Here's to Trying

     Ok, so since they haven't put up the new episode of Grey's Anatomy online yet...I thought I'd write a quick post about the things I hope to try for this semester. I hope to try to keep this up even though my time in EDM has been spent. This semester I can only hope to keep up! With other education classes and just my regular classes, I can tell that I'm going to have to take these moments just to catch my breath.
     I start field experience next week, and I'm beyond excited. I'm looking forward to spending time at BC Rain High School, and hopefully UMS Wright. It's definitely going to be a HUGE difference from the time I spent in high school. I went to a majority white school with 76 other people in my graduating class. Can we say small town? Oh well, I welcome the change! It's going to be a lot of fun. I'm going to try to be more outgoing. I have a real problem with not being as outgoing as I should be when I meet new people. That is going to have to change! I'm going to try not to procrastinate (it won't happen, but hey it can go on the list for looks). Teachers' give us outlines of what we're going to do for a reason, I should problem pay more attention to that. Especially now that I'm thinking that I have 2 tests, and a paper due next week...
     So, here's to making more lists (and remembering where I put them), here's to talking to new people, and basically here's to trying. :)

 

In this picture I was definitely trying to do what some of the boys on our youth trip did...and a friend of mine's dad, that is hang up side down from a pull up bar. I failed...epically : )

"Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail." --Lamentations 3:22

Extremely Late! :)

So the fall semester has ended, but I felt bad that I never could get my self reflection video up. However, this picture sums up my video. I put it just in case any new EDM 310 students stumble across my blog. Good luck with the semester!!

Final Post...Self Reflection Video

I am very sad to say that Youtube will not let me upload my video, BUT I'm going to keep trying!

Final Project #16

For our final project, Josh King and I decided to create a resource website for teachers and aspiring teachers. We decided that there needed to be a one stop shop for teachers where they could access other teachers' blogs, kids' blogs, and other various things. We created a connect page (for teachers' blogs), a how to page (to give some advice about a few good tools for the classroom), a motivate page (takes you to Comments 4 Kids and encourages you to comment), and a page about things we dig.

Please, please, please come visit us at Teach Savvy!

Final Report on PLN

 My PLN is still a work in progress. But I think it's suppose to always be a work in progress. You should never stop expanding your cirlce of people you learn from. Twitter is a really great resource (now that I've figured it out) that I use to stay up to date on different teacher's blogs. I have found that it's a really cool way to keep in touch as well. I also am keeping up with several different blogs to keep me in touch. Two of my favorites are At the Teacher's Desk and Keeping Kids First. They are both informative and an encouragement! I love learning from people who have been there, done it, and seen it all. It's also fun to get ideas from them. I plan to keep on extending my PLN which is what I'm sort of doing with Project 16.

C4T Summary #4

     My Teacher number 4 was Ms. Kelly Hines. Ms. Hines has so many great posts, it was hard to choose 2 to comment on. We all had to comment on her post "A Commentary on Comic Books", a post about the new movie Waiting for Superman. The other posts I commented on were "The Sum of the Parts" and "Teaching Job Description". The first discussed how how she hated being disconnected from her circle of friends that she talks to often. She talked about how she kept up with them individually, but it wasn't the same as when they were all together. The ideas didn't flow as freely and such. This really made me think about how helpful a PLN really is. The second post was about the job description of a teacher. She talked about how so much more time and feeling is put in than just from the hours of 7:30-3:00. I really loved this post! I think she nailed exactly what it truly means to be a teacher. She mentioned how much it means to her kids just to go to their events like football games and such. She also talked about how much emotion you actually put into the job as well.

C4K Summary #8-11

     I got another batch of kids that were just as adorable as the last. They are all so great at blogging, it makes me a little jealous. There posts tend to be short, but they get there point across. They all do a fabulous job!

     The first student I commented on was Oscar. Oscar told us about how part of his class went to New Zealand, while the rest of his class was split up. He talked about how he did a poster project on his favorite car, a SSC Ultimate Aero made by Shelby Supercars.

     The second student I commented on was a fifth grader named Grace. Grace wrote a fantastic story called A Night at the Museum. Her story was written so well, I was very very impressed. She even used dialogue in her story.

     The last student I commented on was Conner. Conner is a sixth grader who talked about going camping. He was very excited about going and all the things he was going to get to do. He also mentioned his drawings for a movie he was making. I encouraged him to add his movie to his blog as well.

Project #15 Book Trailers

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green



Beauty by Susan Wilson



Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card



Ice Station by Matt Reilly

Blog Assignment 13

ALEX (Alabama Learning Exchange)
     I really liked ALEX (Alabama Learning Exchange)! I found it very useful. I appreciated the layout and how valuable the information was. It has courses of study, searches, web links, and other places to find resources for teachers. This program seems to be very beneficial.
     To test out this website I clicked on the Courses of Study link. Then I clicked on the English/language arts link. From there it prompted me to choose a grade, and I chose the 11th grade since my major is Secondary Education English/language arts. It took me straight to the curriculum for 11th graders. I thought that was so helpful because I didn't have to look in a million places. It was all laid out for me!

Final Project Summary Post

For our final project Josh and I are are talking about creating a resource website for all teachers to be able to access. We are looking at making it a place to access the videos that we have watched this semester as well as others. It will also pull up videos related to the ones that you are watching.

Blog Assignment 12

Blog Instructions: Go to these links and read the articles on school children becoming too dependent on computers and the other on handwriting becoming a lost art. Do you agree? Disagree? Write a short post explaining your answer.


http://www.newsgates.com/latest-gadgets-computers-school-children-are-becoming-far-too-dependent-on-computers/

http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/article/20101105/WDH100201/11050316/Is-handwriting-becoming-a-lost-art-Technology-replacing-some-long-held-skills


I agree with these articles. I understand that this class is all about the ways that we can improve our classrooms and our the way our students learn, however, I don't think we should lose everything we've done in the past.

1.) We lose spelling ability.
     While most people may find this a rather trivial thing to think about...it's a pet peeve of mine. I can't stand to see common words misspelled. When we are so used to using things such as Microsoft Word and phones that check our spelling for us, we lose the ability to spell on our own. One of my professors mentioned just the other day that our "shorthand" that we develop in texting, creeps into our work we turn in on tests. That's fine for our own notes, however it's not acceptable for work that is turned in.

2.) Taking notes proves to be helpful.
     When students take notes, they are more likely to remember what they've written. In fact, many teachers recommend that students re-copy their notes in order to study. In my opinion, this is a great study tool. It also keeps students paying attention in class when they are writing notes.

3.) Writing is a basic skill.
     What's one of the first things we learn in kindergarten? To write. What's the one thing a teacher will hound you on if it's awful? You're writing. I do believe writing is a lost art. Many people can't even form a proper sentence. We depend on programs to correct our errors, and we don't see the need to know how to write correctly. It's my belief that students will always need to know how to write. Always. There will always be essays to be written in class on tests. There will always be short answer questions on tests. We just need to give students a good background in writing. So many people don't even know how to create a properly addressed letter. It makes me sad to think that we're losing that quality in our society.

4.) Conversation is becoming a thing of the past.
     Computers take away our personal interaction. With emails, texting, and instant messaging, we don't have a need to see people and speak with them. I asked my kids in Sunday School the other day how they felt about this [we were talking about dating, but it's still relevant]. I asked them if they text to get to know someone or chat on Facebook. They said well yeah of course. Then I asked well what about when you meet them in person? Is it awkward? They agreed that it was. They didn't know what to say. We grow so complacent with just being able to think before we write, that it becomes truly weird when we see someone in person. People today have no conversation skills anymore. They don't know how to communicate anymore.

In conclusion, I think these articles made some good points. By no means am I saying technology is the devil, and something we shouldn't touch with a ten foot pole, I'm just saying that we shouldn't forget everything we once prized as a society.

Survey Results

I sent my questionnaire to the my fellow South Alabama Diamond Girls. I asked them the following questions

and these were the results I got. : )

Have you learned more about the game in the years that you've been a part of this organization? If so, what? Explain.

Yes. I've learned more about the entire program in general.Yes, it has helped me learn about the rules of the game more in depth.No.Yes I have learned that the spirit of the game not winning or losing is the most important part of baseball

What are applications you could list this organization on?
	resume 4 100% Master's Degree 1 25% other 3 75% People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

Do you think Diamond Girls will take more time out of your schedule this year than it has in the past?
	yes 0 0% no 1 25% maybe 3 75% People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

What have you enjoyed most during your time as a Diamond Girl?

traveling,relationships built

Meeting new people. 

supporting the jags and meeting new people

What would be some fun activities to reach out to the new girls joining us this year?

more traveling 

 retreat and big brother revealI 

don't know.maybe have more activites where all the girls attend

Do you believe we should be more involved more in the game? If so, how? Explain.

I think more girls should come to the games, even if they aren't working the games.

Somewhat. I believe that this year we have a great group of girls and it will be alot easier to get girls to come to games and get involved! 

We could be. Getting involved and interactig more with the fans.yes and no. we should be involved more in the crowd and the parts of the game like the mascot race and other fun things like that that happen during the game but as far as being involved in the actual game no

Do you believe, as a whole, we show enough school spirit?
	yes 2 50% no 2 50% People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

If you answered no to the above question, how can we change that?

We need to be involved in more projects

get involved in activities on campus and make known to people who we are

Is there anything on campus that you believe we should participate in that we don't or that we did last year and we should again this year (homecoming,etc.)?

homecoming was so much fun.homecoming

Homecoming, Intramurals

Homecoming, we should participate more in spirt week then we did last year and maybe pick a couple more activites around campus

Is there anything that you would change about this organization?

Not that I can think of.more involvement

Making it more well known to the campus and what we do and what we're all about.

I would like to see us more active in the community of the school and for diamond girls to have more standing around campus

Number of daily responses

Blog Assignment 11

Little Kids...Big Potential
     I was beyond impressed with these first graders. Not only were they cute, they could kick my butt with anything technology related! All the things they were learning were so cool. I think that this is wonderful for these kids. They mentioned how it was helping them with their writing as well. I think that aspect is very neat. I love that they are free to do centers online as well. They seem to love the time they get to spend blogging. These kids were just so awesome! I also loved that they worked in groups. This teaches them teamwork at a very young age. I also loved that they got to use their Nintendo DSs to learn.
      Ms. Cassidy has a lot of wonderful ideas when it comes to education.  I really likes that she introduces technology at such a young age. A lot of teachers would probably not see the use in letting kids that small work with technology. That's when they learn the best though. These students are developing skills that they will use for a long time. I also believe that the idea of blogging is cool for these young kids. They will be able to look back at their work years later. I would love to use blogging in my classroom. It's a neat idea for kids to keep up with their work, as well as what others are doing. It's a good way for them to develop their own PLN. I really enjoyed Ms. Cassidy's interview as well as her YouTube video.

C4K Summary #3-7

   
     All of my kids that I had for commenting 3-7 were so adorable! They all seemed like very smart, very creative children.
     The first child I commented on was Eleva. She is from Pt England. She loves Justin Beiber, which is what one of her posts was about. She gave a little background info about him and discussed his music. Several of her blogs were very good animations about volcanoes, which she and her group did a fabulous job on!
     The next student was Yvette. Yvette's posts were very interesting as well. She talked about why everyone should visit California. She elaborated on Disney Land and all of the other cool attractions California has to offer, such as the beaches.
     Student #5 was Sophie. Sophie was a super intelligent little girl. One post I commented on was about how to deal with anger. She seemed very wise for her age. She talked about how instead of getting angry when someone underestimates her, she just proves that person wrong.
     Student #6 was Taylor T. His post was about how much he loved the beach, and that it was his favorite place. I told him I agreed with him! It's one of my favorite places as well!
     Student #7 was Dakota W. His post was about his class's "O.R.E.O. Project". This project sounded really really fun! I loved that they had all kinds of challenges to do with the Oreos. It sounded like the kids had a blast! My only problem is that I would have eaten all the Oreos before the experiment! I found this project a really fun way for them to learn.

C4T Summary #3

     My first teacher for this post is Ms. Morgan Bayda. Ms. Bayda is a teacher in Saskatchewan. She has traveled around the world working with schools. You can truly tell she enjoys herself as a teacher. From her posts, anyone can see that she is very passionate about her job and for the people she works with! I enjoyed looking at her pictures and learning about her trips!
     The second teacher I was assigned was Mrs. Kelly Hines. Mrs. Hines is a fourth grade teacher in Washington, North Carolina. In one of the two posts I read, she talks about her PLN. It was very nice to hear from a teacher who truly benefits from connecting with other teachers. She talked about how their group they've formed (her and the teachers in her PLN), are better as a whole, than the sum of them together. I didn't get it at first either but she continued to explain. She had to be temporarily disconnected from her group, and while she still maintained contact with the members of her group, they weren't together. It was a good point. When they were all together and when we work with groups, we feed off of one another's ideas.
     The second post I read from her was "A Commentary on Comic Books". It was on the new documentary "Waiting for Superman". She talked about how while, education reform is great, it is not going to be accomplished by one person. Also that if we're waiting on Superman and depending on him, we're in a lot more trouble than we're in now. Superman only saved the day. He didn't clear up the problem, because Lex Luther just kept coming back. We need a permanent solution to education reform.
     Overall, I really enjoyed reading these teachers' posts! They were very different and both very interesting!

Intstructional Video

Additional Assignment #3

"Changing Paradigms"
      In my opinion, the most beneficial thing Sir Robinson brings up is the fact that we are trying to teach children how to make a place in the future economy 20 years from now, when we don't know what it will look like 2 weeks from now. We live in an ever-changing world. So yes we must adapt. I don't think it's as important to teach kids how to make their place, as it is to teach them to grow with the changing world. If we give them the tools to do something and let them find their own way, instead of  just giving one particular way for them to do something, they'd be much better off.
     I think that the College of Education does gives us the tools we need, not just one way. After all, this class is doing that. We're being taught many ways to do something and we're taught how these tools can be beneficial.
     I think the best thing we can do to put his words in to practice, is just not to get caught up in the "teaching" aspect. We should be more into the learning aspect. I also agree that the ADHD thing is an epidemic. I think it's an excuse in most cases, an excuse for kids' behavior. If we didn't "put them to sleep" as Sir Robinson puts it, they might surprise you with their creativity.
     In this kind of project, I think I would probably be a designer or an author. Maybe even a director or narrator. Art's not really my thing. My stick people always look pitiful and homely (yes stick people can look homely).

Blog Assignment 10

"An Open Letter to Educators"
     I think in a way, we've all felt cheated out of our education. Some classes are boring, some aren't. It's the ones that aren't that we tend to cling to. We just battle through the boring ones. It's tough but then again, that's life. Sometimes we'll be given projects, chores, assignments, or whatever the case may be, and we just have to toughen up and do it. That doesn't mean though that we can't take a stand on trying to liven things up. That's definitely what Dan Brown did, he livened things up a bit.
     I agree with most of what Dan had to say. I completely agree with the fact that our schooling is interfering with our learning. Most teachers no longer encourage creativity. Like he said they give us facts, we give them back, and most of the time, we forget said facts. It's all a repetitive cycle. The more interesting you make something, the more likely is that the fact will be remembered. I think creativity should be encouraged at all ages, whether a child is 3 or 16. Even we as adults need to be encourage to be creative sometimes.
     I liked Dan's video. I love his radical idea of just quitting school. I don't think I could ever do that, so more power to him. I hope all works out with him, but no matter how much we hate the system, we have to conform sometimes in order to get a good job. Like Dan says if don't conform to the changing world, we'll get left behind. So sometimes we have to do the things we don't want to, which may mean sitting in a boring class from time to time.

"Don't Let Them Take the Pencils Home"
      I really enjoyed this post! It was quite funny, and it definitely made a point. So many teachers, in my opinion, focus on tests. That may not have been the point of this, but it made me think. Standardized tests rub me the wrong way. Teachers will spend all year practicing for the graduation exams, the ACT, and other tests that make the school look good or bad. I can't stand that! In my opinion, we should focus less on getting them to pass a test, and more on what could help them pass the test. Let me explain. If we just teach kids and focus on a variety of things, they might retain something. When facts are shoved down their throats to pass one test, it doesn't accomplish anything. We get that "burp-back" education. That's not the kind of education I want my children to have.

"Two Questions That Can Change Your Life"
       I loved this video. Sometimes we don't think about the legacy that we're leaving behind. This video was a huge encouragement and it made me think more about my actions. We should all do something worthwhile, something for people to remember.
"She's learning today for one, to make a better tomorrow for many." --my sentence :)

SMARTboard Lesson...Rocks!!

My PLN

It took me a while to I guess figure out what my PLN really was. I like the idea of being able to connect with people all over the world and developing a PLN. Symbaloo is a really cool way of organizing everything I access. I love organization [even though sometimes I struggle with it]. This is a really great way to keep my focus straight. I also really like blogging. I guess I never really new how big the world of blogging was! I keep realizing that a lot of things I find on the internet are on people's blogs. A few weeks ago, I was looking for a birthday cake recipe and I found a wonderful blog on party ideas. I was so excited! I felt like I was actually using what I'd learned in this class for something that seemed so small. I also like the idea of twitter. I have yet to create an account because I am still a little hesitant to it. A friend in this class actually explained what you could use it for and how you could connect with other teachers. He made it sound very beneficial. Before, I just found the idea a little silly, but now I know it's just because I didn't understand it. I am gradually expanding my PLN and learning more about it.