Final Evaluation Video

Yasmine's Blog

Yasmine's Blog Post Summary

The blog post I commented on, was about Yasmine's Granmother's dog Scampi. Her Grandmother's maid saw a couple of boys throwing rocks and sticks at a dog. The dog came home with the maid, and Grandmother said that the dog could stay. Yasmise was very excited about this! She was the one who actually named this adorable dog. I just loved her enthusiasm and compassion.

• My comment to Yasmine: My name is Sarah Davis and I am in Dr.Strange's EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. I am so glad that your grandmother decided to keep the puppy. Now, you get to play with Scampi all the time I am sure! I really like the name Scampi! That is very creative and I love when people think outside of the box.You seem to be a very smart girl as well as a compassionate girl. I am a very compassionate person myself. If we had more people like you in the world, it would be a much better place! Nice post! Keep up the great work! ~Sarah

Additional Assignment #5

John Spencer is an in depth writer. Therefore, I must be an in depth thinker to elaborate on his work correctly. Here goes try number two!



• The Medium Shapes the Learning-  In this portion of his blog, Spencer discusses when he and his class visited Edison's film studios. After the visit was over, the students proclaimed how great it would be to have one of these studios available to them at their school. In saying all of this, you can see that this "learning experience" for this class was enjoyable. This means that learning doesn't always have to be a drag. By incorporating the right kind and amount of technology, you can make learning a very enjoyable and exciting experience.
• He Just Likes Class for the Pencils- Students, though younger that we as future teachers, deserve our respect. If you yell at a child, FOR BEING A CHILD, you don't deserve to teach. Children are children and they look up to us and expect our patience and kindness when they walk through those doors every morning. Give a child the respect they deserve and they will give it back to you in return.
• Sketchy Portraits: 8th Grade Identity and Pencils- I really enjoyed this blog A LOT! I remember being in that awkward 8th grade year. I wanted to be one thing one day and another thing the next. It was a "temporary permanency" as Spencer states. Students need the guidance and kindness of a teacher to help them get through this stage of their life. As a teacher, we will encounter disrespect to the most extreme, but we must remember that these children are trying to define themselves.
• Just Teach Them to Solve for X- In this blog post Spencer argues with Gertrude on teaching and learning techniques. I agree with Mr. Spencer, when he says's, that basically it's okay to get messy and take a different route. Why? Because, it all leads to the same point in the end. Why not do it a different or more fun way? Why not experiment and see what the outcome is?

Final PLN report

Personal Learning Network... GO, GO, GO!

This is my Symbaloo I created to show my PLN.

The link to view it is: Sarah's Symblaoo

I feel like I have a very large PLN and I did not realize it. If there is an account that I can access online, you better bet I am going to use it.

The following is a summarized list of all the sites that I use. (if you would like to view them all, click the link "Sarah's Symbaloo below the image above) :

• USA homepage- this site is very important for me to access all the accounts that I use through South Alabama.
• PAWS- This site allows me to access my grades as well as register for classes.
• JAG account- This is my university e-mail. I am sent very important messages from my professors and from other offices of administration on campus.
• Facebook- This is one of my social/ learning networks that I love to use.
• Myspace- Strictly a social network account that I can access.
• Twitter- So far this "social network" has only been used for educational purposes.
• EDM 310 Class Blog- I definitely access this site a lot. I use this site to access my assignments for EDM 310.
• Blogger- At first this site was for assignments only, but now I have come to enjoy this blog and plan to continue posting after the semester has ended.
• Google Docs- Without Google Docs this semester would have been difficult. Every group project for every class that I did group work in used this site. We shared ideas, as well as finished products of and for our project.
• Picasa- I love Picasa! I like to upload pictures to facebook a lot so many of them need to be edited. I like the picnic tab in Picasa to create some very funny images. 
• Google, Google Chrome, iGoogle, Yahoo, Bing, Ask, and etc.- All of these search engines are used on a daily basis for me. Especially Google sites. I am constantly questioning things and there are many sites available for questions that need to be answered.
• iPod Touch- I have an iPod touch, so through this piece of technology, I access Safari, App Store, and YouTube almost on a daily basis.
• RBC online banking- I bank online with RBC so that I can keep an eye on my account and my spending.
• eBay- I love to shop online and find great deals.

These are just a few of the many things that go along with my PLN. I feel like this class has really gotten me to get into my Personal Learning Network and so far, I am loving it! A PLN makes life so much simpler.

C4T T#4 Summary

David Hopkins

1st Blog Assignment:

• I this post by David Hopkins "Word-Press Plugin #4: Creative Commens License" , he dicusses how people copy word-for-word what you have written in your blog and they re-use it for their benefit. This is not collabortaion, this is stealing. He researched ways to stop this from happening. He came upon creative-commons-configurator-wordpress-plugin. Using this will oput a lisence on many things that you use on your blog, making it harder for others to copy your work.

2nd Blog Assignment:
Through the reading of this blog post by David Hopkins, you don't learn a whole lot to be quite honest. The title of his blog post is "Presentations: Creative Commons: Every Teacher Needs to Know." All the real information comes in through the video that he has provided. This video discusses what content and images can or cannot be re-used legally for students or any other person who is curious.

Check it out!

Creative Commons: What every Educator needs to know

C4K summary for November

Leighton

This month I commented on the blog of 4 students. I really enjoyed seeing the technology at use in their lives. The first student whose blog I commented on was Leighton. Leighton had drawn an image of the 5 senses and posted it.

• My comment to Leighton: Wow Leighton! Your picture looks very nice. I see all 5 senses in this picture! I see the hand, which you feel with. I see the tongue, which you taste with. I see the ear that you hear with. I see the nose which you smell with, and the eyes with which we see! Wonderful job! beautiful picture!

Celina

The next student that I had the privilege of commenting on their blog was a student by the name of Celina. She had discussed in her blog that she and a friend were in the restroom when they heard a strange noise.

•  My comment to Celina: HI Celina! I am in Dr.Strange's EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. I'm not sure what the noise was. Maybe it was probably just a toilet flushing or the pipes in the floor. you never know though. Make sure to only go to the bathroom when necessary so that you learn ALL that you can! Make good grades and good luck this school year!

Kamie

Thirdly I commented on Kamie's blog. Her teacher gave the students several options for post assignments. Kamie chose to post about some books or series' that they were required to read. The series that she read and discussed was "Percy Jackson Series".

• My Comment to Kamie: Hi Kamie, My name is Sarah and I am in Dr.Strange's EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. I have never read the "Percy Jackson Series", but maybe now that I see that it seems to be something good to read, I may. You use very mature wording in your comment above. I an VERY impressed with how well you write! Great job! Keep up the good work!

Logan

Last, but not least, I commented on Logan's blog. He simply typed out fact on U.S. history that he had learned over his second skype use. I was thoroughly impressed with his ability to use technology so well.



• My comment to Logan: Hey Logan, My name is Sarah and I am in Dr.Strange's EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. The facts that you have listed above are very critical points on our nations history. I am also very impressed that you use Skype. Dr. Strange teaches us that technology is a great was to enhance your learning experience, I can see that you are learning this as well. Great post! Good luck with school this coming year. Merry Christmas! ~Sarah

Project 16

Project 15: Movie Trailers for Books

Blog Post #13

What is ALEX (Alabama Learning Exchange)?

ALEX is a website for teachers and other educators. It is available for their access to enhance the tools they have in the classroom. I think this website is great because, you have so many different ways to integrate new things in your classroom once the things your doing get old or you just want to try new things. Before we get into what exactly this website does, I would like to recognize all the wonderful awards this site has received. If you glance in the very top left hand corner of your screen on the homepage, you will see all the things ALEX has been awarded. First, in 2007 the Honorable mention, in 2008 the Digital Achievement Award, and lastly in 2009 they were awarded the Digital Achievement Award for the second time.

Now lets get into the usefulness of the site. I am going to start from the  Courses of Study box and work my way through the rest. The first thing you will see when you click on this link, is the 11 courses you can chose from, along with a tab labeled "other courses of study." Once you chose your subject area you, you then chose your grade. The grades available on this website range from K-12th grade. Once you have chosen your grade level, a whole page is available for you to see, what your students should be learning in that subject area. The second link available is Web Resources. There are several things that you can do in this area as well. You can as a teacher or administrator, search web resources that are available to you through a tab. You can also recommend, search, report broken likes to web recourse's on this page. The third link we will cover, is Lesson Plans . The educator had the same 11 courses to chose from, as well as the same grade levels mentioned before. Once you have chosen the appropriate boxes, the page will fill will numerous lesson plans from the criteria that you have specified. There is also a Search link on the home page for any other specific needs that the educator may need. There are tabs available on this site that will help you narrow what you are searching for, as well as the Alabama Course of Study Content Standards. Then you can create your own account for ALEX under the Personal Workspace link. Under the Professional Learning link, you have many opportunities. There are tabs for almost anything you can think of in this category. There is a training session for ALEX, as well as "Grant Opportunities." You have many developmental opportunity tabs and lastly many tabs to help you increase you knowledge of technology as an educator. The Podcast Treasury is also a wonderful link that ALEX has provided.  At this link, there a pre-made podcast that you can download and use to show your classroom. There are again, the subject areas to chose from. Therefore, you can coincide your lesson with your podcast to enhance the learning experience for your students. Lastly, you can visit the Alexville communities by clicking on the globe in the middle of your screen. Here you can see updates that others have posted. This is a wonderful site, and I actually plan on using it to help me write my lesson plans for upcoming assignments!

ACCESS Distance Learning was set into motion on November 1st 2004. It is available for public high schools in the state of Alabama. It is a lot like ALEX, and there is a link to the ALEX website under the resource tab on their page. It provides a virtual library, as well as curriculum. To put it in the words of the creators of this site, it is stated as follows:

It provides:
• Equal access to high quality instruction 
• An infrastructure that delivers quality learning opportunities
• Greater equity for all Alabama public high school students through 21st century technology

Additional Assignment #3

Changing Educational Paradigms

I think that the most important thing that Sir Ken Robinson says in this presentation is that, "We shouldn't be putting them to sleep we should be waking them up to what they have inside themselves." I also like how he addressed how different people learn different ways. Some people learn better in small groups, some in large, and some alone. We should change our "standardisation" and go in the opposite direction. Therefore, "Changing the Paradigm".

I don't necessarily disagree with anything in this presentation, but I'm not too positive what I think about him saying that ADHD isn't a real disorder. I have seen so many children who have been diagnosed with this and it seems to be relevant. I do think that these children should not be pumped with drugs, but be taught ways to control this disorder.

The congruency with those that I am being taught in the College of Education and Sir Ken Robinson's positions coincide for me. I feel that thus far in my first two education classes that both of my professors encourage us to wake up and to be creative. I love the way that Sir Ken Robinson defines creativity as, "The process of having original ideas that have value." I'm encouraged to use "Divergent Thinking" and to not let it deteriorate with my age as most people do.

I can teach my future students not to lose their creativity with age to address the issues Sir Robinson raises. they need to know that no matter what age you are, you can always continue growing in the world of imagination. I would also encourage my students to collaborate and to let them know that collaborating is not cheating, it's putting your heads together.

I really thought that the presentation was very creative. I wonder if that was Sir Ken himself drawing all of those wonderful creations and displaying his creativity. If Ihad to do a presentation with others like this, I would probably be willing to do anything but the top three that I would choose would be the following:

1. Idea Generator
2. Designer
3. Sound Effects

Progress for project 16

Our group, which is the same members of my project 15 group, are meeting very soon in regards to this project. We each have read the instructions and plan to watch all of the video links provided. After doing so, we plan to meet and discuss what we read and watched. We will then being brainstorming lots of wonderful ideas. We will be texting, e-mailing, Facebooking, and using lots of other wonderful tools to complete this project and to collaborate with one another. Lastly, we will execute the project!

Form Results

Survey on Marriage Results (click here to view charts)

The title of my form was "Survey on Marriage". I wanted to know how the generation of 2010 viewed marriage. I asked about 10 questions and I had 20 people respond. Below are the questions I asked, as well as the answers that coincide with them.

• Question 1: Do you think that it is okay to have children prior to marriage?
• Answer: 8 of the 20 people that responded said no and 11 said yes. Percentage wise, 58% think that it is okay to have children prior to marriage and 42% disagree that it is acceptable. Almost an even race in regards to that question.
• Question 2: What age do you believe is appropriate for marriage and why?
• Answer: This question obviously has various responses. After evaluating the results, there is no common ago or average. The ages range for the age of 16-35. The most common age was surprisingly 18 or slightly older. Some people didn't give a particular ago and said it depended on the person. After seeing these results, I now know it DEFINITELY depends on the person.
• Question 3: Do you think becoming pregnant is a reason to marry? (I gave three options; Never, sometimes, and always)
• Answer: 10 or 53% of you lovely survey takers responded never. 8 or 42% said sometimes it's okay. Last but not least, only 1 person or 5% said it's always a reason to marry.
• Question 4: If you are married or plan to be in the future, will you share a bank account with your spouse? The survey takers has 4 options.  
• Answer: The first was, "No, I want to spend the money I earn how I want." Only 1 person selected this option, which equaled 5%. The second was, "No, I don't trust my spouse to spend our money wisely." No one chose this option. The third was, "Yes, I want to have access to my spouse's money so that I can spend whatever I want." A whopping 1 person also chose to select this box, which also equaled 5%. Lastly, "Yes, I believe my spouse and I will agree on what we spend and budget together." 17 people chose this option, which equaled 89%.
• Question 5: Which of the following is the most important quality that you are looking for in a spouse?
• Answer: 0% said Money, 5% (1 person) said religious views, 5% (1 person)  said personality and appearance, 84% (16 people)  said compatibility, and 5% (1 person)  said that their spouse had to be family oriented.
• Question 6: How long was your longest relationship?
• Answer: There were 4 options in this category also. The first was less than a year (3 people or 16%). The second was 1-3 years (9 people or 47%). The third was 3-5 years (3 people or 16%). Lastly, 5 years or more (4 people or 21%).
• Question 7: On a scale of one to ten, how do you perceive divorce? (1 = agree and 10 = strongly disagree).
• Answer: 1= 0 people or 0%, 2= 2 people or 11%, 3=2 people or 11%, 4=1 person or 5%, 5=6 people or 32%, 6=1 person or 5%, 7=3 people or 16%, 8= 1 person or 5%, 9= 0 people or 0%, 10=3 people or 16%
• Question 8: Which of the options below, in your opinion, causes the most divorces?
• Answer: Finances= 74% (14 people), Children=21% (4 people), Lack of quality time=53% (10 people), Married too young=42% (8 people)
• Question 9: What, in your opinion, can be done to prevent divorce?
• Answer: This was a free response portion. All the answers varied a great deal.
• Question 10: If you have different religious views than your partner, do you think that you can still make the relationship work?
• Answer: Yes=74% or 14 people. No=26% or 5 people.

I really enjoyed this project. Even though I didn't agree with a lot of people, it was still really nice seeing what people truly think when it comes to marriage. Thanks to all who participated!

Blog post 12

Blog Post 12 Due 11/14
Watch "Amazing future technology from japan". After watching this video, in one or two paragraphs, discuss your thoughts on this technological advance. At the end of your post, name some major technological advances that have occurred over the past 10 years of your life.





Blog Post 12 Response!

After watching this video I was appalled! I could not even comprehend the possibility of carrying my PC in my pocket. I find that this new invention would be totally amazing if it is indeed true! Depending on the expense of this product, I would definitely love to have one. Being able to project your computer screen anywhere as well as your keypad would make life so simple. Not to mention the space that it would save. The only thing that I can for-see being an issue, would be losing your computer or misplacing it before a major due date of an assignment online. I would be too afraid of misplacing that I would never get rid of my old PC. If I kept the old, then what is the point of purchasing a new. Hopefully the creators of this new piece of technology will invent some sort of item to help you find your lost computer or a way to replace or save the information in it. Otherwise, I totally love the idea of this new computer!

As far as the way technology has advanced over the past 10 years, many things have changed. Texting has completely taken off! Facebook has been introduced, as well as Myspace, Twitter, and Blogger. The iphone, ipod touch, GPS, and MacBook are just a few of the MANY new things that have made an appearance in the past ten years of my life!

Blog Post 11

Little Kids...Big Potential and Skype Interview with Ms. Cassidy

I thoroughly enjoyed the video that Ms. Cassidy posted of her first grade classroom. I really find everything that she did with all of the children very beneficial to their Personal Learning Network (PLN). I wish that when I was younger, maybe in my freshman year of high school, that my teachers would have introduced me to more technology so that I would have more of a background and more experience in the technological world than I do now that I am in college. In knowing that I needed this help, and with Ms. Cassidy's example, I will in the future be more aware of my students and the way that they network and collaborate with others via web, so that they may be prepared for their future.

I love Ms. Cassidy's approach with the technology in the classroom. From what I heard on the Skype interview, she protects her students very well. By not putting names with images and leaving the last name unknown to viewers, she does a very good job concealing the identity of her students to predators. If I used any of the many of her techniques in my classroom, it would probably be her use of the blogs for each student. In doing this, the parents, family, and friends can monitor as well as comment on the student of their choice's work. 

I hope that in using a class blog in my classroom, and each child having their own page, that I would not run into any issues. If I did have any problems, I suspect that it would be with parents leery of having their children exposed on the web for all the world to see. Once I educate the parents of the safety, I am sure that all would be well. Another aspect that Ms. Cassidy addressed was with prohibiting her students from exploring inappropriate or non educational websites. In this discussion she states that you educate the students and explain to them where they can and cannot go. She has certain links on her blog page that the students may explore. If the students find themselves in a place that they should not be, they should exit or ask for help. 

As I have mentioned above, I was not very well educated or should I say "introduced" to education before I entered the college atmosphere. Therefore, the benefits I anticipate in using these techniques and tools with my students is "preparation". I want students that I teach to be prepared for anything that a professor such as Dr.Strange throws their way. I don't want them to be lost when they enter a world of technology. I want to give them all the tools they need to get them started on a path where they may "Leave an intellectual trail." Last but not least, I really hope Ms. Cassidy keeps warm. That was A LOT of snow!!!!!

Teach Someone Something Video

Blog Post 10

An Open Letter To Educators

This post was published by a woman by the name of Morgan Bayda. She discusses how sometimes college can be boring and repetitive. She then gives us an example of something that all college students know. We all know that unless you have a very outgoing or passionate teacher, that we are rarely encouraged to work with other students. Yet, in classes like EDM 310 for example, we are constantly interacting with each other as well as others across the world. In other words, the World Wide Web has opened us up for so many opportunities, as well as alternate plans. We may not need to drop out of school like Dan Brown did, but we can use the resources available to us to interact with others.

Tom Johnson's Don't Let Them Take Pencils Home

I really enjoyed Tom Johnson's post! I think that yes, technology is and always will be the best way for us to learn, but when all else fails, you have your pencil and your paper. I also liked the way that he avoided calling the pencil a problem and instead substituted the negativity that we were all feeling as we read with a solution! We the students may not be good test takers, but we also aren't all technologically literate either. I think that we should learn as technology advances but we should also never forget about our trusty pencil and paper.

Two Questions That Can Change Your Life

I think that sometimes it's good to just sit back and think about what you have accomplished thus far in life. I think that every now and then it's good to look back , reflect , and say "I did this the best!" If I had to write a sentence that applied to my life it would be, "She always did the right thing, even when she didn't feel like it." I feel like this is what I have done the best in my life. When I didn't feel like saying "Thank You" or when someone was rude, I was the person who as you would say, "Killed em' with kindness." Some people say that I am a "people pleaser", but I know that I am just doing the right thing. In the end, if I am the one who is satisfied, that's all that matters. Be motivated!

c4t #3 summary

Jenny Luca was the teacher I was assigned this month.
I really loved learning about Overdrive. It is somewhat similar to something we learned in our class called the istudent (Which can be found on YouTube). I really liked this approach to reading because I have a special needs brother. In high school he struggled in his literature department because he is illiterate. Now that such technology is available, other students with the same problem won't have such a hard time if they have access to it. I really enjoyed this post and am looking forward to the results!

'Turning a New Page: eBooks & AudioBooks': The OverDrive Experience at Loreto Normanhurst

View more presentations from Therese Kenny.

The next post by Jenny Luca that I read was about real-estate values of online communities. There wasn't very much to read in her article but the images below say it all! Check it out!This is what our world would look like as an online comminuty!

The Myspace online community

The Facebook online community

SMART board

C4K Summary for October!

I had a young man named Night as my first assignment, and he had just experienced cross country. I don't know what it is about all the students I have been assigned thus far, but they have all run cross country just as I have. He seemed to really enjoy it and I told him that it cross country was something that he really liked to continue to pursue it. I then wished him luck in the upcoming school year!

My next student's name was Sophie. I thoroughly enjoyed her post. She talked about Father's Day and the gifts she gave her dad which were sweets, lottery tickets and they went for a walk on the beach as a family. I told her that the gifts that she gave her dad were perfect, because as much as he enjoyed the sweets, lottery tickets, and walking on the beach, I am sure he enjoyed spending the day with her most of all! I gave her a word of advice. I told her that Father's Day is about spending quality time with your dad and letting him know he is appreciated.

My next student I was assigned talked about the movie Cars and I love the movie cars! She related the movie to her friendships. Her best friends name is Sarah! That’s a great name! She posted that a good quality of friendship is someone who will help you fulfill you dreams. I think she hit the nail on the head with that one. A friend will always support you in what you do and encourage you to reach for your goals and dreams.

Hannah was my next student! She talked about her mom and a trip they took together to Disney World. My mom and I are very close and I would love for just the two of us to get away on a trip like that! I told her about my last trip there. The last time I went to Disney World I was 19. I will be 21 in 1 week from today so, it has been two long years since my last trip! I hope to be able to go again soon and stay in the Wilderness Lodge just like she did! I encouraged her to continue posting. She did a great job!
Clancy was my last student, and he was from Australia. I think it is so awesome that I can communicate with students all around the world via Blogger! In Clancy's blog, he talked about a run that he and his classmates did to raise money for a school in Uganda! That is a really great thing to run for, I told him! 15 laps is a lot to run or walk for a young man. In his post he stated that after he ran he was "puffed". I told him, that in Australia you say that you are "puffed" when you are out of breath. In the United States, you would say you are "winded". I think I like puffed a lot better. He said his teacher was going to post a slide show soon of all the pictures from the run. I let him know I was excited to see the slide show. I really enjoyed his enthusiasm!

Technology in the Life of a Teacher

Capture your screen in seconds

Blog Assignment #9

"What I've Learned This Year"



First, Mr.McClung starts out by telling the reader that he had just finished his first year of teaching. He states that he didn't know what to expect but that he learned a lot.  The first aspect that he covers on what he has learned is How to Read the Crowd. He believes that you don't just teach for the sake of teaching, to meet guidelines, or to impress other colleagues. You teach to make sure your students comprehend what you have lectured them on. Mr.McClung states, "In order to be effective you have to be able to let your audience drive your instruction."  The second this McClung addresses is how to Be Flexible. He is not necessarily talking about time, he is in a way talking about your outlook. You should be able to handle any situation. If a lesson you prepare doesn't turn out the way you want, don't get frustrated, just deal with it and move on with a positive attitude. In the words of Mr. McClung, "When things go wrong, simply work with it and try to better the situation.....and make sure you do it with a smile on your face!" Where would we be without Communication? Well, according to this teacher, we would be up a creek without a paddle. If you ever have tension between you and a fellow co-worker, student, or even authority, then you need to speak with that person about the situation and have it resolved ASAP! Work in NEVER a place for drama.

As a future teacher, Don't be Afraid of Technology! The basic point I believe that McClung is trying to make is, how do you know, if you don't try? Putting yourself out there and attempting is better than never knowing at all. Mr. McClung says, "Technology is our friend and is essential to living in our microwave society of today." One of your first priorities should be to Listen to Your Students. If you want to earn the respect of your students, you must take the initiative to listen to them. You also need to form a relationship with your students. Get to know them and take interest in them. Lastly....Never Stop Learning! "We do everything short of beg students to learn on a daily basis, but sadly some of us refuse to learn and grow as professional educators. We work in a learning environment, so why not soak up as much as you can?"

Additional Assignment #2

1.What do you think? If learners are motivated, can they teach themselves?
I really enjoyed this video. I was thoroughly impressed and would have never thought it possible. I definitely do think that if learners are motivated they can teach themselves.

2. If those motivated learners are kids, can they teach themselves?
Sure! The evidence that Sugata shared through the video proved that.

3. What conditions are necessary for kids to teach themselves? For anyone to teach him or herself?
For children to teach themselves they must have access to a computer and be able to work with other kids. They can share answers and what they have discovered with one another.

4. What role do computers and Internet access play in the process?
Internet access, as shown in the video, can help children in foreign countries perfect their language and learn others. Google also allows students to research and study on what they are learning in school.

5. What role does motivation, a desire to learn?
Motivation keeps the children engaged in what they are learning. When you put a new way to learn in front of a child, the child then becomes motivated to learn how to use that piece of technology.

6. What roles do a problem, a question or multiple problems or questions play in the process?
When a problem arises, the children come together and compare their theory as to why there is a problem. They then try to find an answer by researching as a team. This is also another example of motivation that adds to the learning process.

7. How do you motivate someone to learn?
You can motivate someone to learn by taking that person out of their comfort zone and letting them find different ways to solve a problem.

8. How are you motivated to learn?
I am motivated to learn when I know that I can take what I learn and apply it to my life.

9. Can anyone who is not motivated to learn learn?
Definitely! As shown in the video, some children who had never been schooled in their lives, learned to use a computer. These children had never seen a computer before and had never been motivated or pushed to learn before.

10. Do you teach yourself? When? Why?
I feel like I do teach myself certain things. For the most part, I have tough myself many things when it comes to using my computer. Most of my computer learning experience has taken place in EDM310.

11. What role does a teacher (either answer generally or use a specific example) play in your learning?
Teachers will always serve a very large role in learning. Regardless of how much technology has advanced in education today, as of right now we still need teachers guiding us. Some teachers, even though not in a classroom, blog for us to read and share information with us via web to learn new things.

12. What is the most important idea, question or emotional response you take away with you as a result of watching this video?
Anyone, anywhere in this world is capable of learning. We can help make that happen!

13. What other questions or issues are raised by this video that should be considered and discussed by aspiring teachers?

Blog Assignment #8

This Is How We Dream

I agree with Dr. Richard Miller when he says that we write with the web and media technology. I do this on a daily basis. I write on the web for this class many many hours a week for example. If I have a paper due, a many professors will not even accept a hand written paper, generally it is required to be typed and in a certain format. I have not been able to turn in a handwritten paper since at least my junior year of high school.

I also do most of my "library going" on the web as well. I really don't think that I have EVER gone to a library and gotten a book for researching purposes. I may have for reading pleasure but not for researching. I always use valid websites to find needed information. There is really not anything in the library that you could not find on the web in this day and age.

I definitely think that in the future my students will be able to do this. There is so much technology available that it would be nearly impossible for a student to not have access or be able to do this. If I am able, and have been able to for many years, then my future students, regardless of age, will certainly not have an issue with multimedia writing.

The Chipper Series

The Chipper Series was mainly about procrastinating and getting behind in EDM 310. As Chipper, I have learned that you really need to do your work on time. I have gotten a little overwhelmed by this class at certain times. I have lost social time, but I have also learned a lot about technology and how to apply it to my future career. This video portrays well what will happen if you don't tale the time needed to work in this class, you will just end up right back where you started and that is in EDM 310!



EDM For Dummies

This was a very cute video. The point of this video, in my opinion, was that once you know how to do everything required for EDM because of the resources given to you, EDM can be easy and less stressful. The people in this video did a wonderful job of portraying the overwhelming feeling EDM can give you as well as the feeling of relief once you comprehend what is going on.

SMART board

The blogs that were provided were Why I Hate Interactive White Boards and Why Smartboards Are A Dumb Initiative. Both of these two blog posts basically state that interactive white boards are garbage and way too expensive. The one of the two bloggers stated that if your white board breaks, you can't just fix it, you had to buy a new more expensive one to replace it. A link that encourages teachers to use these Interactive White Boards is Obe Hostetter's Blog-SMART board REVOLUTION 



Timetoast 9b (The Last 10 Presidents of the United States)

Short Movie

Timeline 9a

Project 10 (My PLN)

Before this class, I did not know what a PLN was. I've come to learn that the acronym stands for Personal Learning Network. This is great for not only students but teachers as well. I hope my PLN continues to grow. The following is my PLN thus far:

1. I have been on Facebook for about three years now, and I love keeping in touch with all my high school and church friends, as well as my long-distance family and friends. It also helps being friends with you classmates, so you can get help if you miss a class or have a question on a project.
2. I have had my Myspace a little longer than my Facebook. I generally only use that account to see what people have going on in their personal lives, but I don't get on as much now because Facebook is SO much better!
3. My newest addition to the PLN family would probably be Blogger. This account is helping me "leave my intellectual trail" for my future bosses and co-workers!
4. I probably use Google on a hourly basis. If I need information about a particular subject, if I'm getting the scoop on celebrities, or whether I need to know how to spell a word for a text I'm trying to send, Google is always there.
5. If I upload pictures to my computer, I do so via Picasa. I really love editing and uploading with this source. It's fast, easy, and has so many options and enhancements.

A cool blog to go to if you want more information about PLN, and what yours is would be http://www.teachingvillage.org/2009/09/10/what-is-a-pln-anyway/

Blog Assignment #7

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

This video was about a man by the name of Randy Pausch, who believed in achieving his childhood dreams and enabling the dreams of others. Randy Pausch was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer, and was told he only had around 3-6 months to live. Before he died on July 25th, 2008, he made this video. After doing a little research, I found that Randy was actually making this video for his small children to watch one day. This was the only way he would be able to encourage his children to pursue their dreams long after he is gone.

The first thing that Randy goes into is his childhood dreams. The dreams he mentions in this video are the following:

• Experiencing 0 gravity
• Being a part of the National Football League
• Being Captain Kirk
• Being an author in the World Book Encyclopedia
• Winning stuffed animals
• Being a Disney Imagineer

He goes on to explain that because he was so driven, he achieved all of his dream to some extent. He never joined the NFL but he had a wonderful coach that inspired him when he was younger. One thing that his coach said that really stuck with him was, "When your screwing up and nobody is saying anything to you anymore, that means they gave up." He may not have been in the National Football League but he bettered himself in a different way. A mental way. He obviously never became Captain Kirk but he did meet him. Another great quote from Randy to go with that dream would be, "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted."

He and his co-workers accomplished many different things that they did not expect. The had the "worlds" that the students created. In this the students (50 of them) at Carnegie Mellon University were put in groups and assigned a project. Once they completed the project they were assigned to a different group and a new project. They created "virtual worlds". Randy was completely blown away by the capabilities of the students. He them told them they did good but encouraged them to do better and they did! The project exploded and many students, all the faculty, and even parents came to watch these students preform. Some more of the many groups he created was the ETC, Java Languages, The Alice Project, and movie scripts.

During about the last 15 minutes or so of the video, Randy talks about roles. He proceeds to talk about his parents and what an impact they had on his life. "If your kid's want to paint on the walls, it'll be okay." His parents encouraged him and with that he became the man he is today. He also talks about his bosses and how you should form relationships with them so that it makes working more fun, and you can talk to them on a personal level. Students were also part of Randy'l life. The role of students in his life left a great impact on him. The main point that Randy really wanted to portray was "Have fun, help others, loyalty is a two-way street, listen to feedback and use it, show gratitude, don't complain-just work harder, and find the best in everyone-maybe their good side will come out eventually."

C4T #2 summary

In the blog of the teacher (Beth Still) that I read, the teacher was discussing how our administrators today do not accept technology as much as they should. I believe that Principals in schools today should at least give it a shot and if it doesn't work out then so be it. By saying "No" to technology as an administrator you could be missing out on some great opportunities. Why would you risk losing an opportunity to advance in the educational field?

The second post by the teacher I was assigned was called "Laptop Initiative". I am a very compassionate person and I feel as though Beth Still is as well. She is doing a project in her community where students can work a certain to earn money for a laptop. The first 25 hours they work they get $100 off. Eventually by continually working and also by having good grades, the students can get up to $250 off of a $500 laptop. I really enjoyed Mrs.Still's post and am looking forward to seeing how she and her husband's project goes.

C4K summary

Comments For Kids



Anahi was the name of the student that I had for comments for kids. This student was a 13 year old girl who participates in many activities. We both have similar interests in athletics. First the young girl talked about how she enjoyed running cross country. When I was in high school I also ran cross country. I encouraged her to do what she enjoyed. She also stated that she liked to cheer-lead. When I was her age as well as in high school, I tumbled and I absolutely loved it. She had a few grammatical error as far as spelling and capitalization. I encouraged her to work on her grammar but that she was doing a wonderful job at blogging!

Blog assignment #6

The Networked Student



 I really enjoyed Ms. Drexler's video. The creativity was clever enough in itself to be an enjoyable video. Connectivism. A very different way of learning in the 21st Century may be through connectivism. What is connectivism? It is a theory that presumes learning occurs as part of a social network of many diverse connections and ties. In other words, a way for students, as well as teachers, to connect and share education via the web.

Ms. Drexler will be trying this new way of learning this fall with her middle school class. She will teach her class three days a week and two days online. The class will also have no textbook and very little lecture. Tell me that wasn't your dream in middle school! First, a student must form his or her own personal learning network. The student must find valid websites. A student will know if the website is valid through training by Ms.Drexler. Whatever the students topic is that he or she is researching, can be searched on Google Scholar. Once an appropriate article is found, the student will post it to the social bookmarking cite, which is a place others have also posted URL's on that particular topic.

The next step this student could take would be to search blogs from other students in reference to this subject that the student may be researching. When reading another persons blog he or she can either take facts from this blog or if the blog was formed through opinion, the student may then wish to discuss it with the blogger. In the end, the student creates a blog and posts what results and data were gathered. Therefore, all over the world, others who are researching this topic, may see this students work and gather information for themselves that he or she has provided.

I really think that making a student do the research, and being the one who could possibly be the source that someone uses when they research the same topic could be rewarding in itself. I would love to know that someone out there, was reading my blog and using the information from it to better themselves in a certain subject. I also think that once again it would save cost in books, printers, copiers, paper, ink, and other costly school supplies. I'm looking forward to seeing the results that Ms. Drexler brings us!

A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment

Ms.Drexler has done it again! She has produced another video to show how well our Internet may be used. The first thing that came to my mind while watching this video was homeschooling. In the future we may have no need for homeschooling because we may have all the access to school in our home anyway. Even if we don't immediately get access to this connectivism right away, children and teenagers who are being home-schooled could use this sort of learning experience to help make their learning more enjoyable. Home-schooled students would also have better communication with other home-schooled students and would also be able to talk to teachers through skype if need be. I really enjoyed seeing this connectivism in action!

The Machine is Changing Us

First, I must say that this video was hilarious! I really enjoyed Michael Wesch's humor. He definitely pointed out many aspects of http://www.youtube.com/ that you don't really think about, until someone brings it up. It is very true that you do not perceive yourself as others do. You do not hear yourself as others hear you. Making a video of yourself is much easier for people who are shy because then you don't have to worry about first impressions or messing up because you can always edit or start over. Editing and starting over in real life is not an option. YouTube gives the self-conscious a voice and the shy a personality. It makes hero's and heroine's of people and one of their videos can uplift or encourage others. I really hope that this up coming generation can be a "I'll do whatever it takes" generation as opposed to "whatever, I don't care" generation. 



Podcast Project # 8

Blog Post Assignment #5

Eagle Nest Radio & Class Blog

The Eagle Nest Radio podcasts were obviously very cute and creative. I really enjoyed listening to the kids sharing facts with me about various things. I noticed several things in their podcast that my group could use in ours. First, I noticed the way that the children used their voices. The voices of the children were never monotone or boring, they were constantly keeping your attention with an inviting excitement about the subject they were discussing. Secondly, there were sound effects to go with whatever they were talking about. For example, when they were discussing Rome, there was ancient Roman music playing behind the voice of the person speaking. Another example is the shark podcast. When listening to the 3rd graders podcast on sharks you could hear the sound effect of water in the background. If my group did voice only podcast, we would take some tips from these 3rd graders for sure!

Langwitches (Producing a Podcast)

In this blog, I read the many different ways that you can do a podcast. The following is a list of what was discussed:

• Individual recordings
• Small groups recordings
• Entire class recordings
• Portable MP3 recorder
• USB microphone attached to computer
• Use cell phone and specific number to record audio
• Scripted recordings
• Unscripted recordings

The writer of this blog also talks about how you should use enthusiasm in your voice. In doing so you will keep the listeners attention. Then, I learned several different topics that you can choose to produce a podcast. some of which were interviews, doing research on a topic and discussing it and documenting a trip or event that you attended. I also listened to some of the audio podcasts available at the bottom of the page. My favorite, was of the kindergartners talking about their favorite part of the rain forest due to the special effects on the voices of the children. My group will be doing an interview with a professor!

The benefits of podcasting in the classroom

This video was very helpful in identifying what the true benefits and purpose are for podcasting. One of the many benefits is that it lets students in the classroom express their creativity when they create one themselves. They use music, sound effects and integrate their own enthusiasm. Podcasts can be downloaded onto your ipod. If your teacher records their lecture and it is available for download you can put it on your ipod and listen to it for extra help. If you are a visual learner your teacher can do the same for you and you can see the lecture through video.These two types of podcasts, as shown in the video, are very helpful for a student who is sick and can't come to school. The part of the video that introduced Harry Dale was very interesting. The was he did stories with the podcasts made it much more interesting for the kids in his classroom. Not only is a podcast helpful for students but the parents of these students can get involved too by listening with their children or even hearing work that the children have done in the classroom. There are many benefits to podcasting, it's just a matter of using them! 

Blog Post Assignment #4

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?

I really loved this blog post by Scott McLeod, who is a professor with an education degree in Minneapolis, Minnesota! I mean let's be real, what parent in 2010 will be fully capable of keeping their child away from technology even though that's what they would want to do? A child, teenager, or young adult will use technology through friends or school at some given point. It is not a matter of if, but when will my child use technology. I really loved his sarcasm too because, it almost shows you how ignorant some parents sound when they say such things. I really liked the approach he used to get his point across. I'm sure if there was a study conducted, where identical twins were separated at birth and one was introduced to technology, and the other was not, I'm sure that the technologically advanced child would be more educated and prepared for the world we live in today as well as the future as opposed to the other child. Do you agree?

The iSchool Initiative

I thoroughly enjoyed Travis' perspective of the iSchool through the iTouch. I already have an iTouch and can see, just like Travis, all the opportunities available now without the iSchool even being established. I really think that this wonderful idea would be somewhat difficult in a way. If you are a student in a public school, you go to school for free. There are some small fee's to pay, but I never remember paying 600 dollars a year. If a public school student was required to buy this form of technology, would it be too much to  ask for a low income family? Would or should the school provide the iSchool for the students?

I think a lot of careful consideration should go into the cost of this product before requiring students to purchase it. Maybe there should be payment plans set up for families, or maybe the money a school would save in paper, ink, classroom supplies and computers cost should be saved and use that money to buy the iTouch. I still love the idea of the iSchool and I think it would be very convenient. It is also, as Travis said, a way to reduce our carbon footprint and go green! I'm looking forward to seeing what comes of the iSchool!

Lost Generation

The technique used in this video was very effective to me. It really made you listen and grasp the point. The producers of this video were very creative. I loved how when it reversed, you could could read the words from bottom to top and make a more hopeful story out of a once hopeless one. I really believe, if there would have been a true video about the point they were trying to get across, rather that a voice, then I would have been more distracted by what was going on in the video and I would have missed the urgancey of this message.

As far as the information provided in the video, I was terribly shocked! I really felt at certain points, that I was going to cry. It is so true, that unless our generation changes and teaches our children to be a certain way, that we are headed for disaster. Money should never outweigh the importance of a family. The love of money is the root of all evil. Money is not the root, but the love of it is. We need to learn in this society what are priorities are and what we love most and that should be our families.

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir

I never in a million years would have thought that a virtual choir would be possible. I'm not really sure, after reading the explination below the video, if the choir actually talked or communicated with Eric, but at the end of the video it does state that if you would like to join you can and it has contact information. I would love to learn more about this choir and how they made this possible. These are the days that i wish I were able to sing so that I could be involved in something so awesome!





Additional Assignment #1

I found google squared to be a really useful search engine for education. With google squared you can do quite a lot of research that can be used to enhance your teaching in the classroom. It is a new search engine to me but I would recommend it to others for thier benefit.

I also found wolfram alpha to be a very helpful search engine that could be very useful in the classroom. It had many interesting facts and graphs right at your finger tips with no effort from you. It was also another search engine that I had never heard of but that I would again recommend to others for their benefit.

My thoughts on the "Did You Know 3.0" video did not change. If anything changed at all it would be that I would always research the statistics I read more in depth before sharing them with others.



I also found that "Foos for Thought" was extremely interesting. It is amazing to me that you can take someone completely illiterate and they can do as much as figure out how to use an ipad. I appreciate technology even more after reading this.

Blog Post 3

A Vision of Students Today

I am the kind of person who does not know a lot about technology, nor did I really care to know, but after watching the videos required for this class I have come to realize how much I unintentionally use technology. It is very true that sometimes I go to class and I just get on facebook on my phone because, whatever the teacher is talking about is whole lot less interesting than the cyber world. I also spend many hours more online than I do studying or doing homework.

Another way that I can relate to this video is in the aspect of books. Every single year that a new semester begins, it never fails, I will buy a book that I pay over one hundred dollars for and the teacher will never require us to use it even one time. Also, by the time the semester is over, you go to try and return the book that you never used and it is out of date and now considered an old edition. In regardes to the web, it will never become an old edition and will never cost you money. The web is updated regularly. In conclusion, I could say that it did capture my college experiance.

It's Not About the Technology

I thoroughly enjoyed myself as I read Ms. Hines' post. It really reminds you, if you are an education major, what you signed up for in the first place, and that is first and foremost to teach. Not only as Ms. Hines said do we teach, but we are also here to learn. Without a passion to teach, and make sure your students grasp what your teaching, you are not going to succeed in education.

My absolute favorite part of this post was when Ms. Hines said, "I equate teaching and learning to a basic physics principle. If an abject does not move,no matter how much effort has been applied, no work has been done. Therefore, if a student has not learned, no matter how much effort has been exerted, no teaching has been done." This quote is one that will stick with me the rest of my teaching career. This blog really gave me incite on teaching and what it is really about. First, a teacher teaches. Second, a teacher adds technology when appropriate.

Is It Okay To Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher

I really enjoyed this post as well. I think even in his frustration he got the point across. I think that anyone who says that technology is not important and that you do not need it in schools should definitely read this blog. I definitely do not think that technology is all there is to an education at all. First you are a teacher, then you can bring in the technology to enhance the learning experience.

School in this day and time is not a place in my opinion, like I've said before, to hide from technology. Even if you aren't using technology inside the classroom you will still need it for keeping in contact with your co-workers and for keeping a record of the grades. There is no way that a completely technological illiterate person could servive in a school system today.

Garys Social Media Count

First, I would like to say that if it takes having one of all of these things listed on the count to be technologiacally literate, then I am not! I did not even know what some of the things were on there. The thing that was even more strange to me was the fact that even though I didn't know what some of the things were on there, they were growing so fast. This makes me think that I should step it up a notch in the cyber world. This was very eye opening for me.

Summary of David Warlick's "2 cents worth"

I found that the first blog post I read, "Dang! I just Missed It", to be very eye opening. As David Warlick went on about Mars and how it could be seen on August 26th as the size of the moon I was actually starting to believe that this could have actually happened. I began to think that I had missed this event as well. After he explained that this was not true, I realized just how many statistics out there could be false and that some teachers do not always do their research. When you do not do your research, you are taking the risk of sharing with your students false information that they in return may also pass on. If David would not have written that this information were false I would have begun to ask people if they had seen this event and I would have been taken for a fool. Be sure to research your facts before sharing them.

I also read his second blog post called "Willing eBook Sellers". This post more irritated me than anything else. I was just so completely baffeled that Sony and Apple would not let Cory Doctorow, who is an author, publish his ebooks with them. They would not let him do so because he did not want to put any license agreements on his books for the buyer. Doctorow's publisher also said that this was ok with him. Still Sony and Apple rejected this idea. Other companys such as Barnes and Noble were perfectly okay with this arrangement. I wonder if Doctorow did this intentionally to prove a point about these big name companies and that they want control over everything. Please comment back with your opinion.

Google Presentation

Wordle 2

WoRdLe

Wordle 1

My First Wordle!

Post 2

"Did You Know 3.0"

I found this "Did You Know 3.0", to be VERY interesting. In a way the video was almost kind of scary in my opinion. It is hard to grasp the fact that in 2049 there could possibly be a computer that is smarter than the whole human species. I'm not quite sure I'm ready for a computer of that intelligence to be created. 2049 is a long way away and I'm sure by then it will be more acceptable but in 2010 I'm not sure many people would be very fond of a computer that could potentially take over the world.

Another thing that I found interesting, was how long text messaging had been around. I am 20 almost 21 years old, so therefore, I was born in 1989. Text messaging came about in 1992 so it seems as though texting has been around my whole life. After reading that texting had only been around 18 years I was shocked on how much technology had advanced since then. Technology is an amazing thing and I am very thankful for the access we get to things unreachable without it.

"Mr.Winkle Wakes"

This video was not as interesting as "Did You Know," yet it got the same point across. It is definitely true that if you were asleep for 100 years that you would wake up to a world that you would not recognize due to all the technological advances that take place. As you could see in the video Mr. Winkle did not like technology but that was only because he had not been introduced to it. I think that once a person can grasp technology and the perks that come along with it that, they would fully enjoy it.

There was one aspect of this video that I disagreed with. I disagree that schools are a safe environment for the technically challenged people in today's generation. For the most part, all schools are getting more and more advanced with technology. For example, I know that many schools now have smart boards. Eventually, I really believe that school will be taught from the comfort of your home.

"The Importance of Creativity"

I found this video extremely funny! I thought that his way of explaining his theory of creativity was very clever. I totally agree with Ken when he stated that "creativity is educated out of them" (them being the children). We teach children in schools today that if they are wrong with their answer then there is no other option.This means that if they are trying to be unique then we tell them that they can't.

I believe that we should come up with a different way of testing our children in a way that they can also give their opinion or input. We also need to incorporate the arts in with educating these children. We as teachers need to let them feel that letting their creativity flow is a good thing. Doing so would help create many talented adults in the future.

"Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts"

I found this video very inspiring. I am not very technologically advanced and watching this video gives me a little more hope. In this video the teacher said that you do not have to basically know what your doing with the computers to be able to teach it. The fact that she won the best blog in the world and made that statement makes me feel more confident to enter the teaching field in this day and time where everything is computer and Internet based.

I also loved how this teacher got her students involved in everything and let them even teach her a few things about what project they were working on just to prove that it could be done. I believe classrooms like the one from this video will be the classrooms of our future. There will be computers in every classroom for every student and cellphones used in the correct manor will be encouraged not discouraged. I'm excited to engage in these activities.

Post 1

My name is Sarah Davis. I am 20 years old and will be 21 on October 30th. I am an Elementary Education major and I work at Cardiology Associates of Mobile. My main interests are in church, family, school, and work, in that exact order! My mom owns her own printing business called Printing Solutions and my father work at Northrup Grumman. I also have an older brother who is 23 years old. My family and I live under the same roof in Mobile, Alabama (Tanner Williams). I have entered the field of education because I have a great compassion for children. I have worked around children for many years at my church in the Children's Church department. Through this experience, I have seen the way a child's mind works and it is an amazing and funny thing. Children are like sponges and soak in everything they can and I look forward to being a part of that process with them one day.