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.