Comments 4 Teachers

Classroom Chronicles

I was assigned to read Henrietta Miller "Classroom Chronicles." The first article I read was titled Sometimes it is the simplest things . The post was about personal, portable whiteboards. These are smaller white boards that each student has. This video tells about the white boards. It is a very interesting video and I recommend everyone to watch it.

The second post I read was titled Sydney Teach-Meet. This post was about a meeting inaugural Sydney Teach- Meet for primary teachers is on April 19. "So the challenge is out, If you are a primary school teacher who is interested in sharing, learning or just listening to other teachers in the flesh, I can promise an interesting day." This is a direct quote from the blog.

Skype Interview

Blog Assignement 9

"What I've Learned This Year" by Mr. McClung

The first topic Mr. McClung talks about is "How to read my crowd." In this paragraph, he talks about how he developed a mindset that was all about him, the teacher and that he lost tough with his lesson. I imagine that a lot of first time teachers would fell this way because they are trying so hard to give a good lesson, all the while thinking if they are even doing a good job. I am quite sure that first time teachers let their nerves get the best of them.
The second paragraph Mr. McClung talks about is being flexible. He states, "No lesson is ever perfect. The lesson you teach and the one you plan are always different." I think this statement is very true because you can plan and plan for something to go perfect, however the reality of it is nothing is perfect. As much as we would all like to be perfect and have the perfect class with the perfect lessons, doesn't mean its going to happen. Also, you can't plan out life. I am quite sure that this is something that all first time teachers are going to experience. Teaching is something I have dreamed out since I was in the 2nd grade, and I know I am going to want everything to go a perfect as possible.
The third and in my opinion the most important paragraph of the entire blog is Communication. In my opinion, communication is the most important aspect of any relationship, be it a friendship, relationship or student-teacher relationship. If you do not have communication, you do not have a relationship. I also agree with Mr, McClung when he says communication skills are the hardest to develop. I think the reason communication skills are the hardest to achieve is because people are afraid to express their opinions in fear they may be wrong. I know that working with students now, they are deathly afraid of being wrong. I blame society for this because our society is very judgmental. We are constantly judging the girl with the crazy hair or the boy who looks like he just rolled out of bed. I believe our students are afraid they will be scolded if they are wrong.
The fourth paragraph Mr.McClung writes about is to Be Reasonable. I know as teachers we are going to want the best from our students. We are going to want them to give their best and be their best. Some students will be able to exceed this expectations, others will meet our requirements, and the rest will fall behind. We have to learn to except that that is how its going to be. We need to acknowledge the ones that exceed our expectations and that meet our expectations, and then encourage the others who fall behind.
The fifth paragraph is about not being afraid of technology. This is true because technology is all around us. It is in our homes, offices, schools and stores. We are having to incorporate this into classrooms because that is what our students are comfortable with. We need to make them as comfortable as we can in the classroom and whether we like it or not, they are comfortable with learning thought technology and we need to respect that.
The sixth paragraph is about listening to your students. It is very critical that we listen to our students. They are a voice in this world and deserve to be heard. Mr. McClung also points out that teachers do not know enough about the students they are teaching. I think that all teachers should know everything they can about their students, especially the younger ones. The reason I feel this way is because if something tragic has happened or something bad is going on in the household, the teacher should know because it could affect their learning and school work. Also, teachers should want to get to know the people they are teaching. I know that I try to find out different things with my students. I always ask them how things are going or how their family is so I can find out if their is something I should know. From the older ones I get answers, and from the younger ones I generally have to ask their parents because the child gets confused. I always feel much better after knowing whatever the issue is because I am able to help and be another eye when the parents aren't around to make sure the child is alright.
The last topic in the blog post is Never Stop Learning. Mr. McClung talks about how some educators "refuse to learn ans grow as professional learners." He also points out that we work in a learning environment so why not soak up as much as we can. This I completely agree with because education is constantly changing. Things are changing so rapidly that you have to be apt to learning new skills and things. Not only to we have to learn it, but also pass the information along to our students. They also can teach us a thing or two about technology so we need to be able to learn from our students while we are teaching them.

For the full article by Mr. McClung, you can click here

Blog Assignment 8

This is How we Dream, Parts 1 & 2 by Richard Miller:

I really enjoyed listening to the presentation. The more I watch presentations dealing with the advancement of technology, the more I become scared and excited. I am exvited about the future of technology. We can already do so much with technology. Its hard to believe that there is even more things we can do.
I feel that I will be prepared to write with multimedia. I also think my students will be able to as well because they are growing up with technologoy more than I did as a child. I actually think that my students will be able to tell me a thing or two about technology that I will not even know!

The Chipper Series and EDM310 for Dummies

The Chipper Series is a very good video. My favorite part was Chipper saying she wanted to go on Wikipedia and change the definition of Wikipedia. Yes, that can be done, but that doesn’t mean it changed the definition as a whole to everyone. Chipper thinks she can procrastinate and wait until the very last minute to get her work done and still pass EDM 310. Sadly, that is very untrue. If you wait until Sunday afternoon (like I did today) you are in a hurry to get your assignments done. If you are like me, waiting until the last minute results in sloppy work that doesn’t make sense. By then end of the week you are tired and more than likely; don’t want to do your work so you half do it, which results in a not so good grade.
In EDM 310 for Dummies, this video was very true. At the beginning that was how I felt. However, instead if procrastinating, I learned very quickly to manage my time and I am able to get my work done 2-3 days before the actual due date. This is the week of Spring Break and this assignment slipped my mind. Luckily, I remembered in enough time to still be able to complete it before the deadline. As Dr. Strange said in The Chipper Series, "If there’s a deadline, you must complete your work by the deadline in order to get full credit.” So to all readers and future readers if this blog, take a deep breath because you are about to embark upon an incredible intellectual journey. You will become frustrated at times. If you do not procrastinate, you will succeed in this class.



Learn to Change, Change to Learn



I really enjoyed this video. I 100% agree that we need a community system. The classroom really is just a place to do a project or watch some video that no one pays any attention too. I feel that people need to realize that everything is changing. With technology being able to do so many things, our jobs are going to change. Our classrooms are changing drastically. I’m sure as much as people would love to see the classroom the way it used to be where they teacher spoke and then the students went home to do homework. They even have to realize everything is changing and that includes in the classroom.

The Secret Powers of Time by Philip Zambardo
There are six main time zones people live in. Two focus on the past, two on the future, and two on the present. Past positive remembers the good, such as Successes, happy birthdays. The people that focus on the past focus on the negative are past negative. To be orientated, you have to trust. If you make a decision of the future, you have to trust it’s going to carry out. Closer you are to the equator the more present oriented you are. La Lega in Italy basically cuts country in half. South wants children. North says all they do is work. In a book written by Robert Levine, he talks about pace of life. Think about how much time has expired when you’re sitting in the dentist office before they start drilling, or waiting in line? Time duration is about whether you’re bored or excited or not. In U.S, you can rank 60 cities according to high or low pace of life. High pace has more coronary problems. In US, a child drops out of school every 9 seconds. By the time a boy is 21, he has spent 10,000 hours playing video games alone. Add more hours if they have watched porn. They haven’t used social skills, because they live in a world they create. They will never fit in a traditional classroom because their brains are being re wired. The statistics in this video are unbelievable. This is a very interesting video and I invite everyone to watch it.

Smartboard Presentation

Peer Evaluation Results

1)On a scale of 1-10, please rank if the teachers' language and vocabulary was clear and age appropriate? All three participants gave each of us a 10.

2) On a scale of 1-10, please rank the overall presentation in comprehension level.
All three participants gave each of us a 10.

3) On a scale of 1-10, were students asked to participate in the activity?
All three participants gave each of us a 10.

4) On a scale of 1-10, rank the overall creativity of the activity.
All three participants gave each of us a 10.

5-8 Please comment on each persons overall performance.
For myself, Rebecca Sisson, Samantha Fleming, Myself, and Jacob Webb, we were all given a job well done.

9) What was the most prominent aspect of the lesson presented?
----Liked that our game gave a grade at the end
-----Very enthusiastic
------Liked the multiple choice game

10) Please tell us if there is anything you would change or add to the presentation.
-----All three said they would change nothing, and it was great.

Blog Assignment 7

Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture

This was the most powerful speech I think I have ever seen. I have so much respect for Randy Pausch. When watching his lecture and hearing his words, the only thought that went through my mind was, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" He seems to have such a zest for life. To have gone through so many bad things and still have a wonderful outlook on life, and have the strength to stand up in front of all of those people and give a lecture, and be able to get through it...WOW! I know I could not do it.
The first thing I noticed while watching this video was how organized he was. He had everything he needed to give an effective speech. He knew exactly what he wanted to say and how he wanted his audience to receive it. In order to be an effective speaker and a good educator, you have to be organized. I know as a future educator, I am trying every day to stay organized and make sure I have what I need day. I am also very well at not being a procrastinator. I am learning how to use my time wisely. EDM 310 has certainly helped me with that goal!
The second thing I noticed about his lecture was he made his audience think about different things. He would say, "Think about..." and the audience would have to imagine what he said so we could get a good feel about what he was talking about. I enjoy when I listen to lectures/speeches and I am told to "think about" something. It always makes me feel like the speaker cares and really wants us to get a good understanding of what he/she is about to say.
The third technique I noticed about Randy was how entertaining his presentation was. He did not just stand in front of a room and lecture with a power point slide, he made it entertaining. He made his audience laugh which makes listening to a lecture enjoyable. I think this is the best technique when teaching because it keeps people on the edge of their seats, waiting for something else funny to come out of your mouth. Now I know a lecture isn't about being funny, but it sure helps keep people paying attention to you instead of sleeping or playing on their cell phones!

My PLN: Post 1

I have signed up for Symbaloo and I really like it. I was going to sign in to my account today to explore some more but the website is having trouble and it keeps telling me to come back soon. So hopefully later on today I will be able to sign in and learn more about Symbaloo. What I do know about it, I like. And as soon as I am able to sign in I'm going to get it organized and set it as my internet back ground. I did read that on the website so I'm hoping that means that when I open Firefox, Symbaloo will come up and I can access anything I want at the click of a button.

C4T #2

Comments 4 Teachers

The teacher I was assigned to read was Jeff Utecht. His blog is titled the "The thinking Stick." He is an international educator. I found a video on YouTube; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8djV8slDN0, that is a speech Jeff did. It was very interesting and I recommend anyone who reads this to watch it.
The first blog post I read on Jeff's blog was titled, "Learning through Presentations." The post begins by talking about how sometimes, right before class, teachers will go online, copy and paste information onto power point slides, and then stand in front of the classroom and read off of the screen. It also points out that how much learning can there be by a student writing down the notes exactly how you have them written on your presentation. The students are focused on copying down what you have written, chances of them listening are very slim. The blog goes onto to talk about how Jeff has partnered up with a 9th grade teacher to come up with a program that will allow for the presentation to become a story, journey, or an in-depth look into some aspect of a book. This can be achieved by using a modified Pecha-Kucha format. Because of timing instead of 20 slides 20 seconds a slide go with 15 slides x 20 seconds for an even 5 minute presentation. For a more in depth look at this article, go to Jeffs blog;http://www.thethinkingstick.com/.


The second article I read about was entitled, Wikispaces Extends Free Education Wikis to Higher-Ed. This article is about how Wikispaces who has always been a great supporter of wikis in K-12 Education giving away some 980,000 free ad-free wikis for classroom use over the years will announce next week that not only will it continue to support K-12 Education, but will also be opening up it's free service to higher education as well. The features in these free educational wikis normally cost $50 per year, but are completely free for educational use.