Blog Post #10

John T. Spencer
This cartoon, created by John Spencer, is really about PCs and MACs. Of course, the old man has the PC and the younger man has the MAC. I know PC is cheaper computers which means they might have to be mixed more often. Is it really cheaper when you have to pay to get it fixed all the time? Is an extra couple hundred dollars worth getting a nicer computer? MACs are more expensive because they are a nicer and better computer. MACs have so many extra tools and things that can be used on them. APPLE is always improving all of their products and they will continue to add to what you can already do on a MAC, so they will only continue to get better. I own a PC and paid for it myself, so I know they are cheaper than other nicer computers. Thankfully I do not have a lot of problems with mine but I know it is more likely to have problem because it is not as nice of a quality as a MAC. Although MACs are more expensive, they are worth the extra money you spend on them. I wish I would have gotten a MAC instead of my PC but I will have a one eventually.

Why were your kids playing games?
In Mr. Spencer's blog, post a principal was against "playing games" in the classroom. After reading this conversation between Tom and the principal, I wanted to grab the principal by the shoulders, shake him and say, "Are you even aware of the words that are coming out of your mouth?” I am in shock by that conversation. Some people are just completely clueless to the many ways you can teach. There is not only one cookie-cutter way to learn. There are so many ways that we haven't even thought of yet. You can learn by "playing games"! It is absolutely ok to change it up from the normal paper and pencil learning.

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?
In this blog post by Scott McLeod, he shows the concerns of parent’s concern using computers. Although there are many things a computer can be used for, not all of the things a computer can be used for is bad. Computers can be used for all kinds of things. As parents and teachers we have to show children how to use this type of technology. Just because there is a chance that technology could be used for a wrong purpose does not mean we cut it out all together. We have to show children how to use technology and then have precautionary boundaries in place in case of wrong usage. We cannot allow ourselves to become so overly protective of our children that they just avoid technology all together. There is even more of a danger of children getting into worse things if we do not give them some sort of leave-way and trust. If we don’t give children a chance then we never give them a chance to prove us wrong.

Project #11 Green Screen Video

Project #14 Smartboard

Project # 12

Blog Post #9

Mr. McClung
In Mr. McClung's blog posts, I learned a lot. In this specific blog post he types a summary of what he has learned from his first year of teaching. He mentions communication as a main tool in teaching. Not just communication with students but also fellow teachers. Having good relationships with fellow teachers can be a big help to you in your teaching career. Teachers that have be teaching longer than you could give you advice on different matters or ideas you may not have thought of to help in your classroom. I have been reminded that I have flaws. I can never be a perfect teacher. It doesn't matter how much I plan or how long you teach on a certain subject. If I don't make it fun for the students then they will not get anything out of me standing in front of the class talking to them. Teaching is not about impressing the teachers next door or your boss but about creating a learning atmosphere for the students to show them that learning can be fun. Also, Mr. McClung made another good point. It is not always about talking at the students. Sometimes we have to sop talking and listen to our students. Kids just need someone to listen to them sometimes. We never know what is going on with a student outside of school. We have to take into consideration that they also need to be heard. There view and opinions are just as important as ours. I work at a daycare and my kids want to tell me everything. Once one kids starts telling me about something they did that weekend all the students start yelling, "Ms. Jennifer! Ms. Jennifer! Guess what I did this weekend!". Kids want to be heard and listened to. You can never ignore them because they will keep screaming at you and pulling your arm until you look them in the eye and pay attention to them. I have one kid that will grab your face and make you look at them while he is talking. As funny as it is, that is what kids need. They need your attention, approval, and love. If you ignore a child they are more likely to act out because of the lack of your attention. Either way they will get your attention, in a good way or bad.
In Mr. Mcclung's latest post,he informs us that after every year he tried to write about something he has learn from the ending school year. Although in years past he has had no trouble pin pointing what he has learned. This specific year he could not name something in particular that he had not already named in years past. Remember no matter how long you teach, you can never get in to a routine. When you do that things start to get boring and the students begin to get bored with it too. Always reflect back on how much thing have changed, for better or worse. Continue to grow and get better at what you do. Never get stagnant and happy where you are. Challenge yourself and don't be afraid to do anything new, for the student’s sake. Take risks , get out of the box, and have fun!

Blog Post #8

Richard Miller
In Richard Miller's videos, he talks about how incremental change. One example of this is, people are doing most of their work online and hardly ever go to libraries. Most work can be done on the computer instead of using pencil and paper. This is now accessible anywhere with any device, the information is endless. When you have the internet you create different videos or find videos and make the subject more interesting. The information on the internet changes all the time.
Educators can create material like these types of videos and share them to the world or use the videos and documents that we find in our classes. Information and materials should not be kept to ourselves but shared among others for their enlightenment and resources. As Richard Miller said in this video," This is a way to push ideas into our culture". I agree with Mr. Miller's statement. I believe that we can come up with our own ideas by watching and listening to other's ideas. As teachers we cannot be afraid to ask for help.
The generations we teach will be impacted. Do we want the next generation to impact for the good? If we can't do what needs to be done to prepare ourselves for the position we will have then we might want to step aside and let someone else more qualified to teach. As teachers we have to give our students ideas and inspiration so they can come up with their own ideas and dreams that is what teachers are there for. Teachers are not there just to put facts in kid’s head but to put ideas, dreams, values, and knowledge that can be used for their future.
I think I would be prepared to teacher my students with multimedia devices. I have grown up with a lot of these devices so I don't think it would be a problem for me. I think bring videos in to the classroom changes the atmosphere and the kids would love it. Although I have used Youtube many times, I have never thought of using it to save videos for my future classroom. Even if I didn't know much about multimedia I would have to learn how to use it because it is a huge part of society and teaching now. There are so many resources out there to use so why waste them. Then in the future I will have a wonderful idea and I can share it with the world.

Carly's Blog Post
I think's Carly's Post hits the nail on the head when it comes to Richard Miller's videos.She did a wonderful job of giving us an idea of finding and saving videos for future reference. As many times as I have watched videos on Youtube I have never thought about saving some for when I am teaching. She did a very good job picking out videos that could be very helpful.

EDM310 for Dummies and Student's Video
In the first video, they talked about procrastination. I have a huge problem with procrastinating and getting stuff done the day before it is due .I have been getting better. This video just shows that there are many excuses that we can make but eventually we all come to the same conclusion. Having a degree can not only help you get the job you want but it can help you get paid better too. The second video was a good video for beginners. This class is not extremely hard but it has a lot of work some weeks but if you don't procrastinate and get the work done on time then you don't have to worry. This class can be is vital for teaching in the future generations. We are being prepared without even knowing it. Even if we don't realize it now, later we will be grateful for this class.

Learn to Change, Change to Learn In this Learn to Change, Change to Learn video we are reminded that technology is a part of our normal life so why is it not part of our normal school life. I completely agree with this video. The students of today’s generations and everyone after them are use technology every day. It is a part of their lives and that will never change. As teachers, we are supposed to keep students engaged in what we do in the classroom. If we can't do that then we have no luck in keeping their attention. If we include technology in our classroom students we be more excited about learning because it is something they enjoy doing.

Scavenger Hunt
1.Wikispace
I have actually already created one for one of my other classes. You can decorate and put whatever information you want. You can work with a group to create a page or you can do it by yourself. It shows you who did what changes to the page. the members of the wiki can have a conversation to discuss the work on the wiki. You can share the page with friends.In the wiki a teacher could put any information ti the kids or parents need to know about homework,classwork, projects, or parent information. This could be a very useful site. There would ot reason for the paretns or children to not know what was going on in the class because everything would be in the wiki.
2.Comic Strip

3.Prezi
This is a powerpoint maker. It allows you to create the power point in any way you want. You can make a scene of whatever you like, then, put the slides all over the scene.

Project #8 Podcast

Blog Post #7

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

I absolutely loved this video it has so much valuable information in it. While I was watching this video I could not help but to take notes the whole time because some of the points Dr. Pausch made were very noteworthy. I personally learned a lot while watching. Randy Pausch is such a wonderful person to listen to. I would normally never say I enjoyed a lecture but ,in his case, I sincerely did. He brings so much knowledge and humor to every lecture he teaches. In this particular lecture he begins by telling about himself and his dreams growing up. It is nice to hear from someone that is so open while teaching. This allows you to really get to know the instructor.

"Brick walls are there to let us show our dedication. They are there to separate us from the people who don't want to achieve their dreams".

In his class, his students were put into groups to do a project. After the projects were turned in, he realized the students did a lot better than he had expected. Instead of telling the students exactly what he thought, he kept that to himself. Dr. Pausch told the students they could have done better. You may question why he did not encourage his students and tell them how well they did but he had greater intentions. In this situation he wanted to make his students do better than even he could imagine. If he would give these students a standard to reach he would have actually done them an injustice. That standard he had in his mind was blown out of the water. As a teacher you have to expect greatness out of your students. Encouraging students to do better and don't set a bar. If you set a standard students will only do what they have to do to get by and not do what they capable of. He taught his students to do their absolute best. As a teacher, we have to let the sky be the limit.

"When you are seeing yourself mess up and no one is bothering to tell you any more that is a bad place to be. Your critics are the ones telling you they still love you and care."

When you have a classroom of students, you have to critique them and their work. If a teacher does not critique a student "that means they have given up" on them. A teacher should never give up on his/her students. When we show them what they are doing wrong then that causes reflection, which is "a teacher's best gift". I completely agree with this quote. I know as a singer I live off correction and critique. If you do not correct your students you are doing them an injustice. Without critique and correction they can never grow and get better. The students may not like the critiquing at the moment but later they will be thankful for it and cherish it.

"When kids have fun that is what they will remember you for"

When I have my classroom of students I want to be remembered as the fun teacher. I believe when student are having fun they are learning the most. Having fun on a daily basis will be a goal in my classroom. Although I know I will come in contact with difficult students, I have to be patient because as Dr. Pausch says, "when you give people enough time and people will impress you". "Every person has a good side" and I will just have to give them long enough to see it or help bring it out. Students will have the chance to prove they can work in groups because it causes them to not just focus on themselves. I will refuse to allow arrogance, giving up, and complaining in my classroom because it only keeps students from reaching their full potential and is an excuse to not work harder. When my kids leave my room I want the other teachers to have a sigh of relief, just as Pausch describes companies wanting his before they even graduate.

Project #9

My PLN:
When I started reading about a PLN I was a little worried if I was prepared enough. I have never heard of a Personal Learning Network before. Then, as I watched the videos Dr. Strange gave us, I became more comfortable with this idea. I have begun the journey to create a PLN by using Symbaloo. As I continue to learn and grow I can continue to add to this collection in a more organized way. I began following several of the people suggested on Twitter. I have come to the realization that I have more connections then I realized. I am close with a lot of teachers. My mom teaches at the high school I graduated from. I go to church with several teachers. I work at a preschool and daycare, so I come into contact with teachers on a daily basis. I have connections everywhere, along with all the connections that are possible on the internet through Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Blogger and all the other resources that are out there. Although I already have some connections, I need to make sure I become connected with the best of the best. I have realized that we, as teachers, don't have to know every answer to every question but we need to have someone on our PLN that does have the answer. Although all of these connections are available, I have to make sure I take advantage of them. Creating a PLN in place now will help me when I need them later. Why wait?

C4K

C4K #1
February 16, 2013
Kayla is a Canadian student in Ms. Balestrin's second grade class in Southwestern Ontario.She wrote a short little post about her dog.
My comment to Kayla W:
I think that is a very pretty name for a dog. I have a dog named Molly. She likes to wake me up in the morning too. What color is your dog?

C4K #2
Febuary 20th
Arthur is a student in Mrs. Jenny's second grade class, room 6, in Pt. England School in Auckland, New Zealand. He described in a video a picture of a sunflower and the way it looked to him.
My Comment to Arthur:
I think you did a very good job describing the flower. I think it looks like the sun too.

C4K #3
Febuary 20th
My comment to the class blog:
Room 6, I am from EDM 310 at University of South Alabama in the United States. I hope you have a wonderful year of learning. I look forward to your posts.