Additional Assignment #3

Sir Ken Robinson: Changing Educational Paradigms



I think the most important thing that Sir Ken Robinson says in his presentation is that we are currently moving our children through education by using anaesthetisation. We should be getting our students' attention instead of putting them to sleep.

Thus far, my experience with South Alabama's College of Education has been a positive one. My advisor and my teachers seem to agree with Sir Ken Robinson's views. They look to inspire instead of bore their students. They work to further their students and ready them for the future.

As a future educator, I hope that I can stimulate the minds of my students. I hope I can open them up to the power of thinking and make them want to learn.

This presentation was probably one of my favorites to watch. I loved the artistic aspect, and Sir Ken Robinson always pulls me in with his humor. If I participated in a presentation like this one, I would probably take on the role of the author or narrator. I cannot draw to save my life, but I am creative when it comes to writing and speaking.

Blog Assignment 10

An Open Letter To Educators
Morgan Bayda



Morgan's post really spoke to me. She talks about information and how we access that information. To make her point, she references a video by Dan Brown. She explains that she sometimes has trouble staying awake in her classes because her teachers do not allow communication with others or allow hands on learning. They spit out information, and that is how they expect their students to learn.

I have the exact same problem. I am not able to sit through a class in which the teacher is just talking the entire time about something we are going to have to memorize for the test. I learn better when it comes to hands on learning.

Before reading this post, I did not stop to think about how a University works these days. You have to literally pay for information. The Internet gives us this information for free! It almost makes a person wonder why they are attending a University to begin with.



Tom Johnson's Don't Let Them Take the Pencils Home!
This is a post that shows how one person takes a problem and focuses on the solution instead of the problem itself. He is faced with the problem that if children take pencils home, they will score lower on standardized tests. He comes up with the solution that if he keeps the children interested, the pencils will not make a difference on the test scores. Although he is challenged by another person on his views, he stands firm to his beliefs. This is truly inspiring!


Two Questions That Can Change Your Life-Daniel Pink

Two questions that can change your life from Daniel Pink on Vimeo.

Daniel Pink's video gives us two questions. "What is your sentence?" This sentence about yourself provides insight into who you are. I have put a lot of thought into my sentence. My sentence, as of right now, is as follows: She spent her time helping others to further themselves. I am only 21 years old, so I am sure that my sentence will be revised, but I hope to convey the same message.

Daniel's second question makes you think about yourself. "Was I better today than yesterday?" I think that this is something I am going to carry with me. If you ask this question everyday, it will give you motivation to make the next day better and the next day and the next.

Project 13-Smartboard Instruction

Tiffany Morris (teacher) and LaChandra Lett (student) explain the value of money by using a Smartboard.

Skype Interview

Blog Assignment 9

"What I've Learned This Year" by Mr. McClung

Mr. McClung's post has so much useful information. He has seven major points about what he has learned during his first year of teaching. His first point is how to read the crowd, in which he talks about making lessons student centered. His second point is to be flexible. He says, "No lesson is ever perfect. The lesson you teach and the one you plan are always different." His third point is to communicate, in which he explains that communication makes things easier around the workplace. His fourth point is to be reasonable. He tells us not to set our expectations out of the reach of our students. His fifth point is not to be afraid of technology. It can be scary, but keep at it. His sixth point is to listen to your students. There will be a shared respect, and the students will know that you care about them. His seventh point is to never stop learning. There is always more to learn, especially when you are working as a teacher.

I think all teachers, whether they are just starting out or have been teaching for fifty years, should read and follow Mr. McClung's points. They are valuable lessons. As a future educator, I hope that I will be able to make use of these lessons. I think a great teacher is one who embodies all of these qualities.

Project 11

Project 9b

Blog Assignment 8

Richard Miller: This Is How We Dream

Dr. Miller explains how technology can be useful. When it comes to reading or doing projects, we no longer have to go to the library for books. He gives us an example of a project concerning voting records. On the Internet, he found voting records concerning the presidential election. Not only did he find voting records, but he also found videos of people's reactions to the outcome.

Dr. Miller also tells us that in this digital environment, we have information that is updated almost immediately at our hands. We are able to share information and collaborate with anyone and everyone. He believes that technology will only increase and students will be using it more and more. He tells us that many people cannot teach with technology, like writing with multimedia, due to lack of resources.

Dr. Miller's lecture is truly inspiring. Classrooms need technology to teach the students about the world. It is hands on. I think that it is just horrible that the lack of resources are depriving students of learning something that is so amazing.


The Chipper Series
EDM 310 for Dummies

I think both of these videos are great. "The Chipper Series" depicts someone who procrastinates and makes bad decisions, but later realizes that the decisions need to be revisited. "EDM 310 for Dummies" depicts frustrated students who do not understand their class.

I would love to make a video that has a lesson involved like "The Chipper Series" of participate in a video that makes light of a frustrating situation like "EDM 310 for Dummies." A video that shows frustrations concerning college in general would be interesting.


Why Smartboards Are A Dumb Initiative
Why I Hate Interactive Whiteboards
Getting SMARTER with SMART Boards

There is a controversy present where smartboards are concerned. Some people think they are great, while others believe they are useless. Michael Straton and Bill Ferriter have written articles that tell us how useless smartboards are. They think that they are a waste of money and are used just to make the schools look better.
I found a blog entitle, "Getting SMARTER with SMART Boards." It gives examples of things you can do with smartboards. It shows things like interactive science simulations, games, and even an animated water cycle.

I am not sure about my views on smartboards. I have never used one before. However, I am very willing to learn.

Additional Assignment #2

How Kids Teach Themselves
Sugata Mitra





This is an amazing video. It shows how intrigued kids really are about learning. Mr. Mitra put computers up, allowed children to access them, and watched what happened. These children took it upon themselves to learn about various subjects.

I think that learners who are motivated are very capable of teaching themselves. If they take resources into their own hands, they can do anything. I think this is very true concerning kids. I've seen so many kids, including the ones in this video, who are intrigued by new thoughts. I think kids are more open-minded than adults. I think that there are certain conditions needed to teach oneself, be it a child or an adult. I think access to computers and the Internet play a big role in these needed conditions. The Internet gives us access to more than we could possibly imagine. I think computers provide a sort of "awe" for people. Computers keep it interesting and, therefore, create an interest to learn.

Motivation is key when it comes to doing anything. If you don't have motivation, it's not really possible to accomplish anything, and this includes learning. Learning means asking questions and finding answers. When you ask questions, you show that you're interested in your subject, and if you're motivated enough, you'll find those answers. In order to motivate someone to learn, I think you have to make it interesting for them or even challenge them. If they find it boring or too easy, they won't learn anything. This is very true for me. If I'm not challenged, I'm not interested, and therefore, I don't learning anything. I just do the assignment to be done with it.

I definitely find that I have a tendency to teach myself. I do a lot of research on a lot of different things all the time. If I am interested in a subject, I learn more about it. I also teach myself when I don't understand something, such as an assignment given. I think teachers play an important role in learning because they introduce new ideas and serve as a support system.

I think the most important thing that I will take away from this video is the fact that kids really do want to learn. I think all aspiring teachers (and even current teachers) should consider this. Don't assume that children aren't interesting in something. Give kids a chance, and they may surprise you.

PLN Progress

I had a rough start with my PLN. I was a little confused, but after looking over everything a few more times, I began to understand. I only have a few websites right now, but I have a list of more that I can add. I can't wait until it's all finished!

Project 9a: Timeline!

C4T Summary #2

I have been following Brian Crosby. His blog is entitled "Learning is Messy." Pretty catchy, huh?

The first post I read on this blog was called "Make Way For Awe-Opinion." It was posted on September 25, 2010. This post is a type of feedback to an article called "Make Way for Awe" posted on NBC's Education Nation. This article talked about technology and a small inflatable dome that teaches kids different wonders of our world and universe. Mr. Crosby tells us that he works at an "at risk" school and that the idea presented in NBC's article more than likely didn't happen at an "at risk" school due to the curriculum. He also talks of reformers who try to make changes, even though they "have very little or no experience in education." These reformers more than likely "have either fame, fortune or are in politics." I let Mr. Crosby know how inspiring his comments were. I think that children need to be taught outside of the box. I think people need to realize that children should be introduced to the world outside and not just a textbook.

The second post I read on this blog was called "Thanksgiving Lesson Idea(s) While There Is Time. It was posted on October 6, 2010. Mr. Crosby posted about a project his class did concerning Thanksgiving. They did research about what was really eaten during the first Thanksgiving. The students brought in food, such as duck, cod, wild berries, and bread, while Mr. Crosby provided the turkey. A few other things were donated by other people at their school. The students then wrote about their experiences. I told Mr. Crosby that what he has done here is what real hands on learning is all about. I'm sure the students loved it. Other teachers should really take note of this.

Blog Assignment 7

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

Randy Pausch spoke of various techniques that he has used over the years. One technique that Randy spoke about was teaching his students to be self-reflective. He did this by making charts that showed how easy his students were to work with when it came to working in groups. This chart let each student know if their peers thought they needed to work on skills within themselves. I think this is a very interesting technique. I think more classes should do something of this sort.

Randy also talked about something he calls a head fake. This technique allows someone to do one thing, while actually learning something completely different. One example he tells us about, an example that a friend of his thought of, is using storytelling to teach students computer programming. I think this is an awesome technique to use. It can take something that may seem hard or boring and turn into something completely different.

I really loved the way he talked about this childhood dreams. The one thing that stuck out to me was the fact that he values, so highly, the one dream he didn't reach. He tells us how the experience of football bettered his life. He says he learned so much more by not getting to the NFL than anything else. I guess the experience made the difference.

Randy Pausch has to be one of the most inspiring people that I have ever seen. He showed us that he is a strong person. He showed us that he has the ability to find the humor in anything and everything. I think what I loved most about this speech was the fact that it wasn't meant for any of us. It was meant for his kids. My thoughts go out to his family.

Podcast-Project 8

Podcast

Blog Assignment 6

The Networked Student
Wendy Drexler

While watching this video, I realized that this type of learning reminds me of EDM 310. Just like a student of connectivism, we use different tools to help us learn. We use things like Delicious, iTunes, Google Scholar, and various search engines and blogs.

The video made a point of asking why a networked student would even need a teacher. I think teachers play an important role in the life of any type of student. The video uses phrases like "learning concierge" and "learning incubator" to describe a teacher. Teachers are who we go to for questions and answers. Teachers teach us how to learn.

I think that a networked student is a very good idea. Through networking, we can experience a world outside of textbooks. We can start to understand that a textbook does not have all the information we might want to know. There are so many other possibilities in the world of learning.


A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment (or PLN)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEls3tq5wIY

This 7th grader is a very organized student. I, myself, try to work in an organized way. She explains that her science class is basically paperless. The students are given a freedom that lets them realize what responsibility is. I think more classes should introduce personal learning environments to help their students.

The Machine is Changing Us
Michael Wesch

I found this video pretty hard to follow. It seemed like there were a lot of topics going on at one time, most of them making fun of one generation or another. I did, however, like the fact that he used quotes from different sources to make his points. He talked about the different uses and outcomes of media, such as television and Youtube. This video did make me think of how powerful Youtube can be. Some people really put themselves out there. I watch videos on Youtube all the time, some for fun and some for work related things. I still wish the video would have been a little clearer.

Summary C4K Comments 1 and 2

I have recently been getting to know Jasmin, an 8th grade student at Noel Elementary. She likes listening to R&B music. She also considers herself to be shy at times; something the two of us have in common. This year, she really wants to do better when it comes to turning in her school work. She wants better grades, and she also wants to work on her listening skills. I hope she follows through with all of her goals. Jasmin definitely seems like a great kid!