Monday, July 23, 2012
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Project #13
Using All Of Our Communication Resources.
With the exception of Skype, I really did not know that a person could use the tools: Google Docs, Facetime, and Google+ for educational or communication purposes. Even when I used Skype it was only too talk to a relative or friend that I hadn't seen in a while. Coming into this class, I quickly learned how to use these tools for my own educational benefits. We have used Google Docs every day to keep up with records and save and share files. We have watched several videos that show the use of Skype in the classroom. I have worked with Facetime and Google+, but have not yet been able to explore them thoroughly. With this class ending I am sure I will find plenty of time to give to that exploration.
Dr. Strange split us into groups to work on a few of the projects this semester. I have never liked working in groups at the college level because everyone is busy with their own life and it is extremely hard for people to find common times in which they can work. However, with the use of Skype my team and I were able to talk to one another when one was out of town. Justin Parmer had to go on a Mission Trip to Baton Rouge during the final project week. Before this class, we would have a serious problem here, but since we learned how to communicate using devices like Skype and Google Docs we are able to handle it, no problem. We used Google Docs the most by saving all the groups individual efforts onto one document. We were able to share easily with others and record our progress. We also emailed each other constantly throughout the process of putting our Ibook together. Email helped us find time slots in which we could come together outside of class and get work done, we are also able to keep updated on what the other members were doing. Lastly, the screen recording we accomplished as a group was loads of fun. On our second smartboard project we were enjoying every second of our time together. We were using that camera for hours it seemed liked just so we could get it right. Using all these tools have really opened my eyes to how easy it is to communicate in our world today. I will never have a problem speaking my mind or letting people hear my opinion again. (Not that I ever really did in the first place :) Thank you for this course.
Keith Tardibuono
With the exception of Skype, I really did not know that a person could use the tools: Google Docs, Facetime, and Google+ for educational or communication purposes. Even when I used Skype it was only too talk to a relative or friend that I hadn't seen in a while. Coming into this class, I quickly learned how to use these tools for my own educational benefits. We have used Google Docs every day to keep up with records and save and share files. We have watched several videos that show the use of Skype in the classroom. I have worked with Facetime and Google+, but have not yet been able to explore them thoroughly. With this class ending I am sure I will find plenty of time to give to that exploration.
Dr. Strange split us into groups to work on a few of the projects this semester. I have never liked working in groups at the college level because everyone is busy with their own life and it is extremely hard for people to find common times in which they can work. However, with the use of Skype my team and I were able to talk to one another when one was out of town. Justin Parmer had to go on a Mission Trip to Baton Rouge during the final project week. Before this class, we would have a serious problem here, but since we learned how to communicate using devices like Skype and Google Docs we are able to handle it, no problem. We used Google Docs the most by saving all the groups individual efforts onto one document. We were able to share easily with others and record our progress. We also emailed each other constantly throughout the process of putting our Ibook together. Email helped us find time slots in which we could come together outside of class and get work done, we are also able to keep updated on what the other members were doing. Lastly, the screen recording we accomplished as a group was loads of fun. On our second smartboard project we were enjoying every second of our time together. We were using that camera for hours it seemed liked just so we could get it right. Using all these tools have really opened my eyes to how easy it is to communicate in our world today. I will never have a problem speaking my mind or letting people hear my opinion again. (Not that I ever really did in the first place :) Thank you for this course.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Final Report on PLN
My final report on My Educator's PLN: The Personal Learning Network for Me.
My PLN started before I even was in this class. My family and friends were my main source of information and help through situations in life. The connections I have made up to this point will guide me on my teaching path. My Dad has been my main source of help and connections throughout the years of high school and now college. Through him I have met hundreds of people, some of which have opened my eyes to new ideas and views that I would have not considered if they had not brought them to my attention. Ideas like living situations, schools to attend, classes to take, and other decisions I have made. Now, I can add the use of the internet as a prime example of an addition to My PLN. On the internet I have made use of several different programs: Skype, Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, Wiki, and even a dating website called POF. Through each of these programs I have found ways to grow as an educator and gain knowledge and insight to the teaching world. Over skype I have had hours of talk time with my Cousin Mark who is a Principal in L.A California. He has talked to me about all the benefits of being an educator today and how their is a demand for male teachers in the schooling system. I am also surprised to say that I am now an avid Twitter user. Even though I am not following a thousand people, my 28 follows have really shone some light down on my and allowed me to reach out and gain information that I would have never understood if not for Twitter.My Blogger is easily my top resource for my access to the educational world. Through reading other teachers blogs, my own fellow students' blogs, and the creating of my own, I have learned countless amounts of tricks and broadened my skills with the computer. I now believe that I can incorporate the internet and technology into my future classroom because I am comfortable with how to use it. The last resource I mentioned is an online dating sight called Plenty O' Fish. I joined this as a joke with my friend, but it has turned out to be quite useful. I put on my profile that I was a future educator looking for any insight into the teaching world. I have talked to a few different teachers about their own lives and hardships faced by them during their time in college and even in the post years of graduation. I am excited about having my very own PLN filled with information that is not my own at all. I will continue to build my personal learning network even after this class is over. Thank you for setting me on the right track.
Blog Post #13
High Hopes
I watched the video Back to the Future and I must say I really enjoyed it. When I saw that it was 17 minutes long I was sure it was going to be an uneventful presentation. When it started with Mr. Crosby introducing his class and sharing his story about the first survey quiz, my opinion remained the same. He took a survey in his class and asked his students these questions. What city do you live in? What state do you live in? What country do you live in? What is your address? What is your home phone number? I would argue that any student at the fourth grade level should be able to answer these questions, and I would venture to say most people would agree. After this is where the video really caught my attention. Mr. Crosby started talking about adding more technology into the classroom, without actually pushing the point across. He focused more on the project and fun in the class (which is exactly what his students do as well). His class was able to build a hot air balloon. This was really great stuff. Here's the really good stuff. From the balloon experiment these students learned so much. Before the assignment, the students had been keeping up with their own blogs daily. They were able to use apps such as Flicker , Blogger, and Skype to expand their horizon and reach out to the world on an intellectual level. The idea behind this class's High Hopes project was to send up a goal or hope on video in the air balloon so it would fly up to the sky and thus become "high hopes." Through the use of the internet they were able to reach out to kids all over the world and show off their projects. When other students saw these projects, they wanted to know more and share their own high hopes. So with high hopes from around the world, this fourth grade class that didn't know where they lived made a hot air balloon, videos, and got to "shine." To really make this project great the teacher attached a gps that kept up with the location of the balloon. It really impressed me how this little project grew into a fantastic learning process that ultimately taught the students how to learn. When students know how to learn, they will want to learn more, and that is good. Thank you for the lesson Mr. Crosby. My heart goes out to Celeste <3.
A Vision Of Students Today
I watched this video three times before even attempting to write this blog post. The problems and thoughts expressed in this video are of a wide variety. A few include "18 percent of my teachers know my name," "My neighbor pays for class, but never comes," "I spend 2 hours a day on the cellphone," and "Over 1 billion people make less than 1 dollar a day." On one side I believe this video uses this gathered information and claims that technology would solve these problems or at lease help all of these issues. Then comes the ending of the video and I second guess myself and think that they are now having a negative aspect on technology. My view is somewhat neutral, I believe that these problems are at a stand off.
When I say stand off, I am trying to express my view of most of these problems being unsolvable by simple answers, some being easily solvable, and the others just to be personal problems. I read the notes from the video recorder, Michael Wesch, on this project and he sounded a little bedazzled with the video as well. It was brought to his attention that students these days have their mindset that they can "sneak" past education. Michael says that "getting by" is viewed as acceptable by students in the classroom. In one section Michael talks about an scenario where a student is having trouble with a question, goes and asks the teacher for advice, and the teacher replies, "You're over-thinking." Michael then makes the brilliant comment, "What kind of environment is this in which “overthinking” is a problem?" This goes along with a blog post I was reading about confidence and creativity. Ms. Diane Dahl is a teacher at an elementary school who believes that creativity and positive mindset will help anyone on their path to success. But back to the problems in the classroom. When it comes to ones dealing with the size of the classrooms, and teachers knowing everyone's name then I would argue these problems to be ones that are not so simple to solve. I do not believe technology would help with the teachers knowing names because it would take away face time. Schools as a mass are raising their class size to overwhelming amounts. I have taken one auditorium style class in all of my four years of college and would say I am no fan. Students need individual attention like we did in elementary school, only with less help and less "babying." The next one deals with students not going to class even though he/she pays for the learning experience. Once again, I would argue that it really goes to show the students mindset that they can just get by with doing the minimum. I blame the sizes of the classroom though. If teachers had smaller classes then they would be forced to be more stern on keeping up with the class, or could make it so that students would actually want to come to class. The semester in which I had my auditorium class I had a fantastic teacher who should great enthusiasm for the subject of geography. I am positive that if she were to teach a class of 20 as oppose to 200, students would benefit so much more from her. The next point and a few others deal with personal problems like phones and sleep. This issue is purely time-management. All these problems that are mentioned, combined with the messed up school system make for one rough times that we must stay positive and creative. We also must realize that the school is only one of our resources for learning. I really do not know how to end this section because the video and the summary post by Michael really put my mind to a halt. I wrote this quote down on my wall and I think it has a lot of truth behind it, "And there’s the rub. We love learning. We hate school. What’s worse is that many of us hate school because we love learning."
How Will You Teach Me in the 21st Century
to Know
to Be Able to Do
to Have Experienced
I would argue that this students answer to the question, "what he believes needs to be taught in the classroom," would be information, learning styles, and the how to's to life. I agree with him that students need to expand their horizon and learn as much as they can, and in order to do so they must first learn how to learn. With all the technology presented to us in the world, this Full Sail University student wants us to utilize it. When I make my own list I would answer with these statements.
I want my students to know all that they can.
I want my students to be able to do everything they need to do.
I want my students to have experienced a quality life.
If I were making a video I would add different locations and traveling into the push for learning.
Checklist for Teachers
I think Ms. Dorothy makes some really great points and gives credit to the position for a future teacher with high regards. I also would add personality traits and creative natures to the equation. It is a good idea for teachers to know more about technology coming into the field. With a better start, more progress can be made on the way to helping a student to success. I would argue that a teacher can easily be taught how to use different soft-wares, internet sites, and apps to help in their career, but can not be taught how to really reach out to the students. I would like to imagine that a principal would pick a fun, knowledgeable, and qualified over one that has no personality and knows computers. With all this being said, I would conclude with saying a teacher with all these aspects will have a very successful career path. Thank you Ms. Dorothy.
The Worm Food
I really admire this certain teacher for helping a blind student have a great time learning and allowing him to be in the spotlight of his peers. I think this video really helps encourage kids to want to learn and help out with the classroom. This video turned a really gross job into a fun project where the kids were able to learn how to use technology in the class. Since I have to tell you what I believe Miles is advocating, I would say that he supports the view that kids need to enjoy learning. I am open to hear other thoughts because this certain post left me a little confused. I do support the students enjoying learning and being in school.
I watched the video Back to the Future and I must say I really enjoyed it. When I saw that it was 17 minutes long I was sure it was going to be an uneventful presentation. When it started with Mr. Crosby introducing his class and sharing his story about the first survey quiz, my opinion remained the same. He took a survey in his class and asked his students these questions. What city do you live in? What state do you live in? What country do you live in? What is your address? What is your home phone number? I would argue that any student at the fourth grade level should be able to answer these questions, and I would venture to say most people would agree. After this is where the video really caught my attention. Mr. Crosby started talking about adding more technology into the classroom, without actually pushing the point across. He focused more on the project and fun in the class (which is exactly what his students do as well). His class was able to build a hot air balloon. This was really great stuff. Here's the really good stuff. From the balloon experiment these students learned so much. Before the assignment, the students had been keeping up with their own blogs daily. They were able to use apps such as Flicker , Blogger, and Skype to expand their horizon and reach out to the world on an intellectual level. The idea behind this class's High Hopes project was to send up a goal or hope on video in the air balloon so it would fly up to the sky and thus become "high hopes." Through the use of the internet they were able to reach out to kids all over the world and show off their projects. When other students saw these projects, they wanted to know more and share their own high hopes. So with high hopes from around the world, this fourth grade class that didn't know where they lived made a hot air balloon, videos, and got to "shine." To really make this project great the teacher attached a gps that kept up with the location of the balloon. It really impressed me how this little project grew into a fantastic learning process that ultimately taught the students how to learn. When students know how to learn, they will want to learn more, and that is good. Thank you for the lesson Mr. Crosby. My heart goes out to Celeste <3.
A Vision Of Students Today
I watched this video three times before even attempting to write this blog post. The problems and thoughts expressed in this video are of a wide variety. A few include "18 percent of my teachers know my name," "My neighbor pays for class, but never comes," "I spend 2 hours a day on the cellphone," and "Over 1 billion people make less than 1 dollar a day." On one side I believe this video uses this gathered information and claims that technology would solve these problems or at lease help all of these issues. Then comes the ending of the video and I second guess myself and think that they are now having a negative aspect on technology. My view is somewhat neutral, I believe that these problems are at a stand off.
When I say stand off, I am trying to express my view of most of these problems being unsolvable by simple answers, some being easily solvable, and the others just to be personal problems. I read the notes from the video recorder, Michael Wesch, on this project and he sounded a little bedazzled with the video as well. It was brought to his attention that students these days have their mindset that they can "sneak" past education. Michael says that "getting by" is viewed as acceptable by students in the classroom. In one section Michael talks about an scenario where a student is having trouble with a question, goes and asks the teacher for advice, and the teacher replies, "You're over-thinking." Michael then makes the brilliant comment, "What kind of environment is this in which “overthinking” is a problem?" This goes along with a blog post I was reading about confidence and creativity. Ms. Diane Dahl is a teacher at an elementary school who believes that creativity and positive mindset will help anyone on their path to success. But back to the problems in the classroom. When it comes to ones dealing with the size of the classrooms, and teachers knowing everyone's name then I would argue these problems to be ones that are not so simple to solve. I do not believe technology would help with the teachers knowing names because it would take away face time. Schools as a mass are raising their class size to overwhelming amounts. I have taken one auditorium style class in all of my four years of college and would say I am no fan. Students need individual attention like we did in elementary school, only with less help and less "babying." The next one deals with students not going to class even though he/she pays for the learning experience. Once again, I would argue that it really goes to show the students mindset that they can just get by with doing the minimum. I blame the sizes of the classroom though. If teachers had smaller classes then they would be forced to be more stern on keeping up with the class, or could make it so that students would actually want to come to class. The semester in which I had my auditorium class I had a fantastic teacher who should great enthusiasm for the subject of geography. I am positive that if she were to teach a class of 20 as oppose to 200, students would benefit so much more from her. The next point and a few others deal with personal problems like phones and sleep. This issue is purely time-management. All these problems that are mentioned, combined with the messed up school system make for one rough times that we must stay positive and creative. We also must realize that the school is only one of our resources for learning. I really do not know how to end this section because the video and the summary post by Michael really put my mind to a halt. I wrote this quote down on my wall and I think it has a lot of truth behind it, "And there’s the rub. We love learning. We hate school. What’s worse is that many of us hate school because we love learning."
How Will You Teach Me in the 21st Century
to Know
to Be Able to Do
to Have Experienced
I would argue that this students answer to the question, "what he believes needs to be taught in the classroom," would be information, learning styles, and the how to's to life. I agree with him that students need to expand their horizon and learn as much as they can, and in order to do so they must first learn how to learn. With all the technology presented to us in the world, this Full Sail University student wants us to utilize it. When I make my own list I would answer with these statements.
I want my students to know all that they can.
I want my students to be able to do everything they need to do.
I want my students to have experienced a quality life.
If I were making a video I would add different locations and traveling into the push for learning.
Checklist for Teachers
I think Ms. Dorothy makes some really great points and gives credit to the position for a future teacher with high regards. I also would add personality traits and creative natures to the equation. It is a good idea for teachers to know more about technology coming into the field. With a better start, more progress can be made on the way to helping a student to success. I would argue that a teacher can easily be taught how to use different soft-wares, internet sites, and apps to help in their career, but can not be taught how to really reach out to the students. I would like to imagine that a principal would pick a fun, knowledgeable, and qualified over one that has no personality and knows computers. With all this being said, I would conclude with saying a teacher with all these aspects will have a very successful career path. Thank you Ms. Dorothy.
The Worm Food
I really admire this certain teacher for helping a blind student have a great time learning and allowing him to be in the spotlight of his peers. I think this video really helps encourage kids to want to learn and help out with the classroom. This video turned a really gross job into a fun project where the kids were able to learn how to use technology in the class. Since I have to tell you what I believe Miles is advocating, I would say that he supports the view that kids need to enjoy learning. I am open to hear other thoughts because this certain post left me a little confused. I do support the students enjoying learning and being in school.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Blog Post #12
My lesson plan.
Since I want to be a coach when I get a older, my project deals with my students making a team blog. This project is for students grades fourth through eighth. Students must make a blog that revolves around a specif sports team, one they love, or one they hope to play for some day. If a student has a problem with picking a sports team, they may also pick a television series they watch or any topic that I approve of prior to the assignment. This assignment will last a total of 17 weeks because most professional teams season last that long. I want the students to create a blog that they will update weekly according to their teams schedule. Students will need to write one post per week that includes an update on their team status and how their team is faring throughout the week at practice. They will also have to upload instructional videos, game films, and any other media that they deem necessary to uphold a quality blog. The different blog post will deal with the students opinions on the team and what ideas they have for improving their teams stats. They can also post the teams record and season. I want this blog to be similar to a fan page and include all the works of one. At the end of the season the students will have a complete blog that they can be proud of.
Here is my example of a good start:
Miami Dolphins Blog
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Progress Report on Final Project
For My final project I am going to sing a song that takes the audience on a musical tour through the summer class of EDM310. I will be shooting this in different locations such as the green screen, outside, and at the computer. The song has some light hearted humor in it as well as some plans for my future teaching. I am going to make a music video with my song using the tools we have learned about over the course of the semester. Some of these tools include: Imovie, the green screen, podcast techniques, and the world wide web. I will discuss blogs that we have gone over and end with my true reflection on this class. I am hoping everyone will enjoy it and not laugh too much at my hidden singing talents.
Here is a line from my new upcoming hit... "Stuck in Summer School"
"While this group is making a podcast, the other is making a book trailer. My class is going to be ahead of the game, not a single failure."
Here is a line from my new upcoming hit... "Stuck in Summer School"
"While this group is making a podcast, the other is making a book trailer. My class is going to be ahead of the game, not a single failure."
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Blog Post #11
See What These Kids Can Do.
I loved the introduction to the first video, the music that filled the background was on point. From the first few seconds of the video it was easy to see that these kids were talented and really enjoyed working on projects like these. The name of the show, Little Kids, Big Potentials was a very appropriate because these kids really wanted to accomplish their goals in life and school. The stuff they did really impressed me. I am learning how to use a blog for the first time in my life this semester and these kids are mastering them in the young grades of elementary. I enjoyed hearing them explain the rules and the fun times they had with showing their friends and families. I supported the techniques that were used in this skype and Little Kids Big Potentials videos. It allowed the students to really enjoy their class room sessions. They enjoyed everything that they were doing. They wanted to learn. They were excited that they were able to show off their work to all their peers. I would argue that this approach actually helped on the improvement of the projects. Because the students want to look good in front of their friends, they will do better quality work. I was a little surprised that more teachers had not caught on to this technique of utilizing the technology in the classroom. With time I would suggest that most teachers will start to incorporate as much use of blogs and the internet into their lesson plans. I enoyed all of these videos. Thank you.
Keith Tardibuono
I loved the introduction to the first video, the music that filled the background was on point. From the first few seconds of the video it was easy to see that these kids were talented and really enjoyed working on projects like these. The name of the show, Little Kids, Big Potentials was a very appropriate because these kids really wanted to accomplish their goals in life and school. The stuff they did really impressed me. I am learning how to use a blog for the first time in my life this semester and these kids are mastering them in the young grades of elementary. I enjoyed hearing them explain the rules and the fun times they had with showing their friends and families. I supported the techniques that were used in this skype and Little Kids Big Potentials videos. It allowed the students to really enjoy their class room sessions. They enjoyed everything that they were doing. They wanted to learn. They were excited that they were able to show off their work to all their peers. I would argue that this approach actually helped on the improvement of the projects. Because the students want to look good in front of their friends, they will do better quality work. I was a little surprised that more teachers had not caught on to this technique of utilizing the technology in the classroom. With time I would suggest that most teachers will start to incorporate as much use of blogs and the internet into their lesson plans. I enoyed all of these videos. Thank you.
Keith Tardibuono
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Blog Post #10
I Am A Papermate
After looking at this cartoon and looking up the word Ticonderoga, I figured out that it was just a fort that was taken from the British by the Green Mountain Boys in 1775. Definition All I can really gather is that he is saying that the cheap stuff like paper and pens break easy and we need to replace that with the more expensive stuff? I am not really sure so I sent him a post asking him to explain. So when he responds to that I will add to this short paragraph.
Why are these Kids playing Games!?!?
Pencil Quest
In both of these blog post the teacher lays out conversational posts between himself and another ,teacher or student, and it always is interesting. While I was reading the first one about the strict principal, I was behind the teachers view the whole time. I would argue that the principal was overreacting when it came to the "no game policy" however, he is the boss and I think the teacher respects that. The principal wants him to just teach the class about memory skills in order that they may all do well on the rote memorization test. This teacher is teaching the students the skills needed to achieve a great status in life, instead of teaching them about just memorizing. In the end I believe the teacher is being a little bit of a "smart butt" when he quotes his solution, "My solution: we'll create an algorithm factory and integrate it into our Conflict-Oriented Reading and Writing Project (a.k.a. The Factory Game)"
In the second post, I get a chance to read about the class going on a scavenger/ and dealing with riddles. They are to use pencils to write down about what they find in order to move on to the next point. The whole project was a pre-thought out one that involved students going from station to station following a map and reading pages, followed by writing them. I like how the teacher incorporates pencil usage instead of the computers. If this teacher is anything like anything we have been studying I might argue that he is just doing this to teach the students about how easy and more fun the classroom would be with technology. I am not sure what this teachers approach is after reading a few of his blogs. I did however send him a post asking for some explanation.
Don't Teach None Of It
I really enjoyed McLeod's post. His sarcasm was on point in delivering his message to the readers around the world. His word choice and sentence structure really helped back up his message. He acts like he is supporting all of these views and then in the end he allows the reader to know that his class is actually doing all of this "evil" stuff and that they are going to be ahead in the world. For my last project I am writing a song/poem and one of the lines are,
"This group made a podcast, this one is recording a book trailer, my class is going to be ahead of the game with not a single failure." I can relate to both sides of his post as well. I know how it feels to not want kids to have the computers. However, I would argue that my reasons are different from the ones he names such as porn and tasteless stuff. I simply believe that when kids are that young they do not need to be shoved in front of a computer. They need to be out learning, exploring, and having fun with friends. Not in front of a computer. After reading all some of the comments left, I realized that not everyone really understood Mr. Mcleod's sarcasm. Some just supported his bashing of the internet, and other's thought it was cool how he was trying to "mislead" all the other teachers into making them not use computers so he could have a one up on them in the world. Regardless of what they all said in their post, Mr. Mcleod was professional in his writings and really showed a bunch of people the silliness in trying to restrict kids from computers in the classroom.
Thank you Mr. Mcleod
Thank you Mr. Spencer
After looking at this cartoon and looking up the word Ticonderoga, I figured out that it was just a fort that was taken from the British by the Green Mountain Boys in 1775. Definition All I can really gather is that he is saying that the cheap stuff like paper and pens break easy and we need to replace that with the more expensive stuff? I am not really sure so I sent him a post asking him to explain. So when he responds to that I will add to this short paragraph.
Why are these Kids playing Games!?!?
Pencil Quest
In both of these blog post the teacher lays out conversational posts between himself and another ,teacher or student, and it always is interesting. While I was reading the first one about the strict principal, I was behind the teachers view the whole time. I would argue that the principal was overreacting when it came to the "no game policy" however, he is the boss and I think the teacher respects that. The principal wants him to just teach the class about memory skills in order that they may all do well on the rote memorization test. This teacher is teaching the students the skills needed to achieve a great status in life, instead of teaching them about just memorizing. In the end I believe the teacher is being a little bit of a "smart butt" when he quotes his solution, "My solution: we'll create an algorithm factory and integrate it into our Conflict-Oriented Reading and Writing Project (a.k.a. The Factory Game)"
In the second post, I get a chance to read about the class going on a scavenger/ and dealing with riddles. They are to use pencils to write down about what they find in order to move on to the next point. The whole project was a pre-thought out one that involved students going from station to station following a map and reading pages, followed by writing them. I like how the teacher incorporates pencil usage instead of the computers. If this teacher is anything like anything we have been studying I might argue that he is just doing this to teach the students about how easy and more fun the classroom would be with technology. I am not sure what this teachers approach is after reading a few of his blogs. I did however send him a post asking for some explanation.
Don't Teach None Of It
I really enjoyed McLeod's post. His sarcasm was on point in delivering his message to the readers around the world. His word choice and sentence structure really helped back up his message. He acts like he is supporting all of these views and then in the end he allows the reader to know that his class is actually doing all of this "evil" stuff and that they are going to be ahead in the world. For my last project I am writing a song/poem and one of the lines are,
"This group made a podcast, this one is recording a book trailer, my class is going to be ahead of the game with not a single failure." I can relate to both sides of his post as well. I know how it feels to not want kids to have the computers. However, I would argue that my reasons are different from the ones he names such as porn and tasteless stuff. I simply believe that when kids are that young they do not need to be shoved in front of a computer. They need to be out learning, exploring, and having fun with friends. Not in front of a computer. After reading all some of the comments left, I realized that not everyone really understood Mr. Mcleod's sarcasm. Some just supported his bashing of the internet, and other's thought it was cool how he was trying to "mislead" all the other teachers into making them not use computers so he could have a one up on them in the world. Regardless of what they all said in their post, Mr. Mcleod was professional in his writings and really showed a bunch of people the silliness in trying to restrict kids from computers in the classroom.
Thank you Mr. Mcleod
Thank you Mr. Spencer
Sunday, July 1, 2012
C4T Final Summary
Diane Dahl: For the Love of Teaching
Ms. Diane Dahl is very enthusiastic teacher who loves teaching very much. Based off of her blog posts I have read it is easy to see that she is a huge optimist. The two posts I chose to read are Positivity: An important component of brain based teaching and Metacognitive thinking skills for life and learning part one: Optimism.
Positivity: An Important Component of Brain-Based Teaching was the first post I read. This post dealt with how positivity is a must have for us as future educators move through our career. Diane says, "I begin the year by stressing the importance of optimism and positive thinking on the brain, and then continue teaching and modeling the other BrainSMART thinking for learning skills which include: optimism, listening, focus, understanding space, understanding time, systematic search, systematic planning, memory, comparisons, and courage. " When the students worked on these in class and had optimism to back them up as well as their teacher, great learning was able to occur. As a fourth grader, if the students can have positivity towards their schooling then they will continue on their path to success. Once the students learn how to be positive then they can also develop their skills on being positive to increase their optimism in the world.
The second post I read was called Metacognitive Thinking Skills for Life and Learning Part One: Optimism. This was part one of here new series of thinking skills for life and learning. Diane's goal is to, "provide the reasoning, and practical implementation ideas for each strategy so that you can apply them in your classroom or individual teaching situation." Diane considers optimism to be the most important tool to an professional learning career. Optimism is the best way to start any day, if someone can wake up with the mindset that they will accomplish what they want that day, then odds are they just might. Ms. Diane goes on to talk about two distinct groups of students. One that believes that they will succeed and make good grades, and the other that is full of doubt. The group that is full of doubt has already taken themselves out of the game, while the positive group is on their way to success. If you don't think you can do something, you are never going to do it. The logic is easy. I enjoyed how she made a reference to the fact that some students believe their mind is unchangeable. They believe that they will either fail or pass, and their efforts have nothing to do with the outcome. Once students can master the belief that the mind can actually be altered and that it is all a matter of being positive then the students will learn and fight for success instead of accepting defeat. One of the best points she makes is in the end of her post when she says that we as teachers MUST model optimism. Really Great Posts Ms. Diane. Thank you.
Blog Post #9
All that was Learned
As McClung wrote his blog first blog post after teaching his first year I could really sense that he grew as a person and a teacher. He started out as an elementary teacher and even though it may be hard to believe, he didn't really have his stuff together. However, after reading his post I would ague that he started out as a good ambitious teacher, and became a great ambitious teacher. He stays ambitious, which makes him great. He used this blog to talk about several points that he felt that really stuck out in his career. Three that stuck out in my mind were "Communicate, Be Flexible, and Never Stop Learning." His first point on Communication was really informative and correct. Communication is everything in life, if you know how to talk, you can almost get anywhere you want to go. Take myself for example, I have talked my way through more situations I can't stand to count. Communication allows for an individual to seek out and learn social skills that will open up doors through life. I back communication skills one-hundred percent, which is one of my problems with the rise of technology. More and more kids are getting off the fields of sports and streets of play to go inside by their lonesome and play computer games. This can not be right for the world. With that taken into consideration, communication was a great opening point. Secondly, he spoke of "being flexible" which I also agree is a must in the classroom. I do agree that we are going to want to teach our own way, but with different situations come different methods that we need to formulate.We are going to have to be flexible in order to help our students learn to their own best potential. we also need to make sure we are flexible in the eyes of our bosses. In the job place it really is "their way or the highway." Lastly, "never stop learning" is a great piece of advice that I would argue needs to be remembered in the back of everyone's memory throughout life. Once we stop learning, we stop growing, which would then lead us to stop seeking out information and thus kill all motivation. In conclusion, we should never stop learning.
The Third Year
After his first two years, I really felt that he matured as a teacher and developed his skills as an educator. Mr. McClung was facing many different changes in life. He was in his first school for two years during this section, with new kids and new classes to teach. He expresses in his post how he was nervous about his second year in the same school. Even though he felt more at home, not having to do the whole introduction year again, he was still ready to take on the new challenge. He wrote in one of his posts about making sure you always know who the boss is. He tells us that teachers can sometimes get caught up in the teaching process and the kids that they forget about what the "Man" is saying behind the scenes. "You can't get wrapped up in pleasing people." I feel that this was a quote that directly spoke to me, I have been accused many times of trying to please everyone. In his last section he speaks about not getting too comfortable. I agree that this is an excellent point. Although it would seem more desirable to get comfortable at a place and relax knowing that everything is alright, we must remember that there is always someone wanting your job and aiming to take it if we fail. We must always shoot to stun and astound the bosses in the workplace. Getting comfortable means slacking off a bit. We must not get so comfortable. Thank you Mr. McClung for the posts.
As McClung wrote his blog first blog post after teaching his first year I could really sense that he grew as a person and a teacher. He started out as an elementary teacher and even though it may be hard to believe, he didn't really have his stuff together. However, after reading his post I would ague that he started out as a good ambitious teacher, and became a great ambitious teacher. He stays ambitious, which makes him great. He used this blog to talk about several points that he felt that really stuck out in his career. Three that stuck out in my mind were "Communicate, Be Flexible, and Never Stop Learning." His first point on Communication was really informative and correct. Communication is everything in life, if you know how to talk, you can almost get anywhere you want to go. Take myself for example, I have talked my way through more situations I can't stand to count. Communication allows for an individual to seek out and learn social skills that will open up doors through life. I back communication skills one-hundred percent, which is one of my problems with the rise of technology. More and more kids are getting off the fields of sports and streets of play to go inside by their lonesome and play computer games. This can not be right for the world. With that taken into consideration, communication was a great opening point. Secondly, he spoke of "being flexible" which I also agree is a must in the classroom. I do agree that we are going to want to teach our own way, but with different situations come different methods that we need to formulate.We are going to have to be flexible in order to help our students learn to their own best potential. we also need to make sure we are flexible in the eyes of our bosses. In the job place it really is "their way or the highway." Lastly, "never stop learning" is a great piece of advice that I would argue needs to be remembered in the back of everyone's memory throughout life. Once we stop learning, we stop growing, which would then lead us to stop seeking out information and thus kill all motivation. In conclusion, we should never stop learning.
The Third Year
After his first two years, I really felt that he matured as a teacher and developed his skills as an educator. Mr. McClung was facing many different changes in life. He was in his first school for two years during this section, with new kids and new classes to teach. He expresses in his post how he was nervous about his second year in the same school. Even though he felt more at home, not having to do the whole introduction year again, he was still ready to take on the new challenge. He wrote in one of his posts about making sure you always know who the boss is. He tells us that teachers can sometimes get caught up in the teaching process and the kids that they forget about what the "Man" is saying behind the scenes. "You can't get wrapped up in pleasing people." I feel that this was a quote that directly spoke to me, I have been accused many times of trying to please everyone. In his last section he speaks about not getting too comfortable. I agree that this is an excellent point. Although it would seem more desirable to get comfortable at a place and relax knowing that everything is alright, we must remember that there is always someone wanting your job and aiming to take it if we fail. We must always shoot to stun and astound the bosses in the workplace. Getting comfortable means slacking off a bit. We must not get so comfortable. Thank you Mr. McClung for the posts.
C4T summary THREE
Mr. Robbo
The teachers post I was assigned to read this week was Mr. Robbo (The P.E Geek). Growing up as an athlete in school I really was impressed and intrigued with his blog post ideas. They were all about new gadgets that would improve the P.E. world and overall help athletes improve as well. The first blog was about different apps for your iphone. There was one named Runwithme. Which when I told a fellow girl about, her instant reaction was "that is so awesome, and cute." I had to agree that this would be an excellent idea for couples or friends that live in different area codes. The other one had to deal with reaction skills. It was called Reactiontime and was invented to help athletes on their start time for runs such as the forty yard dash.The second post I thought was neat as well, however I don't believe people take into consideration how much all of this would actually cost. I don't think most people have the money for these apps and smart technology. I very much appreciated the posts though.
The P.E. Geek
The teachers post I was assigned to read this week was Mr. Robbo (The P.E Geek). Growing up as an athlete in school I really was impressed and intrigued with his blog post ideas. They were all about new gadgets that would improve the P.E. world and overall help athletes improve as well. The first blog was about different apps for your iphone. There was one named Runwithme. Which when I told a fellow girl about, her instant reaction was "that is so awesome, and cute." I had to agree that this would be an excellent idea for couples or friends that live in different area codes. The other one had to deal with reaction skills. It was called Reactiontime and was invented to help athletes on their start time for runs such as the forty yard dash.The second post I thought was neat as well, however I don't believe people take into consideration how much all of this would actually cost. I don't think most people have the money for these apps and smart technology. I very much appreciated the posts though.
The P.E. Geek
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