Project #13

I was in the group called late summer birthdays. Our group used Skype to discuss what each member was doing. "Hillary Hayes" made up most of the topics that we discussed in our projects. "Laura Allen" wrote the script for our project 16, and she used her computer to record and edit our video. I really enjoyed working with my group!

Blog Post #15 Final Reflection

Final Report on PLN

I have really come to love my PLN! I have organized it more, and added more apps. I enjoy it because I can use it for school and play! Here is my final PLN:

Final Project #16- Option B

SmartBoard Project Part #2

C4K Summaries for November

"Plants"
I had a a student named Jake for my first C4K. His post talks about different plants, and all the things that they do. Click on the link above to view it.

My Comment: Great post! You did a good job, Jake! It is crazy to think that plants can be so harmful. You informed me on a lot about plants. Bamboo plants are huge! I know some people who use bamboo plants as a fence. It amazes me that a plant can grow so tall. You did a really good job! Keep up the good work.

"Veterans Day History"
My next post is by a student named Justin. He wrote a very good post about different history facts, different wars, he told a personal story, and posted pictures. He wrote the post to thank all military men and women, who are veterans or currently serving.

My Comment: Hi Justin! I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am currently in a class called EDM 310. Your blog post was very interesting. You write very well. I love reading about history! My father was an Officer in the Army, during the war, in Desert Storm. He also suffered from PTSD when he came home, but thankfully he recovered some. I support all men, women, and veterans who serve/served our country.

Blog Post #13

"A Vision of Students Today"

I really liked this short video. It's short but it keeps your attention, and gets the point across. It shows a classroom with stadium seating, and on the walls and chairs they have messages written on them from students. The messages say how boring class is, and why are they sitting in a seat if they are learning their future profession. The board looks like an ant from the top seating, you can't even see the writing. The classes are so big and teachers barely even know the students' names. Students pay hundreds of dollars for books, that sometimes are barely used. Why not just save the trees and money and use eBooks? If we switched over to hybrid classes there wouldn't be such problem with attendance. Students use the computer for mostly all their work, so why not just get rid of the paper and pens?

I do like being taught in a classroom for certain subjects, but most material taught in school can be taught virtually, by teachers. There are so many benefits that can take place by switching over to hybrid classes. Students can always review lessons, by watching the videoed class lecture, attendance won't be required daily, it's better for our environment, students can learn in a more diverse way, and much more.

Progress Report on Project #16

My group picked option B for our project 16. We have met two times already to discuss what we are going to do. I am talking the most in our video. Laura is writing the script, and Hillary created a list of topics to discuss. We are meeting this week to finish our project. I am excited and looking forward to it!

Last C4T

 C4T #1
I had Will Deyamport, who is creator and administrator of "peoplegogy" . His post was about leadership. He discussed how school schools need to teach their students' how to be prepared for the future. I agree with him, we need to have our students' prepared for their future jobs. They need to focus more on bettering their technology skills instead of memorizing material for tests. Leadership teaches students how to move forward.


My comment: Hi! I am Rachel Beaugez. I attend the University of South Alabama, and I am currently in EDM 310. I loved your blog post. I agree with you 100%. I think schools need to focus more on bettering their students' future. We need to be more technology literate. It seems like paper and pens will no longer be needed in the future of education. They need to focus more on leadership.

C4T #2
My second C4T was the same teacher, Will Deyamport. His post was about race in education. He says the one thing that is missing from reforming public education is race. He talks about the problems in the community that affect education. Some of the problems are poverty, parenting, and the lack of choices for kids. On the comments they talked about how some people care what race their teachers are.

My Comment: Hello! I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am in EDM 310 right now. I don't think it matters what race the teacher is, as long as they do their job right and treat all students equal. I grew up going to schools with mixed races, so I am used to all different races being my educator.

Blog Post #12

Nutrition is a blast!

This assignment will require you to do 3 steps. Just click on the on the links to get started. Good luck!

1.)  Make your own daily food "plan". It is optional, but highly recommended, to write down your results for your own use.

2.)  Complete a game of Nutrition "Sudoku". When you finish take a screen shot of your results.

3.) The last step is a web search. You must find what the new food groups are in the USDA food plate. List the website you collected your information from.

Example:

1.) "My Daily Food Plan"

2.)

3.) Website: www.enchantedlearning.com/food/foodplate/

The food groups in the new USDA food plate are:
Vegetables - carrots, celery, peas, spinach, onions, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, tomato, eggplant
Fruit - orange, apple, banana, pineapple, pear, plum, apricot, grapefruit, peach, cherry
Grains - rice, oatmeal, cereal, pasta, bread, bagel, waffle, pancake
Protein - fish, chicken, beef, pork, tofu, nuts, beans
Dairy - milk, yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese

C4T #3

"Are We Declaring The Wrong War"
This blog post is by David Warlick, and was posted on October 15, 2012. He talks about a New York Times post that he read. It was about the war on regular books and e-readers. Dr.Warlick believes we should switch over to using mostly just technology. He made some good points in his post. Check it out.

My comment: Hi! I am Rachel. I am in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I think schools should use both paper and digital technology. Writing material down always helps me remember things. I couldn't imagine doing everything on a tablet for school. Great blog


"Since Twitter Was Unavailable"

I was assigned to the same teacher for this week too, David Warlick. His post is about a conference he went to in Kuala Lumpur. He named his post "Since Twitter Was Unavailable", because he didn't have good internet connection to tweet during the conference. His post discusses three different speakers that spoke at the conference. They talked about school in the future, attendance, and how school is today.One of the speakers thinks we shouldn't talk about school in the future. He put his tweets, that he wish he could have tweeted, during the conference in his post too. They were very good, and explained exactly what the speakers were talking about.

My comment: Hey! I am a student at the University of South Alabama, and I am in EDM 310. It sounds like you had a successful trip! I am sorry to hear about the poor internet connection, though. I think we should be talking about schools in the future. Education is changing so fast, and we need to be prepared. I can see school attendance being somewhat optional in the future, but not now. It seems like students will only be going to class a few days a week, and the rest by a computer at home. If students need additional help they can come to school on days not required. That is just my opinion. Great post!

Blog Post #11

Ms.Cassidy's Skype Interview

On this assignment we had to watch Dr.Strange's "interview" with Ms.Cassidy. She uses several different methods of technology in her classroom. Some of the technology she uses are Skype, ,make videos, blogs, class webpage, Nintendo DS, and she teaches her student's the safe way to use the internet. I think she is doing a great job, as a teacher, teaching her students ways to use technology in an educational way. I think the way she used Skype was awesome. She lets her student's Skype classrooms in other countries. Ms.Cassidy also talks about Wikis. Her student's write questions and other students can answer them from anywhere.

One of the techniques I would use as a teacher is blogging. I think blogging is a great way to teach children to state their own opinions, get used to typing, instead of writing on paper, and to interact with different students all around the world. I have learned how important blogging is to education, since I have been in EDM 310. I wish I got to use Blogger in elementary school. There could be a few problems when using blogging in the classroom. If my student's didn't follow the rules, I would take away their blogging privilege the next time we used it. But, there are so many benefits with integrating technology in the classroom. Students will be more prepared for the future, and will be learning in a fun way.

C4K Summaries for October

"Who is he/she? (XIII)"

My first C4K, in October, was a student, named Juan. He wrote a short post. The post was giving details about a basketball player, and he was trying to get his viewers to guess who it is. I don't really know much about different basketball players.

The comment I left: Hey Juan! I am Rachel. I am from Mississippi. I have no idea who this basketball player could be! I don't watch basketball that much. I have tried looking up some of the clues you gave me, and the only person I could find, that matched most of your descriptions, was Juan Carlos Navarro. I would be lucky if I got it right! :)


"Hello World"

My next C4K was written by Grace. This post had questions asking her favorite sport, person, song, movie, book, holiday, etc. She just had random things she liked on her post.

My comment: Hey Grace!! You have some great choices! I love the movie taken. It is one of my favorite movies I have ever seen. I can’t wait to see Taken 2. I listen to the song Springsteen all the time! It is such a good song. My favorite holiday is Christmas, also. I can’t believe only 2 more months till it’s here! Good post!

"Eyes on Ireland"

I really liked my third C4K. Ms. Vitulli andMrs.Santoli post to this blog. I have Ms.Vitulli right now, and she is a great teacher. She post pictures of what she saw, when she was strolling down Merrion road in Dublin. They were great pictures! It makes me want to visit Ireland one day.

My comment: Wow! You guys are so lucky to see such a beautiful place. I love the pictures. The soup sounds like it tasted great! Enjoy the rest of your trip. I hope to hear more about it, in class, when you return.

"Alberta, Alberta!"

My last C4K was by a student named Ashton. She created a posture like design of the natural resources in Alberta. She was very creative. She put colorful pictures, a youtube video, and animations. I thought it was very good.

My comment: This is an awesome post! I love the colors, pictures, and video. You did a very good job creating this post. Keep up the good work!

Special Blog Assignment

"A World Where Grades Will Be Left Behind"

This article was very interesting It talks about education in the next 30 years. It explains how technology will take over the classrooms. Everything will be done over a computer, and all education will be free. Thrun, who created an online free online education company, says he can no longer teach in a regular classroom. He goes into detail about his vision of education in the future. He says, we will use video cameras, have computer designing and assembling courses, and use flipped classrooms. He wants to focus more on teaching students to learn new skills, instead of memorization. Thrun, calls grades "the failure of the education system". He thinks we should make sure students get the concept before moving on, and give them as much time as needed.

I like most of the points made in this article. I don't think we should take away grades. To me, grades show the teacher where the student stands. If a student doesn't get something, they either need a tutor, or stay after school with the teacher. I like, in the article, how Thrun said,"they aim to make online college education as cheap as a cellphone bill". If that really happens I would have wasted a lot of money, along with everyone else. I do hope to see college being that cheap in the future.

Project #14 Smartboard

Blog Post #10

"Adventures in Pencil Integration"  is a blog post by John Spencer. Below is the picture that is in his post. I think this is a humorous picture, it's like comparing a PC to a Mac. There really isn't any. The papermate is a PC. You can buy them for a cheaper rate, but they won't last long. The Ticonderogia is, of course, a Mac! It may be pricey, but it sure is worth it. I never knew much about Macs until EDM 310. After seeing how much better they are, I want one soon!

"Why Were Your Kids Playing Games?"

This is a short story about a teacher, Tom, and his principal, Mr.Brown. Tom is called into Mr.Brown's office for a talk. When Tom walks in he knows his boss isn't happy. Tom sits down and gets told that he has been playing games in his class instead of teaching. Tom jumps back quickly saying they weren't games, they were advanced simulations where students had to read different things, and reply to various students. Mr.Brown does not care what he says, it is still a game to him. Tom has kept up with technology, and was applying it to his classroom, which Mr.Brown knows nothing about.

I totally agree with Tom. I think he is doing the up to date teaching. His students have to state their own opinions to other students all over. It is a great way for students to interact. Mr.Brown needs to get educated on new technology.

"Pencil Quest"

This is a short story about John Spencer. He tells about a field trip he went on, and will always remember. His teacher called it the "Pencil Quest". The students had assigned routes they had to go to, and fill out questions about various sites. His teacher told him it's like a moving textbook. He said, he was so excited to start his adventure now looking back he's a little embarrassed.

Mr. Spencer shows how excited he was about a pencil. Now as a teacher, he says his students are excited about plogs, pen pal networks, and problem-based learning. Times sure have changed a lot. I hope when I become a teacher, students are required to blog. I like that they get to talk to people all over the world.


"Don't teach your kids this stuff. Please?"

This post is by Scott McLeod. This "link"will tell you a little more about Scott. He addresses his post to parents, teachers, administrators, and board members. He talks about people who do not want technology integrated in schools.  He states many points showing how technology is great for education. Students don't have to waste paper, they can make videos, blogs, PLNs, twitter, and much more. Scott says people worry about cyber bullying, their student/kid watching porn videos, and predators online. Some people need to realize stuff like that can happen anywhere, not only on the internet. Students need technology in their schooling for their futures. Scott tells this story with a great sense of humor.

I agree 100% with Mr.McLeod. I think if schools provide the student with devices certain sites will be blocked. That should take care of people who freak out about the things I listed above. It is a great change for education. It will also keep student's attention, instead of listening to their boring teacher lecture.

Short Movie Project #11

Blog Post #9

"What I learned this year 2009-2010"
This blog post is about Mr.McClung's first year teaching junior high and his struggles. He has always taught science but he had to step out of his comfort zone and teach history, social studies, and a whole new science curriculum. He had to get used to his new 8th grade students. They were more independent then his previous students. It was hard, but he knew he had to find an interesting way to teach to his students to keep their attention.  He talks about having class discussions.He said it would frustrate him because his student's wouldn't state their own opinion. The students would ask what his opinion was and go on from there. He picked a very good way to teach his student's to be independent learners, blogging. He already had a class blog, which he did all the blogging for. He picked a different student, each time, to blog their own opinion on the class blog. This took a lot of stress off of Mr.McClung, and the students could state their opinions.

Mr.McClung talked about finding your school mom. I really liked the paragraph that talks about this. He says to find a co-worker, who has had plenty of experience, and takes their advice to fit your own personal style of teaching. Finding your school mom is very important for new teachers. It will give them great guidance.

He says, never forget what is the most important thing as a teacher, your students. Try your hardest to bring the best effort you can to your students. Always remember it's a privledge to teach!

"What I learned this year 2011-2012 
This is a good and short blog post. Mr.McClung writes a reflection at the end of the school year, talking about what he has learned the whole year. This is his 4th year teaching. He keeps writing a reflective blog post at the end of the year, because he likes the feedback he gets. He usually writes long blog post, but this year he only had two main things he learned.

His first point talks about defining himself as a teacher. He has struggled the whole year with this. He worries about what his peers think of him, as an educator. This is the first year he has ever cared about this. He has stressed out a lot worrying, and it has affected his mood throughout the year. He decides he shouldn't change to please his peers. He works to please his students, and that's all that matters.

The second thing he learned that year was to never forget to challenge yourself. He says don't ever get too comfortable teaching your lessons. Always keep it interesting and change your lessons up each year. He doesn't want his students to dislike attending school. Mr.McClung says, he is going to challenge himself to make changes and become a better educator. 

Project #10 PLN

I choose to make my PLN on "Symbaloo.com". I really like this site. I have never heard of a PLN, before I took EDM 310. It is very convenient and organized. I put food, social, fashion, television, music, fashion, and beauty tiles on my PLN. I have a bunch of empty tiles I am going to fill up. There is so much to choose from. I am defiantly going to use this in the future.

Book Trailer Project #12

Blog Post #8

"This Is How We Dream Parts 1 and 2"

Dr.Miller's presentation was very interesting! The presentation shows you how far technology has come, especially with reading and writing. It is crazy to see how far books have come! Dr.Miller talks about when he was little he had a whole library full of books in his home. Now you can get almost any book off of amazon for way cheaper then regular books. You can put all your favorite books on your tablet or computer. He talks about how he had to write a important article about the Virginia Tech shooting a few years ago, he never stepped a foot in a library. He found all of his facts and important ideas on the internet. That really amazes me. It is so impressive that you can do all of this on your computer.  He also shows how you can now create a visual and sound document instead of  just writing your document.

On Dr.Miller's second part of his presentation it talked mostly about the graphics on the web. He shows you how far the visual representation has come on the internet. It has advanced so quickly! He talks about itunes. He shows you all the academic lectures anyone can watch with simply pressing a button. It is so awesome that anything you want to share or talk about, on the internet, you can with anyone in the world. These videos  really showed me how far our world of technology has come.

I think using multi-media will be fun, and exciting to my future students. I like how you don't have to use any paper or pencils. I think my student's will be able to this. Hopefully they will start showing students how to use multi-media at a very young age. This will help better them for their future in technology.

"Carly Pugh's Blog Post #12"

Carly is an amazing writer! She had great links to everything she was trying to explain. Her blog explains that she has to make up her own instructions, to writing a blog post, for her future students. She absolutely loves english, so she asks you to think of what their philosophies as teachers would be. Carly required 5 points that had to be made, but she gave 10 examples. Instead of writing your ideas out, you get to create a YouTube playlist.

This is a perfect example of what Dr.Miller was talking about with multi-media! Carly uses visual representations, instead of writing. I think she did a great job. She has great instructions, writes wonderful, and, best of all, gives a perfect example for hopes of writing using multi-media.

EDM310 is Different

The main idea of "The Chipper Series" was to realize school is not a joke. The video makes many points like don't procrastinate, you need to be motivated to learn, don't be lazy, and follow rules. In the video, Chipper doesn't do any work on time, and does what she wants. She finds out quickly that it doesn't matter what she wants, she needs to follow Dr.Strange's rules. The video is saying you need to stay on top of your work, turn in all work on time, go to class, and do your best!

"EDM 310 for Dummies"is a video of two students, who are in the EDM 310 class, that show you ways to keep up with the class. At the beginning, of the video, the students are going crazy because they don't understand assignments. The video shows you how to be successful in EDM 310. The students end up loving the class. They aren't stressing out because they got help on things they didn't understand.

Both of these videos are sending out the same message, get help if you need it! A video I would like to create would be about school in the 21st century. I like that topic because I want to learn more about this kind

"Learn to Change, Change to Learn"

I was shocked when the video stated that the US department of Commerce ranked the IT intensiveness, for education, number 55, which is the lowest. This is surprising, to me, because children use cellphones, computers, ipods, ipads, etc. everyday! Schools need to keep up with the world of technology. The video is mostly about how, in the future of education, we need to apply more technology to our schools. Students need to be able to find information on the web, work in groups, communicate with different cultures, and collaborate projects globally for the 21st Century. They are saying students should be more creative with their work, instead of memorizing information for tests.

If we do this schools will build culture. Students can work with others all over the world. I think this is a great   video. It will expand our student's horizon. They will be prepared for their future in the workforce.

Scavenger Hunt

The three items I chose to find were a video tool, comic strip, and and a social website for teachers, students, and parents.

1.) I found a website to make videos on, that I have never heard of. The website is called "animoto.com"The video tool lets you create a video from any personal photos, words, video clips, or music. After you finish creating your video you can share it with mostly any social network, any email, or you can even make your own DVD! I really liked this website, and I think this would be a fun and easy activity to do with my future students.

2.) Comic Strip

3.) The last item I chose was a social website for teachers, students, and parents. The name of the website is "wikispaces.com". It is an awesome website for students to use. Wikispace is very secure, the school's administration has control of everything on the website. Something I really liked about this website is that there is no limit for saving documents. Students can save as many shared files, documents, and videos that they want.

I could use this site in my future classroom for many things. I can do all my lesson plans on this website. I can post any assignments, homework, group work, and grades for my student's to see. If I ever have questions or need ideas for new material I can view or ask anyone around the world. This will be so convenient for me to use, when I become a teacher. I will have mostly everything I need, on just one website.

C4T #2

My first blog I read was by Ben Jones. It was posted on October 5, 2012.  His "post" talks about dealing with different personalities. He talks about how you should deal with certain situations, when you're having a bad day. His post gives you examples of what you should and shouldn't do when being a role model. He basically is trying to say if you're a teacher, you should always stay positive and have a good attitude.

My Comment:This is a great post! I really liked your video. I agree with you 100%, if you act like a clown, you’ll be treated like one. It's not that hard to act professional, and have a good attitude. Your examples of proactive and reactive modelling were perfect. They were straight to the point.

My second "blog" I read was Brian Bennett's. It was posted on October 15, 2012. He talked about how he has been very busy this school year. He talks about twitter, the Flipped Learning Network, and the simple standards-based grading system. He is trying to start a computer applications class, also. He wants to expand his student's learning on photo editing, video editing, and web design.

My comment: I love that you have a twitter page for your FLN. It is such a convenient way to keep everyone updated. I bet that's a lot of work to change your class to computer applications. I think that's a great change. I would have loved to do web designs, video, filming, and music composition when I was in high school! Hope to read updates soon!

Project #9b

Animal & Plant Cells on Prezi

Project #8

C4K Summaries for September

C4K #1

For my first C4K I had Jua, who is a 5th grader, in Argentina. In Jua's post he had a music video called, "What makes you beautiful", by One Direction. He dedicated this song to his friends, Greta and July, to wish them a well recovery from their surgeries.

C4K #2

My second C4K was about an experiment a few students did  in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The student's names that made pictures, of the data, are James, Kenny, Olivia, Kailin, Kalea, Emily, Bry, Gabrielle, Brailyn, Catherine, Santana, and Austin. The post had 6 pictures of the different surveys they did on their classmates. All of their questions referred to what kind of food they liked, or where they like to eat. The teacher did this project to show her student's how to collect data, and make polls for their data they collected.

C4K #3

The next student's blog I commented on was Jada, from Canada. Jada explains why, she thinks, Canada has great qualities for living. She says, Canada is lucky to have all the resources and freedom that they have. Jada explains all the things that she is grateful for, such as, education and a clean environment.

C4K #4

The last C4K I did, for October, was a high school student named Wallen. His post is about his procrastination problem. He explains how hard it is for him to do his work ahead, and how he crams everything the night before. He is taking an online class which makes it even harder for him to be on top of his game He is trying to find a way to not procrastinate on his work before entering college.

Blog Post #7

"The Networked Student"

This video explains, to viewers, how the 21st century of education will be. They have a student who is doing a project for their American Psychology class. Everything is done on the internet, there is no need for a book. He only attends class 3 days a week and 2 days online. The teacher barely ever lectures, instead she uses "Connectivism" which is " learning that occurs as part of a social network of many diverse connections and ties". The student has to build his own personal network, then find information on Google scholar, or their school's website. He can also look at other people's blog post about any topic to see their opinions. After he makes his own blog post anyone in the world can see his post. There are tons of ways students can learn effectively using the 21st Century Network.

"Why does the networked student even need a teacher?"

 The teacher teaches her students how to make their own network, and to see all the opportunities they have for learning. The teacher shows them how to find accurate information, organize their network, communicate, and comment on other's post properly, and much more! Hopefully the students will use these skills to better their future.

"Am I ready to be a network teacher?"

Yes I am ready. I don't really have a choice after watching the videos in EDM 310! It looks like it is going to happen even if I don't want it to. I really wouldn't mind only having class 3 days a week. I still don't care for education being all done on a computer. It still seems very weird to me, but I think I would get use to it. It just seems crazy to me thinking of correcting my students or giving them guidance over a computer, instead of in person. But I think eventually I will end up liking it.


The Difference between PLE and PLN?

I think a PLE and PLN are similar in several ways. It seems, to me, that a student can personalize their PLE more than their PLN. It shows in the video, "Welcome to my PLE!" that students can use PLE for other purposes, rather than just educational such as social networks, games, and music. The student can put the items, that they enjoy, all on their PLE. A PLN is used more for only learning purposes only. Students can find great information, and videos, from some of the best professors in the world. On a PLN you can read anyone's blog to get ideas for your own project. PLN is associated more with the teacher.

Blog Post #6

"Randy Paush's last lecture"

Randy Paush is an awesome speaker and motivator. Randy is a very inspiring and an outgoing person. He talks about his childhood dream, and all the successful things he has done in his life, as an educator. He tells you in his video that he is battling cancer; I would have never known by the way he acts. I was sad to see he passed away in 2008. He inspired many students' lives and all the people he worked with. In his video, he explains how he achieved some of his childhood dreams and many lessons he has learned in his life.

Randy says so many encouraging quotes in his video. My favorite quote that Randy said was, "It's not about how to achieve your dreams, it's about how to lead your life... If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself." I learned in his video that he never gave up on his dreams even if he got rejected. He always tried as hard as he could to get what he wanted, and he achieved most of them.

 Imagineering, is a perfect example showing that Randy never gave up on his dreams. All of his life, he always wanted to be a Disney imagineer. He got a "go to hell letter" the first time he tried, but that didn't stop him. A few years later he ended up working for the imagineer team at Disney. I really enjoyed hearing and seeing the the pictures, of the projects, he worked on for Disney.

After watching this video, Randy taught me to never give up! He is an amazing speaker and motivator. I hope one day I can make a difference, on my student's lives, the way he did.

Project #9a TimeToast Timeline

Project #6 My Sentence Video

Blog Assignment #5

"iSchool"

In the video Travis Allen explains many reasons why iSchool is a great way to change the way we educate students. It is very convenient for students, teachers, and parents. Students can do everything on their iTouch that they could do in the classroom. The iTouch can only be used for educational purposes.The apps are very appealing to students, and also every textbook can be installed on their iTouch. Travis explains that it cost schools at least $600.00 per student in the classrooms and the price of one student for iSchool is around $150.00. This was very shocking to me! I did not realize how much money it cost schools to educate just one student! iSchool  not only saves money but is also way better for our environment. There will be no use for textbooks, paper, agendas, and much more. The trees will be so happy! The iHomework app was my favorite app in the video. Students will be able to see all of their homework, and due dates on iHomework. This makes it much easier for teachers, not having to worry if their students forgot what the assignments are. Parents can also see what their child is learning.

I think iSchool is great in some ways. I like the apps a lot. I think students will want to learn more because the apps attract their attention. It makes it easier on the students having everything they need on their iTouch. Students will not have to worry about losing any papers, or forgetting due dates. The money schools will save is a plus too. Maybe they will raise teacher's salaries! :)

On the other hand, I do not like a few things. I feel that switching to iSchool is horrible for social skills.Students that are in a classroom and interacting with other students, face to face, is something all children need. I guess students can work on activities ,on their iTouch, online together and chat but that is just not the same to me. I also feel like some subjects need to use only pencil and paper. Math is a subject that students need to actually write out the problem and solve it. I think it will also be difficult for some students to not write notes and just type them. It will be harder to remember the material. I do not like the idea of switching to iSchool. I still like the old fashion way of teachers teaching in front of the class, sometimes I think technology takes it too far. I do like the idea of using apps in the classroom but not doing everything on an iTouch. That is just my opinion, do not take it the wrong way.

"Eric Whitaker's Virtual Choir"

This video shows people from all around the world, who have never met each other, singing together in a choir. It shows them singing and shows their teacher directing them. I personally do not like this. I would rather be in a room singing with people I have met. I am not saying I wouldn't want to sing with them because I don't know them, I would just rather be in person. I think the world will be like this one day, and it kind of scares me.

"What does it mean to teach in the 21st century?"

Kevin Roberts thinks we should start teaching students skills, which can be used in everyday situations, not so much memorizing material. His video says that there will no longer be a need for classroom teachers, just filters for the student's work. Kevin thinks everything to do with education will use only the internet.

 I personally do not want to just "filter" my students work.I want to teach them in person. I think it will be very difficult for some students to learn like this. It just does not seem real to me that this is how we will educate our students. If Robert is correct it would be very bad for educators. I think it will be hard to find a job. If teachers don't have to teach their students then they really aren't  needed that much. I hope that Robert is incorrect. I am not going to school to just sit in front of a computer all day, and check student's work. I want to interact with my student's in person.

"Why I Flipped My Classroom"

I do like the idea of "flipping your classroom". I think this is very helpful to students who don't learn as fast as others. I would definitely use this procedure in my classroom. Students will do so much better if they can rewind a part of a lesson that they didn't understand. It will also be helpful to the teacher not having to repeat themselves, over and over.

Project #5 Presentation

Project #3 C4T

Which kind of leader are you?

My video,"Leadership lessons from Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote", is a cute animated video, about two different types of leaders. The character, Road Runner, is the kind of student that teachers want. He does not rush to get through things, he tries to solve his problems the correct way. He never lets anything put him down, and he keeps trying to meet his goals. He is friendly, and works well with others. Wile E. Coyote, on the other hand, is the total opposite. He rushes through everything, and tries finding the short-cut to his problems. Wile E. Coyote does not care about his goals or communicating with others. The purpose for students to watch this video, is to see which type of leader you are, and hopefully have characteristics like Road Runner.

This blog was posted  on August 25, 2012. My comment on Ben Jone's blog was: I think this video is a great example of a leadership lesson! It helps students see that they should be more like Road Runner. Wile E. Coyote likes doing the short cut for things, but does not get very far. If we try helping our students be more like Road Runner, they will meet their goals, and never stop trying to improve themselves.

No one is perfect 

The second, most recent, blog Ben Jones posted, on August 15, 2012, was about imperfection. The blog said, that as educators  we all mess up , and it can be hard to admit. Some people want to be perfect at everything, and you can not be like that as a teacher. It is hard for some people to say they are wrong. You just have to admit that you are not perfect, and you can do a better job next time.

I think his blog was straight to the point, some people can admit that they are not perfect, and others can't. Some people get so down and sad about making mistakes. Everyone needs to face it, we are humans we all mess up sometimes! Imperfection is beauty!

Blog Post #4

"Comprehension and listening Podcasting"

This website showed me how much, putting a podcast together, helps you comprehend new material. It is a great way for students to have fun, and learn at the same time. Making the videos, in the classroom, lets every student be involved. They all have to write a script for their video. It helps some students open up and express themselves. It is also really awesome, if you are learning a foreign language.The website says you have to hear a new vocabulary word, at least 70 times, before comprehending it.That really amazes me, but creating podcast and saying new words repeatedly helps you remember so much easier. The teacher mixes the audio clips up, and makes the students edit it. This makes students sound the words out, and make sure they put the scripts in the right order. Doing these podcast, helps students understand the new material, and remember how to pronounce the words, from having to say it aloud.

"Benefits of podcasting in the classroom"
There are so many beneficial reasons why teachers should podcast, in their classroom! It helps teachers and students, to keep up with their work outside the classroom. It is very useful if your student gets sick! In the video, it shows how Emily's teacher makes podcast videos of all his lessons, then uploads them to itunes. This causes less stress on the student worrying about the test or homework they missed. Podcasting also lets the parents keep up with their child's schooling. The parents can see exactly what their child is learning, and all of the lessons that they have learned. I will defiantly be using podcasting in my classroom! I think it is awesome to put almost everything you do in your classroom, on the internet. It will also prevent students from missing assignments when they are absent.

"How to Podcast"
All you need to podcast is a microphone, computer, and a program, that you can upload your podcast to. There are a bunch of free websites that you can pick from. "How to create a podcast" is a video, that has great instructions, on how to make your own podcast. This video taught me everything I need to know to make my own podcast! You can do so much editing on your podcast with the programs. It is really awesome how you can make a podcast, and people all around the world can see it!

Blog Assignment #3

How to Edit the Correct Way

All three of those videos were great advice. It taught me the correct order I am suppose to edit: compliments, suggestions, and corrections. I was not aware that you are suppose to do suggestions before corrections. After viewing the "video"/"slideshow" it all made sense to me.

The video,"Writing Peer Review Top 10 Mistakes" was a good example of what NOT to do. There are so many mistakes a student can make, when editing a paper. Most students rush, or are a little too cruel about mistakes they see. As long as students follow the three steps of editing they should be fine.

"Technology in Special Education"

Technology can help special needs students in so many ways! It is amazing what a laptop can do for theses students in the video. It helps students who can not speak, type what the want to say aloud. That can reduce the frustration level for students that have speech problems. I liked that students can be read a book, from an Ipod touch or computer. It does not make the student feel awkward having to leave class, they can stay with their peers. It also helps the teachers. They can work on other projects, instead of reading a book to the student. All the technology, that special needs students use, makes a huge difference in their education.

I would use a variety of technology in my classroom. I would love for each student to have their own tablet. That way all students can see what is on the board, and they can keep up better. Students who need to be read material can just plug their headphones in their tablets. I know for sure I will need my own computer. I will be making power points, and my own websites for students. It will save paper, and they will always know their homework. 

Ipad App

I found an app that I would love to use in my future classroom! It is called Sentence Builder. This app helps children, who have trouble writing a sentence in the correct format. Sentence Builder helps children write grammatically correct sentences. It is easy for children to understand, and has 3 levels. There are a lot of animations that talk to the children while playing, and inspire them to do better. The app also keeps track of how the child is doing. 

I would use Sentence Builder in my classroom, with any students that have trouble in English. It would be a entertaining way for students to learn, instead of writing in their notebooks. I hope by the time I become a teacher they will have a personal tablet, with educational games on them. My students could play this game during quiet time, with their headphones in. The apps are such a great way to keep students learning and having fun at the same time!

"Harness your Student's Digital Smarts"

I totally agree with this video! I like how the teacher, Ms.Davis, says "she is a teacherpreneur". She is very creative and lets her students teach her. It is awesome that they showed me what Digi Teen was. It is a global citizenship, were students from around the world can post papers, and research work  through two digital portals. Digi Teen also has a social network. Students can talk to people all over the world, as well as their teachers.

I think the whole idea of students communicating around the world is awesome! It will give students so many more ideas about everything.It is also a great way to meet new people, and learn about new cultures in education! 

Project # 2

Blog Assignment #2

"Did you know?"

The video Dr.Strange made us watch was fascinating! It is crazy to think how far technology has came, and will become. Something the video stated, that blew my mind, was how students, who are getting a four year technical degree, will be outdated on their studies by their third year of schooling. It is never ending! The video uses the term BG (before google), I think that was funny. It is very true though, I do not know what people would do today without google.

In the video, the author sounds like he studied his facts very well. I just do not think anyone knows the future. I agree with almost everything he said. Some facts he said that blew my mind were the number of text that we receive and send today out numbers the world's population, meeting your spouse online is getting extremely popular, and the number of people that use google every second. It is very hard for me to believe that in just one year, there will be a computer that is smarter than a human's brain. It may be true, but I would have to see it to believe it. All the new technology that is coming out, scares me to think what the world is going to be like in twenty years!

"Mr.Winkles"

Mr.Winkles is an elderly man, who has been asleep for many years, to wake up seeing how far technology has come! He is clueless about how the world works today. He does not know what a computer is, or even an x-ray machine. Through his journey, he realizes that today we use technology for almost everything! He gets excited at the end of the video, because he goes back to school "in his time". It seems very boring. The teacher talks for hours and students try to pay attention. I am so glad that school is not like that anymore!

This video will show viewers how important it is to keep up with new technology.The author is trying to say if people do not keep up to date with the technology world they will be lost. Personally, I think everyone should try to keep up with all technology coming out. It will only help you in the long run.

"Sir Ken Robinson: The importance of creativity"

I really enjoyed watching this video! It is very entertaining. The video is mostly about how important it is to let children use their imagination. In our society today, we do not let this happen very often. In the video he tells a story about his good friend. Her teachers and family can not understand why she will not be still in class, so her mother took her to the doctor. The doctor said, she loves to dance so take her to dancing school. Children these days would never get told that by a doctor. They would get on medications, which does not let a child express themselves.

I agree with the author 100%. I think schools in America puts art last. They worry too much if their students are memorizing their vocabulary words, or getting 3 out of 4 questions right on a quiz. All children learn in different ways, so maybe we should let them. We should let children learn in ways such as dancing, drawing, and acting more. I think when children do hands on work, and use their own imagination it helps them learn so much better.

"A Day Made of Glass"

All three videos Dr.Strange made us watch, about glass, were outstanding! It shocks me that just one piece of glass can do so much. The glass tablet will be used in schools, cars, information boards, hospitals, etc. Just one little tablet can hold a student's favorite pictures, homework, daily activities, their wardrobe, music, and mostly everything else that they need to know. In the "video", they show how doctors used a glass wall and personal tablets. The doctors can transfer information about patients by just one swipe. I think it is also great for education. Students use their own tablet to watch class lessons. Students can watch what is being taught on the board right on their own tablet. I think this will help some students not get so lost in a lesson..

If Mr.Winkle lived in a glass world, he would be completely lost. I think it is going to take a lot of learning for  some people, but it will be totally worth it.Mr.Winkle would have to learn what google was, and how to use it. Google is taking it to the top of the world with glasses! Watch this short "video" of how amazing google glasses are! It is awesome that how far technology has come!

Blog Assignment #1

About Rachel Beaugez

I am from Ocean Springs, Mississippi. I have lived there all my life. This is my third year of college, I transferred from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. I chose to go to South Alabama because it is close to home. After I graduate, I want to be an inclusion teacher. I would love to work with children who have learning disorders. I like the grade levels third and fourth the best. I come from a huge family. I am very close to all my family. The only people who lived on my road, my whole life, is my family. I have three older sisters, a niece, and a nephew.On my free time I enjoy going out with friends, spending time with my family, shopping, going to the beach, swimming, traveling, and much more. My passion is helping people. I really enjoy helping children with special needs. It is the best feeling when you put a smile on their faces.

Randy Pausch on Time Management

I have never heard of Randy Pausch, until this class. I learned that I should start making notes ,in the morning, of stuff I need to complete for the day.I am going to try to be more prepared and not procrastinate so much. I really like the saying he mentioned in his video, "Failing to plan is planning to fail."

Optional

I really think making a descriptive calendar, for the week, will help me out a lot. I like the idea of putting all your activities on it, including your fun time. It will tell me exactly when to do the next thing, and give me breaks from school work.