayed by the first graders and the music Ms. Tolisano placed in the background, it honestly was like magic. You could hear the excitement in every student's voice as the story revealed the characters and immediately the children brought the story to life. I was so excited at the outcome of the first grader's audio book that I commented on Ms. Tolisano’s Blog myself!

I then decided to read another post on Ms. Tolisano’s blog, which can be found by viewing Langwitche's Blog "Listening and Comprehension". In this post, the teacher chose to teach a foreign language to the students. The students began to read a book known as the story of "Purim.” I later discovered while listening to the audio book the children put together, that the story was from the Bible. It was the story of Esther. The children learned vocabulary words in Hebrew by listening to the sound of their own voice. Hearing their own pronunciation of these foreign words, and knowing how the language should be spoken, gave the students a guidance to use to correct their own selves. Students recorded themselves numerous times, to ensure a quality of the recording of the book. When I listened to the story, I literally could not believe how well the students pronounced sentences in another language other than their own. Learning a foreign language using a podcast teaches listening, collaboration, comprehension, and speaking skills. Children are much like sponges and absorb what is around them. Listening to a foreign word repeatedly allows the child to learn the word, and figure out how to pronounce the word correctly. If I had the opportunity of learning by making an audio book using podcasts as a child, then I most likely would have enjoyed reading more!

I also viewed The benefits of podcasting in the classroom by Joe Dale. While watching this video I took several mental notes in how a podcast could be beneficial in my own classroom. Ms. Tolisano chose to use the podcast in her classroom for her students to record and create their own audio book. What else could I use podcasts for in my own classroom? In this video, I learned that podcasting could easily be designed for teachers to record the lectures that take place in the classroom on a daily basis. Granted, I will use a project-based approach as much as possible if not all the time. However, this tool could help students accomplish the work missed when the student is unable to come to school. For example, if a student is sick he or she can pull up the podcast of the class lectures that day and begin completing their work. This gives the student a beautiful resource to provide the review they could possibly need for a test coming up. Even if a teacher does not necessarily lecture, the teacher is still likely to be giving important instructions that will guide the student in what he/she should be working on. I believe podcasting is very effective in the classroom. This decision has been reached because podcasting is a form of learning that most children are familiar with considering that technology is part of everyday life. Podcast's also open doors for student's creativity and innovation.

Blog Post #3

Peer Editing

Peer editing can be very beneficial in a classroom, as well as helping others guarantee their assignment is superlative. I first watched What is Peer Editing? "Peer" is described as someone your own age, while "editing" is making suggestions, comments, or corrections in writing. There are several tips when peer editing to ensure the writer whom you are editing can improve their writing capability. One important tip is to stay positive. Remember to start your peer editing with compliments. Telling the writer what he or she did well, will provide encouragement to the writer, and will in return give the writer more enthusiasm to revisit his or her mistakes. The second step to peer editing is to make suggestions. This gives the writer an idea of what he or she can fix or make better in their writing. When making suggestions I ask myself the following questions: Is the topic interesting? Did the writer use proper word choice? Does the paper seem to flow throughout? These are all great questions to ask when you are implementing suggestions into peer editing. The third step in peer editing is to make corrections. When making corrections it is important to look for mistakes such as, grammar, spelling, sentences, and punctuation. When peer editing remember to stay positive, be specific, and complete all three steps (compliments, suggestions, and corrections.

I then watched a brief Slide show called Peer Edit with Perfection Tutorial. Peer editing can be difficult sometimes because it is hard to correct or provide criticism for someone else’s work, without hurting the individual’s feelings. It is important to provide feedback in a way that will encourage the writer as well as accurately correct the writing. I have found that when you point out what the writer does well throughout their writing, they are more willing to accept the criticism chosen. When peer editing fellow classmates I chose to write directly on their blog by comment. If it appears that, the individual might have several mistakes including, grammar or poor word usage I would send an email. This way the individual cannot become embarrassed or disappointed to have their mistakes published to their blog. Constructive criticism, and staying positive are two tools that I use effectively when peer editing.

Please watch this humorous video on peer editing Writing Peer Review Top 10 Mistakes

Also view Paige Ellis's Blog on Peer Editing. I found Paige's Blog to be extremely resourceful!

Blog Post #2

What Will Teaching in the 21st Century be Like?
Author: Victoria E. Williams

After watching the YouTube, video "Mr.Dancealot" I quickly began to ponder on what teaching would be like in the 21st century. Throughout the video, it showed the perception of what most educators consider as the "burp back method.” This method is currently how the majority of our schools are teaching our fellow students. The "burp back method" can easily be described as memorizing something for a test, taking the test, and quickly forgetting it. In the 21st century, educators should be choosing to perform a different teaching method. Many educators are working towards making learning more project - based in order to end the burp back method. "Mr.Dancealot" painted a perfect picture of how most classrooms are ran. This is by not providing the students with a hand- on -experience but rather forcing the students to memorize the necessities for the test and getting the grade to push the student through the course. I have all intensions of ending this method of teaching for my students, and plan to help create ways for other educators to end the boring “burp back method” as well.


Flipping the Classroom- 4th Grade STEM:
Author: Victoria E. Williams

While watching a video on You Tube called "Flipping the Classroom- 4th Grade STEM", I started to take mental notes on what a great tool this could be in my own classroom. "Flipping" the classroom is an innovative approach to classroom instructions. This program is a new tool which some schools have begun to use in mathematics. It also allows students to use technology both at school and at home. Students begin the new math lesson at home, by watching a video of the lesson and attempting a few practice problems. This method gives students the time to come up with questions and concerns regarding the lesson for the next day. This process in return, saves the teacher time and presents the students with a facilitator to help the students understand the lesson more. This is due to the fact that the teacher is now able to help the students more versus spending time in front of the classroom with instructions. This program allows students to expand their knowledge more and it creates a higher level of thinking. I believe this tool is an excellent way to give students an advantage of learning, and also help teachers to have better time management to insure each child's future in learning. I will use this tool in my own classroom. I hope to have the opportunity to engage in this program in not only mathematics but other subjects as well.


Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
Author: Phillip Hall

This video is about two teachers, Vicki Davis & Julie Lindsey, who incorporate innovative techniques such as wikis, blogs, pod-casts, and virtual worlds to connect their students in rural Georgia to the world. Mrs Davis starts out by saying a very catching statement,"You don't have to know everything before you can teach it." At first, I didn't quite agree with her theory; as the video played out, her statement made more sense to me. Davis and Lindsey founded the Global Collaborative Digi Teen. Digi Teen is a wiki that connects students from around the world. Students study digital citizenship by researching, writing, and posting their work through two digital portals. Digi Teen allows students to collaborate on assigned projects and figure things out on their own, with little help from their teachers. The students basically teach themselves with help from other students around the world; while the teacher is the facilitator.

While working in the digital world, the students learn how to change avatars and terraforms. It took the students three days to change avatars and terraforms. The students did this without being instructed on how to do so. Terraforming is something I've never heard of until I watched the video. The meaning of terraform is to transform a planet to resemble Earth. Without instruction from their teacher, the students taught Mrs Davis to terraform!

Davis and Lindsey also founded the Flat Classroom Conference. The Flat Classroom encourages students to study and experience trends in information technology, by collaboratively writing reports with other students and creating videos. The video and website in this assignment was very insightful. It was also full of modern techniques to help students collaborate and learn without having to burp back the assigned material. This type of learning would definitely be considered meaningful learning.


Teaching in the 21st Century
Author: Duane Nelson




After watching the film by Kevin Roberts shows many different opportunities and possibilities of using tools of the internet for future teachers to use for a more productive and educational classroom. To teach in the 21st century Roberts thinks we should use more media devices such as cell phones, IPods, and laptops instead of just lecturing and taking notes. In this style of teaching Roberts believes a student is capable of learning anything, at any time, or anywhere. I agree completely with Roberts position that he expressed in the video of using the countless tools that are available on the internet to better the education in the classroom. By incorporating Roberts’ ideas into my future classroom it would open the door for endless opportunities and for all students to have a better learning experience. These countless tools that I could use my class would be Twitter, Blogs, Facebook, Skype, YouTube, Google, and many more. The only thing that concerns me is that a student could possibly abuse the tools in a negative behavior but the video addressed this concern by stating “Tools provide temptation but are not a source of negative behavior”. Overall I feel like this is a great idea by Roberts and should be incorporated in all future classrooms.


The Networked Student
Author: Krista Rodden

After watching The Networked Student (5:10) by Wendy Drexler, I found many connection to the current EDM 310 class. Drexier presented the material in an abstract skit manner. The skit was about a student who aided his learning while using social media and internet sites. He had weekly classes but also had class on the computer each week. He used many different social media site to connect to other students and scholars in the field of study. The student also used sites to connect to the best known professors. Skype was used to have a professional on the subject to enter the class and speak on the topic. Drexier used this small video to introduce the viewers to all the different methods a student can gear up his own learning.

I believe this is a fantastic way of teaching and learning. It teaches the students to become independent learners and to find the material for their selves. It also allows the students to connect with their peers to see what problems they may have encountered in the past that can possibly be avoided by talking and learning from them. Drexier’s video is definitely the future to our learning and teaching styles.

This video is a great learning tool for new and old teachers. This can be a building block for teachers to learn from and add to as they become independent learners in the field of teaching. It gives teachers tools they can use for their selves as well as pass down to their students. I absolutely loved this video. I will definitely be revisiting this once i begin my teaching career to share with my students and fellow teachers.

Blog Assignment #1 : If I built a School

If I built A school

If I could build a school of my own, with no stipulations, rules, or standards to follow, I can imagine the endless possibilities. After viewing and tediously reading Krissy Venosdale's blog "Venspired", I became increasingly interested in what my dream school would be like. I immediately had so many thoughts of opportunity and potential running through my head at once of the impossibilities that could become possible! Krissy Venosdale's vision of what her school would look like was one of a kind where innovation and project based learning became steadily available to students. In her blog she also wrote about how the school of her dreams would represent a fun environment for everyone, where students would become eager to learn. Venosdale imagines a school with bright and vibrant colors, a tree house in the library, aquariums throughout the school with exotic sitting spaces and nooks, a lunch room incoorporated into a warm coffee house, and so much more. Who wouldn't want to attend her dream school? Imagine the children who would be eager to attend school because of the boisterous entertaning environment that would be created. School would become much like an amusement park, with plenty to learn and do. I then went to listen and watch Sugata Mitra TED 2013 TALK on youtube for more incite on the future of teaching and learning in schools. Mitra is a professor of educational technology in England. Mitra's discussion about how children will learn in the future was also inspiring and beyond the measures in which my brain process would have proceeded to go. I never quite gathered education in the process of which he presented. I enjoyed when he talked about how many children learn by someone asking the child questions. It was exceedingly vital when he discussed that teachers are preparing generations of children for the jobs of the future. Although we do not know what every job of the future will present and behold, we do know that we can create innovative ways in which each child can learn in the classroom. I then began to ponder on what exactly my school would be like if I could build any school, any way, with an endless budget!

My Dream Elementary School

Could you imagine walking into a school that was much like a museum or an Exploreum? Oh what vast possibilities would be given for children to learn! My dream school would possess vibrant colors everywhere, with different textures and scenery displayed throughout the walls. When entering the school there would be a huge aquarium of sea life for children to view and explore. My school would be functional for any child with any kind of disability as well as children who are gifted and would like to exceed the normal capacity of learning (ex. an advanced system). It would contain a large movie theater where children could attend to watch an educational film and it would be fun. I would have an art gallery leading to the art room to inspire children with creativity and that there is no such thing as "bad art"! I would incorporate inspiring affirmation through the intercom system on a daily basis. There would be a huge science lab with the latest technology and tons of science supplies for children to explore their minds. Every child would possess their own iPad K-3 and 4-6 would have their own MacBooks. I would allow children to take home their iPad’s, or MacBook’s to provide another outlet for children to finish projects. There would be some stipulations, and parents would have to sign contracts stating that if the iPad or MacBook had any damages each parent would become responsible to either pay for the damage or replace it. I would incorporate a room that is very massive for children with disabilities to learn different textures by feeling them and providing foam floors for the children to learn how to further themselves such as walking or even eating foods the child could not at one time. I would have bathrooms with showers to provide children with an outlet to ensure that each child does not go "without.” I would have an incredible gymnasium equipped with a large foam pit, trampolines, inflatables, and an outrageous playground for children to burn their energy. It would encourage every child to exercise in some form or fashion because it would become exciting. I would center my curriculum much like Venosdale dreamed, and would have project based learning. The child would learn by doing hands on activities instead of doing something to "get" the grade. I would have a food court for children to pick from with different restaurants such as Chick-fil-a, Subway, and a supply of fruits and vegetables. Grade levels could attend as many field trips as the wanted. Throughout the year it would become possible to take each grade level to tours at Universities, Museums, Exploreums, Aquariums, and Zoos. Children would be able to choose a special course for one hour during the day that they would like to take such as astronomy, and art, ANYTHING goes. The impossible would become possible and children would intern be inspired. My school would become a vital source for children to learn because it would possess every outlet possible to making learning a success!

What I Want My Students to Know

I want my students to know that I love each and every child and care about their success in my classroom. Children in my classroom must understand that I have one ultimate goal. The goal in my classroom is that children will learn the tools to not only succeed in knowledge but to be a successful person in life as well. I am here in the classroom to make you learn and to learn in a controlled environment in an exciting way. It is my job to prepare each child for the future and I intend to go above and beyond regardless of any learning disability or behavioral issue. I want each child to know that trust is never given away easily and it will be earned in my classroom. I will earn your respect and you will earn mine.

What I Want My Students to be Able to Do

I want my students to be able to listen, and listen well. Listening is a very important aspect in life, and in order to learn one must be able to listen. I want each student to be able to follow directions. Following directions is crucial in life; in every job regardless of what one must choose to do an individual MUST be able to follow directions. I want my students to ASK questions. There is no such thing as a "stupid" question. If a child does not understand or would like to know more, ask questions.

What My Primary Way of Teaching My Students What I Want Them to Know and to Do

My class will be taught by using project based lesson plans. I would also like to incorporate games or movement within my lessons. These two methods of teaching will incorporate a different way to learn. Making the lesson, more interesting in a creative way will provide students with the ability to be more involved and become excited about learning. I also will use the latest technology in my classroom that is available such as iPads, MacBooks, and the SmartBoard. Often times I will break my class up into small groups to work on different lessons. I will rotate to each different small group to ensure that each student is on the right tract. I am there to instill confidence and encouragement! Having children gather into small groups will help build trust that each student is doing what he or she should be. It will also teach each student how to work with others, as well as working together as a team.

The tools I will Use Daily in My Classroom

The main tools that I will use in my classroom on a daily basis will be the latest technology that is provided. I will use iPads, MacBooks, and SmartBoards to collaborate a project based learning environment. Students will use the iPads, and Macbooks to participate in small groups. I will also incorporate classroom participation as a whole by using the SmartBoard.

The Role My Students Will Play in My Classroom

My students will play the most important role in my classroom. Students will learn by interactive games used to teach lesson plans. Students will use iPads, MacBooks, or computers when they are in search of something and are looking for an answer. The students will participate in small groups when using any hand held technology device. Classroom participation of students will be created through the SmartBoard. It will not be boring in my classroom and students will absorb the knowledge around them by project based learning.

My Test Post

This is my test post!

My Test Post Title

This is my first post in EDM310, happy Blogging!