Blog Post #10

What Can We Learn About Teaching and Learning From Randy Pausch?

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture is incredibly inspiring. This profesor from Carnegie Mellon was an intelligent, down to earth, and creative man. This man teaches us what it means to really deal with something. In his case, he has been told he does not have much longer to live yet he continues to live with a "nothing is impossible" attitude.
My favorite part about this lecture is when he says "When you do something wrong and no one tells you, they have given up on you. Then you have a problem." I agree with him on this 100%. This is effectively used in teaching. If a teacher did not correct a student when they did something wrong the student would go on thinking the wrong thing for who knows how long. That is one good reason why peer editing is important in EDM310.
Another piece of advice taken from Randy is that experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. We can all relate to this. When he was young he applied to be a Disney Imagineer and said he received some of the nicest rejection letters he had ever read. This was experience for Randy and enabled him to do better in his life even if he thought he wanted something else.
Randy learned along the way that if you give people time they will impress you. I believe we could all use a little more patience. Especially in teaching, patience is important. If you can not be patient with your students then you have a problem. Only time can tell.
I think the most important thing learned from this video is that you can not give up on things. Holding on until the end is vital because life is all about the journey.

Project #14 Lesson Plan #2

Blog Post #9

What can we learn about teaching and learning from these teachers?
This is a collaborative blog post.

Brian Crosby, Agnes Risley Elementary School, Sparks, Nevada

http://learningismessy.com/blog/?p=854

1) In Brian Crosby's video lecture he shared what his 4th grade class was doing to learn science. Through his lecture, we have found that there is a lot to learn. He said how he was able to turn a class of high-risk, non-English speakers into a high-achieving class. This alone is amazing! He continues to say how this class was able to complete a massive project based on sending a balloon up with a camera and radio in order to observe the different layers of the atmosphere. This project was achieved by using technology and working with students at a local university. Not only did the students have to set up and complete this project, but they also had to then write about it. Each student made a story based on his or her observations after viewing the video. The stories were about the experience of going up into the air as the balloon.

The most important lesson here to learn is that any student, no matter where he or she comes from or what his or her background is, can achieve anything. The lesson for any teacher or future teacher is that it is our responsibility to provide the opportunity and help to these children. Teaching is a very difficult job, but in order to properly teach one must be willing to work with students as much as needed and not to give up just because students may not know much at first. In this video Brian Crosby starts off telling the audience that most of his students did not know what city, state, country, or street they lived in, nor what their own phone numbers were. This can be very discouraging to any teacher. But he did not let this lack of knowledge stop him or his students! He was able to help them learn and head towards a brighter future. This is the ways teaching should be, motivating all students to succeed and learn. This also shows that learning is not as many people view it. Learning can be achieved by anyone as long as he or she is willing to work.

The last part of the video shows Crosby's determination to teach and help every student learn. He was informed that he would have a new student join his class, the only problem was that she couldn't come to school because she suffered from Leukemia and her immune system was gone. Instead of just dismissing her, Crosby thought of a plan. She could come to class via Skype. The end shows one of the Skyped classes were she was able to learn alongside her classmates. This is truly remarkable and should be an example for every teacher to learn by. No matter the obstacle a student may face, the teacher should never give up or dismiss a student.

2.) Mr. Paul Anderson: High School AP Biology Elementary School Teacher also known as "Bozeman science". He has a website bozemanscience.com that explains what he has been doing for the past 20 years as a science teacher. He has created over 100 science videos that students can view via the web. His videos are made in a way that will grab each students attention and have been viewed over a million times. On most of his videos he has created a small box that shows him actually lecturing while the video is still in motion. He explains each module and diagram, while talking inside the box.

His videos include:
AP Biology, AP chemistry, Anatomy and Physiology, Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Educational, Next generations science standards, Physics, Statistics and Graphing.

This is a great resource that he is contributing to the world of education. Each student, teacher, or professor can watch these videos and have a tutor in one click. By allowing his videos to be on the web he has made having to pay a tutor and spending time to meet up with your tutor, extinct. His work doesn't stop there, each video can be translated to Spanish, Mongolian, or Japanese.

While looking around his page we found a "How to Use Video game Tactics in the Classroom". Click here to watch Mr. Anderson's video. This video will explain how to engage your students while teaching in your classroom. While the students are having fun they are also learning, this is the main goal of this teaching method.


Making Thinking Visible

3) Mark Church is a 6th grader teacher at an International School in Amsterdam. Church asks his students to group together to discuss a video presented to them about the origins of society. Each group will better understand the material by discussing a puzzle and collaboratively they will come up with a headline that summarizes what it is all about. He says previously he has asked his students to think about how they their ideas and thinking has been extended. Now he asks them to think about the challenge the puzzle presents. Church gives each group a piece of paper to create a headline that captures what the challenge of the search of human origins is all about. The students continue to trade ideas and work together on their headlines through the remainder of the video. Church talks about each headline with the class and says in two weeks he will go back and talk about how things have changed. I think from Church we learn that working collaboratively is important in building social skills. It is also important to ensure that students are engaged and understand the material that is being taught to them.

C4T Summary #2

C4T Post #1

Karl Fisch is currently teaching Algebra. His blog post Air Travel: Google Apps Style gives us an inside look into his latest assignment for his knowledge thirsty students. He has asked his students to gather flight information outside of class to prepare for this assignment. Once they get to class with the information the students will graph their information and learn about sketching a line of best fit. He will also use a Smart Board to present to the students. He has used Google Spreadsheet to pinpoint relationships between flight cost, distance, and time.
This was my response to his post:

Hello Karl, I'm a student at the University of South Alabama. I am studying childhood education and currently taking EDM310 with Dr. Strange. He has so kindly assigned me to your blog this week! Although math is not my favorite I am intrigued by your assignment. I hope all goes well for you and your students! What grade do you teach? How do your students like using Google apps? I am interested to know how they react to this technology. Please feel free to check out my class blog!



C4T Post #2

I am Malala
In Karl Fisch's latest blog post he has embedded a few interesting videos about Malala. Malala is an advocate for Education from Pakistan. At 16 years old, she is the worlds youngest female to be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. This clip from The Tonight Show explains how she stood up for education and was shot by the Taliban. She has recently published a book titled I Am Malala. She explains that her love for education comes from her education being taken away from her in Pakistan. When she was not allowed to go to school she realized how important education is. She talks about education being power for women and says this is why terrorists do not like it, because women will become more powerful. Since 2007, in her homeland terrorists have demolished schools and taken out families. She describes some of this action as "the darkest days" of her life. Malala spoke out publicly about education, gaining confidence from her family to speak up for rights. She believed she needed to speak to the public about the terrorism ruining her hometown. It wasn't long before Malala discovered by googling her own name that the Taliban were targeting her and threatening her. She believed they were not cruel although she mentally prepared for their arrival. She decided she would tell them how important education is to her and then tell them to "do whatever you want". Malala is an inspiration to many people and a true advocate for education at heart.
This was my response to his post:

Thank you very much for sharing this. Malala is an inspiration and gives a very powerful message to students and teachers alike. Do you know anyone who feels this way about education? Did you share this with your students?

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook

Blog Post #8 Collaborative

Find some 21st Century Learning and Communicating Tools?
Tell us about them, tell us where we can find them.
Give a thorough review of at least on of them.

Collaborative Group Post:
This new millennium was brought in with a dramatic revolution of technology. We now live in a diverse, globalized, and complex, media-saturated society. Today's Kindergartner's will be retiring from their jobs in 2067. We as teachers have no idea what they world will be like in 60 years, or how technology will be. This is why future educators have to look to technology as their main teaching aids. Emerging technologies and resulting globalization also provide unlimited possibilities for exciting new discoveries and developments. During our scavenger hunt this week our group has researched and came up with three different ways we can be effective teachers in the 21st century.

Haley Marrs:

By now, we are well aware of the countless educational tools available to teachers.iTunes U is one tool I find exceptionally useful for educators and students. iTunes U is a free tool through Apple iTunes where any college or university can upload courses available for anyone who wants to take them at no charge. With this being said, iTunes U has a multitude of educational classroom resources available. In addition to college courses there is also a section of iTunes U that focuses on K-12 Education. This makes iTunes U the perfect tool for any teacher or student. On top of having the some of the best resources in the world, such as Harvard and Stanford Universities, this tool is easy to use. Once you have downloaded iTunes all you have to do is select iTunes U on the main toolbar. A quick search of your topic, grade, school, or subject will leave you with plenty of content to explore and choose from. The searched content could be in the form of exciting videos, educational movies, elaborate PDF's, intriguing books, or lectures from some of the top professors in the world. I would like to use iTunes U in my classroom to help my students explore all the information that is available to learn. If I wanted to do a lesson on the Solar System I could do one simple search and find enough exciting content to entertain and teach my students for weeks. Another great thing about iTunes U is that you can use it on an iPad as well.

Kayla Szymanski
I have chosen a tool named animoto, this is a website you can go to and create videos. Basically this is a site where you can upload pictures and make slideshows with text. This is different from Power point or even Google presentations because the background moves while the video is playing. You have the opportunity to pic your style, music, and text. These videos allow personality and creativity. The students will be able to show what they have learned through a video presentation. In three easy steps you can have a fascinating presentation that will catch the attention of the entire class.

First thing you can when you get to animoto is choose which pictures you would like to use. The great thing about animoto is that your Facebook, Instagram, Piscasa, Flickr and any other web based albums are available. This tool is very relatable with 21st century students because most of them already have pictures uploaded to each of these sites.  Having a tool that allows you to choose pictures from web based albums will save time and make it easier for our learners. You can also insert videos from YouTube, or make your own and insert it.

Next, you will be able to customize your style. This site allows you to choose from tons of backgrounds and themes. Here is a link that will show you all of the backgrounds they allow you to use: http://animoto.com/create . During this step you can also add text or points you would like to talk about during your presentation.

Once you have finished your text, you are ready to share your presentation. This site allows you do download and embed your video to Faceboook, Youtube, Vimeo, Twiter and more.



Alyssa Sherman

In recent years many schools have added smart boards to classrooms. With this tool, teachers can set up lessons on the board in advance and while still using their computers. When I was in middle school they were first brought into my school's classrooms. They were always very useful but we students never got to use them. There was also no way for us to take the lesson on the board home. Now there is a new app for iPads called "Show Me". This tool is very much like a smart board, except students are able to download this free app and work along with the lesson. Teachers can write anything they wish to write on their show me board and save it for future use. In addition, there is a record button so that students can actually see the teacher work out a problem or write something down in order. Teachers can show this in class and instead of having to waste class time writing they can start off by showing and then answering questions and better explaining any confusing steps. Students can go home (assuming that they have access to an iPad) and see the lesson again at home. This app is also a great tool for teachers and students to use because students can also see lessons from other teachers. This is a great way for students to learn if they are having a hard time understanding a certain topic.

As an example I made a show me lesson teaching how to solve the equation 1+2. The first step was to click the record button so that students could see the step by step method. Then you just speak as if you were in a classroom and "write". When you are done with the lesson you simple save and share to your class.

Students will also be able to use this tool. It can be used in test preparation, group projects, or just to help them better understand the material. If students make a show me as if they were teaching the lesson, they will always better understand the material. Also, this app gives them a global audience to work with.

Podcast

PLN Progress Report Project #2

This is my PLN that I have created according to my interests. When I click these icons they take me right where I need to go. Many of the icons I have on my PLN are for educational purposes. Some are there only because they intrigue me. My Educational News icon is on of my favorites. It updates me when any kind of news about my local school systems are available.
I added some art icons to my network also because I believe a PLN should be consistent with ones personal interests. The website I used when creating my PLN is called Symbaloo. The Symbaloo site allows you to compress any site you like into one big collage of sites. Having this organizing site is very convenient and makes it much easier for my virtual usage in becoming a teacher.

Project #13 Lesson Plan

C4K Monthly Summary

Comments for Kids has been very enjoyable so far. Each student blog assigned to me has been unique in its own way. My first assignment was a 10th grader in Mrs. Martin's English class at Baldwin County High School. Her blog post in response to her "This I believe" assignment and was about bullying. She wrote about how unfair she thought it was and the time she saw a classmate come into class extremely upset. He refused to tell who had bullied him. She proceeded to write that something needs to be done about it and to treat others the way you want to be treated. When I commented on her post I introduced myself and told her to always stand up for what she believes in. I related to her story and I gave her a few small grammatical corrections. I left her a link to my blog and told her to check it out if her teacher permitted. I did not receive a response. My second C4K assignment was a young girl in Guatemala. She blog post was written about the time she found out her family was moving to Guatemala. She wrote about how she hoped that she would make new friends and she worried she wouldn't like her new school. She had never even been on an airplane. She was posting from her new class and said that she had made new friends and everything turned out to be okay. I commented on her post, introduced myself, and told her I hoped school was going well. I agreed that change can sometimes be scary. I also left the link to my blog and told her to check it out if her teacher allowed. My third C4K assignment for a sweet young girl named Ana Bloomfield at Pt. England School. She had a brief blog post about hexagonal learning with a video attached. She explained what hexagonal learning is and described how and why she made her hexagon. I commented on her blog and introduced myself and told her I thought her blog was beautifully designed. I proceeded to ask her a few simple questions about her assignment and left the link to my blog for her to see.My final C4K assignment for the month was for the blog of Ciana in Mrs. Ripp's 5th grade class in Wisconsin. Her post was in response to a post her teacher wrote about a book they are reading in class titled "Out of My Mind". She wrote about how curious she was to know if the book would be good. She said the front and the back of the book made her wonder about what was inside. She also asked if anyone had read it and if anyone had suggestions on a good book. I responded to her post, introduced myself, and told her I had never heard of the book but now I was curious. I told her about the book I used for my book trailer project and suggested she read it when she had time. I am looking forward to see which students I am assigned next month.

Blog Post #7

(This is a Collaborative Group Assignment)

What can you learn from conversations with Anthony Capps? (#1-4)

While watching Part 1: Experiences of a 3rd grade teacher Anthony Capps tells us about his latest teaching experiences. He is a third grade teacher in a Baldwin County Elementary school located in Gulf Shores, AL. Dr. Strange asks Anthony how he approaches project-based learning in his 3rd grade class and what it entails. Anthony regularly uses PBL as a method of teaching and replies that project-based learning is constantly evolving. Many teachers may use projects at the end of a teaching unit to sum up the lesson or to clarify that the students comprehend what is being taught. Anthony thinks that teachers should always use PBL as a method in which the student learns content rather than just achieving something. The project assigned should be driven by a “need to know”; meaning the student needs to know the content of the standards before creating their project. This allows them to create their own learning experience. This also allows students to discover their knowledge and become enthralled with their final presentation. He implies that it is the teacher’s responsibility to assign a project that is based on the content of the state standards. Anthony says that the goal to a good project is one that has an authentic audience; this makes the kids feel rewarded for the work that they do. It also prepares them for the future. Another goal is to make the project relatable to the student’s interest and to incorporate your local community. When Anthony creates projects they all have to meet the state standards. For example, one project included the students writing letters to our congressman; this allows for the language, history, and writing standards to be met all in one project. This project is a prime example of having an authentic audience and getting the students excited about receiving a response.

Anthony also talks about iCurio and how he has used this tool in his 3rd grade class. He states that the students are able to log in and use it as a search engine. He encourages students and teachers alike to store content that they think is valuable. Using iCurio to store valuable content allows the students and teachers to have total online organization. You can add things and create your own folders with websites, audio, videos, and images. Overall using iCurio in the classroom is a great way to teach organization virtually. Anthony speaks from experience when he says "the outcome is extraordinary". It is appropriate and safe for students because only the material the teacher allows will be on the iCurio sight. Therefore it is very child friendly which is essential in the classroom. The students can also save any work they are currently working on, so if the bell rings and it’s lunch time they can conveniently save everything they are working on and come back to it at a later time.

"A picture is worth a 1000 words and a video must be worth a million." - Anthony Capps

Regardless of the text article you give a child if you can pair it with visual then they will retain a lot more information. 21st century teachers always should use illustrations when teaching and Discovery Ed is the perfect place to retrieve illustrations and other resources. Discovery Ed is useful for students to find pictures and articles on specific class related topics. Anthony uses Discovery Ed to bring certain text to life. 21st century students are “listener watchers”, which means they listen and watch much more than they read or write. Dr. Strange intelligently states “our goal as a teacher is to convert people to more of a consumer of these products and into users of these products. Or even better producers.”


#5) Strange Tips for Teachers: Part 1
Written By: Alyssa Sherman

This was a very interesting conversation to listen to. I feel like this list will become very helpful in my future teaching career. Dr. Strange and Anthony create a list of 5 different key issues that new teachers need to consider. First, teachers must be interested in learning. I feel that this idea is very important. In the past I have had teachers who had no interest in their subject or learning more about it. These were always the teachers I disliked. They made learning miserable and boring. The other teachers I have had were always looking for more or new information. Even teachers who had earned a PhD in their field were always eager to go look something up if a student asked them a question they did not know the answer to. The second point that Anthony and Dr. Strange made was that teachers need to be flexible. I know this point will become very useful to myself and other future teachers. In 11th and 12th grade I taught a 2nd-3rd and 3rd-4th grade Sunday School class. Because I only had 2-3 students I had to be very creative when coming up with lessons and projects. In addition, many weeks I would only have 1 student come. This made things even more challenging. This experience really makes me agree with this part of the list. The 3rd issue on the list is that teaching is hard work. This is very true. As a student I really can only imagine the work involved in making lessons, making homework, quizzes, and tests, grading these, and engaging students, and helping any student who might need a little extra explanation. Dr. Strange and Anthony also say that teaching is rewarding. From my brief experience teaching a small Sunday School class or teaching a young Girl Scout troop a new skill, this fact is very true; why else would so many people devote their lives to teaching. All new teachers should know this so that they know what they are getting into. The 4th issue is begin any plan with an end, meaning that always know what you want the end result to be. Again, flexibility is key here. The last issue is the get students engaged. Anthony says that the goal should be 100% engagement. This may seem like a very high, unlikely number, but like Anthony mentions "no child left behind". Why teach to the whole class if you only expect half to be interested and listening. I will always keep this goal in mind while teaching. Anthony and Dr. Strange share an extra 6th issue towards the end of the video that I think is very interesting. Sharing the final product with others. Having an audience makes many students want to do better and excites them. It also provides a way for students to reflect, the 6th issue on the list. Reflecting is very important. After a project is done many students want to simply relax, have fun, and not think about the topic anymore. This, however, is not a good idea. Dr. Strange and Anthony are very right to add this onto the list. I think that all of these issues are very important and I will keep them in mind and implement them when I begin my teaching career, as I believe all other future teachers should do!


#6) Title of Video: Don't Teach Tech- Use It
Written By: Kayla Szymanski

Using technology in the classroom can be one of the best approaches in the 21 century. Technology is all around our students and they use it everyday, it comes completely natural to them. A great way to incorporate technology is to introduce these tools that are available like ICurio and Discovery Ed. Anthony explains how you can use technology weekly in your classroom. The first week of class he introduces the students to their new research tools. The following week they will then be assigned a research topic, for the research part they can use ICurio. Next they will have to research for a video that relates to their topic which can be done threw Discovery Ed. The final week Anthony explains how the students are then given a research project that may requires a movie component to it. There are many technologic tools that you can use in your classroom, and these are just two example of how Anthony Capps introduces them to his 3rd graders. The benefits of using technology is that it is completely free and the students get to create and design their projects in a unique manor. Sometimes there will be a one time fee for these technological tools. But what you have to remember is that when using technology the daily classroom supplies is no longer needed. This is a great way to ensure that your students will never run out of the materials during their learning process. Also it saves time in the classroom because it is clean. Anthony mentions how you don't have to clean up markers and spills, technology is the new way of learning.


#7) Additional Thought About Lessons
Written By: Haley Marrs

This brief video is a wonderful learning tool for future teachers. This conversation features Anthony Capps discussing the four layers of teaching lessons. He makes a nice humorous point when saying "if it's anymore than four layers I'm just going to cry". The four layers are broken down as follows:

- Yearly: When planning our lessons for the year Anthony recommends drawing out a map. We have to ask ourselves "Are you going to cover all of your content standards?"
- Unit: Learning should be stretched out to be taught over the course of the appropriate unit size. By the end of the unit students should be able to master the standards taught. A question to ask yourself is "Have you devised unit projects in a meaningful way that is connected throughout the unit?"
- Weekly: Units should be planned by weeks. Each week should require a learning goal to meet your course standards. "How can you cover material needed in one week?" Will your goal be met?
- Daily: Weeks should be planned by day. Daily lessons should focus on ways to deliver content to students in a way that will keep them engaged. It is important to measure learning each day so you know where to begin the next day.

I find it interesting that Anthony says each layer of learning is equally as important. He suggests that all layers must be done successfully to finish a lesson.