Blog Post #10

My Response to John T. Spencer's Cartoon I'm a Papermate. I'm a Ticonderoga on his blog Adventures in Pencil Integration
  In this picture you are shown two people, with unique names and with different descriptions about themselves but what you see is not the real meaning. Papermate is a popular brand of pencils that are so ordinary and common that most people in the U.S. have used them during their education years. It is shown as a middle age man in a suit and tie most likely showing its long age in sell pencils. Ticonderoga is a brand of pencils as well but they are vastly more expensive than Papermate even though when you compare them they are made of the exact same material. This pencil is shown as a young man wearing clothes much like a teenager or college student might wear too. Here you have two pencils that each do the same tasks as the other but one cost more because of its brand; this is not about pencils. I believe that Mr. John T. Spencer is trying to explain is that a teacher does not always need the latest item or program to teach but that sometimes the most effective way to teach is the simplest. Papermate and Ticonderoga both do the same functions and in the cartoon he is saying that the "hipster" teacher will buy the more expensive item to stay up-to-date when it is not needed. Yes, I love a SmartBoard and I see how a class blog will help my students build up not only their communication and writing skills but also their self esteem in putting their works out into the world but I see that there are some task that do not call for a computer. Need to get them working on math problems? Write out some worksheets. Want to link Literature and Art together? Have them draw a picture and write its story. I think what Mr. John T. Spencer is saying is that not everything needs smoke and mirrors to get the message across and as teachers we need to know where to draw the line so that we do not waste time and money on items that will do the same task as ones that are cheaper. I know that there are some subjects where technology will do more than I can for my students but I also know that sometimes all they need is a pencil and paper to learn. I see the benefits of both of these "pencils" and I know that when it comes time for me to teach that I will understand which will be best for each assignment and which I can save for another day.

My Response to John T. Spencer's Why Were Your Kids Playing Games? on his blog Adventures in Pencil Integration
  In this dialogue between a teacher and principal, you see that the principal want the students to be taught in the terms that they will be tested on only, while the teacher wants to do more. He explains that they were not "playing games," but instead were creating real-world solutions to varies scenarios. They were having to think on multiple levels, for different outcomes and be able to back up their reasons for their actions just like they will have to do in the real world. The principal wanted to teach what was going to be on the state exams and nothing more. This is what Professor Strange calls the "burp back" method, where children are only taught what is on the final exams and how ever much a child "burps back" on the paper is their grade. This is only about memorization for one exam and nothing else. I remember an event from high school where in history we had to made a project about the civil war and I was paired with one of the smartest kids in the class. While working, I saw that he could state dates, important facts and people but when I asked questions like "how do you think this would had effected us today if the war happened when Columbus found America?" I found out that he did not understand the subject pass the exam paper. He could tell you anything about the subject if it was in the text book but did not understand the subject itself; he could not think outside of what he knew or connect the dots to other subjects. He was the perfect example of  a "burp back" student. In Mr. John T. Spencer's post he is trying to explain that we cannot teach ABC when a student is young and then wonder why they cannot think in terms of XYZ when they are adults. By using what a student already knows, like games or songs, and twisting them into a way that they are learning new skill while sharpening old ones, you are changing how they think. He even showed a way that the teacher in the dialogue could follow the rules placed by the principal, while still teaching in the method that he wanted: he connected the state reading and writing requirements into a project called the "Factory Game." I never want to be the teacher who only taught what was required and not once inspired my students to dream and think in new ways. I will not be a "burp back" teacher.


My Response to Scott McLeod's Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please? post on his blog dangerously ! irrelevant
  In this post, Mr. Scott McLeod is, in a creative way, stating the same excuses that many give as to why both they and their children are not "tech savvy  in today's world. Common remarks I heard from other adults in my family when I started this class are listed here like twitter being a "bunch of crap" and that if you give a kid a computer that they will not use it for school but find porn instead. I see technology as a loaded gun: this can both help and hurt both them and others so I need to teach them how to use it properly. First, I would not simply hand it over to them, expecting them to know common sense of how to use it and then getting angry if they never use it to help themselves. The first thing that I would do is talk about every bad or wrong thing that this gun or "technology" can do and show them how to spot warning signs of a predator. I would explain that the same tools used to help can also hurt, but that by learning more they can spot these dangers and be able to maneuver better and be responsible. Next, I would explain that there are different types of "technology" that you can use and each type has a specific way of getting the information out to their audience. I would explain that there are many different ways to hit their goal for the communication, such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Blogger. In order to know which to use they need to practice in a safe, adult controlled environment where they can learn new skills and see where they are comfortable. If they can only use a BB gun or "find videos on YouTube about a class subject" then they need to stay there until they feel more comfortable but that they need to still keep learning. At the end of the post after he says "don't do any of it please" he states "really/ 'cause i'm doing all of it with my kids/ can't wait to see who has a leg up in a decade or two/ can you?". I think that what Mr. Scott McLeod was trying to explain is that the world is changing at a much faster rate that it has before and to not allow your child to be a part of it because you do not see its value will do more harm than good. He is asking us to stop using excuses as to why we do not want to be connected and instead learn how because soon what we are trying to figure out today will become second nature to our children sooner than we think.

Short Movie Project #11

Project 14 - SmartBoard

Blog Post #9

My Responds to Mr. Joe McClung's What I've Learned This Year (2008-09) 
  In Mr. McClung's blog post he shares all that he has learn in his first year as an elementary teacher. While some of the concepts are very simple, such as communicating with your students and being flexible with what happens in the classroom, the weight they have in a students' life is greater than what they seem. He starts out saying that many teachers do not make their lessons "student centered" and do not know "How to Read the Crowd" meaning that they think in terms of what needs to be taught but not if the students are getting it or not. Yes, having the skills to speak in public is a wonderful talent that everyone should work at but if hearing your voice is the only way you teach then the students will loose focus. Communicate is a two way street where you need to learn as much as you can about your students because as a teacher we may be the only person in a student's life who listens to them as if they are a person and not a waste of time. He also talks about being reasonable with our expectations of them because we set back everything in their lives when we raise the bar too high and scold them if it is not met. Remember: we are "dealing with children" and to expect perfection from them I believe is both heartless and cruel. He goes on to explain that technology has become a part of our lives and to give up trying to use it simple because you might find it difficult is not right. I have seen classrooms from complete opposite sides of the world be linked by technology and the children are better for it; we need to keep using what our students know to teach them or we might loose them instead. Finally, he simply states that we are to never stop learning. What is the point in asking your students to think differently than they did yesterday or find a new way to complete a task if we are not willing to do the same? I am very grateful for Mr. McClung for giving these lessons to others so that when we start to teach, maybe this time we do not make as many mistakes and keep sharing what we learned.


My Responds to Mr. Joe McClung's What I Learned This Year - Volume 4 (2011-12)
  In this blog post Mr. McClung is in his fourth year of teaching and I was very proud to see that within the first few sentences he states that he did not learn but two points over the past year. I was happy to see that he has changed over the years and pray that one day I too only have a handful of lessons I learned in one year because it means that I did more things right than wrong. The first point he talks about is not worrying about what your other fellow teachers think about your teaching methods. He states that as a teacher your main goal is the students and if they are having fun learning in your classroom. Will wondering if the math teacher likes your history quizzes make your students learn it better or will concentrating on only your students make them better? He explains that we need to focus on our students and not if the other teachers like us or not. The second point is that we need to challenge ourselves and not become so comfortable with where we are or what we are doing to the point that we begin to begin to not care anymore. He talks about how after he was teaching for a while he began to get into a routine where he would reuse old lesson plans and loose his creativity. He was saved when he was asked to teach another level of history and was forced to learn new material and rethink his lessons. This stopped him from being like his old teachers who did not made school enjoyable because he reached the point where he could do the same lessons over and over or begin to keep challenging himself on what he could do differently and he chose the latter. He decided that he would keep thinking of ways to help his students learn and I believe that it is this teachers, the ones who change their methods and lessons again and again over the years trying to find new ways to teach, that no the most good for their students by never settling for less.

Project #12 - Book Trailer

Blog Post #8

1.) Richard Miller: This is How We Dream Parts 1 and 2

  Richard Miller is showing a truth in today's world that many either do not like or do not see: how we interact and communicate is changing faster and on more levels now than in any time of history. In our parent's generation, when they were doing research or finding an answer, they went to the library and looked for hours only to spend even more time writing their findings down, but now it is different. Today, we can listen to lectures by professors from the top universities in the world, watch videos on every subject imaginable and be able to talk to experts, each from diffident parts of the world, at the same time. The time of only getting your information from the newspapers or having a small portion of your community see your work is over. Richard Miller explains that we live in a world that is changing how we gather information and present our ideas to others and as educators we need to use it.

  He did an article for Academe on the one year anniversary of the Virginia Tech shooting and he wanted to link the violence in the country to the way that government officials voted on what was called the "Bush Doctrine." This was the phrase many used to describe the foreign policy principles of President George W. Bush. Not once did he step in a library or open a book to create his work. Soon, it was in the magazine. What he said next though, I knew, but did not really understand until now: if it was only in the magazine it would be heard and then most likely thrown away but since it was also on their website it is here forever. This is an "incremental" change, meaning that instead of finding information in one means you can now find it all over, which now allows others to "shar[e] knowledge infinitely." Another change is being able to communicate with devices like Skype or Google+ to create documents that use text, pictures, videos or sounds and present them in both print and visual/sound documents. By utilizing all these new tools, children who are learning the information you are presenting can also see how you presented it and use these tools to explain the subject to someone else. A "fundamental" change is the vase works, updated information and the concept that we can "share ideas freely." Today, we are no longer limited to the four walls of the classroom but instead we can connect our students to the world by means that have never been seen before and it is this change, this rush of information, that makes learning so important.

  Just the other day I hear about two teachers, both have taught Literature for decades,  speaking about how neither one of them likes how the world is changing today. They want the old days where if you had a question you asked the teacher and the library was your only place to find resources. They still teach the same way, they use nothing from this century to help their students and it sounds like they do not even want to learn how to change. I remember many teachers like these who, while the other classes were learning how to type or find articles online, they only taught how to write with a pencil and paper and said that the library was the only "credible" source of information. We were learning the right way to write and that we could learn how to "play on the computer" on our own time; it was because of teachers like that, many students did not want to come to school. I saw my parents use a computer everyday and they showed how valuable it is for them and their business.  I do not want to be the teacher that does not use what is here to help my students, so I will follow Richard Miller's advice and keep learning. I want my students to leave knowing how to present their ideas to a world where the only limits we see are "the ones we place on ourselves."

2.) Responds to Carly Pugh's Blog Post #12
  In Carly Pugh's Blog Post #12 she explains the kind of teacher she wants to be for her students, why and how she wants to inspire them to do/be more, activities she has already begun to plan out for them and the kind of people she wants them to become. Here is a young woman who held onto her love of reading, writing and never staying still for life into a passion to teach other children this same joy. She has already begun to collect videos for her YouTube playlist and have linked them to lessons about being yourself, holding onto their creativity and looking for ways to change both their own and their peer's perspectives of others. I loved how she wants to create a classroom that is entertaining and want her students to actually enjoy their works by "reach[ing] them on levels they know and understand". She is not using technology to show videos and Power Points then forcing a book down their throats and wondering why they do not like reading or writing. She is using it as a tool to bring them into the world of Literature must like Richard Miller wants teachers in today's world to do and I am proud to have her example. I had only one teacher like Carly in college: he taught a class about the concept of physics and biology with superheros. He would show all the information about a hero to his students and have then, in scientific terms, how and why they could do what they did. It made many students want to learn more about the sciences and I believe that if there are more people like Carly succeed in becoming teachers then the world will make another great change for the better.

3.) Responds to The Clipper Series and EDM310 for Dummies
  Of the two videos I think that the EDM310 for Dummies shows the importance of the class in terms that it teaches time management  how to build your Personal Learning Network and the different ways to correctly include technology into the classroom. The Clipper Series sums up what might happen to a good portion of students who are not taught to look, learn or think on their own. Everyone told Clipper she was great, gave her awards instead of having her earn them and when she reached her last step before the real world she blamed everyone else but herself for failing. If I could take this same concept I would do a video when I would pick a group of freshmen students in high school, a group of freshmen in college and follow them for a year. I would ask them about their views on world topics, how their classes are going, what they have planned for the next few years and what they think of using technology in their classrooms. After a year I would show the high school students the college videos and the college students the high school videos and have them meet together. I would ask them what about the other group stuck out the most, did they say/doing things that you did not understand and is there something about them you want to do too. This way the high school students can see that college is not about drinking or playing hooky from class but as a means to prepare yourself for the real world. And the college students can see how much they have changed since high school as a way to encourage them to stay in school and keep going. I have always believed that when we see both the past and the future we are able to make better decisions about our lives because we are learning from our mistakes while preparing for a better day.

4.) Learn to Change, Change to Learn 
  After watching the video I am so delighted that the way I was taught in the past will never be seen by my own children because I want them to be connected to the world around them and to have the confidence to make their own mark. When texting first started I would watch these same two boys in my class text back and forth even when the teacher was talking to them and not once were they caught or did their grades fall.I finally asked them how they did this and their answer was simple: they worked. First they learned how to text, then how to do it while talking to someone and then finally they learned how to have multiple conversations with their friends through text while listening to the class lesson. It was amazing that they had done so much and they could so this because they learned to adapt. No one looked at the wheel and said "walking's better" and no one thought of penicillin and said "why not just give them some tea instead". Over time we kept changing and evolving how we learn, live, communicate and think and now we have entered a time where even the makings of the stars have been answered. My favorite part was at the end when the professor said that these times are "the death of education but the dawn of learning" because it is true. Today we have the means to use Apps to help locate constellations, games about math or reading, movie discussions on world topics or even social media sites to take us further than we even have before.

5.) Scavenger Hunt 2.0
Item #3 Make Beliefs Comix

Item #4 Photo Peach
  Here you can create slide shows like Power Point that have photos, music and quizzes on them to either help with the lesson or present to others what the students did for the day. With this you can start a class going over the main points, use photos or music to present it in a more upbeat manner and then have a quick quiz to see if you need to stay on the subject longer or if you can move on. This slideshow can also be embedded on blogs which the students can see ahead of time which will help make subject, especially the harder parts of history or math, easier to follow. If they can see what they are about to learn and actually enjoy it then they will want to keep learning and after a while have them create their owns to show on the class Blog. This way not only is the teacher showing them how it is to be done and presenting it in as a entertainment for learning but this way they can begin to get their thoughts and ideas out into the world in a safe environment  Now we can communicate with other students and teachers and see how others are learning, different ways to use the program and even start making their own Personal Learning Network.

Item #5 Poll Everywhere

Teacher Comments - Part 2

My Comment to Mrs. Kathy Cassidy's "Primary Preoccupation" Blog

Subject: The Use and Abuse of Technology in the Classroom

  Mrs. Cassidy explains that simply having computers in the classroom will not make your students read better, understand the material, or even listen if they are not used correctly. Computers are a teaching tool that can help bring the world to a student to help them learn on a level that will continue to follow them long after school is finished. She also states that it should also not be used when the same task is accomplished with paper like writing math problems or drawing a picture. One example she used was programs that read the books out loud while highlighting the words so that the students can see the words and hear their sounds as they read along. She states that students should also be given the choice to use what they have learned or already know so that they can see the pros and cons themselves and begin to grow for the better. 

  In my post, in regards to her blog, I stated that I agreed with her point that if a child is not shown how to be responsible with technology, then we are harming both our students and our future. I said that the proverb "give a man a fish he'll eat for a day but teach a man to fish he'll eat for life" should be used with technology as a standard of teaching. Too many times I see peers view computers as a means of gaming and entertainment and they wonder why they find essays and projects so difficult. It is because they do not know how to use what they already know. I told her how after my Mom showed me how to use Google Drive so that all of my group members could work on a paper together while never seeing each other. I was shocked that I knew so little about an item I use everyday. Now I know where the best places to find information are, how to present my findings correctly, and why I need to show credit to my sources. I was very glad that someone finally listed the reason why we need to show students how to be responsible with technology as well as the consequences that come if teachers do nothing. 

My Comment to Mrs. Kathy Cassidy's "Primary Preoccupation" Blog

Subject: How Can I Get Followers for My Classroom Twitter Account?

  Mrs. Cassidy talks about how teachers can use Twitter to help their classroom, how they can begin to set it up and the best ways to get others to follow your class. She talks about how after creating their classroom Twitter account, her students are asked to read out loud their favorite comments, what they liked about what they had read and how they think they could make it better. By starting this Twitter account, her students were able to see students from France using the same language that they were learning and over time, as stated in their video posted below, they began to read better. She also states that following parents or friends on Twitter is not the best idea since many times people use Twitter to complain about others or make rude comments. In the video, the students are excited about using Twitter, learning more about how to use it, the people they have met and that their reading skills are improving. 

  In my post, in regards to her blog, I told Mrs. Cassidy I agreed that even a social media site could be used to further a child's education. I said that I liked how she gave control over the Twitter account to her students which gave them pride in their work, while still making sure that they were safe by making sure anyone they wanted to follow was safe. I hoped that other teachers would use her post as an example to do the same for their own students. I also said that I loved how the students were learning French and she showed them a French Twitter account by students their own age. It gave a real world connection to what they were learning. I told her when I was learning Italian in New York City that I loved going to Little Italy because the more I studied the more I could understand as I walked through the streets. I believe that what Little Italy did for me her French Twitter account will do the same for her students. 

Blog Post #7

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch 
  In this, his most famous lecture, Professor Pausch talks about why it is so important for us, even as adults, to fight to make our dreams a reality while still helping others achieve their dreams too. And he did this while only having a few short months to live. Not once was he sad or in denial of what was to come but instead summed up why he was there in this one sentence: "We cannot change the cards we are dealt just how we play the game". Of his lecture I found three parts that I want to use both in my own life and in my own classroom. The first is his story about how Coach Graham rode him hard during practice one day telling him over and over and over what he was doing wrong, making him to it again and not once did he stop. Afterwards another coach came up to him and said that what Coach Graham did was good because if no one is telling you what you are doing wrong anymore it means that they have given up on you. He meant that all day long Coach Graham was telling him that he was not giving up on making him better. I want to use this in my own classroom because I want to create a place where when a students' mistakes are shown they say "okay, show me how to fix it" and not "why should I care?" This can also be linked to his teaching that brick walls are a good part of our lives because they allow us to "prove how badly we want" it and that these challenges help to make us better. When many see a wall in front of their dream most leave, some try and give up but only a small few work together to get over it to prove that they wanted it bad enough that they fought to get it. I also want to show others through my own actions that even when a dream is hard you still need to try because whether you fail or succeed you will be placed where you need to be at that time. Professor Pausch learned this when he was not hired as a Disney Imagineer but later helped to create the technology they used in their Aladdin-Magic Carpet Ride and helped them on other projects for the next ten years; this shows that even when you fail you need to keep going because you do not know if that dream is really dead.
  The second part that I want to use with my students is where he talks about how his friend Tommy made his dream of working on the next Star Trek movies come true with hard work and that he wanted to see if this drive to achieve could be replicated. He did a project where groups of his undergrad students would do whatever they wanted as a project by using Virtual Reality but when they came back after two weeks their work was better than he ever imagined. When he asked what should he do next he was told to tell them that while what they did was good, they could do better because when you set the bar you set a goal that when it is met many will stop trying. So the students kept working and at the end of the year they presented everything to the school but before they could the Dean polled who was in the audience. Every department was present. Soon it became a yearly event where the students could experiences what it felt like to show a work that made others happy and excited. I want to help my students find this joy while teaching them about leadership, bonding and to push themselves to be better than what you are now. I hated it when a teacher always said "good job" whether you did a little or a lot of work but the teacher who kept saying "do better" I learned to respected. Not because they pushed others to be better but because it helped us learn what we needed to do to make our dreams and goals a reality by asking us to take just one more step.
  The last part that I want to include in my classroom is the concept of hidden teaching where he said that he was the Mad Hatter to his "Alice". Alice is a program that teaches children how to make movies and games. What the children did not know is that while they were playing on their computers they had been tricked to learn a complex system of programming. He has used this all of his life and shows a link between those in authority and the chances of the ones under them having a dream come true. He talks about how his parents helped children in other countries go to school and that they taught him to keep helping others too. He talks later about being taught by his bosses and students to work better with others, to use what others enjoyed to teach them what they do not like and to tell others to have fun no matter what is going on in their lives. This is very visible in his "loyalty is a two-way street" part when he vouched for his friend Dennis to the Dean because he believed in him and years later Dennis is carrying on Alice even after Professor Pausch is gone. He gave Dennis his loyalty because he believed and trusted in him which helped Dennis learned to trust in himself and now he is doing wonders all around the world. By giving his trust to one he has helped to change the world for the better.
  In conclusion, I learn that my actions or inaction can alter how a child sees themselves and if they will fight for their futures. I need to work harder to help those around me and to fight with them so that they can do the same for others. If ever someone wondered if the phrase "phase it forward" was true then they should look at those touched by what Professor Pausch has done. With The Last Lecture he shows that you need to listen to others, use what you are being told, teach what you have learned and keep going even when you have reached the bar. But his "head fakes" that this lecture was about living your life and to teach his children one more time was by far the best example of the type of person you want to be at your own "Last Lecture".

Project #9 - PLN

My Personal Learning Network
  My Personal Learning Network has been a challenge because I do not know what is the best means to keep everything I have learned and the names/blogs of people who can help me in an organize manner. My method of keeping records before this class has been simply writing them down on paper but now I have been debating over using Symbaloo, Netvibes or Delicious as my main place to store everything once I have left college. I want one place that holds everything I need or that I have found so that I can have the blogs, names and websites that have helped me to forward as a student. So far my PLN consist of three parts. The first is the usual collection of Pintrest, Youtube, Facebook, Blogger and Twitter where I have learned more about the different ways I can use them as well as how to add my own parts. The second are the blogs of the teachers I have commented on in the past as well as the students from elementary, middle or high school. I like looking back on their first post and see how far they have come and I want to keep encouraging them to post more and more. Who knows, maybe reading a student blog and giving them advice to make it better might become a part of my weekend routine. The last part of my PLN was shocking but after our recent podcast, working night and day making sure that all was right, I can now add myself to the list. I did not know that I could follow directions, find videos on solving our problems or figure out C when I learned A and B. After this class is finish and I begin to look towards my future I want to keep adding on to my network so that when a student asks how to be organize I can use it as an example not simply to teach but as a first step. If I have learn anything in this class it is that where you start, if you keep going, will not be were you end.

P.S. Thanks to this class I was able to post my very first video on Youttube and I have loved it so much that I want to keep adding more during the summer. I have decided to add videos or voice overs of me reading popular books read in middle and high school. In them after I have read one or two chapters I will discuss its meaning, the history of the time the book was written, its author and why their works have become so popular over the years. If you have any advice on this please leave a comment. Thank you.

C4K Blogs - Part One

Week One: Hanna
Hanna wrote her post about the historical fiction book called An Acquaintance with Darkness by Anna Rinaldi that she was reading. She stated that even though she was only half way through with the book that she was already in love with it and could not wait to finished it. I told her that I was very happy that I had found someone else who loved books too and that she should hold on to that love all throughout her life. She will be amazed how a love to read can change everything. The only part I would have changed on her blog is that I wanted her to write more: why did she like it, what were her favorite parts and so on. I wanted to leave some suggested reading but feared that they might be for an older grade level so I hope that she will read this blog and think about reading these too:
If I Should Die Before I Wake by Han Nolan
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry


Week Two:
Matt titled his post "Banned Super Size Soda" where he stated that there is no reason why schools should have super size carbonated drinks. One can contains 360 calories and 100 grams of sugar and that drinking these can help lead a child closer to obesity. I stated that I agreed with him and that in my own high school we had mostly water, juice or Gatorade and that there were only one or two that had a small amount of carbonated drinks. I asked him that if he was the principle of the school what other changes would he make beside banning super size sodas like having healthy and delicious school lunches and P.E. I also asked that if he were an obese child who wanted to change what other help could you need from those around you. I hope that his school do take those drinks out; it might be that one time a child chose something healthy that helped to change their lives for the better.


Week Three:
Paula titled her post "Perimeter" where she explains using a picture of a rectangle, its measured sides, what a perimeter is and how to find the perimeter. I told her that I liked how she used a picture and not just words/numbers to explain what she was doing and that I was happy to find someone who loved math too. I also included that next time she should write out on the side what she is doing and how she got her answer. This way when others see her blog they can follow along and learn how to solve the problem. I liked her post and hope she makes more.


Week Four:
Amy titled her post "Hegemony" which means a controlling or dominating influence over another. Here she explains her hurt over teachers and other Christians who judge and look down on her when they see that she is not the same as them; that she believes differently than others. She also states that she should "be able to express [her] beliefs without being belittled or judged." I was very shocked and hurt that she had been so mistreated and told her that she should never feel like this when speaking her mind. I told her about my days in an all girls Catholic school in New York and that even though my classmates believed differently then me they where not different. I remember many lunch periods spent asking each other questions, seeing our similarities/differences and even laughing at the thought that to an outsider what we each do might seem funny. We all had a different belief but we respected each other enough to work, learn and grow together and I hope that Amy can find such people too. I also told her to ignore those who talk about her or try to force their beliefs on her because if they were really there to help her then they would not wish to harm her and that she will be in my prayers.

Podcast Project #8

Blog Post #6

1.) Wendy Drexler's Video The Network Students 
   Wendy Drexler's video is about how a student in the 21st century can learn better, meaning that they are not bound everyday by textbooks and lectures, when they use all forms of technology properly. Here it shows a young high school student who is learning much more than in a traditional classroom setting because he is using different forms of communication, finding valuable research information and knowing how to share/comment to the world. He is shown that he had the tools to do these and more the whole time but that he did not know how to use them. This video is how the teacher in the 21st century will need to change and adapt to our continuing flow of information in order for their students to be ready for a world that no one even knows will look like in five years. Before, a teacher used books, field trips or pictures to teach and what they learn they could not share will those around them and this was the existent of their requirements. Now technology has condenses our world so small every person can share their thoughts or opinions on any subject and present this to the world for others to read it, comment or use in their own discussions. Teachers are not alone in their classrooms anymore because now they can be linked to others across the world or see a event happening in real time and use it in their classrooms to show that something as everyday as a cell phone can do wondrous things.

   The program shown in the video is much like the class set up in EDM 310 and I love that there are others who want to us this in their own schools. No one comes home from school and talks about how great their teaches' three hour long lecture on rocks was but instead they talk about how they talked to, who did what and the latest news. So why not combine this two and show how they can use what they already have to find answers. Where are the Monarch Butterflies today in their migration? Show how you can use maps and interviews to find them or even track them to see if they will be coming near you. How do I change a flat tire? Show how to find the company website for instructions, where to find the right tools and what you need to do after the tire is fixed. What would it mean if all of the people in South America were to learn English this year? Show accredited websites to compare the number of English speakers today, how much it would increase should this happen and what changes might happen as a result. Each of these can be used to show where to go to find the right information, comparing it or explore it further by first showing how to find this information. Teachers of the 21st century must understand that the hunger to know why is in every student but the skills to find the answers are what they need to learn. 

   At the very end the viewer is asked "why does the networked students even need a teacher?" and I was happy to see that our answers were the same: to teach. I did not know how to use Twitter, how to compare information from the internet or even how to correctly comment on another's blog until Professor Strange taught me. I knew how to use the computer and he showed me how to push those boundaries by learning new skills and sharpening old ones. When classes like the one shown in the video are made they must be run by someone who is willing to see where a student is, show where they need to be by the time they leave the classroom and the patience to explain again and again what they are doing. Our first day we were told to set up an e-mail address but there were those who did not know how to do it and they were helped. We then had to make a blog and even two months later we can look and see what we are doing wrong or can do differently but even after all of this the main goal of both this class and the video is being accomplished: we want to learn more and are using what we have gained from the class to do it. 

2.) My Reactions to A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment (or PLN)

   I am very glad that this system of learning is being used in classrooms today because it helps to teach much more. Here you are in charged of not merely when to do an assignment but also how to do it and present it. In this short video I saw a student learn about time management, how to use the internet to find her answers, what she needs to do to correctly site her sources and how she wants to present these for peer review while still learning science. She also seemed very excited about how her class is set up because she said that it does not feel like she is doing homework but instead she is having fun. When compared to my own it shows that I need to expand it more and to find a similar way to organize my searches and findings. I also want to look into the Glogs so that I can have multiple blogs about different subjects at the same time. I believe that since she is using these skills so young she will continue to learn from them and by the time she keeps to college she will be ready because she will know where to go and what to do in order to succeed. 

Project #10

Finding the Right Tool

   After college I will be going for my masters as a Media Specialist and I hope that when I am finished I can work at the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library in Atlanta, Georgia. There are many different schools in the area that can use it for their classes and I want to help connect the students to the rest of their world by using Skype or Skype In the Classroom. I could go into the classrooms and either have a destruction time between the two classes where they can each ask questions to the other or maybe have a debate over a topic chosen ahead of time. I could set this up so that every week or every two weeks have the selected classes talk to each other and use it to help explain the different cultures, lifestyles and people in general by having them actually see it. And on some days just have them all talk to each other about their day, what field trips they have been on or what their favorite foods are and see if they all can become friends. I could even have each classmate chose one person from the other country's class and also write letters to them thus adding handwriting and communication to what they will learn. 

  When Skype first came out my family used it to talk to one another from several states away and when changes happened instead of talking about it we could show it. Recently we used it to show off a new house as well as the decorations in each of our homes. By seeing it we were able to connect to it even when what we were seeing was far away; I want these students to have this same feeling for others in the world. Too many times we hear about someone getting hurt or a natural disasters in another part of the world, say "Oh No!" and then go about their lives. With Skype I can show that the world is much smaller than they believe, that there are people who have the same loves and dreams that they have all around them and that they have the means to connect to them safely. That is the final part that I would also teach because while I know that not everyone will continue to write or use Skype I still want them to be safe. 

Blog #5

1.) Krissy Venosdale's post "If You Built a School"
  After reading several post by Mrs. Venosdale I learned that while she is a special education teacher who loves everything that is taught at Space Camp.  She is also a teacher who loves her children and would do anything to help them learn and grow. I loved her description of the school she would build if she had a "Willy Wonka" moment and if I was a parent I would do whatever it took to get my child in her school because of its main goals: for children to learn and grow as students and as a person. Too many times we have lost teacher who could have been great but turned to teaching what is needed for an exam only instead putting the passion to learn in their students. My favorite part of her school is a tie between the grade level system and the tree in the library. In her school if you could not read or write then you stayed with your teacher until you could because their education was more important than "getting" them to the next grade. There they would be ask "what don't you understand?" instead of "why don't you understand?". And the tree in the library brings back memories of bringing my books to my cousins' tree house, finding a corner and getting lose in a books' pages for hours. If I were a child again I would find as many books as I could and hind out in the tree until I could not keep my eyes open. By using what a child knows and sees if Mrs. Venosdale was to make this school it would be the greatest second home any student could ask to call their school.
  If I could build a school I would create a place where the students feel safe, where they are treated with respect and dignity, where being called "smart" was a compliment and where they can grow into the responsible, loving person they can be. I would make a gym large enough for the whole school to be in and each morning every student and teacher would run around, play and exercise before going to class. I would hold my teachers and students to a high standard and never make them feel that "okay" is good enough. Music would play in the halls and lunch room all day. I would make sure that everything that they could eat in the school I would eat myself; meaning no "bad" meals, drinks or snacks. Every May there would be a big trip for each grade as a reward for all of their hard work and it would be the students who choose where to go. I would have professors, engineers, doctors, DJ's, anyone who would come to meet with the students and talk about what they do every Friday. I would place awards like "Johnny Made His First B+" or "Mary Has Added a New Group Discussion Question For Her Class" on a board in the entrance of the school so that everyone can see that no matter how small the change they make in their lives that they are all winners. I never want a child to go home saying that they were board, that they did not learn anything today or worst that they did not care about school anymore. That is the one thing I never want to happen.

2.) My Reaction to: Jennifer Chamber's post "I think I have become a Blogger" and Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir
  Other than "WOW!" and "I can't believe that this could happen" what else can there be said about this unique choir? This man, Eric Whitacre, has used the internet to create not only this breathtakingly beautiful and moving piece of music but he has also shown that even those separated by oceans or mountains can still make wonders. In the past unless you knew each other and could practice together you would work hard to put on a show but only be able to show a very, very small amount of people your work. This video proves that such a time is no more. We have become so connected into technology that after such a feet as this has been accomplished we can no longer say that we are limited or that we need to think small. I hope that this has inspired others in the world that even if you only have a small piece when paired with others you will create something bigger than anything before.
  I have only seen something similar to this done with only one person, Nick Pitera, and have included two of his videos from YouTube. Enjoy.



3.) My Reactions to: Teaching in the 21st Century by Kevin Roberts
  I believe that Kevin Roberts thinks that to teach in the 21st century is to not see facts as the only aspect of learning but that now we must use every search engine and collection of statements, blogs or videos to engage students today. I agree when he stated that in the past you went to a teacher if you had a question but now with technology in every point of our lives a teacher must teach character, problem solving, how to use what you already know and what to do/where to go when you have a question. Fifty years ago a teacher used maps or news clippings to explain WWI&II but now a teacher can show videos of the war, testimonies of those who survived, plan field trips to visit museums dedicated to these wars and more because the world has become more connected and smaller than in any other time in history. He is saying that as teachers we can no longer spew facts at students and wonder why they do not understand the workings of the world. There is no more excuse to why a high school student going into college does not know how to use the internet for research, how to compare reliable facts and how to be professional. This information is out there but so many times the means of finding these answers are used to watch cartoons, make movies of their latest tricks or to find somewhere to eat. We are teachers who must show how computers, cellphones, blogs, podcast, etc. can be used to expand a students' understanding of the world by connecting them to the world.

4.) Flipped Classroom
  After watching the videos about flipping the classroom I was very surprised how such a changeling problem of teaching every students was solved with such a simple answer: give them the information first and then answer questions in the classroom. I liked how Ms. Munafo used her video Flipping the Classroom - 4th Grade STEM to explain the changes in the classrooms and the reason for these needed changes while using the same system of video learning that the students will be watching. It helped answer my own questions about the program and could be shown to her students as an example of what their class videos will be like. I do want to use this in my own classroom because I love math and reading which happen to be some of the hardest subjects to teach but with the help of FIZZ by Dr. Lodge McCammon I might be able to fix this issues before they start. In Dr. Lodge McCammon's video  Dr. Lodge McCammon's FIZZ - Flipped the Classroom he brings light to the problems of past teachers where they spent 90% of the class time lecturing, only 10% of the time allowing the students to apply the lesson and where in both parts of class they were never engaged. By flipping the classroom it changes how, when and where a child learns which allows them to ask others questions, to look for these answers on their own or to see how the lesson is used in every day life. In Katie Gimbar's viedos Why I Flipped My Classroom and Flipped Classroom - FAQ she give first hand testimony that by making these changes those who were struggling were helped, those who were not challenged had the means to move ahead and those in middle were helped to push themselves forward. On my first day as a teacher I will not ask about my parking spot or my desk but instead I will begin to create my own "Flipped Classroom" and hit the ground running.

My Sentence Movie Project

Blog Post #4

Podcast Preparations
  The three resources that I chose to help me with my teams' podcast as well as any I do on my own are "Listening-Comprehension-Podcast", "The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom" and "1st Graders Create Their Own Read-Along Audiobook".
  In the first titled "Listening-Comprehension-Podcast" I learned how to understand any language you have not only listen to it over and over but give a feeling, a reason for each word with your voice. We do this everyday on the phone, in person and even with text but when it is required that we stand before a group and speak it is as if we loose our soul. At first I thought that such a task as speaking into a microphone was easy until I tried it on my own and I was shocked to hear my voice because nothing was there. I had none of the excitement, wonder or, in one case, an evil laugh to my words. I did not like it. I now know that before my team and I begin to practice for our podcast that I need to practice on my own for a while first in order to bring life into the words. I do not want people to fall asleep while listen and I know that no one will act as if I was the most interesting person in the room but to merely have them listen will make all the difference.
  In the second called "The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom" it shows that by using podcast in the classroom I can do more than simply have notes or study guides on hand for absent students but with reading, group discussions and projects too.What I liked most about this link was the reactions of the students. How many times have you heard a child ask to listen to the lecture from school instead of the radio while on a road trip? How many times has a child had this hunger for learning?  I saw that same look with the students in the last link titled "1st Graders Create Their Own Read-Along Audiobook". In the podcast they were really acting out what they saw in their minds and their voices helped to create that words thought I could not see them. With the help of these links and others I believe that my team and I will be able to complete our own podcast with pride and hopefully continue using this. I plan on creating a blog just for my nieces where I can use the podcast to record me reading their favorite books and they can listen to me as many times as they want. By the time I enter my own classroom I will be able to use podcast in every way for my students.

Project #5 Presentation

Project #3

My Comment to Martha Yim's "The Parents' View" Blog
Subject: Childhood Obesity and Recess
  In Mrs. Yim's blog she discuses the fact that while the number of obesity children and adults more and more schools are doing away with recess and many ideas as how to help fix these problems. She talks about an idea that she used on her own students to have snack time outside and, only after they are finished, they could use the rest of their time playing. Even though there were no balls, ropes or other equipment for them to use they simply played as children do and the aspect of her determination to make some form of good to come from their circumstances is inspirational. How many times has a teacher, when their own recess was taken, simply said "oh well", go back to lecturing and then wonder why her students are not doing well? We as future teachers need to be more like Mrs. Yim and not just set down and accept what has happened but instead use what we have to still help our students while we fight to bring it back.

  In my post in regards to her blog I stated that I fully agreed that by banning recess we are causing more harm than good for those who will in changed of our futures. I stated that simply having a good mind does a person no good if they are by healthy; ask any child, student or parent if they are capable of completing their work if their body is not working properly and they will say no. Though I did not have space to place it I also wanted to say that it is the same as if one puts a new engine in a demolished car: no matter what is on the inside you still need all part of the car to work together in order for it move. I also wrote how to teacher can except a child to sit still in a chair all day and listen to them lecture. As a season babysitter I know that when a child can go outside to play they can complete their work easier and become a happier person in general. At the end of my post I did ask her if it was possible for teachers to change the setup of the school day, to make P.E. mandatory and if she had any tips or thoughts on where a new teacher should start.



My Comment to Martha Yim's "The Parents' View" Blog
Subject: "To Deal or Not to Deal that is the question!" 
  In Mrs. Yim's blog she talked about her issues with public school and private school when she heard how horribly her friends' child was treated in school. Every parents wants their child to grow up happy and healthy but she shared her friends' concern when while her child was not allowed to change classes for good reasons a child that was a constant problem for the school was able to change class three times. She also said that her friend wanted her son to be able to stand up for himself but it did not seem that anyone other than his mother was trying to help him. She talked about how in high school she walked out of many of her classrooms and went to the principal when she realized that the teachers where not in fact teaching. She was not afraid of her teachers I believe that if more where like her, to be able to spot those that were not doing their job, then maybe there would be more teachers like Mrs. Yim who would have helped a child like her friends' son instead of acting like she did not care. She then asked if "do you think that it is good for children to experience all of the complications of school or to shelter them from this environment so that they can get the best education possible".

  In my post in regard to her blog I stated that I did not believe that exposing a child to all the horrors that come with school was the best way to prepare them for life. I have been in public school, private school and have also been home schooled but it was when I was home schooled that I learn the most. Many times my mom and I would go into Manhattan and she would use all that the city had to offer to teach me. With history museums, art shows, plays or even parks I was able to see, feel, taste and smell all parts of the subjects and was able to understand them on a new level. While searching on the internet I found that in every test possible those that home schooled out preformed those in public and private school in both the classroom and in the real world. I also found that those who had been home schooled demonstrated "healthy social, psychological, and emotional development, and success into adulthood" more so than those who were in public or private school. I loved it when I was home schooled and when I have my own children I will home school them too. There is no reason to place a child in a place where they will be bullied, told how to learn and only taught what the school board deems fit.

Special Blog Post #1

Many Students Misinterpreted the Data in Did You Know? 

   Part 1: Answer Questions Found In Blog

   What is the population of India?

      1.21 billion 

   What is the population of China?

      1.35 billion

   What is the population of the United States?

      309 million

   In the Did You Know? video one slide read that if you took the top 25% of Indian people with the highest IQ's they would outnumbers the ENTIRE population of the United States. This means that of the 1.21 billion people in India there are 302.5 million who have the highest IQ's. Another slide estimated that there are 18 million Chinese who now speak English and 300 million who are currently learning to speak English. It goes on to state that if the 300 million Chinese who are learning English accomplish this goal they and those who have already learned will outnumber the ENTIRE 309 million population of the United States. Of China's population only about 23.56% will speak English. In the final slide it stated an "If-Then" scenario about India and the United States: IF the best 25% of K-12 students are designated to be Honor Students THEN they would outnumber all of the K-12 students, both Honor and non, in the United States. This is a simple concept to state since India is at least four times the population of the United States. Before we begin to panic, question where we are in the world or become angry that other counties are learning English at a fast rate we need to look at all of the data. What is the point in stating your opinion when you do not have all the pieces?

   I believe that the objective of the Did You Know? videos is to get us thinking that the world is changing at a much faster rate than it ever has in the past. In recent history one could go weeks, months or even years before news from other lands or even within their own nation could reach them. No one knew why some people got sick and died while others seemed to be protected from the disease. We now live in a time in history that allows us to access more data on our smart phone that someone 100 years ago could have had access in a lifetime. We have information and technology literally at our fingertips. One could study all their life and only grasp a fraction of what the world today is offering. Now that we have been shown this we need to stand up and give our students the tools and skills they will need in order to weather what is to come because as distant as our parents' time seems to us that gap will continue to increase as the days pass. Did You Know? was meant to inform us of our world, get us thinking about it on a new scale and show us that the world we know will soon be a distant memory but most importantly it ask this one question: are you prepared?

   Part 2:

   I believe that Wolfram Alpha will be a great asset to my classroom because first it allows you to compare two similar or different items together to see their relation and, just like with Did You Know?, it will make my students think. As stated in the blog I did two different types of searches one about animals and humans and the other about life and death. The first search I looked to compared the number of known animal species at 1.396 million to the number of humans 28.894 million in the world. At first glace one might think that we are the dominating part of the world but then you missed an important piece. Read that again: the number of SPECIES, not the individual animals but the different types of species there are in the world, to the number of individual humans. That means that even if there were only twenty-one animals in each species that they would still outnumber humans and many have hundreds or thousands in their species. I would use this to show that while we may be able to walk, talk and build that we are not our numbers are some of the lowest on the planet. I would ask them how it made them feel to know that a simple ant on the sidewalk could outnumber their own family tree. I wonder what they would say and what would change in them. 

   In the second search I compared the average death rate of 154,995 per day to the average birth rate of 371,124 per day in the world. While there is only 0.0093 minutes between deaths it is even less for births at 0.0039 minutes. With these numbers there at least two babies being born before someone dies.  If these numbers are true, the world population is growing twice as fast. Think of the world as a computer with a limited capacity that allows it to hold X amount and people are the files. Everyday we are born we make a new file and when we die that file is deleted but when there are more files being created then deleted then the system is in trouble. If I was a high school teacher I would challenge my students to think of ways to fix this before the computer, or world, crashes. Trips to Mars? One child laws for all? No children until you are 35? I wonder what they would tell me and, if they found an idea that would help, would I have given them the skills needed to follow such a change at a new world?

Gary Hayes Social Media Count

   What Gary Hayes has done is at the very least extraordinary because he has gathered a wide number of everyday actions in Social, Mobile, Games and Heritage and tallied them by the second for any length of time. Before the count was created to tell someone that "lots of people" clicked likes and placed comments on Facebook you are simply stating an opinion that, while many will say it is true base on their family or friends' time spent on Facebook, at the end it is still seen as an opinion. Why? You could not prove exactly the number but now Gary Hayes has changed that and more. Now not only can you know the number of videos uploaded to YouTube versus ones watched on Netflicks but you know...you KNOW their numbers. No matter what you have been told in the past it is numbers that hold the most power in the world because they decide on what is selling, what is not, what people do the most on-line or how much money is made in virtual games. They decide who sinks or floats in the business world but that is only half of what we are seeing when we look at the "Count". It shows that while we now can do whatever we want now we can see how many times people around the world do it too. We know and that, while scary, is the second half for teachers.

   Think back when books were rare, treasured more than jewels or coin, and how the very thought of seeing one was the greatest high point in many lives. Move forward to when the printing press was invented and more people, even the common folk, could be given the written word. While many might have thought that its value would go down the world was given a taste at what was out there and they wanted more. Now come back to today where literature is seen in every form possible everyday whither we like it or not and books, a once sought for treasure, many see as a forced class assignment. It is too easy today to buy the short version, cliff-notes or other types of cheat sheets for any book so that one dose not have to read it and it saddens me. As a child I loved looking through the library for some new adventure to join in my dreams and that joy has never left but now many hate the thought of reading and if an adult does not like how can their student? I am very worried that the world I am heading for values books less than it does today. I can only hope that I can crack that media shell long enough to show them that learning must come in all forms, both old and new, or we will miss everything. 

Blog #3

What is Peer Editing?

   Editing...that one word causes my hands to sweat, my stomach to curl into knots and be bombarded with memories of past self editing. To add peers to the equation makes it worse. I always felt uncomfortable about showing others my writing and that black cloud became darker as I tried to rewrite when my paper was full of remarks like "I don't get this," "wrong word," or "I didn't like it." On the rare chance I found someone who could say, "this is what's wrong," or "I don't understand this part, could you explain it?" I began to improve because they told me exactly what I needed but I was still scared to edit another's work. My own sisters and mom tried to help my proofreading but I still felt stupid when I made a mistake. I kept thinking that if I cannot write then why should I edit another's paper? What authority did I have to tell them what can make it better when I cannot even write one sentence without three misspelled words and a fragment? I have never known solid rules of editing but now I finally have a stable, proven plan. After working the videos and the slide shows, I have a step-by-step map of what I need to do and say in order to help them in their writing by me spotting the mistakes so that both of our skills can improve. The slide show helped the most in explaining my course of action when editing, like how to properly word suggestions and the way I am to act when I am editing so I show them respect for their writing, which was the only part I already knew. In middle school, I remember a teacher told us that when we edited we were to act as if we are the other's guest and to treat both them and their paper as we would want them to treat us. I liked that in every link, even if one link talked less about one topic than the other links did, these authors made it clear that respect was key.

   After I was finished watching and reading all that was needed for this part of the blog, I received an e-mail alert that my blog had a new comment from Jessica Strickland. I was very impressed. She followed the rules of editing, told me what she liked and listed corrections that I had missed. What she did next actually made me almost cry because when she gave me suggestions on what I could improve on her words were so kind. At no time did she write, "you idiot, why did you use that word?" or "that opinion was stupid." Instead, she politely gave her own view on my comment and even gave her own story of when she too feel in love with reading. This was a perfect example of the manner in which I too need to write in my own comments and editing from now on. So far, only my sisters and mom have read my writing. So this blog is the first time I am letting others see my work and I did not think that those outside my family would like what I say. I am still scared but, though I my not be running to publish a post, there is definitely more speed in my steps. I remember a verse from bible school, right before I entered middle school. In Proverbs 27:17 it states that "as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." It reminded me about what each link was stating, that in order for us to get better at editing and writing we must keep writing and editing and encouraging one another.

Assistive Technologies

   Even though I knew that there are those who cannot see or hear in everyday classrooms, I never really thought about what is needed to teach them simple subjects or how to even begin teaching them. I am very grateful for these videos because not only have they stated the issues that are present in today's classroom, from them not being able to participate in group projects to understanding the concept of numbers, but also what we are future teachers can use and do to help. With the Mountbatten video, they showcased a machine, think of it as an intelligent type writer, that creates each letter in braille as it is telling the student what they have typed. It addressed the issue that many blind students face in that they cannot write an essay, make list or notes in the classroom. If a teacher cannot read braille, then they do not know where the child stands academically. This remarkable technology will allow blind students to be more included into the class by being able to write essays and be a part of "peer group projects." The machine also translates the braille into written words on another computer screen so that the teacher can see their performance on paper and have proof of what they know and what they need to work on. While this machine helps for a child to spell and write for language, there is another in San Francisco that is hard at work with the most difficult subject for the blind: math.

    The in the video titled "Teaching Math to the Blind," University of San Francisco School of Bushiness and Professional Studies Professor Art Karshmer shows a new tablet and block system for teaching math. Basically, each small block, about the size of a quarter, has the number written visually and in braille on them with a bar-code under it and a tablet about the screen size of a large laptop. When the students want to place the number on the tablet, they scan the bar-code, which tells them aloud what number it is. When they place it on the tablet, not only will it state where it is but state the math problem they have created as well. Numerous times I have seen braille written on bathroom signs or a special section of the library full of braille books, but not once did I think about math having a form that students with visual impairments could utilize. I suppose, like so many, I assumed that the system of teaching was the same for a student be they blind or not. Professor Karshmer stated that math is two-dimensional and because this tablet physically shows them where the numbers need to be they begin to understand the subject and have a chance to go on to fields that need math, thus opening up knew doors for them. If I were to have a blind student in my class, I would like to use both of these great inventions but I would also like to use a more physical take on their learning as well. Bringing in items from nature, different shapes or even the plants and animals found in the books so that they can place what they have heard and read to a touch. I do not want them to be an outsider in my classroom and will do whatever it takes to show them the world around them and what lies beyond to give them the chance to chase their dreams no matter what. 

Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

   Wow. After watching the "Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts" video, what else is there to say? After hearing about Mrs. Davis' fight and victory to not only get her students thinking and working on their own, but that she connected a small, rural community to the rest of the world, I feel inspired. How many of us, if the only available job was in the rural part of the south, would have taught for one year and then left saying that you were not going to be able to teach about the world with books alone? Or worse, stayed, saying that we did not care? Mrs. Davis did neither of these, but instead used what her students already knew about technology as her base for both her work and theirs. First, she gathered all that they knew, twitter, blogs, phones, etc. and explored those further by showing them how they need to gather information, where that information should come from and why they needed to look on their own instead of asking her. She wanted them to be free thinkers who, when faced with a problem, would work to find a solution. If they could not find it, she wanted them to be able to present what they needed to know so that both Mrs. Davis and they could learn. She even stated that she did not know how to use the Terraform system when they started and that she learned along side the students; she also stated that she was amazed at what they could do in any a few days. How many times did your own teacher say that?

   But, Mrs. Davis did not stop at showing them all the different ways the internet could be used; she also showed that by connecting their work to the internet, they would become better writers and thinks. Just as we were shown in the first section of "Peer Editing," we all need the advice from all walks of life and more than our own eyes to spot both our accomplishments and mistakes. If I were to write an essay stating that energy efficient light bulbs were not worth their high price and that they should be thrown out, I would only get the "peer editing" version of corrections from a small sample of people when I turn it in and nothing more. If I were instead to blog my essay online, then the whole world would be able to see it and give comments that would help me. What if I did not realize that I was basing my essay on one brand of light bulbs, which were deemed inefficient for saving energy? What if I was given a link to were I could see how much energy the light bulbs in my own house used? When I think of Mrs. Davis, I am reminded of my eldest sister who is a teacher because while she may not have done what Mrs. Davis did, both of these women loved their students and worked hard to help better their future. Every day my sister would come home with new stories about the day, ideas for projects and more than one night I was helping her collect and cut out what they would need for the next day. If something happened to her students, she would find a way to help them. In retrospect, I realize now that they looked after her when she was pregnant as if she was either their mom or sister. These are the kind of teachers we need to be: ones that love their children and who do whatever it takes to help and care for them. 

Blog #2

Did You Know? 3.0 - A John Strange 2012 Version 
  After watching both the original and Professor Stranges' version of "Did You Know?" I became very frightful that the world I am in now will be radically different once I enter the academic community. We all remember watching cartoons where they showed a future of robots, lasers and seeing computers in every place on earth. But, how many times did we really sit down and wonder "could this really happen in my own life time?" We are now at the moment where what we thought was make-believe is becoming a normal part of everyday life. What makes it worse is that our children in the United States may not be ready for what is coming. Both films stated the same facts: the sheer amount of technology available is staggering and the ease that we can obtain and share information is so great that what we are learning now will outdated before we can even teach it to others, let alone graduate. There has been a constant flow of knowledge that man has tried to further with each new discovery, language and action that now we have reached the end of this river and stand before a mighty ocean that we may never fully understand. And, it is this unknown that frightens me the most because if I see it I think "what a great adventure" but when I see children at its shore I wonder "are they ready or will they drown?".
  The last question that Professor Strange presented at the end of his own version was "are you ready to be an educator?" and honestly I do not know if I am ready. At the beginning of this, I kept thinking "I know how I'll teach this subject," or "I can't wait to help plan the book fairs around what they are learning that month." My mind swirls with ideas like guest speakers, small group projects, and science fair projects, but having been introduced to these videos, I just do not know if I am ready. It is one thing to be in charge of taking care of your niece or nephew, a friend's child or helping out at a day care, but to be in charge of teaching about thirty children for one-hundred-eighty days and be expected to get them ready for the next grade, for life in general, is terrifying. Today, I will be expected to learn and relearn material that will, before my students can even have the chance to use it, become obsolete and replaced with another system I am to learn and teach again and again and again. Thanks to that video, I wonder if I am even qualified to teach a single child. Part of me envies the teachers of two-hundred, one-hundred or even fifty years ago because what they taught did change over time but the changes were very small. But, I have hope because the children that they taught in the past have grown up to bring about these magnificent changes and advancements. I realize the job ahead of me is big, but I am always ready for a new challenge. And, I am not ashamed to say that I am looking forward to learning and teaching myself new information to keep myself current so I can help my students forge a path through this abundance of information at their fingertips. 

Mr. Winkle Wakes by Mathew Needleman
  Mr. Winkle is like a modern-day version of the popular Rip Van Winkle. Instead of waking up to find all that he had known to be changed after the American Revolution, he awakes in our own time and wanders around to see its mysteries. First, he visits an office and is perplexed by the "strange sounds" that fill its rooms, the boxes that give you paper with images on them and screens that allow one to talk to another person on the other side of the world. Feeling confused and unwell by this on-slot of changes, he sought a hospital but soon became frightened by what he saw: men and women being kept alive by machines that breath for them and lasers being used in operations in ways that he never thought possible. Realizing that this place would not make him better, he wandered off again until he came across a children's school and went inside to see how much it too had changed. Hour after hour, he watched as a teacher stood in front of the room and lectured to the students who would then write notes, just as he did in school when he was their age; he did see a computer in the room but it was covered in dust and no one used it. Upon leaving, he stated that "it was comforting to know that even after one-hundred years that some things still remain the same." Here, the outside world never entered the classrooms and Mr. Winkle liked it. The video is very true and, when you think about the "Did You Know?" video, its very sad to think that in the span of one-hundred years every piece of life has changed except for the education system.
  I remember on my first day of college, after I had just been giving a laptop from my parents, having my first professor say that "all forms of technology were banned from his classroom." He said that education was different from technology and that in order for us to learn we did not need its "help" to distract us. For lack of better words, I thought that he was nuts. How can we, meaning both the professor and the students, be surrounded by technology everyday and then be told to cast them aside when it comes to education? From apps on where the local bus stations are to verbal translations so we can understand others of another language to cars built to protect both us and the environment, we have made technology a part of our lives. To continue to try to sever this connection is ludicrous. Instead of teachers and professors spending their time trying to separate 21st-century knowledge from 19th-century teaching systems, we need to use it to explain the world on a different scale or, just as in the reading assignment, we will lose our students and they will choose to not learn. While thinking about what to write, I kept asking myself what made me want to read, write and learn as a child, which followed me to adolescence and right away I knew the answer: it was because a teacher used what I liked to explain what we were learning and showed me that there was more outside my own world to discover. That is the type of teacher we need to be and the only way is to accept what was is not working any more and try to use what the students like - be it movies, games, books and even other subjects to show them the beauty of learning if we are to prepare them for the future. 

Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
  Sir Ken Robinson is right on all parts -  the main goal of education when we were children was to get us ready for jobs in the real world and any things of free thought, be it music, dancing or singing, are seen as useless. We were told not to worry or put much effort into them since we would not have a future in such fields and that we needed to pick a more practical means to earn a living. I once had a friend named Jacob who was the best artist in the school, but in four short years he went from a bright artist in middle school to a common, everyday student in high school who worried more about grades and less about his passion. Using Ken Robinson's words, he was "educated out of creativity" and I believe that the world is worse because of it. The longer I was in school, the more and more I saw this happening just as Ken Robinson said: children were taught math and reading first, humanities second and the rest, meaning art, music, dance and drama, was pushed to the side. But I did my best to hold on to my love for the arts and, just like the young girl who told that the reason she won't sit still was that she was a dancer, I had others who told me to use what I loved in all that I did or it would not have meaning for me. But the best advice was from my mom and sisters, who everyday told me that even if others don't agree with the results I was to always do my best. 
 The best example I can share of this happened when I changed my major to Criminal Justice. Our first paper was to explain the concepts and theories of any part of the first chapter and I chose people who became vigilantes to either protect others or seek vengeance on their enemies. Most would have chosen a famous court case with lots of media attention or a book they had to read in high school and still had notes on them but I used comic books and videos games instead. I said that sometimes vigilantes were the "good guys" who could help others that the police could not get it, like Batman or Superman, and that while yes some take to such extremes that they are viewed as a villain, like the Red Mask, that we need them. They, like Assassins Creed, were needed to help clean up what the justice system could not stop on their own and to destroy them was to destroy the last hope some have for the world. When it came time for the papers to be returned, the professor stated that while many papers were very good  there was one, she did not say their name, that was the most unique in their examples and what they thought on the subject had heart. I began to be sick thinking that mine was none of the ones she talked about until I got my paper and saw her note that stated she loved how I used all types of example to back up my views, that none of them were from the same genre and that I did a very good job. Ken Robinson was right when he said that "if you're not prepare to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original." That day, I began my journey to somewhere that I would be happy with what I did and where I would use those same words of encouragement to show that we learn more from our mistakes than the world's victories. 

Pinterest: Using Available Resources
  Since the beginning of Pintrest, my sisters, aunts, cousins and my own mom have been a part of it and have used its pages to plan weddings, baby showers, share recipes and even help with ideas for their classrooms. Until we were told to truly investigate it and all that it has to offer, I never really thought that Pintrest had a place in the classroom. How could a place were my mom looks for dinner ideas and my sisters find ways to decorate their baby's room help with education? Now I know how wrong I was and that long after I have left this school I will be using this site to help my students. Of The 20 Best Pinterest Boards About Education Technology, I found four that I would use the most, not only for the ways that they use technology in their own classrooms, but how they present it to future teachers as well. The first is Patricia Brown. Her main focus is not only how to use the IPad in the classroom and its benefits with her own students, but videos of what she has done with her IPad and her top apps to use. My favorite was the animation app where she made a short video to teach about Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. The second is Debbie Fucoloro and her Pintrest page is perfect for beginning teachers who want to incorporate technology into the classroom. Here she gives tips on creating blogs, videos and how-to guides/guide lines for writing blogs and leaving comments which I have already begun to use.
  The third is Rachel Friedrich has the full collection of Bill Nye the Science Guy, Magic School Bus and Reading Rainbow to use in your classroom as well guides to using twitter, webcams and fun timers for the kids. My favorite was the rocket where its fuse grew shorter as time ran out until the clock reached 00:00:00, shot off into the sky and exploded with the words "You're Finished" shining on the screen as if it was a real firework. The fourth and final board I wish to use in my classroom is by Education World, mainly because he or she uses parts of the world that the kids like to show the science sides of it in a fun way. One link was about how Harry Potters' invisibility cloak now has become a reality with news of one very similar being tested. Also, researchers at Argonne National Laboratory have found a way to make water droplets to float in mid air. He even shows a download for the smart board called "music box" where dozens of colored dots dance around the screen and explained he or she uses it in the morning when the class is about to come so that they students rush quietly to the classroom and are quiet when it begins.