Last C4K Post

One of my C4K was a tenth grade student name Makalia. Her post was about a book she read in class call Speak. I never heared of the book, but I told her I'll look into it. From what she said about the main character, it sound interesting. She really did not have much to talk about on her blog, but about the book she read for the week.

My last C4K for the semester is a 5th grader name Jacqueline. Her blog post What's Rising? was about the Gorilla population. She states that the number is 230, but now its rising more and more each year. Jacqueline mentions that a story of an gorilla name Ivan and how he was treated, might changed the hearts of people and how they treat these aniamls. All species are important. Her post reminds me of the movie "RISE OF THE APES". She did a good job. Hope she keep up the work.

C4T#4: One's Principal's Musing

In Julie Vincentsen's blog post Capturing Struggling Readers, she talks about how many kids are struggling readers. She was at an IEP meeting and a parent was concern because her son was fustrated because he could not read the same books his peers could read. He felt that he could not discuss a book with one of his friends because he would not know what the book was about. The discssion at the meeting lead to audio books. In her post she states that "Audio books allow us to foster a love for literature separately from the mechanics of reading".Using audio books to help studetnts with their reading was a good idea. I had stated in my comment I left on her page, that I loved to listen to a audio book or someone to read to me when I was coming up in school. I did not enjoy reading on my own until I was in high school. Audio books was a big help in my life and I know they will be a big help in other students life.

Her other post Thank You Dr. King, was so heart touching. She talkes about how she sent out this post to the family of the students, where she is the principal, to share with them the good of Dr. King. She celebrate the life and legacy of the King and how he made such a difference through his famous speech he gave in 1963. Mrs. Vincentsen was amaze how this nation had came together over the past 60 years. Dr. King and many other great heros, have a big difference in our world. The video she had posted was also heart moving. Please, take time out to watch this wonderful video and listent to the song by Michael Jackson "I'm Starting With the Man in the Mirror".

Final Report on my PLN

My PLN has become more creative. I have come to use more website daily.It still is a great way to organize all your favorite websites. Its a fast and easy way to have every website you use on hand.  I am now following more teachers on twitter and using more helpful site. I have learned so much from this course about technology and still will continue after the course. I think many people should have a PLN. Its great for anyone.

C4T #3: Dr. Strange's Strange Thoughts

In Dr.Strange's blog post Facts, he talks about how facts are irrelevant. He was sitting next to a member of the New Jersey State Board of Education at a conference, when he was informed that the Board was insisting that kids learn important historical facts. He ask the man which part of history to be exact. Giving student dates to remember is not really giving them facts about that event. Dr. Strange feels that giving the students the dates of history without gathering information to know why the event has taken place is irrelevant. Its good to know they are learning the dates when the event took place, but knowing why it took place is just as important. Many students get by with dates or just knowing the event took place. Being able to explain why the historical event took place helps students out more in the future. They will be able to explain their thoughts on the event and not just be able to say when the event happened.

In Dr. Strange's blog post Understand Sarcasm and Satire or You Might be Dangerously Irrelevant as an Educator was an eye awaking post. In Dr. McLeod's post "Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?" was misundrstood by 35% of the students in EDM310 this semester. Either the students really missed the sarcasm or they just did not read the post. Last spring when I had taken this course for the first time, I was one of those students that misunderstood Dr. McLeod's concept in his post. Now retaking the course, I had an opportunity to reread his post and understand what Dr. McLeod was saying. I feel that if people cannot understand sarcasm/satire at the time they can get confused. It depends on how well are you paying attention to what the writter is saying. I do believe, as an future educator, that its sad that some people do not know when a person is using sarcasm/satire. I felt really bad, but when I reread the post I knew it was a mistake and that I misunderstood what he was saying. I just need to pay attention more carefully to what I am reading.

Progress Report for Final Project

My group and I have chosen Option B for our project 16. We have to create a 10-15 minute movie which helps prospective students prepare for EDM310, EDM310 students survive EDM310, outsiders understand EDM310 or about anything having to do with the use of technology as tools in a classroom. We have made out our plan on what our movie will be about and plan to record on Tuesday. I hope it turns out great. We cannot wait to see the finish product.

Blog Post #12

1. Watch these video's Technology in Special Education Classroom and Teaching Special Education Think about how technology can help in the special education classrooms. Write two to three paragraphs about how you can make a difference with your students if you were teaching a special education class. Following the requirements in Writing A Quality Blog Post.

2. Also write a one to two paragraph on how using technology with other subjects in the classroom. Such as math, reading, social studies, arts, or other subject.

Both video's was great. I think using technology in the classroom to help students overcome many obstacles in learning is great. Technology in Special Education was a great video. The teacher uses technology heavy in the classroom to make the day go by easy. Letting the students use the computers to help them with their work, makes it easy for the teacher and the student. Some students have trouble reading, so they can read a long with the computer or they can just listen. I like how the young boy uses the iPad to learn how to trace numbers and letters.

A child's education is very important and how they learn is even more important. Teaching Special Education was a great video. Nothing like a teacher understanding where her students are coming from and how they feel, can help out with how the classroom can be run. Knowing there is a student out there that cannot express their self because of their situation. Mrs. Vogelsang uses her feedback from her students as a positive reinforcement. Knowing that she is making a difference in her student lives makes a difference in hers. It may take some time for the students to be where they need to be, but soon they will get there. She loves using the Smartboard because it gets the students more involved with class activities and the laptops as well. She made a statement "it has to be something you want, it has to be something in your heart you want to do.

Using technology in the classroom to teach any subject can be fun. Math, reading, arts, history, or even science can be flipped into technology learning. It’s just how you use technology to make it work for you and the students. It’s so much you can do with the Smartboard, laptops, iPad's, cameras, iPod's, blogging, and even podcast. I feel that what make the learning fun, the student will love to learn. Technology is fun and learning from it besides sitting in a classroom reading from a book or listening to the teacher lecture all the time can be a great change. There will be much technology in my future classroom. It will not be new to the classroom much but I can make a difference with it with my future students.

Project 15 Smartboard Presentation Part 2

Blog Post #11

Little Kids... Big Potential is an awesome video by a first grade class using technology. For the students to be so young they are well educated. They know so much about technology at a young age. They each have their own blog and a classroom webpage. It amazes me how young they are that they know so much. Their teacher, Mrs. Cassidy, should be very proud. They know not to say something mean on someone’s blog, but to encourage their fellow classmates. By writing on their blog everyday also helped them with their writing. They learn through their blogs, wikis, classroom webpage, videos, and their Nintendo DS. They liked to Skype with other classes from other states or towns. It just amazed me how well educated they are for children of their age.

For Mrs. Cassidy Skype Interview she talks about how she has accepted technology into her classroom over ten years ago and has been using it ever since. She helped her students in many ways with the five computers that were giving to her class. The blogs is like an online progress. Parents can check up on their child through the classroom blog or their personal blogs. I like how she said “the world will go on without blogging, but one of the things the students get with blogging that they cannot get with paper and pencil is an audience”. They are learning to communicate with other students around the world and not just the students in their class. Mrs. Cassidy also thinks teachers need to be technology literate. I think so as well because it’s much more then word processor or Microsoft software. I also liked when she says "getting information off of other people blog is not cheating its collaborating." She made a good statement because I have learned so much this semester through other people blogs post.

I would love to use technology in my future classroom. I would love to use blogs, Skype, wikis, videos, and much more in the classroom for a fun learning experience. There will still be class work without technology. I do not want technology to take over the classroom complete because I do not want the students to forget what is more important. Sometimes technology can be just a tad bit too much fun. When I took computer courses in school or college I could not stay focus without chatting or being on Facebook or YouTube. I want them to learn but also have fun.

C4K Summary of October

Two Weeks on Holiday
This blog post was about a kid name Anthony from England. He did a slid show on the things he would love to do for a two week holiday break. He will get $50,000 and spend it on private jets, clothes, shoes, fancy hotels, Ferrari, sushi, a stop in Beverly Hills, and to meet his favorite team, the NY Giants. He has a good future vacation ahead of him. I hope he can make his dream trip come true. Everyone needs a good vacation.

AP Government Ruling My Daily Thoughts
Annelise is a student who attends St. Cecilia Academy Catholic School in Nashville. She talks about her AP Government class and what she learning from the world around her. She talks about the Affordable Care Act. Which involves businesses to provide their employees with contraceptives and sterilization process. She also discuss how the US government is in national debt and they can be shut down due to unpassed budgets or bills. Taking this class, she has gotten more interested in the political things that is happening around her. I never seen or heard of any student that was so interested in the politics. I was not interested in politics till I was old enough to vote. She starting off to a good start.

Insects
CJ's is apart of Miss Mac's outstanding owls. His post was about insects, the praying mantis. He wanted his viewers to identify how many parts does the insect have. The praying mantis have three parts. The head, body, and tail. CJ is very interested in insects. I do not like them at all. They really make my body crawls. Everybody has an interest in something and mines is not bugs.

Airport Art:Faces of Ireland
Vitulli and Santoli: Eyes of Ireland. Their post was about Irish visual artist Kevin Abosch. He took 250 photos of the citizens of the island and was displayed in their local airport. Through out the airport the citizens can see their portraits and wonder how they became a piece of art. I thought it was very creative and a wonderful masterpiece. I do not know if I can walk into an airport and see my picture hanging without out getting excited. It was a true piece of art.

Special Blog Assignment

A World Where Grades Will Be Left Behind

In a USA today article written by Mary Beth Marklien, discuss education in the next thirty years. She touch base on Sebastian Thrun, a Google vice president and Stanford research professor best know for his role in building Google's driverless car. He founded Udacity, a developed catalog of free online courses taught by star professors from around the world. "You want learning to be as much fun as it is to play a video game" says Thrun. He do not know how education will be in the future, but he's does know that it will be at the top of the line with the use of technology. Students will not have to worry about being on time for class, given a grade, and the lesson will be free. Teacher will not have to worry about oversize classrooms. They only thing the students will have to worry about is the time and place. Thrun want education to reach everyone and everywhere without closing down the schools. His vision of education and the future sums up to "a message of hope of aspiration not destruction". I know that education is important, but what we use and how teach it is more important. Going to a college and paying for my education, which can be cheaper then a cell phone, can be very helpful to me in the future. Knowing I can get an education and its not costing me much, can be a   good idea to anybody that is in school. Technology is taking over the world day by day. It's future lies in the hands of our future generation.

Project #11: Short Movie

Blog Post # 10

The cartoon by John T. Spencer speaks for itself. What you buy is what you get. If a person buys a cheap product to use, eventually it will break and it will have to be replaced. Paper and pencil will always be around, even with all the new technology that is being used each day. Eventually, paper and pencil will be left behind as the iPads, touchscreens tablets, smartboards etc.; take over our schools and the way we learn and teach.

Mr. John T. Spencer’s blog "Why Were Your Kids Playing Games?" was very interesting. When the principle feels that Mr. Tom is spending more time playing games with his students than teaching, he does not approve and call him into his office. Mr. Tom tried to get the principle to understand that they were playing games to go along with their lessons. He stated that it was an advanced simulation and that the “best of the best” use simulation to learn. If teachers do not make the lesson interesting and fun, some students do not learn. If teachers just want the students to memorize the material to produce better test scores, then the students are really not learning.

Mr. Spencer's blog "The Con Academy" was also a good blog post. He was conned by a salesman to flip his classroom. Where the teachers plan the class assignments in advance and have the students to review before they get to class. So the teachers can be more focus on the students and their needs instead of lecturing the whole class. It’s a great idea for teachers who have more students than they can handle. The students need their teacher’s attention. It’s hard for a teacher to just lecture to a class without actually giving their students enough attention to see if they are really learning. Mr. Spencer’s blog is very awesome and creative. I like how he uses short stories to explain his opinions. They keep his blog funny and entertaining. Great reading material with good advice and something that keeps me entertained.

Mr. Scott McLeod’s post, "Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?" was a good post. Mr. Scott used sarcasm to get his point across. Stopping kids from using technology was not his intention at all. Teachers and parents should not stop their children from using technology. Mr. Scott is an Associate Professor, CASTLE director, blogger, idea generator, solution builder, agitator, and catalyst. “If the leaders don’t get it, it’s not going to happen”, remarked McLeod. He also received numerous awards for his technology leadership work and the center for Digital Education. He makes a good point about not stopping kids from using technology. They will either use it on their own or they can learn the right way to use it.

Project #14: Smartboard Instruction Part I