C4T Post #3

For the past 2 weeks I have been assigned to Jennifer Brokofsky's blog. Her blog is called A Work in Progress.
Last week I commented on a post entitled Purposeful Practice. In this post, Jennifer discusses her children's sports practices and how often they are required to practice. Jennifer suggests that if children practiced school work as much as they did sports then they would not have as much difficulty in school. Also, she says that children should be encouraged, even when they make mistakes. She also says that there is no such thing as perfect practice and children need to understand that no one expects them to be perfect.
In my comment I said that I agree with her post. I also said that I feel it is very important to encourage children and make sure they understand that it is okay to make mistakes. I hope when I become a teacher I can motivate my students and encourage them to always do their best.

This week I commented on a blog post called The Mad Minute-A Tragic Tale of Defeat and Remorse. In this post, she tells the story of a young preparing to take a timed math quiz and feeling defeated in the end because she did not do well on the quiz. The girl asked the teacher why they have to take the timed assessment (called the Mad Minute) and the teacher responds by saying the Mad Minute makes the kids learn their math basics. When the young girl grows up, she becomes a teacher and has her students do the same Mad Minute exercise. She realizes that the Mad Minute is not a good idea because it leaves the students feeling defeated and frustrated. She goes on to say that teachers need to assess children, not just use one tool to evaluate them. She also says that teaching math (or any subject for that matter) is about developing student competence as well as confidence.
In my comment, I said that I had a similar timed assessment when I was younger and I was always the student who left feeling defeated. I said I also feel that teachers need to make sure their students leave the classroom every day feeling motivated and confident in their work.

C4K Summary #2

C4K #6- Last week I commented on Dylan's blog. Dylan is a fourth grade student. His post was very short because he was sick and stayed home from school. He made up a poem about how sick he was and how much he hated to be sick. In my comment, I told him that I hate being sick too. I also told him that his poem was very creative and I hope that he was feeling better.

C4K 7- This week I commented on Emma's post. Emma is a seventh grader from Canada. In her post, Emma lists "7 Random Facts" about herself. Among her facts are her favorite colors, her favorite animals, how many animals she has, and what she likes to do. Her favorite colors are blue, brown, turquoise, and aqua. Her favorite animals are panda bears, giraffes, and bunnies. She said that she has a ton of fish and she has 2 chickens and 2 bunnies. She also said she has 2 forests in her backyard and 1 forest in her front yard. She also said that she has a trampoline.
In my comment, I told Emma that I have a goldfish named Roger and I used to have a black and white rabbit named Oreo. I also told her that I love the colors turquoise and aqua too. I told her that I have a trampoline as well and I love to jump on it. I also told her that my dog even likes to jump on our trampoline. I asked her what kind of fish she has and told her to keep up the great work.

Project 14

Project 11

Blog Assignment #8

This is How We Dream, Parts 1&2:
In this video, Dr. Richard Miller gave an amazing presentation on how technology is being used and how it could be used in teaching. I was amazed while watching his presentation. So many fascinating things can be done with technology; the possibilities truly are endless. Technology opens so many doors for teachers and students alike.
In the video, Dr. Miller talks about eliminating paper and pens altogether and having the students complete everything on the computer. This has already happened in many college classes (such as this one), but it is not so common in elementary/middle/high schools. I believe the elimination of paper and pen is a good idea, but will have to be introduced slowly. I think I am prepared to write with multimedia. I also think that once children get used to writing this way, they will be able to do it with little problems.
This new way of writing and learning also changes a teacher's role in the classroom. The internet holds any information a student might need; teachers are no longer a source of information for students. A teacher's role should be teaching students what is good information and what is bad information. Although the internet has endless information, not all of it is reliable. Students should be able to differentiate between reliable and unreliable information. That is where teachers come in.
I really enjoyed Dr. Miller's presentation. It was fascinating to watch him quickly demonstrate numerous possibilities that technology allows. I look forward to continuing to learn about technology and to one day bring it to my classroom.

Carly's Post
Carly's idea was very creative. I think that she really embraced Dr. Miller's idea of writing with multimedia. I really like her youtube playlist idea. Her post is well-written and grabs the attention of the reader immediately. I agree that some people are visual learners and do not like to read as much as someone else might like to. By using videos, it will get the children interested in the stories and make them want to learn more about them. Like Carly said, videos are not the only thing out there, we could also use podcasts and blogs as tools to motivate the students.

EDM310 is Different
I really enjoyed watching EDM310 for Dummies. The video was funny and entertaining. I have to admit, I have felt like the girls in the beginning of the video. EDM310 is a very different class than what I am used to taking. However, I am proud to say that I have learned so much from EDM310. Before this class, I thought Twitter was just a site that self-absorbed celebrities used, but now I see that Twitter can actually be used for educational purposes. I think the video was a great idea. It was a creative way to show us that if we stay positive and use the resources that have been provided to us, we will not have as much difficulty in this class. I would like to create a funny and entertaining video as well.

Learn to Change, Change to Learn
Learn to Change, Change to Learn  showed experienced educators discussing how much education has changed. Whether we like to admit it, change in education is necessary. Children need to be taught more about technology and social media networks because that is all that is around them. If they are not taught how to use social media networks and technology at school, they will have to learn it elsewhere. Isn't the purpose of going to school to learn? Children should not have to learn elsewhere, technology and social media should be incorporated into school so they will be prepared for the "real world" when they complete school. One of the teachers on the video said that kids are getting a more stimulating experience outside of school than they are at school. This should not be the case, but unfortunately it is in so many circumstances. By bringing social media networks and other technology to school, children will learn so much more and have a stimulating experience inside of the classroom. When I become a teacher, I want my students to enjoy learning and I want to encourage them to be creative and have fun.

Scavenger Hunt
Using Discovery Education Web 20.11, we were assigned to do a scavenger hunt. Here is what I found:
1) We were asked to find the tool that was used to create Teaching in the 21st Century. The website I believe was used is called Prezi. Prezi can turn ordinary presentations into something that is more enjoyable to watch than just plain slides. The pricing that Prezi offers to teachers is free for a package called EDU enjoy or $59 a year for a package called EDU pro. The free package only offers 500MB worth of storage space, while the 59 dollar package offers 2 GB worth of storage. Also, the 59 dollar package offers Prezi desktop, which allows you to work on presentations without an internet connection. If a teacher wanted to use Prezi for several projects, I would highly recommend getting the 59 dollar package.

2) We were asked to find a video tool that we have never used. I have never used Gizmoz.com. The website looks very interesting. You can upload a photo of your face and create an online avatar with it. You can decide what kind of body and clothes your avatar has. It looks like a lot of fun to create and avatar.

3) We were to create a poll. I used Polleverywhere.com. Here is my poll:

Build television sms voting polls at Poll Everywhere

Project 12-Book Trailer

Project 9B