Blog Post 6

What did you learn from these conversations with Andy Capps?

Project Based Learning Part 1

Project Based Learning Part 2

ICurio

Discovery Education

The Anthony-Strange Tips

Dont Teach Tec Use It

Additional Thoughts About Lessons



The video that I most enjoyed was Dont Teach Tec use It. I really liked this video because Mr. Capps had some really good ideas about teaching technology. I liked how he pointed out that it is crazy that technology in schools is still controversial. It is crazy that some people are not willing to learn about technology and dont want our students to learn it either when Technology is around us at all times weather we like it or not. Technology that teachers are using in classrooms today comes natural to students. It comes naturally to them because that is all they have ever known. Students enjoy using technology and it is fun for them. I really liked Capps's term of "scaffolding" the learning of technology. How each week build onto the week before's lesson. This way they are learning each part and can use each part separately and all together.

Having a classroom with almost 30 students can be very messy when trying to do projects together but with technology there is no mess. He says that there is no clean up and no spills when using technology for projects. One of my favorite things I learned from watching theses videos was this quote, "What kind of project can I create that will give my students an opportunity to need to know the content that I need them to know." I really love this because it was confusing at first and I had to replay it several times before I fully understand what Mr.Capps was saying. I believe that he is saying that the students need to work on projects to learn not do projects to show what they have learned and how do I show as a teacher how to use the tools to get the information that they will need for the project. I am saving this quote to put it into my teaching philosophy.

C4K Summary for September

First Post:
The student did not have any words in this blog post just his math problems and I guess he was showing his math skills
What I wrote:
I am a student from the United States taking a collage technology class. Your blog is really good. I like how this post is very organized. You also have very good math skills. Keep up the good blogging.

Second Post:
The student wrote about how if he could invent a food he would invent chicken pizza and would put ranch on it.
What I wrote:
Hi William my name is Lauren Parker I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. Your food idea sounds delicious! My favorite food is chicken and pizza so combining them would be a dream! Ranch is so good with both pizza and chicken using ranch is a good way of pulling the two foods together. Good idea!

Third Post:
The student wrote about an alligator named Munchie and how he liked to eat only peppered food because he was peppered himself. His mom made him feel better when he remembered that there were no more oranges for him to eat.
What I wrote:
Janiya,
Hi I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. I loved your story about Munchie the orange alligator! You have such a wonderful and descriptive words in your story. I would love to hear more stories about the adventures of Munchie and Gloriamunch. Great post!

Project 8

Project #3 Presentation

Blog Post 5

What are Personal Learning Networks (PLN)?

PLN are learning networks between different professional. They create connections that contributes to their professional knowledge. They don't even have to know these people.

How can they help you as a teacher?

They can help you as a teacher because if you don't know the answer to something and need help you can ask the question on Twitter and you could get real time answers. Michael Fawcett used this as an example in his video he asked twitter a question and with in thirty minutes NASA answered his question.

How are they formed?

PLNs can be formed in many ways. One can create a formal websight and invite members to check it out. One can join twitter, create a blog or visit blogs written by professionals.

How can you create your own PLN?

I have already started creating my PLN. I joined twitter and instead of following all the trash that is avaliable on twitter I have followed profesionals that discuess ideas that I am intreasted in.

Who will be the first additions to your PLN?

I have followed Some of my professors and to expand my PLN I could follow some of the people that they follow or the ones that my professors retweet a lot. Twitter connects you to teachers with similar ideas as you and they can help you expand your knowledge or give you ideas.

My Sentence Videos

My Sentence is...





My Passion is...

Blog Post #4

In Ben Johnson's article The Right Way to Ask a Question he says that we as teachers need to come to terms with the fact that we do not know everything. When a teacher asks his/her students does everyone understand, or any other kind of open ended question students rarely respond. We must ask specific questions that get students talking. When teachers ask students a question that requires them to give an answer other than yes or no they think and recall and the more the information the more likely they will learn it. Getting students involved in the learning process is very important.
Dr. Maryellen Weimer gives us some good pointers on how to ask students better questions in her article Three Ways to Ask Better Questions. First thing teachers must prepare questions. Teachers spend lots of time making the lessons, they also need to spend that time for questions too. When teachers have the time to sit down and write out questions it makes them think about what they are going to say. They may find that they are wording the question weird or it just does not make sense. Another thing teachers need to make questions engaging. Teachers who come up with thought provoking questions get their students exploring the subject. Teachers should also be on the look out for good questions. When ever a student asks a really good question teachers need to jot it down. They now can use it in different classes or to explore the subject further.

Project #15 Search Engines

WolframAlpha (wolframalpha.com)

-filled with tons of information
-it uses a complex set of algarthems to answer questions or calculations
-aimed towards older students


Sortfix (sortfix.com)

-provides relevant stream lined results
-it analyzes the search results and giving the searcher the ability to focus on or remove certain keywords
-good search engine if you are unsure which information you want to find
-it is meant for younger users


Fact Monster (factmonster.com)

-it is an almanac, dictionary, thesaurus and encyclopedia
-for elementary and middle school ages
-most useful for helping with homework because it has a homework center
-also has games and quizzes

Quintura Kids (quinturakids.com)

-for visual learners
-you enter your terms in the search box and hit enter, all terms in your original search are used to generate additional search items that helps you focus in on something more precise
-one of the safest search engines for kids

Middlespot (middlespot.com)

-it is a visual search engine that returns your search results as a series of thumbnail images
-there are live screenshots of web sights in your search results
-you can save your results, so you can share them with others or look back at them
-would be a very useful tool for an ongoing project

Sweetsearch (sweetsearch.com)

-only searches sights that have been reviewed by an approved team of librarians, teachers and research experts
-you can click on a subject area and grade level

Domoz (domoz.com)

-one of the biggest human-reviewed directories on theses
-it breaks things down into subject areas
-they have a special category for kids and teens

ERIC (eric.com)

-digital library of education research and information
-has access to education literature to support the use of educational research
-information to improve practice in learning, teaching, educational decision making, and research

C4T #1 (Posts 1 & 2)

Summaries of More than a Maths Teacher

1) (An Unusual) Measure for Measure
To me, this blog post was a little hard to understand because she is from the UK and they use different measurements than we do. I reread this post several time to try and understand what she was talking about. The jist of the post was that she had to move rocks form the store to her house and she was concerned that they would not fit in her car so she used a different unit of measurement to figure out that her car was capable of moving the rocks.

My comment said that I enjoyed how she used math in every day life. It shows students and everyone that math is important and we need to not just learn stuff for a test but learn it so we can use it in our day to day lives.


2) Back to School-Time to Set Goals
She says that she is having a harder and harder time learning her students names so she sets a goal of two weeks to learn all her students names. She also sets a goal for the about of time she sets back for just school work. She said last year it got a little crazy so her idea on how to make that happen is to set out a calendar with reminders of times she needs to work and times she needs to do other things.

My comment said that I like that she set realistic goals for the year. Also, having goals for the school year is a really good idea because it makes you focused on what you want to accomplish even if it seems hard right now you are working towards a purpose.

morethanmaths.com

Blog Post 3

How Can You Provide Meaningful Feedback to Your Peers?


When teachers grade our work we usually have no problem with the way that he/she grades it. So, why is it that when a fellow student grades our work we flip out? I can only guess that we believe that because the student is in the same class as we are or the same grade level they could not possibly know something that we don't. When a peer grades my work I am totally a Defensive Dave. I spend lots of time on my work and really try my hardest to make sure I am turning in the best product possible. When a peer makes corrections or suggestions it I feel like I am being attacked personally. Yes, I am very aware of how dramatic I am.

Being a Defensive Dave has its ups. When I grade another students work I can to relate on how the student would feel if I just say only negative things. One must always start with complements when grading a peer paper because the student will be more inclined to really listen to what their peer has to say if they are being praised. Staying positive is key. If a peer just says negative things, the student will believe only the negative. Making suggestions is helpful. Also, a good peer grader must correct mistakes. You can be kind in your review but you also need to correct the student if they need correcting. Otherwise what is the point of the review.

Blog Post 2

1. Mr. Dancealot

The central message of the video is to show that a lecture method of teaching does not help students learn the material. The author makes a good case for this because even though students came to class every day, practiced at home, and the final exam was open book and open notes they still had no idea how to dance. I agree completely with the author of the video. The author is not only saying that dance can not be taught just from a book he is wanting us to draw to the conclusion that this is how lots of students feel about a lecture type style of teaching. One of the students said at the end of the video, " I thought I got it in class but when I got home none of my notes made any sense." I have heard this from lots of classmates through the years and have even experienced it. To really learn something and have it stick with you, not just for the test, you have experience it and draw some connection to it.


2. Teaching in the 21st Century

Roberts thinks what teaching means in the 21st century is to be a tool. Everyone now has access to the internet. Everyone can look up things on google and have tons of information at their fingertips in seconds. One of Roberts big points was that we need to show students how to filter all this information. Anyone now a days can write anything they want on the internet. If I was to google a talking fish I bet I could find somewhere some information on a talking fish. This is where common sense comes into play. Roberts said, " Teachers are no longer the main source of knowledge we are the filter" As teachers we need to teach our students that the internet is an amazing tool for us to learn we just have to learn how to use the tool properly. I agree with what Roberts is saying. Teachers can not just stick with old ways of doing things. The world is constantly changing and we as teachers have got to change with it. Roberts asked questions on how to solve real life problems. For example, How do I invest my money? Granted as an elementary school teacher I will probably never come across this. But if we teach children how to use the right tools for the right situation then that is something I can teach them. It is kind of like that old saying you can give a man a fish and he will eat for a day but if you teach a man to fish he can eat for life. Technology will affect every teacher. It is weather or not they choose to use it. Methods of teaching keep changing with new research and teachers change their teaching style to fit it. Technology is no different. Roberts said teaching must me engaging, but not entertaining. I love this. He goes on to say entertainment is an escape from a problem and engaging is problem solving. So as a teacher we need not to think oh will with be fun for my students, but more along the lines of how can I teach this lesson to where it is interesting and gets them involved in the process.


3. The Networked Student

The internet is not a teacher. The internet is a resource for information. It is what you can do with that information that is important. A teacher can teach information management. A teacher can show how to filter out the unnecessary and false information. We need teachers because what if a student gets stuck. Teachers can offer guidance and show them why they got stuck and teach them the steps on how not to get stuck. A networked student who writes on blogs needs to know how to communicate properly. If a student was to write and he/she had so many grammatical errors who would take their information seriously. After a student leaves your class you want them to be able to have the skills he/she learned with him so he/she can mature into a more successful networked adult.


4. Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

Davis' thesis on the video was that teaching needs to be turn upside down, her words. She says that it is okay that we do not know all the information before we teach it. We can learn right along with the students. I agree with this and I disagree. We as teachers, need to know what we are talking about so if a student ask a question we can give them a right answer. Also if we teach information we need to make sure it is correct. On the flip side of that I do believe that students can teach us things as well. She brought up some really good points on teaching. She said students need to learn how to learn. They need to be comfortable with any technology so they can learn quicker instead mentally freaking out if they have to learn how to use a different software. I really liked how she used new vocabulary so the students would have to look up the definition of unfamiliar words. It is a crossover skill from literacy. It expands the students vocabulary and makes them active in the learning process.


5. Who's Ahead in the Learning Race

I believe that it is very safe to say that elementary school students are far ahead in the learning race. The things that even the kindergarten students can do is amazing. They have a big advantage over us because they are starting at a young age and progressing forward. I think this has a big impact on how advanced they are. Have you heard the saying that you can not teach an old dog new tricks? Well you can it is just harder. When you are teaching how to use technology at such a young age and constantly use it every day it becomes second nature. I was never given a computer in elementary school. The first time I ever had to do anything on a computer for school was sixth grade. The fact that they have the opportunity to do all this from such a young age is amazing. If students in third grade are working on what we are working on now then they will be learning so much more by they time that they are in collage.

6. Flipping the Classroom

Flipping the classroom is new to me as a requirement. Meaning that I have mostly always read before I came to class or familiarized my self with the lesson before class. I just find that I learn more if I repeat things over and over. I do like how it is becoming a requirement so it teaches students how to study on their own and become independent learners and thinkers. It is always good to have some foundation when learning about something brand new, so it is not such a shock to the students. The only thing that makes me concerned about using this is if they learn the wrong way. For example, in math there is lots of different ways on getting the right answer. With a child being at home they could have done all their work the way that they thought was best and missed a step. After doing several math problems they believe that they understand how do it. When they come to class they have to learn all over again how to work the problems which in some cases may be harder for the student to correct themselves than to just learn it the right way from the beginning.


7. Bringing the Locker Room into the Classroom

I would use several techniques in my future classroom that he pointed out. The discussions and debates, it gets everyone in the classroom involved. It gets students to start thinking and to get passionate on what they are talking about. When students are allowed to discuss aloud they can collaboratively problem solve, which is a key skill to have if they ever want to get a job in the future. Having students openly discussing topics also gives them the opportunity to fail openly and not be scared to do so. As a teacher we hope that as they are not afraid to fail they will be open to improvement. Guarantied, if someone says something wrong another student probably was too and helping one student we can help another. Also, students have a sense of leadership over their learning and feel empowered they are more willing to learn and participate. If we teach students the system they can be independent learners and thinkers.

Blog Post 1

What About EDM310?


I have heard many things about EDM310. For the most part all of the things being said are pretty good. Everyone basically says the same speech. It seems like it is going to be really hard at first but you just have to get in the swing of things and you will end up enjoying the class. They say that you will learn a lot of useful information. One of my biggest fears about this class is that I am going to miss something. It seems like there is lots of information in several different places and I just do not want to miss something just because I can not find it. After a few weeks hopefully I will be able to navigate everything better. This class is much different than any other classes I have taken in collage because it is all online but yet we are still in a classroom. I have taken online classes before but nothing like coming to class and still being online. When I was in middle school I took a computer class where we did all of our projects on the computer but hardly anything on the internet like this class. The thing about this class that is going to be most difficult would be the HTML language. I should not say this because it is so embarrassing, but it took close to an hour to figure out how to turn on the bold. I paid attention in class, I even wrote it down! There is also a bold button! So clearly that is something that is going to be very difficult with me, but practice makes perfect! After spending all that time on the bold HTML I will not forget it now. After a few more blogs I am hoping that things will come easier.

Practice Blog

What I Want My Students to Know


-Who I am

My name is Lauren Parker. I am 21 years old and currently live in Robertsdale, Alabama. I lived in Mobile until I was fifteen and then moved to Fairhope where I graduated high school.Me and my husband,Ryan, bought a house in Robertsdale last November. I have a 19 month old son named Morgan. Morgan's doctor told us that he is very advanced for his age. My husband and I got married last March.

I am attending South because it is one of only university that is close to where I live, and it has a great reputation. I am getting my degree in elementary education and I am in tier 1. I am entering in the field of education because it is what I have always dreamed of doing. To me, it is a honorable career choice.

-Why do I want to be an educator?

I have wanted to be an educator for as long as I can remember. I love being around children. Being able to teach a child something that they have never seen and being able to get them to understand something that was not clear to them before is one of the greatest feelings in the world. You can see their little motors running and all of a sudden it clicks. Me personally, I learned more and retained the most information in elementary school. I would like to impact a child like that some day.

-What does an educator do in his or her practice?

The sole purpose of an educator is to teach. It is much more than standing in front of a class and reading the text book. They have to make sure the students are retaining the information and can apply it. An educator must act as a role model because when they are teaching children, the children will often immolate them.

-What are my passions?

My passions include my family. I am very big on family. My husband let me stay home with my son for the first year and not have to have a job so I could spend all the time in the world with him. I love school and I always strive to do my best. I guess it is a good thing I enjoy school so much because hopefully one day I will be working in one.

What I Wand My Students to be Able to Do


I would like my students to be able to use the information I teach them. I do not want my students to just learn material for a test and be done with it. I want them to retain as much of the information as possible so they can use it later on in life. There were so many things in high school that built off of things you had already learned. Well, if you only memorized the information before you could not move forward with new material. Things are just ten times harder that way. So might as well buckle down and actually learn the information now. I would also like for my future students to learn about technology. Technology will always be around and it is constantly changing. Not knowing how to use a computer these days is almost as bad as not knowing how to read. Almost everything can be done on a computer now and if an educator does not teach them the proper methods where else will they learn?

photo from Lauren Parker's photos.