Sunday, May 6, 2012
Report on Collaboration of Project #13
My group for Project #13 collaborated by using Google Docs. We shared a Google Doc between all four of us. We posted websites that we could use in the lesson. We also used texts. We would text each other to set up times to meet, and to talk about what we wanted to do our lesson on. We also meet in person to decide what to do for our lesson.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Blog Post #13
In this blog I was suppose to not use technology for 24 hours. I really tried to do this, but I was unsuccessful. This was a really bad week, with finals coming up and final projects due it was just to hard to not use technology. Most of my classes are hybrid classes, which means that I have to use the internet. I use an e-reader for my classes, so I had to use technology throughout the whole week. So therefore, I decided that it was impossible for me to not use technology during the week; so I decided to try and do this assignment on the weekend.
When I tried to do this assignment this weekend, I hit a bump. I could not do it on Saturday, because I was filming mine and Kasey's final project for our EDM310 class. This changed my plan of not using technology. There is no way that I could have done it on Sunday, considering that this post is due at midnight. I tried multiple times to successfully fulfill this assignment, but there was no way that I could.
In doing this assignment, I found out that I use technology more then I thought. Technology has become so important in everyday life, that it is almost impossible (at least for me) to not use it. I believe that the students in my classroom will be constantly using technology. They will (for the most part) all have cell phones, computers, and now SMARTBoards are being used in the classroom; so there is no way to avoid using technology. Students, in my opinion, use technology just about every minute of every day. This assignment really opened my eyes to how important technology really is. No matter how hard you might try to avoid it, technology is everywhere.
When I tried to do this assignment this weekend, I hit a bump. I could not do it on Saturday, because I was filming mine and Kasey's final project for our EDM310 class. This changed my plan of not using technology. There is no way that I could have done it on Sunday, considering that this post is due at midnight. I tried multiple times to successfully fulfill this assignment, but there was no way that I could.
In doing this assignment, I found out that I use technology more then I thought. Technology has become so important in everyday life, that it is almost impossible (at least for me) to not use it. I believe that the students in my classroom will be constantly using technology. They will (for the most part) all have cell phones, computers, and now SMARTBoards are being used in the classroom; so there is no way to avoid using technology. Students, in my opinion, use technology just about every minute of every day. This assignment really opened my eyes to how important technology really is. No matter how hard you might try to avoid it, technology is everywhere.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Final Report on PLN
I had never heard of a PLN or PLE until this class, but I love it! I have added quite a few more tiles to my PLN since the first time we had to post about our PLN. I use Symbaloo for my PLN. I love this website! I have it set as my homepage and use it for all my classes! In my opinion this is one of my favorite tools that I learned about this year!
C4T #4
Jennifer Brokofsky
Purposeful Practice
This post is about practice in schools. Jennifer Brokofsky says that practice is not only used in sports or dancing, it is great in the classroom. She say that students should "practice" what they are learning, in order for them to learn it and remember it in the future. She also says to not expect your students to be "perfect". No one is "perfect", so do not give your students goals that they cannot obtain. She also says that practice is not a "one time thing", it should be done everyday. I commented telling her how much I agree with her post. I believe that practice is the best way to learn how to do anything. May it be in school, sports, or even dance.
The Mad Minute
The second post I commented on was "The Mad Minute". This post was about a math quiz that Jennifer Brokofsky, when she was in school, and her students were given a minute to answer all the math problems that they could. Jennifer Brokofsky talks about how some of her students were victorious and some students were defeated. She talks about how she incorporated this into her math class, and how she wishes she did not. The reason she wishes she would not have put this is in her class is because like herself, some of her students went home feeling defeated. She says that students do not learn when they know they will be defeated, so they do not even try. She explains how she is not going to using this method anymore, she is going to try other more fun ways to teach her students. I commented telling Jennifer Brokojsky how I really enjoyed reading her blog post. It gave my ideas of ways to teach students, and ways to not teach students. I thanked her for posting this, because this blog shows that teachers are not perfect. I really enjoyed reading that, because I am very nervous that I will mess up as a teacher. This showed me that all teachers make mistakes, and it shows that not all methods used in your first years of teaching will be the best way to teach in the future.
Purposeful Practice
This post is about practice in schools. Jennifer Brokofsky says that practice is not only used in sports or dancing, it is great in the classroom. She say that students should "practice" what they are learning, in order for them to learn it and remember it in the future. She also says to not expect your students to be "perfect". No one is "perfect", so do not give your students goals that they cannot obtain. She also says that practice is not a "one time thing", it should be done everyday. I commented telling her how much I agree with her post. I believe that practice is the best way to learn how to do anything. May it be in school, sports, or even dance.
The Mad Minute
The second post I commented on was "The Mad Minute". This post was about a math quiz that Jennifer Brokofsky, when she was in school, and her students were given a minute to answer all the math problems that they could. Jennifer Brokofsky talks about how some of her students were victorious and some students were defeated. She talks about how she incorporated this into her math class, and how she wishes she did not. The reason she wishes she would not have put this is in her class is because like herself, some of her students went home feeling defeated. She says that students do not learn when they know they will be defeated, so they do not even try. She explains how she is not going to using this method anymore, she is going to try other more fun ways to teach her students. I commented telling Jennifer Brokojsky how I really enjoyed reading her blog post. It gave my ideas of ways to teach students, and ways to not teach students. I thanked her for posting this, because this blog shows that teachers are not perfect. I really enjoyed reading that, because I am very nervous that I will mess up as a teacher. This showed me that all teachers make mistakes, and it shows that not all methods used in your first years of teaching will be the best way to teach in the future.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Final Project Update
Kasey and I will be filming our final project Saturday the 28th. We have been communicating in person and on the phone as to how we are going to do the final project.
Creativity and Curiosity: My Thoughts - Special Post #12A.
I believe that schools do destroy children's creativity. Money is a big reason why creativity is taken out of schools. Due to money issues, art classes and music classes are being taken out of the curriculum. This is how students express their creativity, but now they cannot do that. I believe that art classes and/or music classes are a wonderful way to bring creativity back into the curriculum. Students can express themselves creatively as well as learn new things. Teachers play a big part in creating curiosity for their students. At the end of every day, before the bell rings to be dismissed, the teacher could give the student's a question to research for homework. This way students have to look up the answer on "Google" it. This way they will learn more information then they already knew. I am the person that "Google's" everything. I believe a way to make more people curious is to give them a reason to be. An example would be to use words that is not often used. I know when I hear or read a word that I do not know I "Google" it.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Blog Post #12
1. Watch this video about a Special Education teacher at James Hubert Blake High School: A Day in the Life of a Special Education Teacher. Discuss this video and your reactions (Do you agree or dis-agree with her ways of teaching) in two paragraphs. Follow the requirements in Writing A Quality Blog.
2. Watch this video by Amy Vogelsang about Teaching Special Education. Discuss how you would incorporate/change your lesson plans around if you have a student with special needs in your class. Do you agree with her methods about technology? Explain for or against it. Follow the requirements in Writing A Quality Blog.
A Day in the Life of a Special Education Teacher
I loved this video! It shows a day in a Special Education class at James Hubert Blake High School. I want to be a Special Education teacher and watching this video makes me extremely excited about my choice! The teacher,Emily Luedtke, in this video was a first time teacher, which proves to me that I can be a great teacher even in my first year of teaching. In this video, you can really see that she loves her job and would not trade it for anything else. She arrives at 6:15 in the morning, and does not leave until around 5:00 or 5:30 at night. She coaches track, which proves that she wants to spend as much time with her students as possible.
I found it really interesting that Emily Luedtke took her students to the grocery store, because some teachers would not "waste" their time doing something like this. I feel that it is a wonderful way to get special needs students out of the class and learn something. Going to the grocery store they got to learn counting, communication skills, what things are, and colors. This is really something I would like to do with my students, if it is possible. I really like how she had everything that they were going to be doing that day on the board with the times. This way the students knows what to expect and what they will be doing and learning that day.
Teaching Special Education
This video is by Amy Vogelsang about Faith Vogelsang. In this video Faith Vogelsang talks about what its like being an elementary Special Education teacher. I liked the way she incorporated technology into her classroom, unlike in the previous video. She uses computers as a way to teach her students to read, write, and math skills. Faith Vogelsang also uses a SmartBoard to teach her students. I am a huge fan of technology and I will defiantly use it in my classes.
2. Watch this video by Amy Vogelsang about Teaching Special Education. Discuss how you would incorporate/change your lesson plans around if you have a student with special needs in your class. Do you agree with her methods about technology? Explain for or against it. Follow the requirements in Writing A Quality Blog.
A Day in the Life of a Special Education Teacher
I loved this video! It shows a day in a Special Education class at James Hubert Blake High School. I want to be a Special Education teacher and watching this video makes me extremely excited about my choice! The teacher,Emily Luedtke, in this video was a first time teacher, which proves to me that I can be a great teacher even in my first year of teaching. In this video, you can really see that she loves her job and would not trade it for anything else. She arrives at 6:15 in the morning, and does not leave until around 5:00 or 5:30 at night. She coaches track, which proves that she wants to spend as much time with her students as possible.
I found it really interesting that Emily Luedtke took her students to the grocery store, because some teachers would not "waste" their time doing something like this. I feel that it is a wonderful way to get special needs students out of the class and learn something. Going to the grocery store they got to learn counting, communication skills, what things are, and colors. This is really something I would like to do with my students, if it is possible. I really like how she had everything that they were going to be doing that day on the board with the times. This way the students knows what to expect and what they will be doing and learning that day.
Teaching Special Education
This video is by Amy Vogelsang about Faith Vogelsang. In this video Faith Vogelsang talks about what its like being an elementary Special Education teacher. I liked the way she incorporated technology into her classroom, unlike in the previous video. She uses computers as a way to teach her students to read, write, and math skills. Faith Vogelsang also uses a SmartBoard to teach her students. I am a huge fan of technology and I will defiantly use it in my classes.
C4K April
This month I commented on Dylan's and Austin's blog, because they were participating in a world-wide blogging contest. I think that this is a great way to get students to start to write and to enjoy writing. I love this idea and I will try and incorporate this into my classroom. The last student I commented on was Serenity's video blog. I commented on two of Dylan's posts. The first post of his that I commented on was about his favorite things to do (My Cool Favourite Things I do). He loves baseball and enjoys being outdoors. The second blog I comment on of Dylan's was about himself (About Dylan K.). In this blog he talks about what he likes to do and about going fishing/camping with his grandfather. The third blog I commented on, for the world-wide blogging contest, was on Austin's. This blog was about nuclear bombs (Nuclear Bombs). I found this blog really interesting, because I learned some interesting facts about nuclear bombs. One interesting fact that I learned from Austin is, "Another affect that nuclear bombs have is that it can wipe out as far as three kilometers." This fact about nuclear bombs is something that I did not know, and I find it fascinating!
The last blog I commented on was a video blog by Serenity (Serenity's Tennis Ball Story). This is a video of Serenity explaining what she does with a tennis ball. I really enjoyed watching this video, because it was really interesting watching her learning to read. I commented on all of these blogs telling them how much I loved reading/watching their blogs. I was really impressed with all of these blogs, and would highly recommend reading/watching these blogs!
The last blog I commented on was a video blog by Serenity (Serenity's Tennis Ball Story). This is a video of Serenity explaining what she does with a tennis ball. I really enjoyed watching this video, because it was really interesting watching her learning to read. I commented on all of these blogs telling them how much I loved reading/watching their blogs. I was really impressed with all of these blogs, and would highly recommend reading/watching these blogs!
Monday, April 9, 2012
Blog Post #11
Little Kids.. Big Potential
This video was really cute! I enjoyed watching this and seeing how students use technology in the classroom. The students seem to love being able to use technology in the classroom. I want to use technology in my classroom. I thought that it was really cool how they talked about EDM310 students in their video. This shows how important it is to comment on our C4Ks every week.
Ms. Cassidy Skype Video
Ms. Cassidy is a first grade teacher from Canada, who uses technology in her classroom. I completely agree with Ms. Cassidy in that students learn better with technology, then they do with a teacher just teaching them something. I think that having the students blog is a great way for them to learn to write properly. Blogging is a great way for them to connect with other students or teachers all over the world. I believe that students learn better when they do things themselves, opposed to the teacher just telling them what and how to do it. This is also a great way for the parents to see what their child is doing in school. The parent can just get on the internet look at the class blog and read what their child has written, or watch a video that their child has done. I love this idea, because the parent does not have to go to the school to see exactly what their child has learned or is learning in class.
I feel that there will be many benefits of using technology in the classroom. The first benefit is that the students are learning. Blogging or, Skyping with a professional, is a fun way for the students to learn. Even though they think they are just having fun, in reality they are learning. Another benefit is that they are networking. Networking is a great way to meet people from all over the world. This benefits the student by allowing them to see what someone is doing, or how they write, from all over the world. The last benefit I believe is that the parents can see what their child is doing in the classroom. The parent can look at their child's blog and see what they are doing and how they have improved throughout the year. This is a great way for the parent to get involved in their child's studies, without them having to go to the school.
This video was really cute! I enjoyed watching this and seeing how students use technology in the classroom. The students seem to love being able to use technology in the classroom. I want to use technology in my classroom. I thought that it was really cool how they talked about EDM310 students in their video. This shows how important it is to comment on our C4Ks every week.
Ms. Cassidy Skype Video
Ms. Cassidy is a first grade teacher from Canada, who uses technology in her classroom. I completely agree with Ms. Cassidy in that students learn better with technology, then they do with a teacher just teaching them something. I think that having the students blog is a great way for them to learn to write properly. Blogging is a great way for them to connect with other students or teachers all over the world. I believe that students learn better when they do things themselves, opposed to the teacher just telling them what and how to do it. This is also a great way for the parents to see what their child is doing in school. The parent can just get on the internet look at the class blog and read what their child has written, or watch a video that their child has done. I love this idea, because the parent does not have to go to the school to see exactly what their child has learned or is learning in class.
I feel that there will be many benefits of using technology in the classroom. The first benefit is that the students are learning. Blogging or, Skyping with a professional, is a fun way for the students to learn. Even though they think they are just having fun, in reality they are learning. Another benefit is that they are networking. Networking is a great way to meet people from all over the world. This benefits the student by allowing them to see what someone is doing, or how they write, from all over the world. The last benefit I believe is that the parents can see what their child is doing in the classroom. The parent can look at their child's blog and see what they are doing and how they have improved throughout the year. This is a great way for the parent to get involved in their child's studies, without them having to go to the school.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Blog Post #10
Do you Teach or Do you Educate
This video really made me think. So many times teachers just teach their students how to do something, but do not educate their students as to why to do it this way. As a teacher I want to educate my students on more things then just what is in their textbooks. Students look up to their teachers as role models, and as teachers we should not just be showing students how to behave and to conduct their selves in society. I have had a couple of teachers growing up that just got in front of the class and just talked about the textbook; never taking the time to get to know their students. I do not want to be this kind of teacher. I want my students to see me as a role model and to want to do the things I do.
When I start teaching, I am going to teach and educate. I do not think that teaching is a bad thing, because the students have to learn from their textbooks. I do think that as a teacher, we should further that textbook learning and educate our students on how to use these tools in the future. The skills students are learning in school, should be used when they get in college or get a job. I feel that if a student can use the skills properly in college or a work place, then they were properly educated.
Don't Let Them Take Pencils Home
This blog was written by Mr. Johnson. This blog was very interesting to read. I love how he stuck up for his way of teaching and for his students. Every teacher has a different method of teaching, and this is a good thing. If every teacher taught the same way, then learning would become extremely boring. I myself like technology, but I do agree with Mr. Johnson that students should still know that they can use paper and pencil to write a paper or do homework. Mr. Johnson is expecting his student to do their homework at home, and he is also expecting that the parents will make sure that their children do their work. I think this could possibly be a good idea, but I am not so sure about the way he is doing it. He states, "I don't hold them accountable. I try and find projects that keep them interested. But if they choose to play Hang Man or go on the pen pal networks, I'm okay with it. There's probably some learning that's taking place that we don't realize." I am not really sure how you will grade your students this way? If there is no grade for the students project, then why would the student do the project?
I like how Mr. Johnson expects his students to think! I know some of my teachers gave me the questions and the answers to my test and I had no reason to study or even think. I do not want to do this when I become a teacher, I want my students to learn on their own. Learning can be fun and interesting! Mr. Johnson wants his students to experience how fun learning can be. Mr. Johnson did really well presented his argument. I feel that his argument is that students can learn own their own, they do not have to be told how to do everything. Students do not have to have technology to do their work, they can use a pencil and paper. Mr. Johnson is not worried about his students getting a lower grade on their test scores, just because they do their projects at home or own their own. I like this because it shows that he believes in his students. I feel that he did extremely well arguing his point.
This video really made me think. So many times teachers just teach their students how to do something, but do not educate their students as to why to do it this way. As a teacher I want to educate my students on more things then just what is in their textbooks. Students look up to their teachers as role models, and as teachers we should not just be showing students how to behave and to conduct their selves in society. I have had a couple of teachers growing up that just got in front of the class and just talked about the textbook; never taking the time to get to know their students. I do not want to be this kind of teacher. I want my students to see me as a role model and to want to do the things I do.
When I start teaching, I am going to teach and educate. I do not think that teaching is a bad thing, because the students have to learn from their textbooks. I do think that as a teacher, we should further that textbook learning and educate our students on how to use these tools in the future. The skills students are learning in school, should be used when they get in college or get a job. I feel that if a student can use the skills properly in college or a work place, then they were properly educated.
Don't Let Them Take Pencils Home
This blog was written by Mr. Johnson. This blog was very interesting to read. I love how he stuck up for his way of teaching and for his students. Every teacher has a different method of teaching, and this is a good thing. If every teacher taught the same way, then learning would become extremely boring. I myself like technology, but I do agree with Mr. Johnson that students should still know that they can use paper and pencil to write a paper or do homework. Mr. Johnson is expecting his student to do their homework at home, and he is also expecting that the parents will make sure that their children do their work. I think this could possibly be a good idea, but I am not so sure about the way he is doing it. He states, "I don't hold them accountable. I try and find projects that keep them interested. But if they choose to play Hang Man or go on the pen pal networks, I'm okay with it. There's probably some learning that's taking place that we don't realize." I am not really sure how you will grade your students this way? If there is no grade for the students project, then why would the student do the project?
I like how Mr. Johnson expects his students to think! I know some of my teachers gave me the questions and the answers to my test and I had no reason to study or even think. I do not want to do this when I become a teacher, I want my students to learn on their own. Learning can be fun and interesting! Mr. Johnson wants his students to experience how fun learning can be. Mr. Johnson did really well presented his argument. I feel that his argument is that students can learn own their own, they do not have to be told how to do everything. Students do not have to have technology to do their work, they can use a pencil and paper. Mr. Johnson is not worried about his students getting a lower grade on their test scores, just because they do their projects at home or own their own. I like this because it shows that he believes in his students. I feel that he did extremely well arguing his point.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
C4K #3
A story by story cube by anna
This blog was written by Anna. Anna wrote a short story about a boy named Plop. Plop went to see his ill grandmother one day, but before he got to his grandmother's house he was abducted by aliens. I thought this story was cute and really exciting! I love reading kids stories. I commented tell Anna what an amazing job she did on her short story and I encouraged her to continue writing.
Once there was a boy called Plop.Plop was 11 year old,his father dead and his grandma was ill because his father dead.So Plop’s mom told him to give some food to is grandma,and he did.
At first,Plop didn’t know the door wasn’t locked,and he’s knocking the door,but his grandma was too ill to stand up,and she said.”Oh!Plop dear,I can’t stand up,just open the door,I didn’t lock it.”
Plop try to open it but just befor he going in,an UFO fell off from the sky and fall front of Plop and blast him away.
When he felling,he grab on a tree and …fell down from the tree.The good thing is he’s not dead but he’s crying because he break his finger on a branch and he go home with his mom.
Hi Anna,
My name is Candace Buzbee and I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I loved your story! I did not expect the UFO to show up, it was a wonderful way to keep the reader on the edge of their seat! You should definitely keep up the amazing writing!
Keep up the amazing work,
Candace
Iorn
The next blog I commented on was Iorn's. Iorn is a fifth grade student from Iowa. The blog I chose to comment on was this blog about the book "Ranger's Apprentice." Iorn explains the book in this blog. I loved how he ended his blog by saying, " He is curious about his past and wants to follow his fathers footsteps. But, when he’s not chosen for Battle School he’s doomed to be a farmer when . . . . Read the book to find out what happens next." I told Iorn that I thought this was an awesome way to end his blog, because it will make the reader interested in what happens next. I really enjoyed reading Iorn's blog, and I told him what an amazing job he is doing.
RANGER’S APPRENTICE (RA)
Filed under: Uncategorized —— hospers5tg8 @ 7:25 pm
Do you know a lot about RANGER’S APPRENTICE (RA) ? RA is AWESOME! The story is in the past. You should read it.It’s about this boy named Will his mother died giving birth and his father died a hero, and he lives with foster parents. He is curious about his past and wants to follow his fathers footsteps. But, when he’s not chosen for Battle School he’s doomed to be a farmer when . . . . Read the book to find out what happens next.
Dear Iorn,
Hi, my name is Candace Buzbee and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I have never read the book Ranger’s Apprentice (RA), but after reading your blog I want to! I love to read any type of book. I would have to say it is one of my favorite things to do, and by reading this I can tell that you also like to read! I thought the way you ended this blog by saying, “doomed to be a farmer… Read the book to find what happens next.”, was an awesome way to get people’s attention and get them interested in reading this book! I thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog and finding out more about you! Keep up the amazing work!
Sincerely,
Candace
This blog was written by Anna. Anna wrote a short story about a boy named Plop. Plop went to see his ill grandmother one day, but before he got to his grandmother's house he was abducted by aliens. I thought this story was cute and really exciting! I love reading kids stories. I commented tell Anna what an amazing job she did on her short story and I encouraged her to continue writing.
Once there was a boy called Plop.Plop was 11 year old,his father dead and his grandma was ill because his father dead.So Plop’s mom told him to give some food to is grandma,and he did.
At first,Plop didn’t know the door wasn’t locked,and he’s knocking the door,but his grandma was too ill to stand up,and she said.”Oh!Plop dear,I can’t stand up,just open the door,I didn’t lock it.”
Plop try to open it but just befor he going in,an UFO fell off from the sky and fall front of Plop and blast him away.
When he felling,he grab on a tree and …fell down from the tree.The good thing is he’s not dead but he’s crying because he break his finger on a branch and he go home with his mom.
Hi Anna,
My name is Candace Buzbee and I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I loved your story! I did not expect the UFO to show up, it was a wonderful way to keep the reader on the edge of their seat! You should definitely keep up the amazing writing!
Keep up the amazing work,
Candace
Iorn
The next blog I commented on was Iorn's. Iorn is a fifth grade student from Iowa. The blog I chose to comment on was this blog about the book "Ranger's Apprentice." Iorn explains the book in this blog. I loved how he ended his blog by saying, " He is curious about his past and wants to follow his fathers footsteps. But, when he’s not chosen for Battle School he’s doomed to be a farmer when . . . . Read the book to find out what happens next." I told Iorn that I thought this was an awesome way to end his blog, because it will make the reader interested in what happens next. I really enjoyed reading Iorn's blog, and I told him what an amazing job he is doing.
RANGER’S APPRENTICE (RA)
Filed under: Uncategorized —— hospers5tg8 @ 7:25 pm
Do you know a lot about RANGER’S APPRENTICE (RA) ? RA is AWESOME! The story is in the past. You should read it.It’s about this boy named Will his mother died giving birth and his father died a hero, and he lives with foster parents. He is curious about his past and wants to follow his fathers footsteps. But, when he’s not chosen for Battle School he’s doomed to be a farmer when . . . . Read the book to find out what happens next.
Dear Iorn,
Hi, my name is Candace Buzbee and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I have never read the book Ranger’s Apprentice (RA), but after reading your blog I want to! I love to read any type of book. I would have to say it is one of my favorite things to do, and by reading this I can tell that you also like to read! I thought the way you ended this blog by saying, “doomed to be a farmer… Read the book to find what happens next.”, was an awesome way to get people’s attention and get them interested in reading this book! I thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog and finding out more about you! Keep up the amazing work!
Sincerely,
Candace
C4T #3
Quality Commenting - Student Guest Post by Zoe M.
This post by Mrs. Langwitch is about a student who writes a blog post about writing blogs and comments on blogs. This is a student in her fourth grade class named Zoe. Zoe's write an incredible blog post about how you should and should not comment on another person's blog. She also gives tips on how to better your blogs and your comments. I loved reading this blog, but it shows that blogs are becoming more and more common.
I invite few guest bloggers to share posts on Langwitches.
This makes it especially rewarding to be able to present to my readers an incredible young lady. Zoe is growing by leaps and bounds as a blog writer and commenter. She is a fourth grader at the Martin J. Gottlieb Day School and is taking part in an International Action Research currently underway between four blogging classrooms (USA,Thailand, Switzerland, Czech Republic). The following post is a wonderful testimonial to her understanding of blog commenting as a form of communication and learning.
I am honored to be able to share Zoe’s post, since I believe many, including grown-up blogging newbies, will benefit from her advice.
How to Make A Quality Comment by Zoe
When you comment on my blog I want your comments to be memorable. I want them to represent you, so even if I don’t know you, I will feel as if I do.When you comment on a blog you want it to be unique. To make it a quality comment it has to have fancy words such as instead of writing, “That is a pretty butterfly.”which is what 1st graders could do ,write” What a lovely butterfly! I love how its wings are all sparkly. I would enjoy it if you could teach me how. Did you know that a butterfly’s wing is its most fragile part?” That already is a better comment. To make a comment better, add on to the post, writing a new bit of information, it makes it a quality comment. Also, links help, if you find a website that has something to do with the topic someone is blogging about, put the link. Here is how you put a link on your blog:
That is how you make a quality comment.
Hi, my name is Candace Buzbee and I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed reading this post! When I started my EDM310 class, it was the first time I had ever blogged or commented on another persons blog. I did not really do a whole lot at first, but lately I have been really been commenting and blogging more and more. Reading what Zoe had to say about commenting makes me even more determined to write the best comments and blogs that I can. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Candace
Action Research- Quadblogging Trailer
This blog is another post by Mrs. Langwitch. This post is also about blogs, and quality writing. This blog post has a video explaining how the International Action Research team is teaching "Quality Writing through Blogging" throughout the world. I love this, and I think this is a great way to improve students writing skills.
If you are interested in following the blogs of the International Action Research teams on “Quality Writing through Blogging”, take a look at the following trailer and visit the classroom and student blogs to see for yourself the progress they are making, draw your own conclusions about blogging with students.
If so inclined, you can support our students by modeling quality commenting and reminding them that they do indeed have a global audience. Their writing matters!
Team USA- mjgds.org/classrooms/4thgrade/
Team Thailand- inside.isb.ac.th/rm204
Team Czech Republic- blogs.isp.cz/grade3v/
Team Switzerland- stuweb.iszl.ch/Stuweb2011/Grade4/4S/4S.htm
Hi, my name is Candace Buzbee and I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I love this and I feel that this is a wonderful way to share blogs across the world. I feel that this is something that is a great way to let the students become networked with other students across the world. Thank you for your time!
Sincerely,
Candace
This post by Mrs. Langwitch is about a student who writes a blog post about writing blogs and comments on blogs. This is a student in her fourth grade class named Zoe. Zoe's write an incredible blog post about how you should and should not comment on another person's blog. She also gives tips on how to better your blogs and your comments. I loved reading this blog, but it shows that blogs are becoming more and more common.
I invite few guest bloggers to share posts on Langwitches.
This makes it especially rewarding to be able to present to my readers an incredible young lady. Zoe is growing by leaps and bounds as a blog writer and commenter. She is a fourth grader at the Martin J. Gottlieb Day School and is taking part in an International Action Research currently underway between four blogging classrooms (USA,Thailand, Switzerland, Czech Republic). The following post is a wonderful testimonial to her understanding of blog commenting as a form of communication and learning.
I am honored to be able to share Zoe’s post, since I believe many, including grown-up blogging newbies, will benefit from her advice.
How to Make A Quality Comment by Zoe
When you comment on my blog I want your comments to be memorable. I want them to represent you, so even if I don’t know you, I will feel as if I do.When you comment on a blog you want it to be unique. To make it a quality comment it has to have fancy words such as instead of writing, “That is a pretty butterfly.”which is what 1st graders could do ,write” What a lovely butterfly! I love how its wings are all sparkly. I would enjoy it if you could teach me how. Did you know that a butterfly’s wing is its most fragile part?” That already is a better comment. To make a comment better, add on to the post, writing a new bit of information, it makes it a quality comment. Also, links help, if you find a website that has something to do with the topic someone is blogging about, put the link. Here is how you put a link on your blog:
That is how you make a quality comment.
Hi, my name is Candace Buzbee and I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed reading this post! When I started my EDM310 class, it was the first time I had ever blogged or commented on another persons blog. I did not really do a whole lot at first, but lately I have been really been commenting and blogging more and more. Reading what Zoe had to say about commenting makes me even more determined to write the best comments and blogs that I can. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Candace
Action Research- Quadblogging Trailer
This blog is another post by Mrs. Langwitch. This post is also about blogs, and quality writing. This blog post has a video explaining how the International Action Research team is teaching "Quality Writing through Blogging" throughout the world. I love this, and I think this is a great way to improve students writing skills.
If you are interested in following the blogs of the International Action Research teams on “Quality Writing through Blogging”, take a look at the following trailer and visit the classroom and student blogs to see for yourself the progress they are making, draw your own conclusions about blogging with students.
If so inclined, you can support our students by modeling quality commenting and reminding them that they do indeed have a global audience. Their writing matters!
Team USA- mjgds.org/classrooms/4thgrade/
Team Thailand- inside.isb.ac.th/rm204
Team Czech Republic- blogs.isp.cz/grade3v/
Team Switzerland- stuweb.iszl.ch/Stuweb2011/Grade4/4S/4S.htm
Hi, my name is Candace Buzbee and I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I love this and I feel that this is a wonderful way to share blogs across the world. I feel that this is something that is a great way to let the students become networked with other students across the world. Thank you for your time!
Sincerely,
Candace
Blog Post #9
What I've Learned This Year (2008-09)
This blog was written by Mr. Joe McClung. This blog is about Mr. McClung's first year as a teacher. I really enjoyed reading this blog, because this helps students when they become teachers for the first time. I feel better when I read something that lets me know that I am not the only person who is scared and nervous about teaching for the first time. I loved how he says that teachers should communicate with their students and other teachers. Communication is a huge way to express how you feel and to get to know people. If you become friends with other teachers, then if you have a question you have someone you can talk to. When you communicate with your students, then they do the best they can in your class. I know with me the more I like the teacher, the more time I spend on that particular class. When I become a teacher I want my students to know that they can come and talk to me and know that I will listen to what they have to say.
Mr. McClung also talks about how teachers never stop learning. I believe this is very true and a good thing. A teacher should always be learning new things, because your student is doing the same thing. The way technology is today, there is no reason for anyone not to learn something new everyday! My favorite part of this blog post is when Mr. McClung says, "You may be the only person that does. Below is an example of a answer that one of my students listed on their end of the year survey that really spoke to me: I know my teacher cares about me as a person when he. - Listens to what I say." This really makes me what to be a teacher like Mr. McClung. I want my students to say that I listen to them and that I help them in anyway that I can.
What I learned this Year (2010-11)
This blog was also written by Mr. McClung. I also really enjoyed reading this blog. This blog is about Mr. McClung's fourth year of teaching. He talks about how teachers should not get comfortable, they should always be finding ways to change up the way they teach. Not all students learn the same way, so as a teacher you will have to be able to explain something in many different ways. He also talks about how as a teacher you should have a goal set for your students, but you should not scold them for not meeting your expectations. Mr. McClung says to not make your goal for your student's unreachable. We as teachers should lift our students spirits when they fail, not break them down.
Mr. McClung also talks about helping your students, without doing the work for them. I know I am bad about this. When someone asks me how to do something, it is so much easier to just do it yourself then to explain how to do it. This is something that I am trying not to do, because this will only hurt my students in the long run. My favorite part of this blog is how he says that it is okay to be the outsider. I loved how Mr. McClung eats lunch with his students and acts like his students. I love being around kids, and I will even admit that I act like them sometimes. I hope that I will be a teacher just like Mr. McClung!
This blog was written by Mr. Joe McClung. This blog is about Mr. McClung's first year as a teacher. I really enjoyed reading this blog, because this helps students when they become teachers for the first time. I feel better when I read something that lets me know that I am not the only person who is scared and nervous about teaching for the first time. I loved how he says that teachers should communicate with their students and other teachers. Communication is a huge way to express how you feel and to get to know people. If you become friends with other teachers, then if you have a question you have someone you can talk to. When you communicate with your students, then they do the best they can in your class. I know with me the more I like the teacher, the more time I spend on that particular class. When I become a teacher I want my students to know that they can come and talk to me and know that I will listen to what they have to say.
Mr. McClung also talks about how teachers never stop learning. I believe this is very true and a good thing. A teacher should always be learning new things, because your student is doing the same thing. The way technology is today, there is no reason for anyone not to learn something new everyday! My favorite part of this blog post is when Mr. McClung says, "You may be the only person that does. Below is an example of a answer that one of my students listed on their end of the year survey that really spoke to me: I know my teacher cares about me as a person when he. - Listens to what I say." This really makes me what to be a teacher like Mr. McClung. I want my students to say that I listen to them and that I help them in anyway that I can.
What I learned this Year (2010-11)
This blog was also written by Mr. McClung. I also really enjoyed reading this blog. This blog is about Mr. McClung's fourth year of teaching. He talks about how teachers should not get comfortable, they should always be finding ways to change up the way they teach. Not all students learn the same way, so as a teacher you will have to be able to explain something in many different ways. He also talks about how as a teacher you should have a goal set for your students, but you should not scold them for not meeting your expectations. Mr. McClung says to not make your goal for your student's unreachable. We as teachers should lift our students spirits when they fail, not break them down.
Mr. McClung also talks about helping your students, without doing the work for them. I know I am bad about this. When someone asks me how to do something, it is so much easier to just do it yourself then to explain how to do it. This is something that I am trying not to do, because this will only hurt my students in the long run. My favorite part of this blog is how he says that it is okay to be the outsider. I loved how Mr. McClung eats lunch with his students and acts like his students. I love being around kids, and I will even admit that I act like them sometimes. I hope that I will be a teacher just like Mr. McClung!
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Blog Post #8
The Schools of Tomorrow
Richard E. Miller explains his views on writing in these videos. He believes that writing is the best way for a person to communicate. He is a big reader, which he learned from a young age. Richard Miller talks about how now students use their computers to write their papers and that they do not even need to use the library. The reason they do not have to use a library or a book, is because they can use the internet to search anything they need to.
These videos are really interesting, because they show how things have evolved due to technology. Now people can email each other their work and can have them view certain links or just simply print the document. Having all this information at your disposal is a great way to learn more about the past, future, and the present.
I am a huge advocate of technology! I feel it is something everyone should know and be familiar with. I think that it is so cool how easy it is to search something on the internet. You can make anything you want on a computer and have people from all over the world view it.
Carly Pugh's Project #12
This blog was written by Carly Pugh. This blog comes really close to what Dr. Miller had to say. I think this is one of the coolest things I have seen! I would love to try and incorporate this into my classroom as a teacher. I think it is a great way to get to know your students and to allow your students to get to know you. This was extremely well thought out and the directions were very well explained.
Chipper this video talks about all the problems people have with EDM310. This video shows why being on time and doing your work on time is going to help you when you become a teacher. EDM 310 for Dummies is a video about a book for EDM310. I really enjoyed both of these videos. I relate to both of these videos. I am a huge procrastinator like Chipper, and I get frustrate with all the work like EDM 310 for Dummies.
Learn to Change, Change to Learn
Watching this video makes sad. It is really sad that students learn more outside of school, then they do in school. I know when I was in high school, and even now in college, I will Google answers to questions that I do not know. I want to incorporate "networking" into my classroom, so that my students can connect globally with students and teachers all over the world. If my students are not mature enough to do this, then I will definitely do "networking" as a teacher. This way I will have the help and see what other teachers are doing all over the world. I really enjoyed watching this video, because it makes me think about how important a teacher is in a student's life.
Web 2.0
The video tool that I have never used is called Digimi. On this website you can make yourself into an avatar. I have never seen anything like this or tried anything like this. It was really easy and fun! You can upload a picture of yourself and build your avatar that way or make an avatar from scratch. This is a great site if you are not good on computers.
Edmodo is a way for teachers and students to communicate on the internet. This website is like Facebook/Twitter, it allows a way for teachers and students to communicate with each other and to communicate with other teachers or students from all over the world. I really like this website and I feel that it is a wonderful way to communicate with your students as a teacher.
Richard E. Miller explains his views on writing in these videos. He believes that writing is the best way for a person to communicate. He is a big reader, which he learned from a young age. Richard Miller talks about how now students use their computers to write their papers and that they do not even need to use the library. The reason they do not have to use a library or a book, is because they can use the internet to search anything they need to.
These videos are really interesting, because they show how things have evolved due to technology. Now people can email each other their work and can have them view certain links or just simply print the document. Having all this information at your disposal is a great way to learn more about the past, future, and the present.
I am a huge advocate of technology! I feel it is something everyone should know and be familiar with. I think that it is so cool how easy it is to search something on the internet. You can make anything you want on a computer and have people from all over the world view it.
Carly Pugh's Project #12
This blog was written by Carly Pugh. This blog comes really close to what Dr. Miller had to say. I think this is one of the coolest things I have seen! I would love to try and incorporate this into my classroom as a teacher. I think it is a great way to get to know your students and to allow your students to get to know you. This was extremely well thought out and the directions were very well explained.
Chipper this video talks about all the problems people have with EDM310. This video shows why being on time and doing your work on time is going to help you when you become a teacher. EDM 310 for Dummies is a video about a book for EDM310. I really enjoyed both of these videos. I relate to both of these videos. I am a huge procrastinator like Chipper, and I get frustrate with all the work like EDM 310 for Dummies.
Learn to Change, Change to Learn
Watching this video makes sad. It is really sad that students learn more outside of school, then they do in school. I know when I was in high school, and even now in college, I will Google answers to questions that I do not know. I want to incorporate "networking" into my classroom, so that my students can connect globally with students and teachers all over the world. If my students are not mature enough to do this, then I will definitely do "networking" as a teacher. This way I will have the help and see what other teachers are doing all over the world. I really enjoyed watching this video, because it makes me think about how important a teacher is in a student's life.
Web 2.0
The video tool that I have never used is called Digimi. On this website you can make yourself into an avatar. I have never seen anything like this or tried anything like this. It was really easy and fun! You can upload a picture of yourself and build your avatar that way or make an avatar from scratch. This is a great site if you are not good on computers.
Edmodo is a way for teachers and students to communicate on the internet. This website is like Facebook/Twitter, it allows a way for teachers and students to communicate with each other and to communicate with other teachers or students from all over the world. I really like this website and I feel that it is a wonderful way to communicate with your students as a teacher.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
C4T #2
Dianne Krause
Dianne Krause is a Technology Staff Development Specialist and Classrooms for the Future coach. She provides professional development, assistance and support for the faculty of the Wissahickon School District. Before she became a CFF coach, she was a French teacher.
The first blog I posted on was Daily Digital Discoveries 02/21/2012. This post was about 10 Podcasts for Teachers and Kids. She explains how cheap and easy it is to watch or listen to podcasts. I commented telling her that I agree with her about how fun and easy podcasts are and I told her that I enjoyed watching and listening to the 10 Podcasts for Teachers and Kids that she recommended.
What! A podcast? I know what you’re thinking. Sounds complicated. Sounds expensive. Sounds, well, technical. The truth is, listening to podcasts or watching videocasts in your classroom couldn’t be easier—or cheaper. If you have a computer and an Internet connection, you already have all the equipment you need.
Candace Says:
Mrs. Krause,
Hi, my name is Candace Buzbee and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I completely agree with you about podcasting. I believe that podcasting is a great way to teach students and to have them interact with learning. I enjoyed reading and listening to the podcast’s that you linked to your blog, there were very interesting and fun to listen to. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Candace
The second blog of Mrs. Krause's that I commented on was Daily Digital Discoveries 03/06/2010. This post was about posting slideshows on your Facebook, Twitter and blogs(PhotoSnack | Photo slideshow maker). I commented thanking her for posting this, because I have seen people with slideshows on their Facebook and Twitter accounts but I did not know how to do it.
“Slideshows for Facebook, Twitter and blogs”
tags: slideshow photos web2.0 photosharing
Dear Mrs. Krause,
Hi, my name is Candace Buzbee and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I want to thank you for posting this because I am a huge Facebook and Twitter fan and I have seen people with slideshows on theirs, but I never knew how. I love learning new stuff! Thank you for your time!
Sincerely,
Candace
Dianne Krause is a Technology Staff Development Specialist and Classrooms for the Future coach. She provides professional development, assistance and support for the faculty of the Wissahickon School District. Before she became a CFF coach, she was a French teacher.
The first blog I posted on was Daily Digital Discoveries 02/21/2012. This post was about 10 Podcasts for Teachers and Kids. She explains how cheap and easy it is to watch or listen to podcasts. I commented telling her that I agree with her about how fun and easy podcasts are and I told her that I enjoyed watching and listening to the 10 Podcasts for Teachers and Kids that she recommended.
What! A podcast? I know what you’re thinking. Sounds complicated. Sounds expensive. Sounds, well, technical. The truth is, listening to podcasts or watching videocasts in your classroom couldn’t be easier—or cheaper. If you have a computer and an Internet connection, you already have all the equipment you need.
Candace Says:
Mrs. Krause,
Hi, my name is Candace Buzbee and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I completely agree with you about podcasting. I believe that podcasting is a great way to teach students and to have them interact with learning. I enjoyed reading and listening to the podcast’s that you linked to your blog, there were very interesting and fun to listen to. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Candace
The second blog of Mrs. Krause's that I commented on was Daily Digital Discoveries 03/06/2010. This post was about posting slideshows on your Facebook, Twitter and blogs(PhotoSnack | Photo slideshow maker). I commented thanking her for posting this, because I have seen people with slideshows on their Facebook and Twitter accounts but I did not know how to do it.
“Slideshows for Facebook, Twitter and blogs”
tags: slideshow photos web2.0 photosharing
Dear Mrs. Krause,
Hi, my name is Candace Buzbee and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I want to thank you for posting this because I am a huge Facebook and Twitter fan and I have seen people with slideshows on theirs, but I never knew how. I love learning new stuff! Thank you for your time!
Sincerely,
Candace
Blog Post #7
The Networked Student
This video was extremely interesting to watch, because I am experiencing this now in my college classes. I never really thought about being a networked student, but after watching this video I realize I am. I definitely like the hybrid classes, because I feel I learn more by teaching myself instead of having a teacher lecture from the PowerPoint or from a textbook. I do agree with the message of this video, but I wonder if it will work for all ages? I want to teach second or third grade Special Education, and I am not sure if they will be able to search learning tools they will need for the class.
Watching this video makes me want to teach older students, so I can incorporate this into my lesson plans. I love the idea of the students finding more information on the internet, and networking with students from all over the world. Students and teachers can learn so much from the internet. I know me personally I Google everything! The internet is an awesome way to learning something you did not know, refresh your memory of something, or even learn more about a specific subject.
The main question asked about a "Networked Student" is "Why does the networked student even need a teacher?" I believe the reason you have a teacher is the same reason you have one who does not teach you to be a networked student, because they are there to help the student with anything. If a student did not have a teacher and was told to learn a subject and was stuck on a specific question, who would they ask? They could Google it, but that is not always reliable. There has to be a teacher there to help in situations like this. Teachers help their students, even if the student does not want to admit it.
A Seventh Grader's PLE
I have never heard of Personal Learning Environment (PLE), until I watched this video. I found this extremely interesting and I wish we would have done this when I was in middle school! I think it is so neat that she has all of her websites on one page for her Science class. She can share those links, or revisit them to study for a test. I really would love to do this with my class, even if I do it and use a SmartBoard to show my students. I think this is an awesome way to be organized for school and work. Her PLE and my PLN are basically the same, except her's is used to help her with her science class, and mine is going to be used to help contact people who can help me be the best teacher I can be and hopefully help me get a teaching job.
This video was extremely interesting to watch, because I am experiencing this now in my college classes. I never really thought about being a networked student, but after watching this video I realize I am. I definitely like the hybrid classes, because I feel I learn more by teaching myself instead of having a teacher lecture from the PowerPoint or from a textbook. I do agree with the message of this video, but I wonder if it will work for all ages? I want to teach second or third grade Special Education, and I am not sure if they will be able to search learning tools they will need for the class.
Watching this video makes me want to teach older students, so I can incorporate this into my lesson plans. I love the idea of the students finding more information on the internet, and networking with students from all over the world. Students and teachers can learn so much from the internet. I know me personally I Google everything! The internet is an awesome way to learning something you did not know, refresh your memory of something, or even learn more about a specific subject.
The main question asked about a "Networked Student" is "Why does the networked student even need a teacher?" I believe the reason you have a teacher is the same reason you have one who does not teach you to be a networked student, because they are there to help the student with anything. If a student did not have a teacher and was told to learn a subject and was stuck on a specific question, who would they ask? They could Google it, but that is not always reliable. There has to be a teacher there to help in situations like this. Teachers help their students, even if the student does not want to admit it.
A Seventh Grader's PLE
I have never heard of Personal Learning Environment (PLE), until I watched this video. I found this extremely interesting and I wish we would have done this when I was in middle school! I think it is so neat that she has all of her websites on one page for her Science class. She can share those links, or revisit them to study for a test. I really would love to do this with my class, even if I do it and use a SmartBoard to show my students. I think this is an awesome way to be organized for school and work. Her PLE and my PLN are basically the same, except her's is used to help her with her science class, and mine is going to be used to help contact people who can help me be the best teacher I can be and hopefully help me get a teaching job.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Blog Post #6
Randy Pausch Last Lecture
Randy Pausch's video named Achieving Your Childhood Dreams is very inspirational. It's people like Randy Pausch that makes me want to be the best teacher I can possibly be. There are three "themes" in this video, and they are: Randy Pausch's dreams, helping others enable their dreams, and lessons learned. This video is a wonderful video that proves that Randy Pausch loved being a teacher and helping students learn in a fun way. After watching this video I will strive to be a teacher like Pausch because he seems to love teaching and his students. As an education major these are things that I strive for myself when I become a teacher.
One thing that Pausch mentions in this video is "have something to bring to the table." This is a very true when trying to be a good teacher. As an educator you have to be able to bring something to the table, because if not you will not be the best educator you can be. A teacher that goes the extra mile will gain the respect of the students and will have students that will want to learn.
Another thing we as educators should do is to make learning fun. As a student I definitely agree with Pausch on this statement. Sitting in a classroom where a teacher reads from the power-point or reads straight from the textbook is very boring; but when you have the student learn on their own or have fun games to help them learn they seem to be more into learning. The way technology is today there is no reason not to make learning more fun for your students. If we as teachers are teaching our students something hard; and we incorporate fun ways to learn it, then our students will most likely learn it without complain about how hard it is.
My favorite thing that Randy Pausch talked about in this video was, "Brick walls are there for a reason." Brick walls are there to stop the ones who really do not want something badly from the ones who truly want it. I know I have came to many brick walls, that I could have just stop there and moved on to something new, but I have to make myself keep going because in the end I knew it would be worth it. This is a great thing to teach students because (even if we do not want to admit it) life is hard and throws you many curve balls. Telling your students this will help them in the long run, because they know that even though things are hard they can make it through this. I really loved that he incorporated this into his lecture, it is very inspirational!
I absolutely loved this video! Randy Pausch seemed to be an amazing teacher, and during the video I thought to myself that I wanted to be in his Virtual Education class. I enjoyed how he used real life examples to explain his reasoning for his themes, and to get his point across. I feel that people who feel that their life is terrible, their is nothing they can do about it, and they are down in the dumps should watch this video and see that just because life is not going the way you want it to does not mean that you should crawl up in a ball and cry. Pausch is a great example of someone who hit a brick wall, but kept going for his family and friends. I will say this video made me tear up when he had the audience sing Happy Birthday to his wife, that was so sweet! I loved everything about this video and would definitely recommend this video to anyone!
Randy Pausch's video named Achieving Your Childhood Dreams is very inspirational. It's people like Randy Pausch that makes me want to be the best teacher I can possibly be. There are three "themes" in this video, and they are: Randy Pausch's dreams, helping others enable their dreams, and lessons learned. This video is a wonderful video that proves that Randy Pausch loved being a teacher and helping students learn in a fun way. After watching this video I will strive to be a teacher like Pausch because he seems to love teaching and his students. As an education major these are things that I strive for myself when I become a teacher.
One thing that Pausch mentions in this video is "have something to bring to the table." This is a very true when trying to be a good teacher. As an educator you have to be able to bring something to the table, because if not you will not be the best educator you can be. A teacher that goes the extra mile will gain the respect of the students and will have students that will want to learn.
Another thing we as educators should do is to make learning fun. As a student I definitely agree with Pausch on this statement. Sitting in a classroom where a teacher reads from the power-point or reads straight from the textbook is very boring; but when you have the student learn on their own or have fun games to help them learn they seem to be more into learning. The way technology is today there is no reason not to make learning more fun for your students. If we as teachers are teaching our students something hard; and we incorporate fun ways to learn it, then our students will most likely learn it without complain about how hard it is.
My favorite thing that Randy Pausch talked about in this video was, "Brick walls are there for a reason." Brick walls are there to stop the ones who really do not want something badly from the ones who truly want it. I know I have came to many brick walls, that I could have just stop there and moved on to something new, but I have to make myself keep going because in the end I knew it would be worth it. This is a great thing to teach students because (even if we do not want to admit it) life is hard and throws you many curve balls. Telling your students this will help them in the long run, because they know that even though things are hard they can make it through this. I really loved that he incorporated this into his lecture, it is very inspirational!
I absolutely loved this video! Randy Pausch seemed to be an amazing teacher, and during the video I thought to myself that I wanted to be in his Virtual Education class. I enjoyed how he used real life examples to explain his reasoning for his themes, and to get his point across. I feel that people who feel that their life is terrible, their is nothing they can do about it, and they are down in the dumps should watch this video and see that just because life is not going the way you want it to does not mean that you should crawl up in a ball and cry. Pausch is a great example of someone who hit a brick wall, but kept going for his family and friends. I will say this video made me tear up when he had the audience sing Happy Birthday to his wife, that was so sweet! I loved everything about this video and would definitely recommend this video to anyone!
C4K #2
Darnell
Darnell is an eighth grader. The blog post I chose to write on was "Why I Write". He gives many reasons as to why he likes to write. One of the reasons why he likes to read is because it is a way for him to communicate. I commented back to him telling him that I completely agreed with him on why he should write. Writing is a great way to express how you feel and to expand your vocabulary. I enjoyed reading his blog and told him to keep up the great work!
Why I Write
I write because writing is what got me to Eight grade and writing is one way of communicating. When the world didn't have cell-phones or computers writing was the best way to connect with other family members that lived out of town. The reason why people write is because its an easier way to get something out of your body.
Hello Darnell,
My name is Candace Buzbee and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I definitely agree with you on why you should write. Writing is a wonderful way to express yourself and to expand you vocabulary. I really enjoyed reading your blog! Keep up the good work!
Sincerely,
Candace
Gulick
Gulick is the next kids blog that I posted on. He is in the fourth grade. The blog I chose to comment on was his blog about his SIX pets. He names all his pets. He has two dogs, two goats, and two frogs. I commented on his blog telling him that I was also a huge animal fan myself, and I told him about my three pets. I also told him I enjoyed reading his blog and for him to keep up the great work.
My kidblog is about my pets. Most people have one or two pets, well I have six. I have two dogs, (Sofi and Sioux) two frogs (Man-O-War and Seabuiscut witch are my pets) and two goats (Prim and Luna.
Sofi is a Cavapoo Sioux is a black Lab. Prim is a LaMancha/Pygmi and Luna is a Sanaan. Man-O-War and seabuiscut …well I don’t really know wat they are.
Prim is almost one and luna is almost one.Sofi is two and Sioux is eight. Then my frogs are both about two.
Well those are my pets.
Dear Gulick,
My name is Candace Buzbee, and I am a student in EMD 310 at the University of South Alabama. I am a huge animal fan myself. I have two dogs and a cat. My dogs names are Natalie and Boatie, and my cats name is Prissy. I really enjoyed reading your blog! Keep up the good work!
Sincerely,
Candace
Reece
Reece is a student is Mrs. Garcia's class. Reece's blog was about Mardi Gras. Reece tells many traditions participated in during Mardi Gras. One of the traditions is to eat King Cake. I commented tell Reece that I attend Mardi Gras every year and I love going. I told Reece that there was some things they commented in there blog that I did not know about Mardi Gras. I learned new things from Reece that I did not know, like the colors of Mardi Gras mean something.
Its Mardis Gras the day people give up something they like. The colors of Mardis Gras are purple green and gold each color means something purple means justice green means faith and gold stands for power.There’s another thing called king cake and they would put a plastic baby in the cake and who ever gets it would have to buy the next king cake.They also do a dance called 2nd line tradition marda .They also have football,and a type of cup.They have parades what last a long time and they also throw beads out in to the crowd.They also have as much as 800 million pounds of garbage.Beans means good luck.A million visitors come to the Mardis Gras . Mardis Gras is a huge celebration.
Dear Reece,
Hi my name is Candace Buzbee and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I live in Mobile, Alabama and Mardi Gras is also a big thing here, and it is something I have been around my entire life. I never knew that the colors meant something, and this was very interesting to find out. King cake is very good to eat. I enjoy catching the beads that are thrown during Mardi Gras. Have you ever been to a Mardi Gras parade? I really enjoyed reading your blog and learning more about Mardi Gras then I already knew! Keep up the amazing work!
Sincerely,
Candace
Darnell is an eighth grader. The blog post I chose to write on was "Why I Write". He gives many reasons as to why he likes to write. One of the reasons why he likes to read is because it is a way for him to communicate. I commented back to him telling him that I completely agreed with him on why he should write. Writing is a great way to express how you feel and to expand your vocabulary. I enjoyed reading his blog and told him to keep up the great work!
Why I Write
I write because writing is what got me to Eight grade and writing is one way of communicating. When the world didn't have cell-phones or computers writing was the best way to connect with other family members that lived out of town. The reason why people write is because its an easier way to get something out of your body.
Hello Darnell,
My name is Candace Buzbee and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I definitely agree with you on why you should write. Writing is a wonderful way to express yourself and to expand you vocabulary. I really enjoyed reading your blog! Keep up the good work!
Sincerely,
Candace
Gulick
Gulick is the next kids blog that I posted on. He is in the fourth grade. The blog I chose to comment on was his blog about his SIX pets. He names all his pets. He has two dogs, two goats, and two frogs. I commented on his blog telling him that I was also a huge animal fan myself, and I told him about my three pets. I also told him I enjoyed reading his blog and for him to keep up the great work.
My kidblog is about my pets. Most people have one or two pets, well I have six. I have two dogs, (Sofi and Sioux) two frogs (Man-O-War and Seabuiscut witch are my pets) and two goats (Prim and Luna.
Sofi is a Cavapoo Sioux is a black Lab. Prim is a LaMancha/Pygmi and Luna is a Sanaan. Man-O-War and seabuiscut …well I don’t really know wat they are.
Prim is almost one and luna is almost one.Sofi is two and Sioux is eight. Then my frogs are both about two.
Well those are my pets.
Dear Gulick,
My name is Candace Buzbee, and I am a student in EMD 310 at the University of South Alabama. I am a huge animal fan myself. I have two dogs and a cat. My dogs names are Natalie and Boatie, and my cats name is Prissy. I really enjoyed reading your blog! Keep up the good work!
Sincerely,
Candace
Reece
Reece is a student is Mrs. Garcia's class. Reece's blog was about Mardi Gras. Reece tells many traditions participated in during Mardi Gras. One of the traditions is to eat King Cake. I commented tell Reece that I attend Mardi Gras every year and I love going. I told Reece that there was some things they commented in there blog that I did not know about Mardi Gras. I learned new things from Reece that I did not know, like the colors of Mardi Gras mean something.
Its Mardis Gras the day people give up something they like. The colors of Mardis Gras are purple green and gold each color means something purple means justice green means faith and gold stands for power.There’s another thing called king cake and they would put a plastic baby in the cake and who ever gets it would have to buy the next king cake.They also do a dance called 2nd line tradition marda .They also have football,and a type of cup.They have parades what last a long time and they also throw beads out in to the crowd.They also have as much as 800 million pounds of garbage.Beans means good luck.A million visitors come to the Mardis Gras . Mardis Gras is a huge celebration.
Dear Reece,
Hi my name is Candace Buzbee and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I live in Mobile, Alabama and Mardi Gras is also a big thing here, and it is something I have been around my entire life. I never knew that the colors meant something, and this was very interesting to find out. King cake is very good to eat. I enjoy catching the beads that are thrown during Mardi Gras. Have you ever been to a Mardi Gras parade? I really enjoyed reading your blog and learning more about Mardi Gras then I already knew! Keep up the amazing work!
Sincerely,
Candace
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Blog Post #5
Scott McLeod
Dr. Scott McLeod, J.D., Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership. He works at the University of Kentucky. He is the Founding Director of UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education. Did You Know (Shift Happens) is a wildly recognized video that Dr. McLeod is a co-creator of. He is a big advocate of technology in classrooms.
I completely agree with Dr. McLeod. Technology is used more and more everyday, and it should be used by children. In my opinion, sarcasm is a good way to get your point across. It makes people stop and think about what you say and what you mean. Technology is a great way to teach children and to help them learn. Children are so good with technology that they should be used in classrooms and at home. I also believe that as educators we should monitor what children are doing on the internet, because not everything and everyone on the internet is/are good.
ISchool Initiative
Travis Allen's video is called The ISchool Initiative. This video talks about a thing called ISchool. ISchool is a way to save students, teachers, and schools money. A student will spend approximately $150 on an IPhone (maybe even less now), opposed to approximately $600 without ISchool. The applications that were talked about in this video such as; Graphing Calculator, Chemical Touch, and U.S Constitution (there are many more, this is just a couple options). Getting these applications allows the students to save money and to be able to use these applications hands-on. ISchool is another video done by Travis. This video explains how that his ISchool has become well known and that there are schools in California that have adopted ISchool for their schools.
I absolutely love this idea! School can get so expensive for the students, teachers, and the schools. ISchool is an awesome way to cut back on the costs of books, paper, ink cartridges, markers/chalk, and projectors. I know as a student and one day an educator that cost of school is very expensive, and anyway to save money is an awesome thing! I hope when I become a teacher that my school will either be using ISchool or be thing about adopting ISchool, if not I will definitely show this website to the principal of the school I am teaching at.
Virtual Choir
This video was founded by Jennifer Chambers. It is a bunch of people from all over the world performing Lux Aurumque. The interesting thing is that these people do not know each other and they have never performed together. This video is really interesting to me, because I never thought about all the people on youtube singing the same song and posting it on the internet. This video shows that we may look different from each other, but we all have more similarities then we realize. I think this is an awesome way to show how much people across the world are alike.
Teaching in the 21st Century
This video was done by Kevin Roberts called Teaching in the 21st Century. Kevin Roberts expresses in his video that teaching without technology is not a good idea, because students should use technology to answer questions and to learn more. I agree with Kevin Roberts' idea about teaching in the 21st century, because I believe that students learn information better when they do if a teacher is telling them the information. I feel that he is correct in that technology will become a huge part of schools, and as an educator I will use technology. I think technology is a wonderful to learn new things.
Reading Rockets
Top 12 Comprehension Applications is the first resource that I chose. I really love this application because I want to be a second grade teacher and this resource shows many different ways to help teach a young child to read and write. There are, in the resource, the top 12 applications to use to help a young child learn. These applications are cheap and are easy to use. Children seem to love being able to interact with the applications by games and other activities. When they win the game they get to advance to the next level. I love this because I love the idea of using technology in the classroom and allowing the student to interact on the internet or with an application.
The next resource I chose was Reading 101. This resource gives ten reasons why young children have problems reading. The reasons children have problems learning to read are print awareness, the sounds of speech, phonemic awareness, phonics, informal assessment, fluency, vocabulary, spelling, writing and comprehension. This resource goes into detail about how to help the student be able to learn to read easily. I love this resource because every child learns differently and have different problems, and this tells you how to help these students.
Dr. Scott McLeod, J.D., Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership. He works at the University of Kentucky. He is the Founding Director of UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education. Did You Know (Shift Happens) is a wildly recognized video that Dr. McLeod is a co-creator of. He is a big advocate of technology in classrooms.
I completely agree with Dr. McLeod. Technology is used more and more everyday, and it should be used by children. In my opinion, sarcasm is a good way to get your point across. It makes people stop and think about what you say and what you mean. Technology is a great way to teach children and to help them learn. Children are so good with technology that they should be used in classrooms and at home. I also believe that as educators we should monitor what children are doing on the internet, because not everything and everyone on the internet is/are good.
ISchool Initiative
Travis Allen's video is called The ISchool Initiative. This video talks about a thing called ISchool. ISchool is a way to save students, teachers, and schools money. A student will spend approximately $150 on an IPhone (maybe even less now), opposed to approximately $600 without ISchool. The applications that were talked about in this video such as; Graphing Calculator, Chemical Touch, and U.S Constitution (there are many more, this is just a couple options). Getting these applications allows the students to save money and to be able to use these applications hands-on. ISchool is another video done by Travis. This video explains how that his ISchool has become well known and that there are schools in California that have adopted ISchool for their schools.
I absolutely love this idea! School can get so expensive for the students, teachers, and the schools. ISchool is an awesome way to cut back on the costs of books, paper, ink cartridges, markers/chalk, and projectors. I know as a student and one day an educator that cost of school is very expensive, and anyway to save money is an awesome thing! I hope when I become a teacher that my school will either be using ISchool or be thing about adopting ISchool, if not I will definitely show this website to the principal of the school I am teaching at.
Virtual Choir
This video was founded by Jennifer Chambers. It is a bunch of people from all over the world performing Lux Aurumque. The interesting thing is that these people do not know each other and they have never performed together. This video is really interesting to me, because I never thought about all the people on youtube singing the same song and posting it on the internet. This video shows that we may look different from each other, but we all have more similarities then we realize. I think this is an awesome way to show how much people across the world are alike.
Teaching in the 21st Century
This video was done by Kevin Roberts called Teaching in the 21st Century. Kevin Roberts expresses in his video that teaching without technology is not a good idea, because students should use technology to answer questions and to learn more. I agree with Kevin Roberts' idea about teaching in the 21st century, because I believe that students learn information better when they do if a teacher is telling them the information. I feel that he is correct in that technology will become a huge part of schools, and as an educator I will use technology. I think technology is a wonderful to learn new things.
Reading Rockets
Top 12 Comprehension Applications is the first resource that I chose. I really love this application because I want to be a second grade teacher and this resource shows many different ways to help teach a young child to read and write. There are, in the resource, the top 12 applications to use to help a young child learn. These applications are cheap and are easy to use. Children seem to love being able to interact with the applications by games and other activities. When they win the game they get to advance to the next level. I love this because I love the idea of using technology in the classroom and allowing the student to interact on the internet or with an application.
The next resource I chose was Reading 101. This resource gives ten reasons why young children have problems reading. The reasons children have problems learning to read are print awareness, the sounds of speech, phonemic awareness, phonics, informal assessment, fluency, vocabulary, spelling, writing and comprehension. This resource goes into detail about how to help the student be able to learn to read easily. I love this resource because every child learns differently and have different problems, and this tells you how to help these students.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
Blog Post #4
1st Graders Create Own Read Along Books
Ms. Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano wrote this blog named 1st Graders Create Own Read Along Books(1st Graders Create Own Read Along Books). This blog talked about how Ms. Tolisano spent time with some first graders, while their teacher was not there. She had them listen to an audio about a dinosaur book, and afterwards she interviewed them in a pod-cast. The first graders enjoyed being recorded so much that they wanted to be re-recorded and they even tried to change their volume, fluency, pitch, and speed of their voice. She used Garageband to record the children in the pod-cast.
I really love this blog post! I think that pod-casting with young children is an awesome and fun way to get them acquainted with technology. I also believe that having the children follow along reading the book with an audio book is a wonderful way to help them learn to read and it also helps them learn to spell when the words are right in front of them. Children grow up around technology and, are so smart with technology, that they would have no problem learning how to use pod-casts and how to access them on the internet.
Podcasting with First Grade
This blog post was also written by Ms. Tolisano. This blog is called Podcasting with First Grade(Podcasting with First Grade). This blog Ms. Tolisano also pod-casts with some first graders. She has them read the book Vacation under the Volcano by Mary Pope Osborne. She has her male students write interview questions for Jack and her female students write interview questions for Annie. Afterwards she chose some questions from her students and then has them pod-cast asking the questions and answering questions. She also records the pod-cast on Garageband.
I really thought that this is a great way to let the children get involved with their education. The children really seemed to enjoy pod-casting and getting fed-back from all over the world. I feel that this is an awesome way to get children of any age interested in learning and in technology. The first graders in this class really enjoyed hearing themselves and recording for the podcast. I will definitely do this with my class when I start to teach, because I love technology and I feel that it is a great way to learn and to teach.
Listening-Comprehension-Podcasting
This blog was also written by Ms. Tolisano called Listening-Comprehesion-Podcasting(Listening-Comprehension-Podcasting). This blog post is about second graders who are reading Purim and trying to learn Hebrew. The second graders in this class were trying to learn Hebrew, so Ms. Tolisano had them record a sentence from the book in Hebrew on Garageband. The point of this was not for them to learn how to use Garageband or how to pod-cast, because they already knew how to do that from their previous year, but to help them learn Hebrew and to hear how the words should be to pronounced and how the whole sentence sounded together. Ms. Tolisano had the students record their sentence in pieces to help them learn the language and how to speak it. She had them put the pieces of the sentence together on the SmartBoard to show how the sentence should be structured and how the sentence would sound together.
I really believe that this is a great way to teach a child a foreign language. I know if I could have been able to manipulate the language on the SmartBoard, it may have been easier to understand and easy to learn. Learning another language is hard and can be confusing, and I feel that letting the students hear the language spoken on a pod-cast from people who are fluent in that particular language is an awesome way to help them learn the language.
Ms. Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano wrote this blog named 1st Graders Create Own Read Along Books(1st Graders Create Own Read Along Books). This blog talked about how Ms. Tolisano spent time with some first graders, while their teacher was not there. She had them listen to an audio about a dinosaur book, and afterwards she interviewed them in a pod-cast. The first graders enjoyed being recorded so much that they wanted to be re-recorded and they even tried to change their volume, fluency, pitch, and speed of their voice. She used Garageband to record the children in the pod-cast.
I really love this blog post! I think that pod-casting with young children is an awesome and fun way to get them acquainted with technology. I also believe that having the children follow along reading the book with an audio book is a wonderful way to help them learn to read and it also helps them learn to spell when the words are right in front of them. Children grow up around technology and, are so smart with technology, that they would have no problem learning how to use pod-casts and how to access them on the internet.
Podcasting with First Grade
This blog post was also written by Ms. Tolisano. This blog is called Podcasting with First Grade(Podcasting with First Grade). This blog Ms. Tolisano also pod-casts with some first graders. She has them read the book Vacation under the Volcano by Mary Pope Osborne. She has her male students write interview questions for Jack and her female students write interview questions for Annie. Afterwards she chose some questions from her students and then has them pod-cast asking the questions and answering questions. She also records the pod-cast on Garageband.
I really thought that this is a great way to let the children get involved with their education. The children really seemed to enjoy pod-casting and getting fed-back from all over the world. I feel that this is an awesome way to get children of any age interested in learning and in technology. The first graders in this class really enjoyed hearing themselves and recording for the podcast. I will definitely do this with my class when I start to teach, because I love technology and I feel that it is a great way to learn and to teach.
Listening-Comprehension-Podcasting
This blog was also written by Ms. Tolisano called Listening-Comprehesion-Podcasting(Listening-Comprehension-Podcasting). This blog post is about second graders who are reading Purim and trying to learn Hebrew. The second graders in this class were trying to learn Hebrew, so Ms. Tolisano had them record a sentence from the book in Hebrew on Garageband. The point of this was not for them to learn how to use Garageband or how to pod-cast, because they already knew how to do that from their previous year, but to help them learn Hebrew and to hear how the words should be to pronounced and how the whole sentence sounded together. Ms. Tolisano had the students record their sentence in pieces to help them learn the language and how to speak it. She had them put the pieces of the sentence together on the SmartBoard to show how the sentence should be structured and how the sentence would sound together.
I really believe that this is a great way to teach a child a foreign language. I know if I could have been able to manipulate the language on the SmartBoard, it may have been easier to understand and easy to learn. Learning another language is hard and can be confusing, and I feel that letting the students hear the language spoken on a pod-cast from people who are fluent in that particular language is an awesome way to help them learn the language.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
C4T Project #3
This blog was written by Mrs. Denise Kreps. This blog is named Taking Pictures with Words. She is a middle school English teacher. Mrs. Kreps first post is about the 365 project. This project is where someone will take a picture of something and write a little bit about that picture each day for a year. I really like this project because it makes you stop and take a look around instead of letting everything pass by. I posted on this blog explaining how interested I was in this project, and she replied back to me giving me the link and thanking me for commenting. I also mentioned that I wanted my class, when I start teaching, to join in on this project and Mrs. Krebs said that she was going to have her class do it also.
Taking Pictures with Words
January 15, 2012 by Denise Krebs | 13 Comments
The roads were 100% snow covered in some areas, and I had precious cargo in the van with me–students on the way to a quiz bowl meet. There were dozens of photographs jumping out to be taken, but I had precious cargo and I couldn’t stop–we would have been late and there were several cars in the ditches.
Since June, I have been taking many more photographs. Most of them with my point-and-shoot camera, and I am no expert. However, I have gone from the one who didn’t have a camera, or if I did, the batteries were dead to one who is always prepared and on the lookout for photos.
Last summer I received a tweet from Sheri Edwards inviting me to participate in the June, July, and August Project (#JJAProject) which was started by some fellow teachers. After that was over, a few of us continued with the Teachers’ Foto Friday (#TFotoFri) once a week group. Now, about 20 teachers and I are attempting the #T365Project, a picture a day in 2012.
But back to my snowy road trip. This was the first snowy day of the year and only the second of the whole winter! I was so taken with all the beauty, finding photographs everywhere I looked — from the quick sparks and snowy powder shooting up from the blade of the heavy snow plow in front of me to the gentle, intricate flakes falling and melting onto the warm windscreen of the van.
Today, instead of taking the pictures, I could only talk to myself about them.
Some more photos I missed…
Powdered sugar snowfall sprinkled evenly on the oxidized railroad bridge.
Hay bails lined up in formation with uniform helmets of snow.
Festive and frosted evergreens, missing during Christmas, now found interspersed among the bare deciduous trees.
Thin ice, now snow-covered, proved to me it was at least thick enough to hold the deer whose tracks ran down the middle of the river.
After a long day, we turned around and retraced our steps, the snow mostly gone after a sunny winter day. However, the images continued to come.
Reflective tape danced in the sun as the box cars and tankers rumbled by at a train crossing, train art graffiti occasionally broke the rhythm.
Golden grass, bent in the breeze, absorbed and reflected the late afternoon sunshine.
Without my camera, I discovered that my year-long photography adventure is making me a better observer, a better describer, and a better writer. As a literacy teacher, I couldn’t help but wonder if taking photos would have the same effect on students’ writing. What do you think?
Will a photography challenge help students observe, describe, and write?
When they find themselves unable to get a shot they long for, will they take pictures with words?
Mrs. Denise,
I really like the 365 project. It is so interesting and really does make you stop and take a look around. I know I am so busy that I have to make myself stop and take a look around instead of letting everything fly by. I am not a teacher at the moment but I am in college to be a teacher and I would like to do the 365 project with them. I hope that this project works for your class.
Thanks,
Candace
Candace,
Thanks for coming by and taking the time to comment here. I hope you will join the 365 Project. Just click on the link above and join us! My students have not started a photo challenge yet, so I was glad you left this comment. It reminds me to get going on that! I do know that as they are learning to blog, they are becoming better writers.
Thanks,
Denise
Goal #2 – Magical Moments in Teaching
This is the second blog that Mrs. Kreb's wrote. It is about how there is that magical moment in teaching that makes everything worth it. Mrs. Krebs has a student that won a writing contest and this blog is talking about the student and about the feeling that Mrs. Kreb's felt. I commented on this blog saying that I cannot wait until I have my own class and that I get to feel that magical moment.
Mrs. Kreb's commented back saying that it is a great feeling when a student does something that they feel accomplished about. She asked me when I was graduating and getting my own class. I commented back and told her in 2013 hopefully!
February 1, 2012 by Denise Krebs | 1 Comment
In The 30 Goals Challenge 2012, Goal #2 is Highlight Your Magical Teaching Moment.
It’s hard for me to think of one defining magical moment. Instead, there are magical moments daily, cumulatively making me know that I have the best job in the entire world. I am lucky and blessed to be able to spend my day learning and growing with junior highers. Anyway, here is just one magical moment of the year.
Miss A began a novel during genius hour, and she continued in November during National Novel Writing Month. She has been a writer for a while, but she is now writing more than ever. She regularly blogs about her life and experiences. Last month she wrote a short story for submission to a writing contest in our area. She won first place and went on to state competition.
Here is what she wrote in a blog post about the contest:
In geography Mrs. Krebs came in and said I won first place in a writing competition. Another classmate got second. I am happy that I won…My story was about growing up. It had to be 750 words at the most. It was hard not to go over the limit but I did it. I am excited. I can’t wait until I’m a published Author. The story was about a girl who lost her best friend because of cancer. She tried to kill herself then realized that she could help others instead of being miserable and sulky.
Miss A is developing her skills, finding her voice, and sharing it with the world. That is what it’s all about!
Mrs. Denise,
This is Candace. I really enjoy reading your blogs because they get me excited about becoming a teacher myself. I cannot wait to get that magical moment in teaching. I love when children get excited about learning and when they have that excited feeling when they finally understand. I can tell that you feel the same way! I hope I will be a teacher that children love to be in my class. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Candace
Denise Krebs
February 6, 2012 at 7:29 pm
Candace,
Thank you for reading my blog.
It is very exciting when I can engage students so they want to learn. It sounds like you have had some experiences like that in your pre-service experiences! It is a very special time when you finally get your own classroom too. How soon will that be for you?
Sincerely,
Denise
Taking Pictures with Words
January 15, 2012 by Denise Krebs | 13 Comments
The roads were 100% snow covered in some areas, and I had precious cargo in the van with me–students on the way to a quiz bowl meet. There were dozens of photographs jumping out to be taken, but I had precious cargo and I couldn’t stop–we would have been late and there were several cars in the ditches.
Since June, I have been taking many more photographs. Most of them with my point-and-shoot camera, and I am no expert. However, I have gone from the one who didn’t have a camera, or if I did, the batteries were dead to one who is always prepared and on the lookout for photos.
Last summer I received a tweet from Sheri Edwards inviting me to participate in the June, July, and August Project (#JJAProject) which was started by some fellow teachers. After that was over, a few of us continued with the Teachers’ Foto Friday (#TFotoFri) once a week group. Now, about 20 teachers and I are attempting the #T365Project, a picture a day in 2012.
But back to my snowy road trip. This was the first snowy day of the year and only the second of the whole winter! I was so taken with all the beauty, finding photographs everywhere I looked — from the quick sparks and snowy powder shooting up from the blade of the heavy snow plow in front of me to the gentle, intricate flakes falling and melting onto the warm windscreen of the van.
Today, instead of taking the pictures, I could only talk to myself about them.
Some more photos I missed…
Powdered sugar snowfall sprinkled evenly on the oxidized railroad bridge.
Hay bails lined up in formation with uniform helmets of snow.
Festive and frosted evergreens, missing during Christmas, now found interspersed among the bare deciduous trees.
Thin ice, now snow-covered, proved to me it was at least thick enough to hold the deer whose tracks ran down the middle of the river.
After a long day, we turned around and retraced our steps, the snow mostly gone after a sunny winter day. However, the images continued to come.
Reflective tape danced in the sun as the box cars and tankers rumbled by at a train crossing, train art graffiti occasionally broke the rhythm.
Golden grass, bent in the breeze, absorbed and reflected the late afternoon sunshine.
Without my camera, I discovered that my year-long photography adventure is making me a better observer, a better describer, and a better writer. As a literacy teacher, I couldn’t help but wonder if taking photos would have the same effect on students’ writing. What do you think?
Will a photography challenge help students observe, describe, and write?
When they find themselves unable to get a shot they long for, will they take pictures with words?
Mrs. Denise,
I really like the 365 project. It is so interesting and really does make you stop and take a look around. I know I am so busy that I have to make myself stop and take a look around instead of letting everything fly by. I am not a teacher at the moment but I am in college to be a teacher and I would like to do the 365 project with them. I hope that this project works for your class.
Thanks,
Candace
Candace,
Thanks for coming by and taking the time to comment here. I hope you will join the 365 Project. Just click on the link above and join us! My students have not started a photo challenge yet, so I was glad you left this comment. It reminds me to get going on that! I do know that as they are learning to blog, they are becoming better writers.
Thanks,
Denise
Goal #2 – Magical Moments in Teaching
This is the second blog that Mrs. Kreb's wrote. It is about how there is that magical moment in teaching that makes everything worth it. Mrs. Krebs has a student that won a writing contest and this blog is talking about the student and about the feeling that Mrs. Kreb's felt. I commented on this blog saying that I cannot wait until I have my own class and that I get to feel that magical moment.
Mrs. Kreb's commented back saying that it is a great feeling when a student does something that they feel accomplished about. She asked me when I was graduating and getting my own class. I commented back and told her in 2013 hopefully!
February 1, 2012 by Denise Krebs | 1 Comment
In The 30 Goals Challenge 2012, Goal #2 is Highlight Your Magical Teaching Moment.
It’s hard for me to think of one defining magical moment. Instead, there are magical moments daily, cumulatively making me know that I have the best job in the entire world. I am lucky and blessed to be able to spend my day learning and growing with junior highers. Anyway, here is just one magical moment of the year.
Miss A began a novel during genius hour, and she continued in November during National Novel Writing Month. She has been a writer for a while, but she is now writing more than ever. She regularly blogs about her life and experiences. Last month she wrote a short story for submission to a writing contest in our area. She won first place and went on to state competition.
Here is what she wrote in a blog post about the contest:
In geography Mrs. Krebs came in and said I won first place in a writing competition. Another classmate got second. I am happy that I won…My story was about growing up. It had to be 750 words at the most. It was hard not to go over the limit but I did it. I am excited. I can’t wait until I’m a published Author. The story was about a girl who lost her best friend because of cancer. She tried to kill herself then realized that she could help others instead of being miserable and sulky.
Miss A is developing her skills, finding her voice, and sharing it with the world. That is what it’s all about!
Mrs. Denise,
This is Candace. I really enjoy reading your blogs because they get me excited about becoming a teacher myself. I cannot wait to get that magical moment in teaching. I love when children get excited about learning and when they have that excited feeling when they finally understand. I can tell that you feel the same way! I hope I will be a teacher that children love to be in my class. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Candace
Denise Krebs
February 6, 2012 at 7:29 pm
Candace,
Thank you for reading my blog.
It is very exciting when I can engage students so they want to learn. It sounds like you have had some experiences like that in your pre-service experiences! It is a very special time when you finally get your own classroom too. How soon will that be for you?
Sincerely,
Denise
Monday, February 6, 2012
Blog Post #3
Technology in Special Education
Stephanie Tyler introduced this video( Technology in Special Education), I really enjoyed this video because I want to be a Special Education teacher and this really helps me be able to understand how I should teach my students. Technology is a great way to help children with special needs be able to keep up with their work and be able to communicate with other people. Children seem to learn better with technology and are able to understand more when they see it in front of them and it be explained in detail in front of them.
Technology will eventually be the only thing used in schools and work places, so it is good to start students using them early on in life. Students with special needs can get programs on their computers, such as magnify text, that will help aid them in learning. Magnify text makes the text size on the computer and in their textbook as large as the student needs it to be. There are many more programs like this one that can help students with special needs and it can even help students and adults without special needs.
Stephanie Tyler also introduced this video "How the Ipad Works with Academics for Autism."( How the Ipad Works with Academics for Autism) This video was really interesting being able to watch because it shows Braden learning to use his motor skills, learn his numbers, and learn to write. There are so many apps out there that can help aid children with Autism and other special needs. These apps are sometimes free and sometimes cost, but usually are no more then $2.00. Children with special needs seem to learn better with these apps, then they did with pen and paper or a parent/teach trying to help them learn certain things.
The app I chose is Jr BINGO. This app teaches kids with or without special needs how to distinguish between the letters, shapes, and colors. This app also helps them learn the alphabet and the numbers up to 100. The child can choose between two different ways to play. The first game they can choose is called Practice. This uses flash cards to help them learn the numbers, letters, colors, and shapes. After they practice they can then play BINGO. This part of the game calls out the numbers, letters, colors, and shapes and they play BINGO. This app costs $0.99.
Gary Hayes Social Media Count
This chart was created by Gary Hayes and it amazes me! ( Gary’s Social Media Chart
) I cannot believe how many people all over the world do those things every second. I knew that the internet was a huge part of daily life, but I never realized how important and how many people used the internet and uploaded things on the internet every second. This chart was definitely a surprise to me.
I know I use the internet a lot. I have a facebook, a twitter, and a blog but I never realized how many people used these things every second of the day. The internet has now become a big part of everyone's life in the U.S. and other countries. People can now use the internet to do anything. People can use the internet to do anything, such as; learn how to do something, watch videos, listen to music, and go on social sites.
Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today
Michael Wesch introduced this video, it is a product of Kansas State University. ( Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today
) This video proves that most the times in classes that the students do not pay attention. They are either listening to music, on facebook, or they read something else. I am surprised at how many people pay for college classes, and do not attend their class or classes. I know I am sometimes guilty of this and I always get aggravated at myself for not going because I am paying for my classes, so why would I not go.
I know I like hybrid classes much better then classes that I go to everyday. I like being able to go to class some of the time and the other time doing my work on the internet. Sitting in a lecture class can get so boring and you are so temped to check your phone or check your social networks, that you usually do not hear half of the lecture. People's brain cannot comprehend an hour lecture at one time. For me hybrid classes are the best way to get the most out of my classes, because I can do my work on my own time and make sure I understand what I am doing.
Stephanie Tyler introduced this video( Technology in Special Education), I really enjoyed this video because I want to be a Special Education teacher and this really helps me be able to understand how I should teach my students. Technology is a great way to help children with special needs be able to keep up with their work and be able to communicate with other people. Children seem to learn better with technology and are able to understand more when they see it in front of them and it be explained in detail in front of them.
Technology will eventually be the only thing used in schools and work places, so it is good to start students using them early on in life. Students with special needs can get programs on their computers, such as magnify text, that will help aid them in learning. Magnify text makes the text size on the computer and in their textbook as large as the student needs it to be. There are many more programs like this one that can help students with special needs and it can even help students and adults without special needs.
Stephanie Tyler also introduced this video "How the Ipad Works with Academics for Autism."( How the Ipad Works with Academics for Autism) This video was really interesting being able to watch because it shows Braden learning to use his motor skills, learn his numbers, and learn to write. There are so many apps out there that can help aid children with Autism and other special needs. These apps are sometimes free and sometimes cost, but usually are no more then $2.00. Children with special needs seem to learn better with these apps, then they did with pen and paper or a parent/teach trying to help them learn certain things.
The app I chose is Jr BINGO. This app teaches kids with or without special needs how to distinguish between the letters, shapes, and colors. This app also helps them learn the alphabet and the numbers up to 100. The child can choose between two different ways to play. The first game they can choose is called Practice. This uses flash cards to help them learn the numbers, letters, colors, and shapes. After they practice they can then play BINGO. This part of the game calls out the numbers, letters, colors, and shapes and they play BINGO. This app costs $0.99.
Gary Hayes Social Media Count
This chart was created by Gary Hayes and it amazes me! ( Gary’s Social Media Chart
) I cannot believe how many people all over the world do those things every second. I knew that the internet was a huge part of daily life, but I never realized how important and how many people used the internet and uploaded things on the internet every second. This chart was definitely a surprise to me.
I know I use the internet a lot. I have a facebook, a twitter, and a blog but I never realized how many people used these things every second of the day. The internet has now become a big part of everyone's life in the U.S. and other countries. People can now use the internet to do anything. People can use the internet to do anything, such as; learn how to do something, watch videos, listen to music, and go on social sites.
Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today
Michael Wesch introduced this video, it is a product of Kansas State University. ( Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today
) This video proves that most the times in classes that the students do not pay attention. They are either listening to music, on facebook, or they read something else. I am surprised at how many people pay for college classes, and do not attend their class or classes. I know I am sometimes guilty of this and I always get aggravated at myself for not going because I am paying for my classes, so why would I not go.
I know I like hybrid classes much better then classes that I go to everyday. I like being able to go to class some of the time and the other time doing my work on the internet. Sitting in a lecture class can get so boring and you are so temped to check your phone or check your social networks, that you usually do not hear half of the lecture. People's brain cannot comprehend an hour lecture at one time. For me hybrid classes are the best way to get the most out of my classes, because I can do my work on my own time and make sure I understand what I am doing.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Blog Post #2
Did You Know?
This proves that the U.S. needs to improve there educational techniques to help our population become smarter. 25% of India's population with the highest IQ outnumbers the United State's. I was truly surprised at the statics about the texts sent every minute and about the number of people who have a computer at there home. I am also shocked that the number has gone up since 2011. I like how all this information was used together to prove a point about how technology has changed throughout the years and how they influence our learning abilities. Did You Know 3.0
Mr. Winkle Wakes
This video shows how much technology is used throughout the day and our lives. Just about every job now in the U.S. uses technology, such as computers, phones, fax machines, and copy machines. These machines have not always been used in technology, and this is why Mr. Winkle did not like working or going to the hospital. He liked school because they did not use as much technology and this reminded him of when he was in school. I do like how this video, it showed how technology has changed throughout the years, and that not everyone enjoys technology like others do. Mr. Winkle Wakes
Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
Sir Ken Robinson thinks that creativity is one of the most important things for students to possess in school. He also says that students are scared of being wrong because they are taught that answering a question wrong is one of the worst things to happen. Schools throughout the whole world teach the same basic curriculum leaving music and art on the back burner. I feel that Sir Ken Robinson was right about creativity being taken out of education and the students. I like how he says that students need to be taught creativity to help them in the future. Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
A Version for 21st Century Learning
This video helps show that technology will be a part of everyone's life, in school and in their jobs. Children now a days spend so much time using technology that they will have no problems when they graduate and start their own job. Anyone can take a virtual tour of any building or place. This video tells the truth about that technology is taking over the world. Technology is used or will be used in every job and in schools. A Vision for 21st Century
Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smart
I really like this video. I like that the students did all their work on a computer. This will definitely help them in the future when they graduate and get jobs. The students interacted with students all over the world which helps them with their social skills and to learn to use the internet and their computers properly. Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
This proves that the U.S. needs to improve there educational techniques to help our population become smarter. 25% of India's population with the highest IQ outnumbers the United State's. I was truly surprised at the statics about the texts sent every minute and about the number of people who have a computer at there home. I am also shocked that the number has gone up since 2011. I like how all this information was used together to prove a point about how technology has changed throughout the years and how they influence our learning abilities. Did You Know 3.0
Mr. Winkle Wakes
This video shows how much technology is used throughout the day and our lives. Just about every job now in the U.S. uses technology, such as computers, phones, fax machines, and copy machines. These machines have not always been used in technology, and this is why Mr. Winkle did not like working or going to the hospital. He liked school because they did not use as much technology and this reminded him of when he was in school. I do like how this video, it showed how technology has changed throughout the years, and that not everyone enjoys technology like others do. Mr. Winkle Wakes
Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
Sir Ken Robinson thinks that creativity is one of the most important things for students to possess in school. He also says that students are scared of being wrong because they are taught that answering a question wrong is one of the worst things to happen. Schools throughout the whole world teach the same basic curriculum leaving music and art on the back burner. I feel that Sir Ken Robinson was right about creativity being taken out of education and the students. I like how he says that students need to be taught creativity to help them in the future. Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
A Version for 21st Century Learning
This video helps show that technology will be a part of everyone's life, in school and in their jobs. Children now a days spend so much time using technology that they will have no problems when they graduate and start their own job. Anyone can take a virtual tour of any building or place. This video tells the truth about that technology is taking over the world. Technology is used or will be used in every job and in schools. A Vision for 21st Century
Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smart
I really like this video. I like that the students did all their work on a computer. This will definitely help them in the future when they graduate and get jobs. The students interacted with students all over the world which helps them with their social skills and to learn to use the internet and their computers properly. Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
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