Blog Post #7

1.) Instruction in schools has changed dramatically since I attended grade school. Technology is being applied in everyway possible and the kids are having no trouble at all keeping up with it. It appears that by incorporating technology into the classroom, kids are learning better and more effectively than ever before. Teachers are discovering new ways to implement technology into their lessons, or more so their lessons into technology, and the kids are eating it up. Project Based Learning is a whole new system of learning that I am still getting used to, but after taking this class I know for a fact that I will be more prepared for applying it in my classroom in the future. I can say right now that my strengths and weaknesses are more or less balanced for the moment. Some of my strengths for implementing PBL in the classroom is my creativity, ability to learn new skills quickly, and my enthusiasm for group work. I love being able to make the learning process a creative one. It just makes it more enjoyable for both me and the students. I love for people to work on problems together and I believe that's a big part of PBL. Some of my weaknesses include not being so tech-savvy(not yet anyways!), this idea being new to me (this wasn't how I was taught), and that most of my preintended lesson planning methods do not include PBL (yet!). So, there is hope that I will be very successful in using PBL in my classroom.
2.) I learned a lot from these videos. For the most part, I learned that children enjoy using technology in their lessons and that it is easy for them to do so. I learned that children use tablets more than I ever have. In How to Make an Audio QR,and in Ipad in the Reading Center, I learned that by children making their own recordings or by listening to their teacher read to them, they are more likely to be interested in listening to these books and to become engaged in them. I remember being in Elementary school and listening to books on tape in class and I would get so excited just for that time of the day. I can only imagine how excited children get to hear not only their teacher's but their own voices reading the story to them. Plus, by them recording and listening to it played back, they have the opportunity to listen to where they may have made a mistake in their reading. This is a wonderful technique for reading!
In Using Poplet and in How to Use and Build a Board, I learned just how PBL can be used in the classroom with technology. By using these different apps for reading in the classroom the children are actually doing a kind of "mini" project each time they read a book and put the information in these apps. They use what they have read and seen in the book and organize into "web" like structures within the app. This let's them see the information in a different way and by doing this they will better retain the information they have learned.
In We All Become Learners, these two librarians just emphasized more on what this class has already been teaching me. That as teachers we have to adjust to a changing world of education and that technology is now the key to learning. Apps like Padlet and the ones in the previous videos are taking learning to a whole new level. Technology is making learning fun, accessible, convenient, and it is displaying information in a whole new way making it easier to comprehend and apply. As teachers, we need to be up to date in all things new in the education world. It is our responsibility to be able to relay information in the best way to our students. I also learned that as an educator I myself will constantly be learning. I will be learning how to use new technology and how to utilize in my classroom to be help my students' learning processes.

Project #8 Book Trailer

C4K Summary Post for September

      Comments for Kids is such an awesome experience. Seeing these kids blogging and talking about their day at school takes me back to my elementary and middle school days. These kids are so smart!      
      My first C4K assignment was to a young girl in the 7th grade. She was talking about a presentation she went to that was held by three or four authors of children's books. She absolutely loved this experience and was very excited about the opportunity. I told her that I myself am an aspiring writer and this would have been a treat for me to attend. She posted a picture of the authors and even talked about the one that was her favorite because she was funny and had nice things to say.
      My second C4K experience was somewhat of a strange one. The "child's" name was, and I quote, "grandma". I was a bit confused if this was an actual kid's blog or some joke. So, I just decided to respond to "grandma's" most recent post. The most recent stated, "I like pancakes." So, I just said what came to mind. I asked what kind of pancakes they liked. I told them that I love pancakes myself. Then, I responded with a question: "Why pancakes? Why not waffles? Is there something wrong with waffles? Why not bacon?" In conclusion, this was a very humorous and somewhat odd situation but I made the best of it.
      My final comment for September was a young man named Travis. He is in the 4th grade and is very grumpy about it. He says that he does not like how the lunch is run and that you can't sit by your friends. He also said the same thing about the football games and would rather sit by his friends than his parents. The most baffling statement from him was that he was upset that he has had to bring homework home a couple times.... I guess "home" work hasn't hit "home" with him. Nonetheless, I responded with some words of wisdom that in the future of middle and high school he will have to take homework home all the time. I told him that I am in college and that I take homework home all the time and even do it at school too. I wished him the best of luck and I hope he enjoys his year better because it will fly by!

Blog Post #6

Conversations with Anthony Capps

      I was very interested and pleased that we were assigned to listen to Anthony Capps because he has already achieved what we're working towards. He has a lot of really good teaching ethics and teaching tools that I hope to apply in the future in my own career.
      In the videos, Project Based Learning Part 1, and in Part 2, Anthony opened my eyes to what projects should really do for students in the classroom. When we think of projects, like Anthony said, we think of an assignment that comes at the end of a lesson and helps to summarize what you have learned. This is how it was all through my Elementary, Middle, and High School career. But PBL helps you realize that we have been utilizing projects the completely wrong way. They shouldn't summarize; they should teach. Anthony talks about how his students get enthralled in their projects and that's also in regards to how well he plans them. I was especially impressed with his project based on Haiti. This gave the students the opportunity to not only be creative but to learn about what was going on in the world at the time. This relates topics from the classroom to reality which is what should always be done. Otherwise, what is the point of learning something that cannot be applied in the future?
      Discovery Ed and iCurio are particularly useful tools for the classroom. In these, you can trust that whatever the students are researching it is academically based and nothing inappropriate. This is beneficial to every grade level but particularly for the younger students who are now using technology for research and assignments. Anthony explained how the students can create projects and save their work on iCurio which is extremely important. Overall, these sounded like great tools that I can use in my classroom in the future.
      Anthony's Tips for Teaching wasn't exactly something I have never thought about before when considering my future as a teacher. I know that by becoming a teacher I will never stop learning. I will never be "finished" with the job and I think that's why I love the idea of becoming one. It's an ever fulfilling job that is never done. You are always finding ways to help students achieve their goals and to push them to their highest potential. It's not a cut and dry job that starts at 8 and ends at 3. You have to take work home with you and find new things you want to share with your class. It was very encouraging to hear Anthony discuss how you have to learn to enjoy learning while not getting paid. By constantly learning and bettering yourself, you are teaching and bettering your students. That's why becoming a teacher is such a fulfilling career that I am so excited to pursue.
      It was very hard to listen to Use Tech Don't Teach It . This is a controversial subject for me, because my generation was exposed to technology but it was never enforced or taught per say. I think technology can be extremely beneficial to the learning process and obviously is enforced in the real world today. On the other hand, I believe that technology can also be a burden. It can be used for negative things and it can be a crutch. But nonetheless, technology is here and it will forever will be. I am not one who will fight this to the death. Anthony has the right ideas about how technology can be useful in the classroom. It can help excite your students to learn and to further develop ideas. As for me, yes, I will constantly be learning how to use technology because I know my students will be as well. I hope to one day use technology in my day to day activities so as to be able to better educate my students and to be able to enjoy it myself. I may not always be in agreement with technology but I will however learn how to apply it in my classroom.
      In Additional Thoughts, I realized that I am very worried about my lesson planning. I know it will come in time but I hope I can one day master the "scaffolding" , as Anthony puts it. Lesson planning is very tedious and if done wrong the students cannot learn the topic properly and may have a hard time learning it later. It has to be strategically placed in order to guide the students through the lesson so they come out in the end confident in their work and abilities.

I hope one day I can say I have achieved this!

Project #3 Presentation

Blog Post #5

My PLN

 

          My Personal Learning Networking abilities are all rather new to me. As a student, I am very excited to be in EDM 310 in order to expand my technology usage and, most importantly, my networking abilities. After watching a 7th grader outdo me with her technological savvy skills in Welcome to PLE!, it has become a mission of mine to up my game and start expanding my networking branches.

          It started off with emails. I can remember when sending an email was cool and fascinating to me in middle school. Of course, then I was only sending about one email every few months and it was normally just because I wanted my parents to let me use the computer.....But since then, emailing has become an everyday phenomenon. Now, it's routine for to me check my email at least three times a day. From this source, I have connections with the most important educational figures in my life at the moment, and that is all of my current teachers:

                                      -edm310new@gmail.com

                                      -zkahn@jagmail.southalabama.edu

                                      -bmclaugh@southalabama.edu

                                      -shawnmitchell@southalabama.edu

I also keep a compilation of all of my past college professors and even some of my more memorable high school teachers.

          The next biggest innovation in my PLN is my Facebook. Here I can keep a more personal assortment of teachers I've had past or present. This way I can keep up with new projects they have or if they have moved schools even. I'm still "friends" with teachers I have had that have moved out of state. But with this tool, even if they no longer live here, I can still ask them any questions I may have. They are all very pleased to answer these at any time.

          The newest addition to this networking process is my Twitter account. Found here, My Twitter. Here I can start adding as many education tools as I like. I have only added a few education influences so far, but I have hopes of expanding this immensely. This is the fastest access to my networking branches. This way I can keep up with everything everyone is doing. I can look at links, blogs, and ideas that they may have all under one media source.

          Since joining EDM310, I have recently added a few other tools under my PLN. I now have accounts with Delicious, Youtube,and  Blogger.

That's What I Call a Connection

 

          So, by taking EDM310, there is hope for my personal learning network. I hope to make connections all over the world with teachers and students alike. I will begin this process by expanding my Twitter account. Then, I will begin exploring on my blog account. Last, I hope to start using some of these social medias that I have never heard of before, such as Delicious. Wish me luck! 

 



Project #7 Movies

My Passion Is...

My Sentence Is...

Project #15 Search Engines

Here are 8 different search engines I have discovered and used. This project was very useful for me, because I only ever use Google! Enjoy exploring the following:
   
      1. Wolfram Alpha is all about computation. I call this a "smart" search engine. After searching a few random words, I have found that the given information that the engine finds is fascinating. I typed in "math" and Wolfram included the scrabble score you would receive for using the word math. That's fantastic! It also includes other things like synonyms, the history of the word, examples of it, different types, the definition, etc.... To me, this search engine would be best utilized for calculations (math or otherwise), statistical research, and just random research for fun.
      2. Eric (Education Resources Information Center) is exactly what it sounds like. It is for academic purposes and should be used for such. By typing in a word, articles, publication dates, authors, and other educational information pops up. This would be a very useful tool for research papers and other school related work. I might just tuck this away for future use.
      3. Another more amusing search engine is Oh My God Lol.com. This was a rather entertaining search engine to play with. You simply type in a word and hundreds of funny pictures pop up related to the word. Most of these appear to be what are called "memes." There is no real use for this search engine besides pure enjoyment of entertaining, funny pictures.

This is all OMGLol.com is useful for.

      4. A more confusing search engine is Daily Stocks. This search engine is all about stocks. This would obviously only be useful if you were investing in stocks or doing research about stocks. The different uses for this search engine may be minimal, but it is still a very important search engine none the less. I found it very interesting to type in different companies and see the results.
      5. Anoox is a social networking search engine. Every word you type in is searched through hundreds of different social media articles and the top ones are shown. This is a very useful tool for bloggers and social media enthusiasts alike. I noticed a lot of blogger.com results were found for each word I typed in. I found this search engine to be very interesting!
      6. A rather horrifying search engine I discovered is Pipl! In this search engine you just type in the name of a person and it comes up with pictures, locations, social media hits, records, history documents, etc. This is a terrifying site! The only positive uses for this search engine is for criminal investigations and things as such. Hopefully no one who wishes to cause harm on anyone knows about sites like this.
      7. A really cool site I found is called TinEye. In this search engine, you can upload a picture you have or type in the url of a picture and the engine will upload where on the web this picture is being used or was being used. I believe this is a really useful site if you feel like someone is being dishonest about who they are on the internet. All you would have to do is put in their image and see where on the internet they may have taken the image from. I highly recommend putting in different images you have and seeing where they pop up!

      8. A very handy search engine for travelers is Skyscanner. You simply type in your departure date and return date along with your destination and this site gives you hundreds of different rates for your trip. It can also give you prices on hotels and car rentals. I will definitely be using this one in the future!

Summary Post for C4T #1

      Mrs. Deyamport is a gifted/spanish elementary school teacher for grades 2-6 and I was luckily given the opportunity to explore her blog Language Journeys.
    (C4T1#1)  In the most recent post on her blog, Mrs. Deyamport has just finished setting up her classroom for the new year. She has taken pictures of every corner of her room and included the ideas and processes she used for each station. My favorite station in her room was the reading corner. Mrs. Deyamport has organized her books in order of reading level and by either fiction or nonfiction. The reading corner was always my favorite spot in all of my elementary school classes.


Is Where It's At!

      (C4T1#2) Unfortunately, Mrs. Deyamport did not have a newer post than in my previous paragraph, so I was able to explore some earlier ones. In one of her more recent posts, she was discussing a project she had assigned to her students for history. The historical period was during The Civil Rights Movement. She explains how she didn't want this research paper to be like every other where students just google and throw facts back at the teacher's face. I completely agree with her! I despise research assignments for that simple fact. There's no creativity in that. So, she decides to make it a creative assignment instead. The students had a choice of using poetry or using a theme meme picture. I personally like the poem idea. Like Mrs. Deyamport, I believe this allows the kids to get more out of the project besides a grade and it allows them to have to think a little bit more about what they have learned in order to express it through the project.
      I thoroughly enjoyed visiting her blog and will be checking back on her classroom from time to time. Good luck this year Mrs. Deyamport!

Blog Post Assignment #4

What questions do we ask? How do we ask?

      Going through school as a kid, I always picked up on the different techniques each teacher used to interact with their class and most importantly, how they asked the class questions. I've had the teachers who go through the role and ask each individual student a question. I have had a teacher who would draw names out of a jar. There were even the ones who would ask the class in general and usually get no response at all. Sometimes these methods were effective, but those moments were few and far in between.
      In The Right Way to Ask Questions in the Classroom, Ben Johnson addresses these different techniques and boldly challenges each one. Based on his observations, it can be concluded that the way in which students react to these methods are very predictable. Therefore, we as educators must take a different approach in which the students will not expect and have no choice but to predetermine their answers. Each student must be randomly selected and asked questions. Johnson brings a universal, successful method to the table that every educator should use. First, ask the question. Next, wait three seconds (I would wait a few more). Last, call on a random student's name. This appears to be a very good go-to system of asking questions. I will admit that I tucked this trick in my pocket of things to remember for teaching in the future. This helps us answer the question of how. Now, what kind of questions should we ask?


Poor Sam

      Now, just what kind of questions should we ask in the classroom? According to Mrs. Chesley in Asking Better Questions in the Classroom Pt. 1, we should be asking open ended questions and not closed ones. Yes, of course, there will always be some students who can take a closed ended question and still go into detail with their answer. This may be true, but there are still students who will answer it as simply as you give it to them. This means that they will answer only yes or no if that answer suffices the question being asked. But by using Mrs. Chesley's example from her video, it is extremely simple to take a closed ended sentence and turn it into a question that forces the students to think. It's all about sentence structure and leaving it up to the student to explain.
      Let's take it a step further. We have how to ask a question and what kind of questions to ask.  But how does this all come together? We have to have a strategy in our classroom. We have to have a way we interact. In Questioning Styles and Strategies, the teacher displays his strategy in the classroom. Based on the response from his students, he seems to have a very productive method. What I liked best about his strategy is that it throws in the students' creativity. He wasn't simply asking facts or simple questions about the book the kids had read. He was allowing them to use some of their own creative techniques to interact with the text and their fellow classmates. He always left the questions open and took his questions further after each answer he received. He used random calling of names to answer questions and even allowed his students to call on the next student. I completely agree with his methods and will definitely be stealing a few of his ideas!

Let's Have a Discussion Shall We?

 

Blog Post #3

Feedback to Your Peers

              Paige Ellis' Class Blog Post sounds an awful lot like something I would have asked Dr. Strange myself. I completely agree with Paige, I do not want to hurt anyone's feelings with my comments. But sometimes I do believe that there are things that people need to hear whether their feelings are hurt or not. The tutorial and the humorous video did make a good point at saying that there is a way to critique and still be polite. Nobody wants to be a "Mean Margaret". Therefore, we all need to know the proper way to review something that includes being critical and still being appropriate.
               A very important step I noticed in the links is that, you should compliment a person first before you start critiquing their work. It's always important to remember that you are taking apart someone else's work and you need to be gentle with that process. There is always something positive to say about someone's effort. Something interesting I found in the links is the different variations of "reviewers". The reason this is so interesting to me is because I have seen all these different examples in my own personal experience throughout school. I have also found myself being all of these different examples all the way from being mean to being too nice or not caring at all. One thing this blog assignment has made me realize is that I need to reevaluate how I review my peers now because we are all going to be educators one day and we need to make sure we're on the right path.

Blog Post Assignment #2

Blog Post Assignment #2

1.)   a. I believe the central message in this video is that an educator needs to use accurate methods of teaching based on their subject. A PowerPoint and a book can only get you so far in a dancing class. In the end, it isn't going to make you a good dancer at all.
       b. The author makes that evident by pointing out that he is using a PowerPoint (wow!) to teach a dance class. The students are obviously confused in class and do not understand the moves at all based on his teaching technique.
       c. I agree with the conclusion 100%. In order to be a good teacher you have to know the best way to present the information to the class. Otherwise, your students will not learn the material affectively and in turn, their grades will suffer.

2.)  Robert believes that to teach is not to simply transfer facts to students. He thinks that teachers must be just as up to date with technology as the students and it is our job to teach them how to apply their skills in real life.

       Outline:
              What Does It Mean To Teach?
                       1. Teachers are now only used to transfer facts
                       2. Children now have instant access to all information
                            a. Google, Twitter, Facebook, etc.
                       3. Teachers must now teach students how best to use these resources
                            a. How to validate information is the most important skill
                            b. How to apply this in the real world
                       4. Teachers need a new strategy of teaching
                            a. We must now learn to use technology to connect with students

        Personally, I don't like how Robert sees teaching changing. It's a sad realization that life has now become completely reliant on technology. This means for me as an educator, there is a whole lot more for me to learn. I have to learn how to reapply technology and use it to connect with my students by teaching them how technology can further their education.

3.) In The Networked Student, Wendy Drexler addresses how a "networked student" professionally uses technology to further his own education experience by subscribing to blogs and websites, contacting professionals, and connecting all of his medias into one location. The author is saying that student are becoming less and less dependent on teachers for facts and instead need someone to guide them into this technological world.
     It's true, students no longer need teachers for their original purposes. It's important for us as educators to know where these new advances are leading students and it is our jobs to teach them how to best apply these skills in their education. Whether we recognize or not the fact remains that students are being pulled further and further out of the classroom and more and more into their cell phones and laptops. These tools can either have negative or positive affects on a students educative experience.

4.) In Vicki's Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts , she discusses how her students are not just learning but also teaching themselves and each other how to connect with the world by using new software. Vicki doesn't think she should have to be up front all the time and she is more of a guide in the classroom. I think this is an exciting new take to the educator role. It allows for us to also still always be learning and it requires our students to learn things for themselves by working together and asking questions when they get stuck. This is an improvement from the previous methods of feeding them information and then asking them to regurgitate back on tests.

5.) In Dr. Strange's video, he talks about his visit to Gulf Shores Elementary School. He explains how Kindergarten through first grade students had just received mac books and were already using them. In doing this, he compares their progress with undergrad and grad students simultaneously. I believe, that elementary students are indeed ahead in the race. I don't however believe this is our fault. Like every generation before us, we are coming to the end of our education tracks. In turn, new generations are being introduced to the newest technologies. This was true for my own generation at one time. Technology is constantly advancing, for all older generations we only have ourselves to rely on for making sure we keep up with the race.

6.)  In Ms. Munafo's video Flipping the Classroom, she explains the process of "flipping". Flipping a classroom is not a new topic for me. I had a taste of this myself in my high school chemistry courses and of course, most of my college courses so far. I believe this approach will be very useful to me as a teacher. I've seen it work in my own personal experience already and it helped me learn a lot easier than I believed possible. Ms. Munafo was right about all the positive outcomes of flipping a classroom. Students come to class more prepared and it allows us teachers to talk about the next step a lot quicker than if the lesson had taken place in class instead of online the night before.

7.) I absolutely adore this article Bringing the Locker Room into the Classroom. There is nothing I enjoy more than open discussion in a classroom. My favorite classes at South so far are the ones where the students debate, discuss, and collaborate together on an idea that a teacher throws out on the table. I think that's one of the things a teacher should do. We shouldn't be the only ones talking. We should simply guide discussion and answer questions when needed. I believe this is a tactic that I will use frequently as an educator. So, yes, I believe bringing the locker room to the classroom is a fantastic tactic.

Let's Bring the Game to the Classroom
 

                     

Blog Post Assignment #1

So, what about EDM310?

1. Before I became advised last semester for my classes, I had never heard of EDM310. My advisor, on the other hand, was very familiar with it, and he informed me that this class was going to be particularly difficult. He advised me to take it by itself over the summer because it was going to take up a lot of my time. This of course worried me instantly. I became very nervous to take the class and I dreaded classes starting.

2. I have many fears concerning this class. I'm terrified that I will forget to do one of the assignments and it will be late (which is extremely frowned upon so I hear). I'm scared that I will not know how to do something and I will have no one to call and no time for the computer lab. The most obvious fear is that I won't be able to learn the material and I will receive a poor grade in the end.

3. EDM310 is unlike any class I have ever taken. Of course, in any class there is certain things done online such as, homework and certain assignments. EDM310 is the only class I've had so far that requires NO paper AT ALL. It's definitely a first for me. Several of my college courses involve a lot of online time but nowhere near this much.

4. I believe the most difficult thing for me to learn will be just learning how to use all this different technology and computer skills. I'll admit that I am not the most tech savvy person around and being 20 years old you would thing that I know everything about it. Quite the contrary though, I love things in print.

5. The best way for me to address this problem is simply by putting it to use. I have to start playing with all this new technological information. If I can't get it then I will be in the computer lab getting help for quite sometime!

6. As far as questions go, I don't really know exactly what is expected of me in the class. I'm sure that will come with more class meetings and assignments. I'm just worried that I won't measure up to the expectations. Although, I will do my best and hope for the best!


Photo: Found@ http://www.redstar5.com/blog/?p=868 posted by Meegan.

Practice Blog Post

Outline
1. Short summary about myself.
2. Why do I want to be an educator?
3. What I think educator's, of the 21st century, work entails
4. What is my passion? What am I best at? What do I want to be better at?
5. Other interesting things about me?

1. My name is Taylor Gray. I am a Secondary Education/English major here at South. I have attended South for three years and never considered going anywhere else. Go Jags! I was born in Louisiana but have lived in Mobile my whole life. My family includes me, my mom, dad, and two toddler brothers. Yes, it's weird that I am 20 years old and I have siblings that are 2 and 3.
2. I have always wanted to be an educator. My teachers I had when growing up were the biggest influences in my life. They pushed me to my limits and showed me I am capable of anything I set my mind to. I want to be that for someone else. Plus, I love school and have never imagined my life not being in it for some reason or another. Even if I wasn't going to be an educator, I would keep attending college for new degrees.
3. I believe that 21st century teachers should be up to date on all new technologies that their students could possibly have. Teachers should be familiar with different teaching methods that can enhance their classroom and teaching abilities.That is to say, that I do still believe in being a traditional type teacher as well. Because those were the kinds of teachers I had, and they're the reason I want to be an educator, I believe it is still effective in a classroom to be a little less tech dependent at times too.
4. I have a passion for writing/reading. This may be evident from me being an English major, but it has always been a dream of mine to be a published, successful writer. Along with being a teacher, I hope to continue pursuing my true passion, which is to write. Even if it never works out, I will always keep writing for the love of it. I'm best at poetry and I hope to one day become better at more developed writing such as novels and short stories. Below is a sample of my most recent poetry.

Photo: Taken and written by Taylor Gray
5. Some other note worthy things about me include: I own a hedgehog named Kohaku (he is extremely spoiled), I am also a Spanish minor and I hope to one day teach in Spain, I love all things nerdy and weird (Star Wars, Harry Potter, Pokemon, etc...), and I hope to one day have taught elementary school all the way through college.

I hope this wasn't too boring for you. I'm really friendly and would love to help anyone in this class anyway I can! Message me, say hello, and let's do this future educators!

My Test Post Title

This is my FIRST post. I clicked the HTML button like I should always do. I am now a blogger!!