Final Reflection

Summary Post C4T #4

I commented on the blog of JF Hadley. This is an amazing blog that I will continue to follow. I first post I commented on was titled 'Following My Own Advice'. The post was about following the advice he gives his students. With all the distractions today it can be hard to focus and get the things done that we need to do. This was my comment: Hi, my name is Krystin Pavey and I’m an Elementary Education major at the University of South Alabama. I have the same trouble when doing homework myself. I find that a lot of teachers today forget that children need a “brain break” in order to focus better. Some teachers seem so focused on “fitting all of the material in,” rather than giving students the break that the teachers themselves need. What a great post! Thanks for sharing!


The second post I commented on was titled 'Using Their Voices'. I loved this post! It was about getting students to effectively develop and express their ideas. They had to read the material themselves, then again in a small group. They had to find the main idea and the supporting details. Then Hadley posted questions the students needed to answer. The students then used Garageband to record their ideas. Hadley says, "Then the goal was to record a paragraph that answered the question. After doing that, they were listening to see if they had a clear point of view and had proved their point with evidence." This was my comment: Hi! My name is Krystin Pavey and I’m a student in Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. I think this is such a great idea. All children learn differently and giving them the opportunity to explore their ideas in different ways can only be beneficial.

Final PLN Report

I am so excited about the progress of my PLN. I use these website and links all the time and I love having them all located in one place. While this is my "final PLN" I don't think it will ever be complete. I will continue to add to my PLN as I make more discoveries and contacts in the professional world of teaching.

Summary Post C4K November/December

C4K #8


The blog that I commented on for Comments4Kids #8 was that of Blanca. The post I commented on was about the water cycle. This was my comment: Hi. My name is Krystin Pavey and I am an Elementary Education major at the University of South Alabama. This is a great post about the water cycle. I really like the animation in the picture. Keep up the great work.


C4K #9


My blog assignment for Comments4Kids #9 was a student named Millie. She posted about a time when she was without power. She described how horrible it was. This was my comment to her: Hi Millie! My name is Krystin Pavey and I am studying to be an elementary teacher at the University of South Alabama located in Mobile, Alabama. It sure is frustrating being without power. You really don’t realize how much you rely on things like that until you don’t have them. During the months of June-November we are in hurricane season. In 2005, we had a horrible hurricane named Katrina hit. During hurricane Katrina the power went out and stayed out for 5 days. It was horrible. Keep up the great work on your blog!


C4K #10


I commented on a student from Mrs. Huebner's class. Mrs. Huebner has a fifth grade class from Sioux City, Iowa and they had a Skype session with a class from Philadelhia, Pennsylvania. This was my comment: Hi. My name is Krystin Pavey and I am also a student in Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class. I love that you guys are getting to learn from other classes around the country and world. I think Skype is a great tool to use in your classroom! Your blog looks great. Keep up the good work!


C4K #11


I commented on a post by Clare. She posted a summary of a book that she read. This was my comment: Hi Clare! My name is Krystin Pavey and I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed your post. What a great summary of this book. I think that everybody deserves a space of their own. Your blog looks great. Keep up the great work!


Yasmine's Blog


I commented on Yasmine's blog post about horseback riding. Horseback riding is one of her favorite things. This was my comment: Hi my name is Krystin Pavey and I am a student at the University of South Alabama located in Mobile, Alabama. I love riding horses. I am not very advanced and I just like to ride for fun. Your blog looks great! Keep up the good work!

Final Project

This is our Final Project video.  I am so thankful for my group. We were so great as a team!

Additional Assignment #5

I think that the posts by John Spencer are great! Of the assigned posts my favorite was He Just Likes the Class for the Pencils. John shows compassion for his students and respects them. And even though he is a strict teacher, the students respect him. Humiliating and disrespecting your students is not the way to get them to respect you. In the post Just Teach Then to Solve for 'X', Mr. Spencer writes about the importance of teaching metaphors. I especially liked the quote "The world's greatest teachers were often confusing.  They understood that truth involves metaphors." I think that confusion can sometimes lead to a greater understanding and clarity of a subject. 

Project #15 - Movie Trailers

Clifford's Christmas by Norman Bridwell

All By Myself by Mercer Mayer

Blog Assignment #13

ALEX - Alabama Learning Exchange


The website for the Alabama Learning Exchange is a great resource for teachers. The website si broken into several different section to make what you are looking for easier to find. The first of the sections is Course of Study. This section has the ALCOS broken down by subject and grade level. The second section is titled Weblinks. This section has web resources for teachers, administration, and even students. Here you can also submit a web resource that you would recommend for others. The next section is for Lesson Plans. You can search lesson plans by author, title, or school. You can also find lesson plans by subject and grade level. There is also a section for Professional Learning. This section has links for ALEX and Thinkfinity training opportunities. You can also search for grant opportunities. There are also web links to find professional development opportunities, teaching and learning tools, and best practices for things like leadership and evaluation, ELL's, Response to Instruction, Special Education, and more. Another section titled Gallery 360 Podcast Treasury is a great resource for teachers and students. It has podcasts by others that can help you teach lessons. The podcasts are even linked to a lesson plan that can be found on the site. ALEXVille is a blog. The "ALEXVille News" highlights things added to the site as well as important news and updates. The last and most important section to me is Personal Workspace.  In this section you can sign up for a free account which allows you to create a personal workspace for storing and submitting lesson plans, teacher web pages, and podcasts. 


I think that this website is a great resource for teachers. You can store all of your lesson plans and podcasts among other things. You can share podcasts created by your students, lesson plans, or your website with other teachers in your school, in your district, or across the state. 


ACCESS Distance Learning


This website has information on the Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, and Students Statewide program. This program allows all Alabama public high school students access to courses high quality instruction to improve student achievement through distance learning.

Blog Assignment #12

I think a good idea for a blog post assignment would to combine the progress report for the final project and a blog assignment. There is a great program that can be used to collaborate and brainstorm ideas. The website is called Webspiration. 

You can view the idea map at the same time with others from your group. Then as a blog post you could post a screen shot of your brainstorming ideas.

Final Project Progress Report

Our final project is coming along. My group, which includes Jennifer Inscore and Matt Miller,  has gotten together and decided that we are going to be doing and movie about EDM 310. We will be recording it next week!

Google Form Results

The average age for the students that responded to this form is 22.5.

Question #2 was to state your major. It was split 50/50 between Elementary Education and Secondary Education. 

The majority of the students are Juniors and Sophomores, 

followed by Seniors, and 1 Freshman.

82% of the students that responded to this form are planning to pursue a higher degree once they have graduated.

73% agree with me and think that EDM 310 should remain a required course for education. The majority of the students that think this should be a required course for graduation, are the same students that plan to use the information that we have learned in EDM 310 in their future classrooms. 

Only 45% of the students wish that there were more blended courses like EDM 310. I once again agree. I think that EDM 310 works well as a blended course, but I don't see how some of the other classes would work as a blended course. 

The majority of the students say that Blogger is their favorite thing that they have learned in EDM 310 so far. I think that Blogger is going to be a great tool for use in our future classrooms because there are so many different things that you could use blogger for. 

64% of the students surveyed said that they plan to incorporate the things that we are currently learning in EDM 310 into their future classrooms. 

In these two questions I was trying to see what these students were more likely to use in the future with their students. It look like they are more inclined to use Blogger with their students. However, 27% of the students did say that they would be most likely to make podcasts with their future students.  

Teach Someone Something

Blog Assignment #11

Mrs. Cassidy's Class

I think that Mrs. Cassidy's use of technology is amazing. In thinking about my future classroom, I am hoping to have 1st or 2nd grade, I think that having a blog myself would be a great idea. I would use my blog to post assignment and upcoming tests and other information that parents would need to know in order to be able to keep up with their child's education. I could post podcasts of lessons if there is going to be a student out for a period of time, so that they would not fall behind. I could also post some additional practice for children that may need some extra help. It would also be a great place to post pictures of field trips and other class activities so that the parents that could not make it would be able to see them. But this is the extent to which I thought I would be able to incorporate these technologies into a class with such young children. Now after seeing these 1st graders in action, I know that there are many more possibilities. These 1st graders were so interested and knowledgeable, I now know that the possibilities are endless. 

Summary Post C4T #3

For the past three weeks I have been following the blog of Steven Anderson. The first post that I commented on was titled A Level Playing Field. It was about equity. Equity of internet access, computer access,  and discussed the access to people and the over reliance on technology. This was my comment: Hi Mr. Anderson! My name is Krystin Pavey and I'm an Elementary Education major at the University of South Alabama. I think that having and using technology in the classroom can be great; If you have it and use it. I personally don't know of any teachers that are without access to computers and the internet. However, I do know teachers that have access to SmartBoards, computers, the internet, and other devices but they don't utilize them. I think this is partly because of the lack of training on incorporating these technologies into their lessons. Teacher training is imperative.

The second post I commented on was Why Are You A Life-Long Learner.... The Follow Up. This was a follow up to a post titled Life-Long Learning in which Mr. Anderson made a Google Form asking for responses on why you are a life-long. After receiving over 100 responses and numerous comments, he posted the results in the follow up post. In my comment I left him my sentence that we created last week."Always strive to better yourself, while helping others to do the same." I think this is exactly why we should be life-long learners, to better ourselves.

Summary Post C4K October

C4K #3


The first student blog that I commented on this month was that of Silas. He, along with some of his classmates, made a video about Christopher Columbus. This was my comment:  Hi Silas! My name is Krystin Pavey and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama, located in Mobile, Alabama. I am studying to be an elementary teacher. I have thoroughly enjoyed your blog, Silas! You and your classmates are so talented. I can't wait to see more videos that you create. You can checkout my blog here.  Keep up the great work!


C4K #4


The blog I was assigned for C4k #4 was for a student named Goode. He was trying to convince us to take a trip to California to go to Six Flags. He was also very excited about the fact that he could now add pictures to his blog. This was my response: Hi! My name is Krystin Pavey and I’m a student at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. Your blog looks great! You are doing a great job adding images to your blog. I would love to go to California. I have been all over the country. I have also been to the Bahamas, Cancun, and the Cayman Islands! I love to travel!! My friends and I have taken a trip to the Six Flags in Atlanta, Georgia as well as the Six Flags in Dallas, Texas. I love roller coasters! Keep up the great work on your blog!


C4K #5


The blog that I was assigned to for the 5th Comments 4 Kids was that of Skye. She posted about new search engines that she had learned about in school. This was right after our assignment about Google Squared and Wolfram Alpha, so this was my post: Hi. My name is Krystin Pavey and I am an Elementary Education major at the University of South Alabama located in Mobile, Alabama. Your blog looks great! We had a project a few weeks ago about different ways to search for information on the web. We did a project using WolframAlpha and  Google Squared. You should check them out. Keep up the great work. 


Additional C4K Post

We had an assignment to comment on the blog of a high school student. Her post was very inspiring. This was my comment: Hi. My name is Krystin Pavey and I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed reading your post. It was very insightful. I love the you applied the quote “Life is a journey, not a destination” to education. I think it is very important for everyone to receive a quality education. I think that we, as Americans, often take for granted the opportunity we have to receive such an education. I can't wait for your next post. Keep up the great work!


C4K #6


The blog I was assigned for C4K #6 was that of Molly K. She wrote a great poem about soccer. This was my comment: Hi! My name is Krystin Pavey and I am an Elementary Education major at the University of South Alabama. What a great post! I love soccer. My younger brother and sister play soccer, so we are at the soccer field every Saturday morning! Keep up the good work!


C4K #7


The assignment for C4K #7 was the blog of Bobby A.. He posted about a project he did in math class using Oreo cookies. This was my response: Hi! My name is Krystin Pavey and I’m an Elementary Education major at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. Your blog looks great! I really like the Oreo project you guys did. How long did it take for the Oreo to dissolve? Keep up the good work!

Blog Assignment #10

An Open Letter To Educators


I really enjoyed this blog post by Morgan Bayda. I agree with what she has to say. The education system is still the same as it was 100 years ago. It reminded me of what Dr. Strange said at the beginning of the semester about sending your child to a doctor who still practiced medicine the same way they did 50 years ago. The rest of the world has advanced in technology in just about every aspect, except education. In the video by Dan Brown, he said that he dropped out of school because his schooling was interfering with his education. I don't think this was the best way to do things but he makes a good point. 


Don't Let Them Take Pencils Home 


The blog titled Tom Johnson's Adventures In Pencil Integration by John Spencer was the first blog I was assigned to for our Comments4Teachers. I found this blog post to be very interesting. People spend too much time dwelling on the problem, instead of trying to find a solution. As teachers we need to find solution instead of worrying about the issues. 


Two Questions That Can Change Your Life


What is your sentence? and Were you better today that you were yesterday? I thought this was a great video. I think it is very important to ask yourself if you were better today than you were yesterday. I think you should always strive to better yourself. So, my sentence would have to be: "Always strive to better yourself, while helping others to do the same." 

Additional Assignment #3

Sir Ken Robinson's Changing Paradigms

What do you think is the most important thing Sir Ken Robinson says in this presentation?
I think the most important thing Sir Ken Robinson says in this video is "How do we educate our children to take their place in the economies of the 21st century? Given that we can't anticipate what the economy will look like at the end of next week." This was such a powerful statement.

Is there anything you disagree with in this presentation? Actually, no! Everything that Sir Ken Robinson is saying is so true and he gives support to back all of his arguments.

How congruent are Sir Ken Robinson's positions with those which you are being taught in the College of Education. In other words, where is there agreement? Where is there disagreement? There is a lot of agreement in this video and what we are being taught in the College of Education. 

What can you do to address the issues Sir Robinson raises? I think that I could address these issues by continuing to be a life-long learner, so I could better help prepare children for the future. And help educate others on these issues.

What do you think of the presentation? If you had to do a presentation with others like this, what role on your team would you like most to play? I think this is a very clever way to do a presentation. It really keeps the person watching the video interested. If I were to do a video like this I would probably be the narrator or designer or the idea generator. I would definitely need some help in the artistic department. 

SmartBoard Instruction Project

Skype Interview Project

Blog Assignment #9

In this blog post by Mr. McClung titled "What I've Learned This Year", he provides a reflection of his first year of teaching. One of the things he learned was "how to read the crowd." You have to let your students drive your instruction, because after all, they are the ones learning. He also said that you have learn to be flexible and communicate. I know that communication is key and I feel that I am a pretty good communicator. However, I know that I will have to learn to be more flexible. He said you also have to be reasonable. I completely agree. Studies show that high teacher expectations yield higher achievement of students. But  you have to be reasonable and if a child does not meet your expectations, you needn't scold them and put them down. You need to encourage them to try again. Another point he made was to not be afraid of technology. I see this may be a problem for some. Out of 160 future teachers that are currently in EDM 310 there are more than a few that are choosing not to complete assignments. I wonder if this is because of their hesitation to learn the technology we are being asked to use. Mr. McClung's last point is to be a life-long learner. I think this is very important. In today's society, things are changing all the time. As we saw at the beginning of the semester in the 'Did You Know?' video, the top 10 in demand jobs today didn't exist in 2004. As teachers we have to be life-long learners if we are going to be preparing children for jobs that do not yet exist.  

Short Movie Project

Blog Assignment #8

This Is How We Dream


The world of technology is ever changing. As of right now, I do not think that I am ready to write with multimedia or to teach children to do so. But I am prepared to lean. One of the blogs I followed for Comments for Kids was a little boy named Silas. The videos and things this boy made amazed me. His group made animated videos about lessons they were currently doing in class.  I would love to be able to teach my future students to do this. When I was in elementary school the only time we used a computer was was to take an accelerated reading test, then in middle school we were required to take a typing class. Today the possibilities children have with computers were endless. I think that children are beginning to use more advanced technology at a younger age because they have continued exposure to it. But in order to teach children to use technology, teachers need to stay up to date. 
The Chipper Series and EDM for Dummies
I thought the video was funny. In the beginning of the video Chipper was complaining about not being able to get her work done "on time". She goes on to complain about Dr. Strange's teaching style and decides to drop out of school. After her many endeavors, none of which worked out, she decided to return to school. I think this video was trying to make the point that we need to be independent learners. No one is going to do everything for you. If you want to succeed at something you are going to have to put forth a little effort. 
I watched the EDM 310 for Dummies video at the beginning of the semester and I love how it was set up like an infomercial. I was hesitant at the start of this class and thought I needed an EDM for Dummies book. I feel like I have gotten more from this class though by having to "figure it out" on my own. 
Critiques of Smartboards
After reading Why Smartboards Are A Dumb Initiative and Why I Hate Interactive Whiteboards I thought they pretty much made the same argument. If a teacher is not using the Smartboard or other interactive whiteboards properly, then it is just a waste of money. This blog is one I found that is in favor of Smartboards.  I think that the Smartboards are able to replace many other items in the classroom such as the regular whiteboard, the over-head projector, the television for watching videos, the VCR/DVD player, etc. The website Teachers Love Smartboards is a great resource to show what can be done with Smartboards. It has lesson plans and games an interactive lessons that can be done with a Smartboard.

Timetoast Instructional Timeline 9b

Additional Assignment #2

How Children Teach Themselves.

1. What do you think? If learners are motivated, can they teach themselves?

Yes they can! As seen in this video, when people are interested they can teach themselves.

2. If those motivated learners are kids, can they teach themselves?

If children are interested then learning can take place. As Mr. Mitra said in the video 

"Children will learn to do what they want to learn to do."

3. What conditions are necessary for kids to teach themselves? For anyone to teach him or

herself? 

I think the most important thing necessary for someone to teach themselves is interest.

Whether the interest is the subject matter or an outcome such as a grade, there has to be 

an interest.

4. What role do computers and internet access play in the process?

Computer and the internet play a huge role. If you look at the video, the information these 

children learned by using the internet, and they had never seen a computer before.

5. What role does motivation, a desire to learn?

I think children will be motivated and interested to learn if they are having fun. 

6. What roles do a problem, a question or multiple problems or questions play in the process?

The children are given a problem and can use the internet to find the answer.

7. How do you motivate someone to learn?

I think that in order to motivate learners they need to be interested.

8. How are you motivated to learn?

I am motivated to learn by grades. My grades are very important to me, and thats what 

intresets me. 

9. Can anyone who is not motivated to learn learn?

Yes, I thinks it's possible. I made A's in both Biology 1 and 2, and was in no way motivated 

to learn the material. 

10. Do you teach yourself? When? Why?

Yes I do. When there are things that I do not know how to do, in this class or others, I find

a way to teach myself the material. 

11. What role does a teacher (either answer generally or use a specific example) play in your

learning?

I think that teachers play a huge role, just as the "granny clouds" did to these children.

12. What is the most important idea, question or emotional response you take away with you

as a result of watching this video?

The most important thing I am taking away from this video is the fact children can do 

anything they put their minds to, even if it's not in their native language.

13. What other questions or issues are raised by this video that should be considered and

discussed by aspiring teachers?

I think that as teachers we need to understand the possibilities for children to be self 

learners, and we need to keep children interested in learning.

Blog Assignment #7

I thought Randy Pausch's video "The Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" was very inspiring. This man has left behind such an amazing legacy. It is a shame that this man died at such a young age. I was surprised to learn in the beginning that this man had almost 10 tumors in his liver and, at the time this video was made, only had approximately five months of healthy living left. 

The metaphor Professor Pausch used about the brick wall really stuck out to me. He said that "Brick walls are there for a reason. Brick walls are not there to keep us out, they are there to show how badly we want something. The brick walls are there to stop those people who do not want it badly enough." I thought this was great. We have so many things that we have to overcome in life, and for someone with only five months of healthy living left to have such a positive attitude, its makes me think about the negative attitude I have had toward some things in life. 

He had students in one of his classes at Carnegie Mellon University work in groups on a series of two week projects to produce virtual reality videos. He said that after the first two week project that he was absolutely amazed at the quality of video that these undergraduate students created in just two weeks. He said he had to consult with his mentor because he did not know how to respond. After speaking with his mentor, he went back to class Monday morning and told his students that the projects were "pretty good" but he knew they could do better. I think this was the best way to respond. If students can "wow you" right off the bat like that, then the best thing to do is set the bar as high as you can get it. Positive expectations are directly correlated to student achievement. The higher you set the bar, the more students will succeed.   

Another thing Professor Pausch said stood out to me. He said that if you "wait long enough, then people will surprise you." I think this is especially important for us to remember as future educators. Teachers often make a snap judgment about students. I think that if we keep this video in mind that it could help keep us from doing this with our students. I was a little hesitant to watch this video at first because it was so long. But ten minutes into the video I couldn't turn away. This was an awesome video and I hope that more people have a chance to view it.

Summary Post C4T #2

For the past couple of weeks I have been following the blog of Daneah Galloway. The first blog I commented on was titled "Magic Wand." This post was about the top 21 things that have become obsolete in the past decade. I was actually surprised when I heard the list. These things that have become obsolete were things that we relied so heavily on just a few years ago. Now these things are barely heard of anymore. 

Mrs. Galloway had not posted anything new since May, so I went back and commented on one of her older posts. The post was titled "Heavy Burdens," and was about the burden she sometimes feels when writing her blog. She wrote "I realized this was my first experience with meeting someone who knew about me because of my blog before I knew them. It was…strange. Not bad, but definitely different. It made me realize that what I put here on this blog is really representing me. This doesn’t mean that I didn’t consider that fact before, but it just didn’t mean as much as it does now. This is going to be, for some, their first impression of who I am. This is huge, major really. Now when I blog, I am feeling a heavier burden than before-which is not necessarily a bad thing." This really put into perspective what Dr. Strange means when he says that we are leaving "a permanent trail of your intellectual journey." 

PLN Progress Report

I have decided to create my PLN on Symbaloo. I found this site extremely easy to use. I have started putting some things on my PLN that I look at often. I have South Alabama's homepage, PAWS, USA online, and South Alabama Athletics. I also have links to LSU Sports, New Orleans Saints, my bank, all email accounts, as well as Edutopia, and other education websites. I can't wait to further develop my PLN. I think it will be a great resource for networking as a teacher.

Blog Assignment #6

The Networked Student


I think that the way this video was presented was very creative. The method used was a great way to keep someone's attention. The information in this video reminded me about what we are doing in EDM 310. I think as a teacher, staying connected with others in our profession from around the world is important. 


I think that being a networked student can be a great thing. The internet is another great resource for students to use in addition to books. Students can get information from many different sources instead of just relying on the teacher to tell them what to read. Being the teacher of a networked student would probably make things easier, if you were the teacher of a middle or high school student. As a future elementary teacher, I think this may be a little more difficult. 


A 7th Graders Personal Learning Environment


I was extremely impressed that this PLE was created by a 7th grader. I just goes to show that this could be done by anyone. This girl's PLE is a lot more advanced than my PLN at the moment. I think this student has a great advantage by learning to use these tools at such a young age. I feel like I need to play catch up!


The Machine is Changing Us


The media and the world are changing! In this video by Mr. Wesch talks about the impact the media has on our culture. YouTube has been a great factor in this change. People upload videos of themselves to YouTube. In these videos people are expressing themselves in ways they would not be able to otherwise, and these videos are able to be seen all over the world. People rely so much on technology these days. Just like with Mr. Wesch's reference to American Idol, YouTube has just become another way for people to make themselves famous.

Summary Post C4K September

I commented on a student in Mr. Chamberlain's class named Andrew. In reading his about me post, I found that we had a lot in common. We both have large families; and Andrew and I both feel that our families are the most important things to us. Twins also run in our families; Andrew is a twin, and my little brother and sister are twins. In Andrew's manifesto post, he talked about how important respect was. He said that he was going to do everything to show respect to his teachers. He also said he was going to work and study hard so he could get a 100. I told him that showing respect for yourself and other was sure to help him succeed. I encouraged him to continue to work hard. I am sure with his attitude he will be successful.

Timetoast Timeline 9a

Blog Assignment #5

100 Ways to Use Your iPod to Learn and Study Better


What a great site. I love the ideas that are given. There are so many things that can be done with an iPod other that just listening to music. This site offers links from everything to study guides and notes, to step by step instructions on creating a podcast.


Eagles' Nest Radio & Class Bog


Wow! What a great example of using technology in the classroom to keep students interested in learning. I would love to do this with my future students. I think this would be a great way to keep children interested in learning, and their parents would actually get to listen to what the children were doing in school. I love this!


Judy Scharf Podcast Collection


This site by Judy Scharf tells you everything you need to know about podcasts. It tells you what a podcast is and has step by step instructions on how to create a podcast. I think this site will be extremely helpful when teaching students to create a podcast.

Blog Assignment #4

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?


I was really intrigued by Scott McLeod's post Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?. I think this post was very well written. I was a little thrown off at first, but thought this was a great way to make a point. I think that technology plays a very important part in helping our children to learn, and those that keep them from using technology are only harming them. 


I visited Scott McLeod's webpage, and took a look around. He seems to be very up to date with technology. It was interesting to learn that he was the co-creator of the Did You Know? videos.


The iSchool Initiative


I think The iSchool Initiative is a great concept. I can see the opportunity for parents, students, teachers, and schools to save money. By eliminating paper, books, pencils, etc, each school system could save a great deal of money, but I do not think that you can completely rid schools of these items. There seem to be many pros to the iSchool Initiative, but I can't seem to fathom having everything we do in schools linked to an iPod or an iPad. 


The iSchool Initiative would give parents access to their children's assignments from any phone or computer, which is a great idea. But I also think that this would eliminate the parent-teacher relationship which I feel is important. Also, everything being on an iPod would eliminate face-to-face interactions between teachers and students. 


As apprehensive as some teachers are to using technology today, I think that it would be extremely difficult to implement this program.


 The Lost Generation


I think The Lost Generation is an amazing video. As I watched, all I could think about what how much time went into making it. So, I had to watch it again! I definitely think that is a quick fix society, and hopefully there is a way to reverse it. This video conveys a great message! 


Eric Whitaker's Virtual Choir


This Virtual Choir is unbelievable. The things that can be done with technology today still continue to amaze me. If something of this magnitude can be create by a group of people that have never even met, then I can only imagine what else could be accomplished. Working together on the internet like this makes the possibilities seem infinite. 

Additional Assignment #1

Before this assignment, I had never heard of either Google Squared or WolframAlpha. I think there are great search engines, with many educational implications. They would both be great for projects in school, or just to find out information. In WolframAlpha,  I typed  in my birthday (November 21, 1984) and learned that I was born 9,429 days ago! I also typed in a math formula, and it showed me the graph of the parabola, and many other things. 

Dr. Strange's comments on the "Did You Know?" really put things into perspective. We are relatively small in population compared to China and India. 

The Food for Thought post really made me think about the use of technology. As advanced as we are in technology, the stable boy who had never seen an iPad before, was able to use it.

Summary Post C4T #1

For the past two weeks, I have been reading and commenting on John Spencer's blog, Tom Johnson's Adventures in Pencil Integration. I found this blog to be very interesting. The first blog post that I commented on was "Meat the Teacher Fiasco." This blog was about "meet" the teacher night turning into a "meat" the teacher barbecue. I think this "typo" actually created a great situation for the teacher and student. A barbecue or soccer game can ease the tension between teacher and students, and make the "getting to know each other" situation easier to deal with. 


The second blog post that I commented on was "show and tell." I think that show and tell is a great way to get kids, even if they are a little older, to open up and find new ways to express themselves. Even the "shy or unpopular" children may be able to break out of their shells. It might be easier for these children to open up if they are talking to the class about something that actually matters to them, instead of doing a book report or other presentation on something they may not care about at all.

Blog Assignment #3

A Vision of Students Today

I think this video gives great insight into the life of a college student. Just about every student I know, myself included, has sent text messages or been on Facebook during class. I have seen numerous status updates saying "I'm in class," or "I can't seem to get off Facebook and finish my homework." The girl who wrote that she would read only 8 books this year, but would read 2300 webpages, and 1281 Facebook profiles, shocked me. I think that the internet and social networking sites are a great way to find out information and keep in touch, but I also think they serve as a great distraction. 

Another shocking statistic was the average class size being 115, and that only 18% of professors knew their names. Luckily, here at the University of South Alabama, we have class sizes nowhere near 115. The largest class size I've had was about 50, and the smallest was 11, and I think that most all of my professors know my name. 

It's Not About the Technology

In Kelly Hines' blog "It's Not About the Technology," she describes what is needed to positively impact this new generation of learners, and "it's not about the technology." As Hines said, "technology is useless without good teaching," and I completely agree. A teacher can have all the resources in the world, but if you do not present the material in a way children can understand, you have taught them nothing.

What stood out to me the most was when she said "When we put innovative tools in the hands of innovative teachers, amazing things can happen. If you put these tools in the hands of teachers who are not willing to innovate, money has been wasted." I think this is so true. Here in the Mobile County Public School System we are striving to put SmartBoards in all classrooms, many of which already have them. I know several teachers who use the SmartBoard, and the tools and resources that come with them, everyday; and then there are others who rarely use the SmartBoard, or that only utilize them as a regular white board. I don't think technology is the answer to learning, but I think it can be a great tool to help!

Is It Okay to Be a Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

In the post, Is It Okay to Be a Technologically Illiterate Teacher?, Karl Fisch, answers that very question. I do not think that it is okay to be a technologically illiterate teacher, for many different reasons. First of all, children today are becoming more and more technologically literate at a younger age. We as teachers need to be able to keep up. As we saw last week in the Mr. Winkle Wakes video, technology is changing all around us, and we need to as well. 

Also, as discussed in Fisch's blog, some find humor in the fact that they are "illiterate" in some areas. Whether it's computers or math, illiteracy is not something to be made light of. I definitely know people that are content with being technologically illiterate. We as teachers should always strive to learn more.   

Gary Hayes Social Media Count

I think this is amazing. I started this assignment, then realized 10 minutes later, that I was still just staring at this social media counter. It is hard for me to comprehend what all of this actually means. What will the numbers look like an hour from now? Or tomorrow? Or a year from now? This just puts the rate at which everything is growing into perspective.