Blog Post #15

PART #1

My Response in Blog Post #1

I can still remember my kindergarden classroom and  my teacher. She made everyone feel so loved and special. I remember her giving me hugs and how wonderful she smelled. She was always smiling and just a pleasant lady. She was well kept in appearance with beautiful black hair. I remember wanting to learn the alphabet, so she would be proud of me. She motivated me to want to learn. Her room was organized and I especially remember the letter family. She was  a perfect role model in my mind. I hope when I have the opportunity I can give back what she gave to me. She gave me a desire to learn in a pleasant enviornment, where I felt loved and cared about. This is how I want my students to feel. I want to create an environment where the students feel connected and have a desire to learn.

In my classroom, I would like to create a learning environment with lots of structure. I know from driving a school bus if you don't have order it is chaos. In order  to focus on learning, I think structure will be very important. If kids know what to do and what is expected, more time can be focused on learning. Keeping the room organized and giving the students jobs to help accomplish this will help.

Next, I would stress the importance of treating  each other with respect. When mutual respect is present in the classroom, students are will to be an active learner in the classroom. Gaining respect from the students can be a valuable tool to a teacher. If students respect a teacher they will bend over backwards to please the teacher. Without mutual respect, there is no real foundation for a student-teacher relationship or foundation for a good learning environment.

Another method of teaching I have experienced is group based learning. Last semester, I took a class and they used group participation. It really got everyone involved. The students worked together as a team and we learned more than any lecture. We weren't just sitting in a room for an hour writing every detail as fast as we could. The team had to come up with ideas and solutions, using all of our resources. It really made you dig for information. It motivated me to work harder, because I didn't want to let the team down. As a teacher, I would like to try some of these methods.

Response To Blog Post #1

Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration...this is how I want my classroom to be. After watching the many videos in EDM310, I realize students gain knowledge through collaboration. With the use of technology, they can communicate with students around the world. The traditional style of teachers is burp back education. The teacher gives the students the information they memorize it and take a test on the information. Students are not allowed to collaborate with other students, but just sit and listen. Some students can not learn like this. It is so much easier to learn by looking for the information yourself it helps a student retain the knowledge. 

Some things I woud do in my classroom woud be allow students to make wiki's, make blog posts,

use the internet, use the smart-board  make a social network with other schools. Students are going to need these tools to succeed in life. Taking a written test is not always a good evaluation of knowledge. As a teacher, I want my student to be creative and curious. Anyone can follow step by step instructions, but being creative is using your mind. EDM310 has inspired me to want to be the best teacher possible and to be creative in the ways I present material.  

PART #2

Project #13

This semester I learned to use some valuable tools. I was totally amazed at google docs and how you can communicate with others. This was useful working as a group with the Fantastic Four. We could upload documents for our team members and they could view them at their own convenience. Not only did we use google docs, we used email, texting, and our cell phones.

Project #16

Blog Post #14

Teacher Knows if You Have Done the E-Reading

Colleges are now experimenting with a system that tracks when students read their books and how long. The Professor can look and see who has read and when. Supposedly, it will help them determine who will fail and who will pass. This allows the professor to digitally track the students success. It allows them to intervene if the student is slacking behind.

It is really ridiculous these are college students. If they don't want to read and they fail...it's their time and money. This is not high school it is college. As a teacher, it would just be one more thing to do and why? How is this going to benefit the students. If they are not going to read it you can't force them. We have technology that is better than digital babysitters. Let them watch video clips or do something besides read a book and take notes.

I would be very upset to take a class that stalks me. I really don't see the benefit for the teacher or student. This is just a money racket for Pearson publishers. As a student, I would probably find away around the reading. I would open the book and do something else. It is ridiculous to think someone is watching my every move. If I want to succeed I will do what it takes, but if I don't want to a digital babysitter is not going to make me.

If I was to talk to the teacher of this class I would ask:

• If my grades are good what does it matter if I read or not?
• How does this benefit you to know how often I read?
• Why can't you give us something we want to do instead of something to force us to do.
• What are you going to do with all this data?
• Is it going to benefit anyone?

What do you as a student think of digital E-reading?

• Has this inspired you to read more?
• Does it make you frustrated to know your being watched?
• Has this made you actually read?
• Do you agree with this idea?
• What do you think would make you read?
• Would you take this class again?

My comments to leave for this post would be I don't agree. This is appalling to think we are going to force students to read. No one wants a personal babysitter. Why waste money on such a ridiculous thing. There are some students who never crack the book and pass the exam with flying colors. They might have prior knowledge of the subject so why force them to read something they could explain better than the book. Maybe, the teacher needs to teach and not use an electronic babysitter. 

Final Report on PLN

My personal learning network knowledge  has grown tremendously. I have opened so many new accounts that sometimes, I forget my password. Some of my favorites are google drive and twitter. I used google drive and made a presentation with another classmate. It was amazing, we could each prepare slides and watch each other make deletions and additions. Being able to collaborate online was awesome. Twitter was another useful tool in my experience in EDM310. I have made a lot of connections with teachers through twitter. These will be valuable tools in the education field.

C4T #4

World Shaker Putting Dings in the Universe

Comment #1

Michael teaches Ed Tech. In his blog, he discusses  professors who use digital books to track students. The books allow the professor to see how often students stay on each page, If they took notes, whether of not they highlighted and if they opened it at all. Michael doesn't agree with this idea. He believes this enables professors to stick to the old teaching style lecture-test-lecture. I agree with Michael. The easiest way for a teacher to teach is lecture-test-lecture. I have been in so many classes like that. It is miserable to sit through lecture after lecture. I don't think this is the answer to motivating students to read.

Comment #2

This week Michael posted the coolest idea. It is called video notes and you use it with youtube. While you are watching youtube, it puts another screen up next to it so you can take notes. I needed video notes this semester. I will definitely be using this next semester. 

C4K April

WEEK #1

Mrs. Geldes 2013 class

Taylor E wrote a blog about her home state Nebraska. She talked about the geography of Nebraska and tourist attractions. She mentioned they have chicken shows. I'm not sure what a chicken show is, so I asked her to let me know.

Hi Taylor, My name is Kim Templeton and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. Nebraska sounds amazing. I didn't know they had the largest forest in the USA. I live in Mobile, Alabama and there are a lot of pine trees here. I would love to come see the canyons in Nebraska. I've never heard of a chicken show. What is a chicken show? You are right Nebraska has some pretty cool attractions. I would love to see the Doorly zoo. In Alabama, there closest zoo is 3 hours away. One thing I love about Alabama is the weather. It is warm year around and there is no snow. College football is very popular in Alabama. Enjoyed reading about Nebraska. Keep up the good work.

WEEK #2

4KJ @ Leopld Primary School

Liv,
I enjoyed reading your blog about your Easter Holiday. You said in your post you went to Melbourne and stayed at RACV, what is RACV? I live in the United States in a city called Mobile, Alabama. I am a student at the University of South Alabma. It was beautiful Easter Day in Alabama. The temperature was 75 degrees and it was sunny. What is the weather like in Australia, in the land down under? I’m sure you have heard that song by Men at Work. Well…I have homework to do. Great blog, keep up the good work.

Project #15

Blog Post #13

Brian Crosby: Back to the Future

I found this video of Brian Crosby to be very inspirational. I was in tears by the end of the video. Mr. Crosby is a fourth grade teacher at Agnes Risley Elementary School. He teaches in a school with numerous low income students. He gave the students a questionare at the beginning of the year. He asked simple questions such as: What city do you live in?, What is your phone number?, What country do you live in?, etc. The majority of the students couldn't answer these simple questions. I was shocked that they couldn't answer these questions. Mr. Crosby is an awesome teacher. He wanted to find a way to connect these kids to the world around them and I'm pretty sure he did.

Mr. Crosby made sure all of these kids were involved. He made the classroom exciting, creative and fun with hands on projects and technology. I loved the balloon release and it created so many activities for these fourth graders. I had to keep tell myself, these are fourth graders collaborating, being creative, and most of all learning. They were able to communicate with kids around the world not read about it in a text book. I think what Mr. Crosby is doing is awesome and  I hope I can model my teaching after him.

At the end of the video, there was a student who was not able to attend class because she had leukemia.  He decided to include her in the class through skype. It was so heart touching to watch her attend class with students her age. This is teaching...in my eyes.

Paul Andersen: Blended Learning Cycle

Paul Andersen is a high school AP Biology teacher in Bozeman, MT. He teaches using what he calls the blended learning cycle which is classroom, online, and mobile. He uses the five "E's" to engage students to explore, to explain, to expand, and finally to evaluate. He has six parts to his learning cycle. He describes them with the acronym quivers. The acronym goes like this: QUestion, Investigate, Video, Elaboration, Review, and Summary quiz. I think he has some good ideas to get students motivated to learn. He uses the review time to individually speak to each student for one on one time. I think that is a great idea. Some day, I would like to try this. Mr. Anderson is always looking for new ideas to help students gain knowledge. It is a process that will never end, we must always be searching to help kids be engaged. 

Final Project Progress

For our progress report of our final project, the Fantastic Four have decided to do option B. We have agreed on a time to meet with outlines we have each created on topics we want to talk about for future students in EDM 310.

Blog Post #12

Social Media in Education - Teaching Digital Natives in 2011

Write a quality blog post summarizing the post and describing the type of teacher you would be if given the opportunity.

This video gives some shocking facts on education in America. In 2011, SAT test scores were down. Online learners were doing better than students in classrooms. I can agree with these facts. My kids took some classes through Abeka. It is a christian based education. My kids would watch videos that had been recorded from actual classrooms. It was interesting, but still not like being online.

The video refers to this generations as "natives" to technology. They have been surrounded with computers, cell phones, ipads, and etc. Twenty years ago, technology was all beginning to explode. Most people did not have a cell phone or a computer. The video says it is time to rethink teaching. What was common twenty years ago is not so today. Technology has brought some wonderful improvements to society. Who would have though we could communicate to people around the world. When I was in school, we had to use encyclopedias. The video said only 2 percent admit to using a book to write a report and 100 percent used wikepedia, when wikipedia is as accurate as the Britannica Enclylopedia.  I would have loved to had wikipedia or google. In college, we were not allowed to use wikipedia. Of course, wikipedia was the first place I looked and used it to find other sources.

As a teacher, I want to take advantage of what students use on a daily basis. Why make them suffer through an expensive text book that is never opened. I know if I assign an online assignment there is a greater chance they will look at it. Text books are overpriced and wasting precious tax payer money. Teachers who were not raised native to this technology world are not quite sure about what to do with it. I say take advantage of it. Confucious quoted, "Tell me I'll forget, Show me I'll remember, Involve me I will understand. Why not involve them in blogs, social boards, wikis, twitter etc. We need to think and teach different.

Blog Post #11

Mrs. Cassidy's First Grade Class-Little Kids...Big Potential

Mrs. Cassidy is an awesome teacher. She is incorporating the use of technology in her 1st grade classroom. Her students told why they liked to blog. They like for people to comment and brag on them. The teacher has explained to them how to use good etiquette while blogging. She is teaching them how to be safe on the internet. They know they can trust sites on the class web page.
The class page is used as a learning tool. This would be great for posting homework and things parents need to know. It would help parents become more connected with what is going on at school. Parents like to ask, "What did you do at school today?" That is a tough question to answer, but they could log on to the blog and show their parents. This would be good collaboration for the students and parents.
I think what Mrs. Cassidy is going to really help her students. They don't even realize they are learning such valuable tools. The students find it entertaining and isn't that how society is today. I know from sitting in lectures, it is boring. If is something of interest it makes it easier, but really collaboration is so much better. I've heard people say how could you teach a first grader to blog? Well, they have learned to sit in a chair and do worksheets. Anything would be better than sitting in a desk doing worksheets.

Kathy Cassidy's Skype with EDM310

Dr. Strange and Mrs. Cassidy had a 30 minute skype discussing technology. She began her journey exploring technology 10 years ago. Her classroom received 5 computers and she wanted to put them to good use. She decided to give it a try. She did most of the discovering on her own, but collaborated with technology department at the school. Not all the teachers are using technology, but she feels you are handicapping yourself and your students by not using technology. I agree with Mrs. Cassidy, I don't want to handicap my students. You can't even apply for a job anymore without the use of a computer.

She talked about students blogging and the benefits. One benefit is they have an audience. The whole world can see the blog and that is powerful. The children can look at the cluster map and see where the visitors are from. Now, that is even cool for an adult. In the process of blogging they are using valuable tools such as, writing, video, and audio.

Next, what is technically literate? That is a good question, because most people think they know, but they don't. Ten years ago, if you knew how to use a spreadsheet, microsoft office, or something like that you were technologically literate. Today, it is about online networking and collaborating with people around the world. She talked about twitter being a good network of people with like interests. Last week, I was working on a paper and wasn't understanding phonemics. I was on twitter and a teacher had posted a link. I clicked on the link and it was exactly what I needed. It was awesome and I began to see the benefits Dr. Strange was talking about.

C4K March

WEEK #1

Mrs. Goerned's 5th grade class 
Jackson is a fifth grader in Mrs. Goerend's class. He wrote a blog about the first amendment. He descried all the things that would be different. 

I agree with you Jackson, we should all have the same opportunities. I am glad it is different today. You made some good points about friends. Can you imagine excluding certain people from being your friends. That doesn’t even make sense. I’m thankful for the role models we have as well. 

Week #2

Harbor 7

Yes, I think he was successful when he made his wind turbines.  I think this because people came to his house to use electricity. Also he had water people could use too.  I think that William is very brave to try because his mom told him he could’t do it, really he could do it and I think that is amazing.

If I could improve one thing at my school it would be the mini buses.  I have to ride a mini bus and it is very annoying.  There are too many people for that one bus.  The way I would go about changing this problem is I would change the route or put more seats on the bus.  If I could change somthing about my house/home it would be how unorganized the refrigerator is. I would start fixing this problem by making dishes that stacked together easily and hopefuly that would help it become more organized.

Clara, 
Hi, My name is Kim Templeton. I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am taking EDM310 and was assigned to read your blog and leave a comment. The wind turbines are pretty cool. On a road trip to Chicago a couple of years ago, we passed by a wind turbine farm. It was really amazing. I like your idea to improve school buses. I am a school bus driver. If I could change something on a school bus it would be air conditioning. I have the same problem in my refrigerator. Let me know when you design your new dishes. I’ll be first in line to buy them. Keep up the good work! Your blog looks fantastic!

Week #3

Sesalina at PT England School
Sesalina wrote about the meaning of Easter. She wanted to know why we celebrate Easter. I told her I thought she did an excellent job tell the Easter story. 

Week #4

Mr Boylen’s class- Kelsi D.
Kelsi wrote about the benefits of blogging. She felt like students would gain valuable social skills if they blog. She said students must want to blog or it will not work.

My Response: Kelsie,
I agree blogging is a great way to socialize even if you are a troll who sits in your room. I think it is
amazing how we can talk to people around the world. We can experience their personal outlook on their
culture. You can’t get that from a school textbook. It just makes it so real and alive. I agree you only get
out what you put into blogging. If you don’t want to do something it usually shows. Don’t miss out on
blogging. This is a chance to be creative and learn. Great post!

Blog Post #10

Adventure in Pencil Interigation

The cartoon above was posted on Adventure in Pencil Interigation. After reading the cartoon, I had to google ticonderoga. I had never heard of ticonderoga, but it is the brand name of a more expensive pencil. On Teachers Blog Spot there was a post called,  Which Pencils are the Best Value. In her post she describes what she has found to be the better pencils. The Ticonderoga pencils sharpen better, write better, and erase better. Papermate pencils are equivalent except the eraser on papermate smears. The papermate pencils are cheaper than the ticonderoga pencils. In her opinion papermate pencils were the best value pencils. However the cartoon is not about pencils. It can be related to the education system. Some schools resists the use of technology, because it costs money. While other schools realize if you invest in something of good quality it will hold its value. I think technology is worth the investment, but it must be used effectively. 

Why Were Your Kids Playing Games ?

John Spencer posted on his blog page, Why Were Your Kids Playing Games ? He was called into the principals office to discuss what was going on in his classroom. The principal was not happy with the way Mr. Spencer was teaching his students and called it playing games. Mr. Spencer tried to point out to the principal he was teaching the students it wasn't simply a game. I think it was an awesome idea. This is such a creative way to inspire students, because any teacher can give them a worksheet. How creative is it to hand out worksheets. Totally amazing the principal was upset. From the very beginning of Mr. Spencers visit with the principal it was all about appearance. He asked Mr. Spencer to leave the door open because he had an open door policy. It was all about policy and procedure. We can't treat all students the same. They are not the same. Each student is different and learns differently. Mr. Spencer posted this video on his blog and I thought it was very interesting. It points out that technology won't fix education, but it is the artists that use them. Technology is only beneficial if it is put to good use. 

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff Please?

Scott McLeod, J.D., Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Kentucky. He is also the Founding Director of the Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE). This is the nations only academic center dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators. He has quite a background in leadership and technology skills. He made some good points in his blog. If teachers are only going to use computers in place of paper and pencils, What's the difference? People resist change, maybe it is the fear of being outsmarted by technology. I admit, it is sometimes easier to resort to the old way of doing things. I get frustrated when I can't figure it out. It is also embarrassing when a child can work technology better than an adult.  We have all heard we can't stop technology and it is true. The question is what are we going to do with technology? As a future educator, I want to learn all I can about technology. I want my students to excel and learn. I want to be creative and open to new ideas. I think Dr. McLeods students are going to excel far above the traditional methods of teaching. 

Project #11

Project #14

Project #12

Blog Post #9

Mr. McClung's World
What I Learned This Year Volume 4

Mr. McClung, a secondary teacher, decided to write a blog about each year of his teaching. He noticed the first year he had a lot to write. When he began to write for the following years, he noticed it was pretty much the same. He was relying on old lesson plans and not coming up with new ideas. He remembered his experiences in school and didn't want to be a boring teacher. He began to worry about what his peers thought about his teaching style. Then he realized, it's not important what they think. What is important are the students.
Mr. McClung was an awesome teacher. He mentioned worrying about what your peers think, I find myself doing the same in college. Letting what others think can change the way you think and do things. I don't want to be that type of teacher. I want to focus on the students. Our biggest critic should be the students and of course the principal. Mr. McClung's rule was, "Are the kids having fun?" This will be a difficult task to make sure the kids are enjoying class.

What I've Learned This Year (2009)

Mr. McClung's theme for his first year was stay positive. I can imagine the first year of teaching can be discouraging at times. He gave some good advice on how to stay positive. He suggests teachers read the crowd focus on the children. Don't worry about how your peers view you, but how are the students viewing what you are saying. Next, he reminds teachers to be flexible. Thing don't always go as planned and sometimes flop. I can imagine this happening to me, but I will try to work with it and not let it get me discouraged. Don't forget to communicate, it is the pathway to building good working relationships. That is an awesome reminder. Sometimes, we want to stay to ourselves. We don't want in the drama, but it is all par t of communicating. He reminds us to be reasonable. Students might not meet "our" expectations. These are children and their not perfect, but learning. Our job is to encourage them to try again. Mr. McClung is not afraid of technology. He reminds us technology is our friend. Don't be afraid to use technology. Lastly, he says never stop learning. I want to be open to new ideas and challenge myself to do more.

C4T #2 Post #1

Teachers Blog:

Royan Lee, editor of The Spicylearning Blog, is an intermediate literacy teacher in Ontario Canada.
He wrote a blog titled, What I Learned From the Dog Whisperer. His family was considering buying a puppy. They thought watching Dog Whisper would teach them how to train their new puppy. He related his experience like this, "Somehow the reality of becoming a dog whispering family felt a little like opening a can of Coke after a prankster has left it shaken for you."He compared his experience to the limitations of knowledge on its own. He pointed out focusing on the end results people seek for instant perfection. He reminds us not to jump on the bandwagon to every new Guru idea. 

My Comments:

My name is Kim Templeton and I am currently a student at the University of South Alabama taking EDM310. My assignment was to read your blog. Cesar Millan’s Dog Whisperer is one of my favorites as well. I have to agree it looks so easy, but what background knowledge does he have? I'm sure the average dog owner does not have the skills he has developed over years and years of experience. The key word is "experience." You can't just watch Dog Whisper and become an expert. I think this will be true as a teacher. It will take years of experience to develop skills to engage students. It is not something that magically happens on cue. Enjoyed your blog, sounds like your are an awesome teacher.
Kim Templeton

Blog Post #8

Richard Miller "This is How We Dream"

Richard Miller discusses in depth the changes that are taking place in the world of reading and writing. We now have the ability to communicate instantly, globally. 

Some incremental changes have happened, which have brought about these changes. In the past, we used pencils and papers and libraries, while now we are able to research globally and instantly without stepping foot in a library. In the past books would go out of print, while now the material placed on the web is available infinitely.

Dr. Miller’s observations mirror my observations. These changes are a welcomed change. The resources and availability are limitless as well as beneficial and educational.  I personally have gone from writing with pen and paper, and pounding the keys of a type writer after spending grueling hours in a library, to now, finding information in the privacy and comfort of my own home.

In the final video, Dr. Miller talks about a fundamental change that will not be as easily available. This material that is available with visual representation of information. This information is shared freely and should be shared freely.  While the visual information is a good way to educate others, it is not as easy to learn as the earlier methods of sharing and research. 

Learn To Change, Change To Learn

This video discusses schools today and the lack of technology being used in schools.  They quote some eye opening statistics, "The US Department of Commerce ranked fifty-five industry sectors by their level of IT intensiveness.  Education was ranked number 55, the lowest, below coal mining."  How do we expect students to excel in society when they don't have the tools they need?  One statement made in the video says, "We have a classroom system when we could have a community system."  That is so true.  We have banned these things "technology" from school.  Children live in a nearly now space. Students are not pressured and are able to reflect.  It's about better preparing students for life.

Carly Pugh: Blog Post #12

Wow! Carly's blog was very thought provoking. She had so many good ideas on how to inspire students. I like the idea to let kids think different. Let them inspire to be the next Steve Jobs or Einstein. Let them know they don't have to think big to be different. Her ideas of including technology and exploring different ideas went along with Dr. Millers ideas. 

The Chipper Series and EDM310 for Dummies

In the Chipper series, Chipper is like numerous students I've seen in my classes. They think they are the exception to the rules. No one has really held them accountable and they've always gotten by with little effort. Chipper always thought she could get by and thought she could out smart the system. Dr. Strange tried to tell her procrastination was not going to help her in life, but she insisted it didn't matter. She soon found out it was an important to be on time and dependable. Chipper need to learn how to be responsible for her actions. EDM310 for dummies shows students who are overwhelmed. I felt overwhelmed at first, but with time it made sense. Once I learned what was expected and how to find the information it became easier. I actually enjoy EDM310. It has given me a different view of how people learn. The traditional way of teaching, which is teacher centered, is beginning to change. The idea of student centered is slowly becoming the new norm. I can see how student centered teaching is better. Students actually are allowed to be creative. EDM310 has been a lot of work, but it has been worth it.

Scavenger Hunt WEB2.0

Prezi is a presentation tool. It gives you templates and a metaphor to go along with your presentation. It is similar to PowerPoint, but has more visual effects. You can actually import your PowerPoint into Prezi.

 Make Beliefs Comix

Wikispaces is a place where teachers and students can collaborate.Wikispaces allows you to  post student assignments, create project based learning,  create student online learning, students make  portfolios, and teachers fabricate curriculum planning. This would be very useful in the classroom. It would allow students to be more creative. 

Blog Post #7

Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Your Childhood Dreams

Randy Pausch was an inspiration to many. He told his life story and his childhood dreams. He told us that brick walls in our lifes are there for a reason to show us how bad we want something. This really hit home for me. I've wanted to go to college for twenty years and finally accomplishing that goal. I feel like I'm conquering my brick wall. If you want something bad enough, you will never give up. Amazing, what Randy Pausch has accomplished in his life. I would love to instill this mind set in my students someday. Just because you get side tracked along the way, don't give up. Never quit trying to achieve and always strive to do better. He told about a project he assigned his students and they all did so good he was amazed. He didn't know what to say and a mentor told him to tell the students to try harder. The mentor knew if he set a bar the students would stop when they had met the bar. I have found this to be true. If we know we have to achieve a certain level, when we meet the goal we stop. As a teacher, I would like to use this approach in the classroom.

His approach to make students think it is fun and they will never feel like they are working. He used a nontraditional teaching environment. His students didn't learn from textbooks, but from experiencing first hand. I would like to be able to teach like this to my students. I have found these methods to be a wonderful way to learn. Sitting in a desk and listening to a teacher lecture is not learning, but just memorizing and regurgitating. His classroom learned to work in groups. This is how the real world works. Collaboration is something all of us have to learn how to do. Teachers especially need to learn these skills.

Teaching students to be honest and willing to admit their mistakes. I think this is something very important to teach students. I agree with Dr. Pausch, this will bring them good karma. He has spent his time inspiring others and as an educator I hope I can do the same.

Project # 8

Project #9 PLN

Personal Learning Network

My personal learning network is growing faster and faster. It was a little overwhelming at first, because it was like a snowball effect and it just kept growing. I added Symbaloo, which was a lifesaver, because with all the different networks it was getting hard to keep them organized. Some of my favorite  networks have been reading teachers blogs. Collaborating with people all over the world, how awesome is that. Thinking about something, just send out a tweet. Looking for a how to video, check out youtube. Instantly you get answers. Looking forward to daily adding contacts and tools to my personal learning network.

C4K Summary for February

Week 1

Alyssa's Blog, Mrs. Balestrin's Bunch: Alyssa wrote a Valentine's Day poem. She loves to get cards and do fun things on this day. She is in second grade and lives in Canada. Her teachers name is Mrs. Balestrin.

My comments were: Alyssa, My name is Kim Templeton. I live in Mobile, Alabama. I see you live in Canada, that is a long way from where I live. Is it cold and snowy today? It is 68 degrees in Alabama today. I am going to college at the University of South Alabama to become a teacher. I enjoyed reading your Valentine’s Day poem. I think Valentine’s day is a fun day as well. I like giving cards, but I like getting cards too. Did you get to make a box to put all of your cards in? I used to decorate a shoe box to put all of my cards. What did you do with your cards? Well…hope you stay warm and Happy Valentines Day!


Week 2

Paul, a ninth grade student at Roibinson High School, was assigned to watch a PBS about WWI. He then had to make a google presentation on WWI. He did an awesome job. He made the war sound so realistic. He was very detailed in his writing, but yet brief in his summary.

My comments were: My name is Kim Templeton and I have been assigned to read your blog. I am currently a student at the University of South Alabama. You are an awesome writer. I like the way you made the history feel more realistic and not just a bunch of facts. The part about the trenches with lice and mud, yuck I hadn't thought about that. I think that was a very interesting fact that made it feel more realistic. Another thing I found interesting, was the German medic who sent pictures to Hitler to discourage him from torturing the Jews. Making a personal connection makes the war seem like more than a story from a book. Realizing these are real people who suffered and sacrificed their lives. Great job, I enjoyed reading your blog!


Week 3

Mrs. She's Class Room #6 my comments were: Enjoyed reading your blog. I live in the United States, which is 7,807 mile away from New Zealand. That is a long, long way away. I have never visited New Zeland, but I have seen pictures on the internet. I am a student in EDM310. My teacher is friends with your teacher. I see you have some ipads in your classroom. I hope you enjoy learning on your new ipads.

The first student was Abigail. She is five years old and made a video clip about the olympics. My comments were:I attend college in the United States. My teacher is friends with your teacher, Mrs. She. I enjoyed watching your video about the Olympics. Maybe, you will get to watch the Olympic games. What is your favorite Olympic game? Mine is figure skating.
Kim Templeton

The second student was Ana. My comments were:; color: black; text-align: justify;">My name is Kim Templeton. I go to college in the United States. My teacher is friends with your teacher, Mrs. She. Wow, your story was awesome. I love the words you picked to describe your scary pumpkin. He does have an amazing pumpkin head all thanks to you.

Week 4

Dnatia is a tenth grade english student in Mrs. Martins class at Baldwin County High School. On her blog she wrote a list of the top ten lies about high school.

My comments were: My name is Kim. I am taking EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. My assigment is to read your blog, leave a comment, and then post on my blog a summary of yours and my comments. I had to chuckle when I read your list of lies. I remember all those lies. I might have to disagree with the food. I loved the food at the high school, but I went to school in Ohio. So, what is the truth about high school? Is it a waste of time? No,  I think it is helping you learn valuable skills to survive in this crazy world. Enjoy it while it lasts. Take advantage of all of these opportunities, and yes I said oppurtunities. High school is what you make it...a drudge or a launching pad for your future. Your blog is looking good. Keep up the good work.

Project # 10

Finding the Right Tool

I plan on teaching elementary students. Hopefully, the upper level grades. I found this website: http://beyondpenguins.ehe.osu.edu/issue/polar-mammals/100-free-web-tools-for-elementary-teachers 100 Free Web Tools for Elementary Teachers. This site is broken down into different topics. The topics were Organization & Collaboration, Search Engines & Directory's, Google, Templates & Lesson Plans, Research & Reference, Games, Reading & Writing, Math & Science, Arts, History & Social Science, Online Libraries & Activities. I choose to elaborate on the activities topic.



Exporatorium Hands-On Activities has fun educational activities for your class. These are science based activities. You can browse by topic and type. There are activities and video you can watch. I think this would make Science more appealing to the students. Reading it from a book, sometimes is not very engaging. Watching a video or hands-on project can really get students thinking.  I clicked on an activity called Lightening in Your Mouth. For the activity, you had to chew a piece of wintergreen lifesaver looking in a mirror in the dark. The candy makes sparks. It gives an explanation which was, when you crunch on the candy, you are making light with with friction. Here is a link to the site: http://www.exploratorium.edu/explore/activities

Blog Post #6

Wendy Drexler: The Networked Student

The Networked Student is a video created by Wendy Drexler's high school students. In the video it shows how students can gain valuable knowledge through sources on the internet. Learning how to find these tools and use them is why they still need a teacher. I think students will always need a teacher. Kids need guidance and direction. Think about it like this, if you locked students in a room with books, paper, and pencils would they learn? No, they need direction and motivation. That is why we have teachers to inspire, guide, and motivate. 

Networked learning allows the student to take more control of their learning process. The teacher is needed to guide the student and show them how to build the network. With the help of the teacher, students learn how to find and organize the material. Students need  the help of a teacher for guidance in communicating with others on the internet and proper etiquette. 

Teachers must be familiar with technology to help students develop these valuable skills. Colleges spend a lot of time trying to educate teachers, but are they educated with technology? Teachers have valuable tools at their fingertips. If they don't know how to use them, then what good are they? Thanks to Dr. Strange, I am  now learning how to use some of these tools. 

A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment (or PLN)

This video was made by a 7th grade student who is learning about science using the web. The student commented on how she has freedom and choices she can make. This is really a neat way to allow kids to focus more on what they are interested in, but still stay focused on an objective. They are not forced to learn the exact same way at the exact same rate. Human nature even tells us this is not right. I am sure this 7th grade student did not learn how to use all that technology overnight. Her teacher would gradually introduce her to new resources with instructions on how to use them. This 7th grade student is not only learning science, but how to gain valuable knowledge on her own. I have created a personal learning network through EDM310. This network will allow me to connect with other teachers and collaborate and discover new ways to teach. 

Project #6 My Sentence Video

Blog Post #5

If You Built A School, writtnen by:Krissy Venosdale

Krissy Venosdale is a GiftedEd teacher (grades 3-6) She is eMINTS trained & EdD student~loves tech, photography, & learning. She teaches school at Hillsboro R-3 School District, Hillsboro, Missouri. The blog she posted on her dream school was a teachers dream come true. I could visualize the school in my mind and it was awesome. The cafeteria designed like a coffe shop, that would really change the feel of nasty school food. The atmosphere at Starbucks almost makes the coffee tastes better. The tree in the library would make me want to visit the library. She would use many non-traditional teaching strategies. The common core of the school would be character, helping others, and being your best. Technology would be a daily event, not a special event. This is without a doubt a dream. 

My dream school would be similar to Mrs. Venosdale's. Teachers and students would have roomful of technology.  Decor would change to look more like a science museum. Children would not be required to learn the same things, at the same time. Students would be allowed to learn and develop skills in their own time. Education wouldn't be based around standardized test. Students would have hands-on learning activities, like a science museum. Exhibits would be displayed along the halls. This too is a dream. 

>Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir - 'Lux Aurumque'

>Breathtaking, This was really amazing. Being able to connect all of these people and put together a choir. Technology is advancing faster and faster. Eric Whitacre's idea started with a young girl who sent him a video of herself singing one of his songs. He then posted in a blog asking for people to send in videos. These people had never met or practiced together. He later went on to produce a choir of over 2000 people from 78 countries. My mom, who is 70 years old was totally amazed. She still can't get over cell phones and being able to talk to someone from another country. She was really shocked when we did facetime. With technology like this, what will classrooms be 10 years from now. 

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Teaching in the 21st Century by Kevin Roberts (John Strange version)

Kevin Roberts give his idea of teaching in the 21st century. He doesn't think students need to be taught to use technology, but rather how to properly use it. The internet is a vast amount of information that is available to anyone. We can learn just about anything on the internet. There is so much information at our fingertips. Google is the answer to many questions, but it's knowing how to use the information. As teachers, we must teach students how to validate, synthesis, leverage, communicate, elaborate, and problem solve the information. No longer do we need to focus on facts and information, but skills on how to use the information. Students need to learn about piracy, plagiarism, posting, editing, uploading and etc.  Anyone can get on the internet, but we must be taught proper etiquette. The focus of teachers will not be how to stop technology, but how to use it to engage students. I think as an educator, it will require us to be creative and make use of technology.

Dr. Lodge McCammon Dr. Lodge McCammon's FIZZ - Flipping the Classroom

Dr. Lodge McCammon is a curriculum and contemporary media specialist from The Friday Institute for Educational Innovation in Raleigh, NC. He has created a program called Flipping the Classroom. The teacher creates videos for the students to watch at home. Then, the students come to class and partner with other students and discuss and elaborate on different concepts and ideas. I actually had a class like this at Sinclair Community College and I loved it. You could watch the video as many times as you wanted. In class, the teacher would give us worksheets to work on as a group. You could collaborate with other students, unlike a lecture. As a future educator, I will incorporate this into the classroom.