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