Final Project!!!

C4T #4

Spencer's Scratch Pad
John Spencer is a middle school teacher in Phoenix, Arizona. His most recent blog, which he posted on April 13, 2011, is titled 'A Reminder from My Son.' Mr. Spencer's son was playing in the yard building a tower with sticks. Mr. Spencer's conversation with his son is this:

"What are you working on?" Spencer asks.

"I'm making a tower out of sticks," he says.

"Why?" Spencer asks.

"I want to see if it's possible," his son says.

"Why is it working?" Mr. Spencer points to it.

"Because I tried it," he says.

The two answers his son gave him lingered in his head.

"Can I help?" Mr. Spencer asks.

"Yeah, you can help. Even if you mess it up, I'll let you help," he says.

"I'll try not to mess it up."

Then it got knocked down and Joel, his son, responded with, "I knew it would happen. It's not strong enough. Can we get some concrete?"

"We don't have concrete."

"Okay," he says as he begins to rebuild.

Like Mr. Spencer, Joel's answers made me think. The answers themselves are very simple: "I wanted to see if it would work," and "Because I tried it." It's a good method to trying teaching methods also. We learn to guess and check in math so why can't we learn to teach by guess and check? Somebody has to try it!
______________________________

Mr. Spencer blogged about writing. He clearly love to write but he HATED writing in school. His reasons why made sense, too! When he was younger, just learning to write, all of the guidelines would stress him out. Teachers asked questions like "Where is your concept map," "Why aren't you editing what you wrote," and (my personal favorite) "Why are you brainstorming?" The requirements teachers made led writing to be a painful, arduous task, not a fun form of expression. Once Spencer began free writing he realized exactly why he hated writing in school. I was reading through some comments on his post and I laughed at one that said "There's nothing like red ink bleeding down your paper." That's all it said; I just thought it was funny. :) Some teachers critique so heavily on the little things that a well written paper can go unnoticed. I enjoy writing so when I'm a teacher I'll find ways to let my students have fun with their writing.

Final Personal Learning Network Report

My Personal Learning Network is pretty useful. I like how you can have multiple PLN webmixes, or pages. For example, Symbaloo already has a PLN set up with two webmixes, EDU Teachers and EDU Tools. I added an algebra webmix just to test it out. It has a quick quiz maker, video lessons, and a lot more tools for teaching algebra. It's pretty cool! I'll probably end up adding more webmixes when I get further into teaching. Right now I don't really need any except for my home webmix. It has all of the sites I have an account for. That makes navigating the web a lot easier and convenient. I think EDM made me nerdy because I'm excited to use all of these PLN tools to make lessons (and show off my techie skills).

Special Metaphor Assignment (Blog Post #14)

Metaphors Blonde Edition

I missed the metaphor in Tom Johnson's post. Honestly, it just flew right over my head. Call me a blonde. However, I understood the other camouflaged messages in the Pencil Integration post. For example, the idea that we, teachers, should focus on solutions and not the problems. Once the major metaphor, pencils were actually computers, was brought to my attention a huge "Ahhh" came out of my mouth. It seems pretty obvious that I should have realized that, especially since all semester we've been learning the importance of computer integration. I've recently been on the prowl for metaphors. I was watching The Little Rascals (best movie of all-time) and Darla said, "You make my heart melt like a popsicle on the fourth of July." Classic! It is one of my favorite quotes. Yes, I realize it is technically a simile but the idea correlates with this project. Today somebody said, "It's raining cats and dogs!" I caught the metaphor. Obviously, it's not raining cats and dogs... This metaphor also reminds me of the Weather Girls' song "It's raining men." I have an extremely funny friend who is always calling out GREAT metaphors about people. He's pretty mean though so I can't appropriately repeat any of his metaphors. To help our students better understand metaphors we should constantly use them. Make a game out of it. The teacher can spit out a metaphor and have the class figure out the real meaning. A metaphor of the day would be cool, too. It would be fun to hear students using the metaphor throughout the day. Practice makes perfect! We use metaphors because they make you think. They can also make things easier to understand. A lot of people don't even realize when they're using a metaphor. Metaphors can help change the way someone thinks. It can help them come to a new idea or way of viewing the world. They're pretty neat once you get the hang of them!

Blog Post 13

ALEX

ALEX was created by Alabama's Department of Education to help educators, parents and students find resources for education at one convenient site. ALEX stands for Alabama Learning Exchange. The website includes resources, web links, and lesson plans. What is great about ALEX is that the website is never complete. That being said, outside input is considered for the website by ALEX's executive personnel. The resources on ALEX are connected with Alabama's state curriculum.
Material can be searched for in a variety of ways. You can search by subject, age, lesson plan, and web resources. As I'm meandering through this website I'm very impressed. The set-up is easily understandable and convenient. There is even a podcast database. The podcasts can be beneficial to everyone. For example, a teacher can watch a podcast to vicariously learn how to do a project or experiment. Another way a podcast is beneficial is a teacher can search an informative podcast and have the class watch it. Better yet, students can make their own podcasts and apply for them to be on ALEX! On the site, there is a link titled ALEXville. Alexville is where colleagues can communicate. That's a great way to get feedback on lesson plans from a lot of teachers! ALEX allows you to have your own account. Here you can store and submit lesson plans and web pages.
ALEX seems to be very valuable. Why am I just now finding out about it?!?! I'm sure ALEX will be handy for me as a teacher, especially starting off. It will also be a motivator for me to create effective lesson plans. I'm very competitive, even with myself, and if I submit a lesson plan my goal will be for as much positive feedback as possible. ALEX enables teachers all over Alabama to collaborate. From previous Edm blog assignments, I've learned collaboration is a good thing in the education system. ALEX is a great way to collaborate with teachers, students, and parents. It seems to be a program that can turn good teachers into great teachers.

Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, and Students Statewide (ACCESS) Distance Learning
ACCESS is a site for videoconferencing throughout the state. Alabama Supercomputer Authority is the program's technology partner. ACCESS is available to all Alabama public high school students. ACCESS seems very helpful for students and educators. Students who do not have the transportation to get to and from help sessions at school probably benefit a lot from this project. It's convenient and also helps save money.

C4K #7, 8, 9, 10

C4K#7
The Missouri Compromise-
Mr. McClung has a short video of three of his students stating the details for the Missouri Compromise.
The students looked like they had a lot of fun in their video. I like the idea of having students make a video with the facts. It seems they will remember them better because they’re engaged in the learning process.


C4K#8
Week in Review 17/03/11

This student talked about learning angels in math. I laughed because he spelled angels like "angles" and I was the worst at that as a little kid. They also told me how his class learned the song "We Are The World." They really liked learning the song. They also mentioned being the "communicator" in their inquiry group which I really liked because that shows leadership. In my comment, I asked the student if they wanted to be a singer or maybe even some type of director since they liked to be the "communicator." Also, I noticed how the student dated their week with the month being a 17- interesting culture difference!

C4K#9 Mrs. Yollis and her class--
Mrs. Yollis has been teaching for twenty-four years; a combination of third and fifth grade classes. Mrs. Yollis likes to travel with her husband. She seems EXTREMELY passionate about teaching her students. Mrs. Yollis recently finished her Master's Degree in integrating technology in the classroom. Her students, the bloggers, seem to really like learning and blogging! Their school in a suburb of Los Angeles. I've actually used Mrs. Yollis' 'Learn HTML code' link A LOT of times! I think it's great how the parents get involved on the blog! They are always commenting and I'm sure they're following the new posts often.

C4K#10 Jaden from Mrs. Yollis's Class
Immediately I liked Jaden's imagination. Jaden had his blog mascot, Mr. California, publish his post for him. Mr. CA told us about himself and he seems like a great mascot! Then Jaden asked if we had a blog mascot. (Jaden did a great job involving the audience in his post). I told Jaden how impressed I was with Mr. CA's credentials. I also told Jaden that I currently do not have a blog mascot but I've been trying to get a pengiun from Anatrctica, Toby, to be my mascot. I think it is a great idea to have a blog mascot (kudos to Mrs. Yollis). I'll most likely try to include fun accessories to my students' blogs. Jaden seems very intelligent and is a good blogger. I did my best to leave Jaden a quality comment. :]

This is Mr. California.

Blog Post 12

A Lesson on Overcoming Adversity

Instructions: Look up Vickie Boutiette. Who is she? What awards did she win? What kind of impression do you think Mrs. Boutiette has made on the teaching world?

Mrs. Boutiette is a third grade teacher in North Dakota. She was very passionate about her job until, in 1990, she was diagnosed with cancer in her tongue and throat. She received many awards, but the one which describes her best is the one given to her for overcoming adversity to make a difference in students' lives. It's called the Frieda J. Riley Teacher Award and comes with a $10,000 check. Her speech, tastebuds, jaw bone, and throat were all affected by radiation treatment and the lumps. She was hoping to be out for as short amount of time as possible but her recovery was delayed when the infection spread to her jaw. The left side of her jaw was removed and left a hole in the side of her face. She'd never be able to speak well again. Three years later she went back to teaching. She was given small groups of children to teach them how to read. Boutiette would stuff cotton in the hole in her face and cover it with a bandage. Her jaw was very unstable so it would slip out and she'd bite her tongue when she would speak. She would tell the children "I have a hard time talking. You have a hard time reading. We're going to help eachother." Her self-pity dissolved as her drive to help the students replaced her thoughts. She went on to get a master's in reading. During this time she had many more surgeries. By November 2003 she had a new jaw and was soon pain free for the first time in years. Boutiette spends a lot of her time training teachers to be better reading teachers. Mrs. Boutiette plans on donating her $10,000 check to buy more paperback books for students.
Mrs. Boutiette has made an enormous impact on the education system. She has helped many students and other teachers which trickles down to teaching more students. Her perseverance has inspired tons of people and proven adversity can be overcome. She's a great example of a great teacher. No matter the adversities teachers may face, they can be overcome.

I got my information from this article on Mrs. Boutiette.

Project 15

Project 14 Teach Someone Something: LEADERSHIP

"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

I strongly believe that leadership is a priceless quality to have. As a teacher I'm going to focus on teaching my students a few very important skills, leadership being one of them. Leadership leads to success, confidence, and the power to impact others. A leader is someone people look to for guidance.

Here are a few traits needed to be a leader:
1. Knowledge & Talent- Knowing what you're doing is the best way to lead by example. People will see you successfully completing the task at hand and they will look to you for advice.
2. Confidence- Confident people attract others.
3. Good Morals & Ethics- Most people are looking to do "the right thing." When they see you doing "the right thing" it shows you're a good person, therefore you've earned some respect. Good leaders are respectable.
4. Good Character- "Talent takes you to the top, character keeps you there." People with good character are always working hard to get better. Good character also ties into having good morals and ethics. "Character is what you do when nobody's watching."
5. Motivation- Motivated people have goals and people who are looking for a role model also have those same goals, they're just unsure how to achieve them.
6. Teachability/ Coachability- This basically means the ability to learn. EDM 310 has greatly stressed the importance of being able to learn. Open-mindedness leads to more knowledge which ties back to trait #1.
7. Understanding- Understanding the needs of others, your goals, and your resources is very important in being a successful leader.

I've noticed some people have a hard time grasping the idea of leadership. However, luckily for them, leadership is a learned skill.

"The only real training for leadership is leadership." ~Antony Jay
This quote reminds me of EDM 310 because we're learning how to learn so we can teach others how to learn.

Blog Post 11

Ms. Cassidy's Class- Little Kids... Big Potential
Ms. Cassidy's first graders use a LOT of technology. I saw computer programs, audio, video, and online programs in her class video. The kids seemed genuinely excited about all of the technology they use, especially their blogs. They love to get comments on their blog posts.
I really like use of personal blogs being an online portfolio of school work, like mine is for EDM 310. However, my favorite use of technology in Ms. Cassidy's classroom is Skype. I never thought to use Skype as a whole class to speak to experts or other classrooms. It's a memorable way for students to learn and collaborate around the world. Ms. Cassidy's students are surely more knowledgeable about technology than other kids their age. Also, with all of this technology being used paper isn't as necessary!

Special Assignment: Mr.McClung's World

Mr. McClung is an eighth grade teacher in Arkansas. He also coaches cross country. Mr. McClung is very organized. He is also really devoted to his blog which is very technologically enhanced. He seems pretty cool, too. His class rules lead me to think he encourages collaboration and excitement! I like the "gestures" rule a lot. I definitely like the "scoreboard" rule. It promotes competition and keeps the class accountable. I will probably incorporate these in my own classroom. It's very obvious that Mr. McClung is passionate about teaching. He puts a lot of thought and effort into his class projects. Mr. McClung seems to be very like-able. He's energized and active. I know this because he says he is a huge sports fan and likes to bike, play tennis, and jog. From my experience, active teachers are normally the fun ones. I can tell Mr. McClung really enjoys teaching because he says he uses a lot of different methods to helping his students learn. I really like how he doesn't practice the traditional teaching methods like a lot of teachers do. Everyone needs a day-planner. It's a great requirement especially for eighth graders because they are maturing into the age where they will have more responsibilities. Day-planners, if used correctly, will help students stay organized, prioritize, and turn their work in on time. Mr. McClung's late assignment policy is pretty standard. Most of the teachers I have had implement the loss of a letter grade per day. Especially since Mr. McClung says he doesn't give a lot of homework assignments I think his policy is a good idea. The class blog is the basis to majority of the class's use of technology. It's also an updated "newsletter" to show visitors what the class has been doing and the blog hosts a lot of useful links for parents, students, and other teachers to use. I reviewed two of Mr. McClung's useful links. Plagiarism Checker is useful because students can paste their paper into the site and it will check for any plagiarized sentences. When students use a lot of research sites it's hard to remember which facts were borrowed and which were actually their own. Plagiarism Checker helps students to keep from plagiarizing. I also checked out a Translation Website. I've actually used one before but the one Mr. McClung has put on his website is very helpful! You can translate from practically any language to another. This is helpful for students because they can use it for foreign language assignments. It's especially helpful for students with English as their second language. Mr. McClung's Internet Safety section is also a GREAT idea for young students to have access to. I'm extremely guilty of putting my last name on comments and other posts on the internet. Mr. McClung could probably note that his Internet Safety rules should also apply to phone calls and other soliciting methods. Mr. McClung's blog is hosted by edublog. I cannot find any major difference between edublog and blogger. However, Mr. McClung's blog is very decorated, but as far as I know, blogger can do the same things. I did google the topic edublogs vs blogger and I found that a lot of teachers have had to switch from blogger to edublog because blogger isn't safe for students. Mr. McClung's blog is useful to anyone who is involved in education including students, parents, and other educators. There is a wide variety of links on Mr. McClung's blog and a lot of information. His blog is different from other eighth grade blog because it satisfies the curiosities of a wider range of people than an average eighth grade blog which is suitable for just the students and maybe parents.