Blog Post #15 Collaborative

What assistive technologies are available to you as a teacher? Select a few and discuss how they may be useful to you.


By: Haley Marrs
Being a teacher in the 21st century means that there are an infinite amount of assistive technologies available at our fingertips. This neat video, demonstrated by Wesley Majerus, is titled iPad usage for the blind. Wesley gives us an insight on what it's like for a blind person to use a new technology on an iPad made specifically for blind people. This software allows Wesley to control the iPad primarily with his fingertips as he double taps and uses swipes of his fingers to move around. This software is something effective that any teacher could have in their classroom if they have a blind student. It would be useful when the other students are using computers or iPads so no one is left out.
While researching the topic of assistive technologies, I came across this TeachThought website. The author has complied a list of 8 helpful assistive technology tools for the classroom.

- Screen Readers: These are described as programs that allow blind or visually impaired users to read the text that is displayed on the computer screen with a speech synthesizer.
- Word Talk: This program can read aloud any document written in Word and create audio files that can be saved. Students with reading disabilities can use screen readers to help them understand course materials. This is free.
- Word Prediction: Available to help students with writing challenges.
- Supernova Access Suite: A complete screen reader with natural sounding speech and integrated screen magnifier with Braille display support.
- Video Magnifiers: Sometimes described as a form of closed-circuit television that uses a video camera to display a magnified image on a monitor or television screen. Students with low vision can use them to read their course materials with greater ease.
- Close Captioning and Subtitling: Enables deaf students to watch the same online video material as their colleagues. This makes it easier for them to participate in online courses that offer video lectures of their professors.
- FaceMouse: For students with limited mobility, FaceMouse turns a standard webcam into a mouse operator, allowing students to use their head and facial gestures to perform a number of tasks, including pointing the cursor, clicking on sites, or typing on the keyboard.
- Sip-and-Puff Systems: Makes computer use easier for students with mobility challenges, including paralysis and fine motor skill difficulties. Sip-and-puff systems allow users to control a mouthstick, similar to a joystick, using their breath. Students can direct the mouthstick to click on web pages, type, and perform other functions.


Any of these tools could be useful in any classroom that has students with learning disabilities. All you have to do is a little research and you are guaranteed to find something that works in your classroom.


Teaching Hearing and Vision Impaired Children
By: Kayla Szymanski
While researching Teaching Assistive-technology To Students Who Are Bling or Visually Impaired, I found they have an abundance of resources. When you go to the site they have the following choices you can read about: CSB Assistive Technology Center, Environmental Considerations for Assistive Technology, Overview of Assistant Technology, Principals of Assistant Technology for Students with Visual Impairments, Special Education Technology British Columbia Index, and Virtual Instruction. What is Assistive Technology? Assistive Technology can be defined as "any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities." (-National Institute of Standards and Technology) Basically the goal of assistive technology is to give students with disabilities access to literacy and communication in their school, home, and community. While teaching it is essential to have background information on each student. Do they have medical eye conditions, or other diagnoses? Have they completed the Learning/ Literacy Media Assessment? Have they completed the Vision Assessment? Also before teaching your students make sure the classroom environment had adequate lighting, positioning, glare, and contrast control. If students are having trouble with text make sure the following steps are properly followed: font style, font size, color, boldness, and the layout of the font. Here are some characteristics of a student who might be a likely candidate for a print reading program: Uses vision efficiently to complete tasks at near distances. Shows interested in pictures and demonstrates the ability to identify pictures and or elements within pictures. Has a stable eye condition. These students may use optical aids such as eye glasses, magnifiers, or telescopes. Using computer technology is great for assisting students with disabilities. We now have access to enlarging software, called Zoomtext. Screen Readers is another great tool, this tool is a text to speech program which reads text aloud to students. Another tool is Tactile Access, this is a refreshable Braille displays they can be hooked up to a computer and it then displays a line of braille.


Alyssa Sherman
In Art Karshmer's video "Teaching Math to the Blind" he addresses the issue of how teachers teach basic mathematics to blind students. This past semester I've been taking Math for Elementary Teachers. In this class we have studied different ways to visually show students how basic mathematical principles work, such as counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Throughout the entire semester of drawing pictures and diagrams illustrating the problem I did not think about how a blind student could learn these ideas. Art Karshmer opened my eyes to the dilemas that special needs students would have with any subject. In his video he shows one tool that has been proven useful to blind students. He uses small blocks with numbers written on them in both print and braille. Students can put these blocks onto a grid so that the problem can be set up the same way that any student would set it up on paper. This may not seem to be a very advanced technology tool, it helps many students learn mathematics.

In today's world there are numerous tools that teachers can use in order to help special needs children learn any and every subject. It is important for any teacher, whether specializing in special ed or not, to know the different resources available and how to use them in order to better the life of all students.Sarah Irvine Belson lists a few tools that help blind students learn mathematics.

Audio Aids help students who cannot see to read the problem. This is computer based and will simply read the exact problem to the student to hear. The only problem with this tool is that as the problems get more and more complex students have a difficult time solving the problem after just hearing a computer read it to them.
Tactile Representations show the problem through braille. Like Art Karshmer said in his video, the problem with using braille to show a mathematical equation is that braille is linear, meaning that while most students set up math problems vertically visually impaired students will be at a major disadvantage in learning.
Tonal Representations show graphs to blind students by playing musical tones. This is a great way to represent data that is typically limitied to visual aids. The problem with this tool is that, like tactile representations, it is not very effective with more complicated math problems
Haptic Devices are ways to show as shape to a blind student. This can be used for both two-dimentional and three-dimentional shapes. While this tool is an excellent way to show non-numeral data to visually impaired students, it is very expensive and many schools cannot afford this technology.
Sarah Belson states on her webpage that these tools and methods can be used together based on each individual student. This is true for any student learning any subject. While this list of tools ranges from very technologically advanced systems to braille, these tools allow for visually impaired students to learn math with as little extra difficulty as possible.

http://www.unclegoose.com/products/braille-math-blocks/

PLN Progress Report #2

This is my personal learning network that I created. This comes in handy because it is everything that I need in one place. When I need to YouTube an educational video, it is right there. If I need to check the weather it is only a click away. I use this to get to Twitter and many other resources that you see. This makes it easy to quickly and efficiently communicate with other people. I know over time I will change things around as I use or stop using certain softwares or websites. I would recommend to any future educator to make a Symbaloo.

Blog Post #14

What did I leave out?
Preparing for Diversity

Watch this short video about Diverse Learners and Classroom Organization:



How can teachers effectively engage with students from diverse backgrounds?

This is one topic that cannot be avoided in teaching. We are all aware that we will eventually have a classroom full of diverse students but how do we really prepare for this? What can we do to make it a valuable learning experience for everyone? Most researchers put a large emphasis on communication. However, there is importance in preparation, connecting with students and building relationships with families. The Harvard University Research Project has prepared this article that tells us "How can we prepare teachers to work with culturally diverse students and their families? What skills should educators develop to do this successfully?". According to the Harvard Graduate School of Education, students will come into the classroom with some knowledge. This knowledge is shaped by their families, their communities and their cultural backgrounds. The most vital skill a teacher can develop is the ability to build on this knowledge that their students already acquire. Teachers must be understanding to the real lives of the families and children they will be teaching. Set up plausible situations where the families can voice their opinions about the curriculum so their children may thrive in the classroom.
This article discusses a type of skill called teacher diversity capital. Teacher diversity capital is intended to name the type of teaching enhancement that drives teachers to seek new opportunities and ideas. These new opportunities and ideas help build positive relationships with students and families from culturally diverse backgrounds. Diversity capital can in turn afford teachers the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed for a sustainable commitment with culturally diverse students and families. Teachers need support, motivation, and experiences related to cultures other than their own in order to engage in effective cross-cultural teaching. There are three basic ways a teacher should communicate with parents and guardians:
1. Call each child’s family with positive information.
2. Email each student’s family during the school year with positive information.
3. Through email attachment, post office mail, or student delivery, send a positive message via audio or audio/visual medium regarding each student.

The Multicultural Education Program at the University of California at Berkeley provides this helpful list of links about teaching in a diverse classroom environment. They cover topics such as instructor self awareness, dynamics in a diverse classroom, engaging with diverse topics, and flipping the classroom.
This next resource comes from EdChange.org. This is a wonderful list of activities and icebreakers that focuses on diversity in the classroom. I personally like the idea of "Who I am" poetry. This is a great way for everyone to feel comfortable about being themselves and sharing their identities in the classroom.

For more information on diversity in the classroom, visit the links from above or visit Edutopia: Preparing for Diversity for more ideas.

C4T Summary

This month I commented on two teacher blogs.
Mr. Lee is an intermediate teacher. On his latest post he shared a slideshow that he made and presented at the 2013 MISA London Region Professional Network Fall Conference. His slideshow is focused on technology in the 21st century. If you haven't already, I would highly recommend checking it out! This was my response to Mr. Lee:

Hello Mr. Lee. My name is Haley and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. My professor Dr. Strange has assigned me to comment on your blog this week. I was looking through your slideshow and it was very interesting to me. I assume there was a lecture that went along with your slideshow. Is there any where on the web to watch, if there is one? Anyway, I appreciate the way you view technology. Many people believe it may be a burden to us. Technology in the 21st century is such an important tool for us as teachers and especially for our students. They are the future! Great job on your slideshow and I hope the Fall Conference was spectacular!


In my next post I commented on the blog of Daniel Edwards. In Daniels most recent post, This Is A Great Time To Be A Teacher, he discusses how times have changed. Edwards says he believes the way he was taught in the 80's and 90's didn't really prepare him for teaching in the 21st century. He goes on explaining why tablets are useful in todays classroom. I agree with him that "tools are tools" Any technology in the classroom is something students may benefit from. Tablets change the learning process and are useful in recording data. Edwards says that now is a great time to be a teacher because the tools we have available provide engagement, stimulation and creativity. Also, because we need to learn with our students.

Daniels post sparked my interest and I was a bit curious. This was my response to Daniel:
Daniel, your post is interesting. I agree that the options available to teachers and learners today are countless. What is something you wish you had been taught in the 80's or 90's? Also, do you use tablets in your classrooms? What is the most beneficial component of using technology?

C4K November Summary

My first C4K assignment was Starford at Pt England School.

This is Starfords blog post:
The Bushwalk “ Hurry up lets GO!” Chris’s Mum shouted as him and his family were going down to the forest for a bush walk. They were going to the majestic rainforest of Queensland. The whole family wanted to get there before it started pouring down with rain. One of Chris’s brothers Jarryd, was still playing game and needed to hurry up!
Arriving at the rainforest, the sun was still shining on their faces, hoping that it would never go away. Almost quarter of the way, Chris’s sister Tarsha yelled out “ Look a baby Kangaroo!” The little joey hopped away scared to it’s mother. Everyone started getting sore legs and wanted a rest. As Chris’s family sat down, he wanted to keep going, so he did.
As Chris was walking he felt little drops of water falling straight on his face, he knew it would start raining so he went back to his family. Looking around the area they were at, they already left. After a while rain starting crashing down to the ground, Chris was running for his life looking for his family but it was too hard to see in a terrible weather. His family was at shelter waiting for the rain to stop. Chris’s Mum started getting worried and wanted to go look for him. HE WAS LOST!

This was my response to Starfords story The Bushwalk:
Great story, Starford! I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, AL, USA. Did you write this yourself? I would love to know what happens next. We don't have many kangaroos here but I wish we did. Keep up the great work!


My second C4K assignment this month was Elyzsa in Ms. Cassidy's class.
Elyzsa is a first grader. She posted a great photo of her painting in class. This is what she wrote:

I painted happy.

In response to Elyzsa's painting this is what I wrote:
Hello Elyzsa, my name is Haley. I am a college student at the University of South Alabama. I want to become a teacher. I love your painting of "happy"! It makes me feel happy inside. You have lots of pretty and bright colors. You must be a very happy girl! Keep up the great work! :)


My final C4K assignment of the month was also Elyzsa in Ms. Cassidy's class.
This time Elyzsa posted a painting she made of her Halloween costume. She was Tinkerbell!

This was my response to Elyzsa:
Elyzsa, Haley again! You are such a fabulous artist! I bet your Tinkerbell costume was fabulous too! Did you enjoy your Halloween? I hear fairies get lots and lots of candy! Keep up the great art work!

Project #12B SmartBoard Collaborative Video

Blog Post #13

What Can We Learn?
This is a collaborative assignment.

Ken Robinson: 10 talks on education
By: Haley Marrs For this assignment I chose to watch #6 Mae Jemison: Teach arts and sciences together(2002). Mae is a very intelligent and inspirational woman. She begins her lecture by stating what she believes is most important. She says that we need revitalize the arts and sciences. She points out that what we do today will be vital in the future. In the future the world will be building on the basic knowledge and discoveries that we come up with today. Just like now, we are building off of ideas that are from the 70's, 80's, and 90's. We have to ask ourselves: What are we contributing to that legacy right now? Jemison says she is skeptical that we are doing much of anything. In a sense, we are failing to act in the future. We are purposely lagging behind.
"Each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill or betray it." - Frantz Fannon
Our mission should be to reconcile science and the arts. We think of science and arts as two separate things, which probably dates back to centuries ago but it is critical now. We make decisions every day and if we don't bring them back together we may have problems in the future. Jemison claims some people say science and scientists are not creative. Some people may say artists are not analytical. When these concepts underly our teaching we have a problem. No one wants to be uncreative. No one wants to be illogical. Jemison also states that back in the 60's people had hope for the future. People had wonderful ideas. Many things that are cool today are based on those concepts. Jemison took certain objects with her when she went into space and when asked why her answer was simple. The items that she took represented human creativity.
"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science." - Albert Einstein

Video #7: Teaching One Child At A Time
By: Kayla Szymanski
Shukla Bose presents a presentation about a foundation she started at her kitchen table called, "Educating Our Poor, more than just a number game." She went and visited some of India's slums and found tons of poverty stricken children who would never have the opportunity to attend school. This breaks my heart, I recently took a mission trip to the Honduran slums and this video reminds me of all the children I came in contact with. In the city I was staying in, the life span of a Honduran man was 50 years of age. As a teacher we will never know what are students are going through. Mrs. Shulka talks about how daily they would play with the children and be exhausted, but when they went home they would have the memory of each smiling face they came in contact with that day. She talks about millions of children who actually attend school but cannot do basic math, and have problems in other academic areas. But Shulka says they are not in the number game. She wants to focus on one child at a time, getting them into college and into a successful job. She taught 165 children in a roofless building, she also teaches their parents in an after schooling program. Mrs. Shukla has an amazing story and an awesome love for teaching, she is truly an inspiration. I admire her for so many reasons, one being that I have been there and saw how these children live day to day. Being a new teacher we need to keep in mind that all of our students will not be perfectly dressed, groomed, or even have a stable home. This is why we have to make sure and help each child individually, some children might need extra attention that others will not. Shulka states that children have to believe that change is possible. In a poverty stricken world she has given each of these children hope, hope in becoming more than their parents could ever imagine. This, in my opinion, is the definition of a true teacher.


Video #2 Turning Trash into Toys for Learning By:Arvind Gupta
By:Alyssa Sherman

In Arvind Gupta's talk he shows different toys that children can make themselves for very little or no cost. Many of these toys are based on a scientific priciple, such as a motor or a whistle made from a straw. These toys can be used in a classroom as tool to teach with while keeping students interested and active. The main thing that any teacher or soon-to-be-teacher can learn from this talk is that while it is important for students to be active participants in the learning process, this does not mean that classrooms must use the latest technology. Many schools are not able to afford computers or tablets for that classrooms and the students often don't have access to these devices at home. This is when it becomes important for teachers to get creative and use the resources they have available, such as straws, paper clips, batteries, and newspapers. Arvind Gupta proves in his demonstration that computers are not neccessary to teach and engage students, but rather for teachers and adults to be creative and show children what can be done with the simplest things.

One of the most striking statements that Arvind Gupta said was how "the best thing a child can do to the toy is to break it." This is interesting because most people would think the opposite, especially if resources are scarce. What good is a broken toy?Many people use the phrase "you learn more from failure than you do from success". The same applies when children create toys. They can better learn how it works and the science behind their invention by breaking it apart and testing different situations. In the video Gupta demonstrates how the sound changes in his straw whistle when you cut off the end. This would never have been discovered if not for testing it and "breaking" the original toy. Children are naturally curious so it makes sense that they would want to try experimenting with their home-made toys.

http://explaining-science.co.uk/arvind-guptas-science-toys/

A Girl Who Demanded a School - Kakenya Ntaiya
By: Raven Williams
There is a group of people in Kenya called the Maasai. Boys are meant to be warriors and the girls are meant to be mothers. Kakenya Ntaiya was engaged at five years old and was supposed to be married when she hit puberty. At the age of puberty, Maassai women participate in a ceremony that the community considers a rite of passage. Female circumcision is part of the ceremony. Kakenya realized that after the ceremony she could no longer peruse her dream of being a teacher because she would have to quit school. She made a deal with her father: She would undergo the traditional Maasai rite of passage of female circumcision if he would let her go to high school. Her father agreed to avoid shame from the community. After she finished high school she received a scholarship to Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Virginia. After she arrived in America and began college she learned that the ceremony she went through involved genital mutilation and was illegal in Kenya. When she returned to Kenya she decided she wanted to find a way to give back to her community. She built a school for girls because she wanted them to have a place to feel safe. Because of Kakenya Ntaiya, there are 125 girls that will never have to be mutilated or be married at the age of 12. At the end of the video Kakenya says " be the first: people will follow".

Project #15

Blog Post #12

What can we learn from Sir Ken Robinson?
This is a collaborative blog post.

Sir Ken Robinson - Bring on the learning revolution!
By: Haley Marrs
There are two types of people in this world: People who enjoy what they do and endure it and people who love what they do and speak to their authentic selves.
Education keeps people from their natural talents. Talents must be searched for because they will not be lying on the surface. In education we need change. We need a revolution - it needs to be transformed into something else. Abraham Lincoln is quoted saying "We must rise with the occasion; not to it". I like this quote because he is saying we must be engaged. Ken points out that most teenagers don't wear watches because adults grew up in a time when if you needed something you wore it. Kids these days are growing up in a digitized world - the time is everywhere. Life is not linear it is organic. By linear, Ken means we are on a track that we follow and if we follow it correctly we end up set for the rest of our life. By organic, Ken means we create our lives symbiotically as we explore our talents in relation to circumstances they help to create for us. He says the pentacle for education is getting into college, although not everyone needs to go to college. The heart of the challenge is to reconstitute our sense of ability and of intelligence. He discusses the fact that parents are competitive and kindergardeners are being interviewed these days. It is a bit ridiculous that such young children have to compete for a place in kindergarten. Human talent is tremendously diverse. People are often good at things that they don't really care for. Passion is to love the things you are good at. Ken says that we need to understand that learning is an organic process. The outcome cannot be predicted.


Changing Education Paradigms: By: Kayla Szymanski
Sir Robinson starts his video by describing several changes that are taking place in our public school systems across the globe. He talks about our economic future, and our cultural beings. Mr. Robinson simply states that people today are trying to meet their future needs by following in the footsteps of the past. Today in our society an educational degree will not guarantee a good career. In fact technology is becoming so rapid in our school systems, teachers will almost be obsolete in the future. Mr. Robinson also states how students diagnosed with ADHD are constantly distracted by their electronic devices. This makes you wonder, if we could channel our teaching strategies to match their technological lives maybe they wouldn't be so distracted? Bringing technology into the classroom is the best way to fill the gap between your teaching techniques, and the way they live their everyday life. Technology gets your students involved, they are no longer bored, and they are always engaged. This video is a great inspiration to all starting out teachers, it will open you eyes and show you that the old ways of teaching are not acceptable anymore. Why would you teach in a outdated way, your only hindering your students ability to learn? Near the end of Mr. Robinson's lecture he says that the most great learning experiences come from group activities. This video basically is trying to portray that the school systems need to get away from standardization and go to divergent thinking. Divergent thinking is the essential capacity for creativity and to see multiple answers, not just one. Instead of teaching memorization skills, teachers should try and enforce the importance of using your imagination and creativity in everyday life. This video will open your eyes to the problems of how student are being taught in our educational school systems today. The entire idea of EMD310 I think, is to stop this cookie cutter mold that society has put on teachers, and teaching methods.

The Importance of Creativity
By: Alyssa Sherman

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

In this video Sir Ken Robinson explains how modern education standards effects children's creativity. This video was very interesting and informative. Sir Robinson says that because the standards of education and intelligence are aimed at the typical "acedemic" subjects, such as math, science, language, and social sciences, children are steered away from any creativity or talents they may have in the arts. The lesson he tells listeners is that teachers should allow students to be creative and do what they are naturally talented in. A student who is a dancer should not be forced to sit still in class to study math and science. This is an extremely important lesson to learn as future teachers. Not every student will succeed by siting and listening to a lecture on science, or other acedemic class. Teachers must be ready and willing to encourage students to be creative and do what they feel is right. Sir Ken Robinson makes an excellent point that everyone involved in education should be aware of and follow.

How to Escape Education's Death Valley
By: Ken Robinson

Raven Williams
In this video, Ken Robinson speaks about the problems with No Child Left Behind and the educational system in America. He says that No Child Left Behind is ironic because millions of children are being left behind. 60% of kids are dropping out of school in some parts of the country, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. He believes that education in America is going in the wrong direction. No Child Left Behind is based on conformity instead of diversity. He says that human beings are naturally diverse and that no two children are the same. NCLB focuses on standardized tests instead of focusing learning in all subjects. He believes that standardized tests are important, but they should not be the dominant part of education.
He also said that the role of a teacher is to facilitate learning. Education cannot be improved if you do not pick great people to teach and give them constant support for professional development. At the end of the video he compares the educational system to death valley. It is hot, dry, and nothing there will grow. Death valley received 7 inches of rain in the winter of 2004. The floor of the valley was covered in flowers in the spring. He concluded that death valley isn't dead, it is only dormant.

Project #12 Part A

Project #10 Interview

This is my interview with Mrs. Allison. Mrs. Allison is a special education teacher with MCPSS. About 1-2 minutes into my video my first device failed and I had to re-record using another device. Unfortunately, the quality of my second device is not as great as the first. However, the general picture and the audio are still useful. Enjoy!

C4T Summary #3

For my last two comments for teachers assignments I have been assigned to Daniel Edwards. The first blog post of the two was a short post about a generic app that enhances learning called Socrative. Daniel has attached this Socrative 2.0 Video that briefly describes the app. In my comment to Mr. Edwards I asked him a few simple questions regarding the app. I asked him if he has used this app in his classroom and if so, have you noticed any results?


In Daniels most recent post, This Is A Great Time To Be A Teacher, he discusses how times have changed. Edwards says he believes the way he was taught in the 80's and 90's didn't really prepare him for teaching in the 21st century. He goes on explaining why tablets are useful in todays classroom. I agree with him that "tools are tools" Any technology in the classroom is something students may benefit from. Tablets change the learning process and are useful in recording data. Edwards says that now is a great time to be a teacher because the tools we have available provide engagement, stimulation and creativity. Also, because we need to learn with our students.

Daniels post sparked my interest and I was a bit curious. This was my response to Daniel:
Daniel, your post is interesting. I agree that the options available to teachers and learners today are countless. What is something you wish you had been taught in the 80's or 90's? Also, do you use tablets in your classrooms? What is the most beneficial component of using technology?

C4K Summary #2 October

This is my summary of my C4K from the last month. I really enjoy speaking to other students from around the world and I hope to use blogging in my classroom one day!

Brodie Pickle
Mrs. Eppele's Class
Brodie's blog post: I think Mellody will be a bit jealios because Mellody can not walk talk or anything close, And Penny can do it all she can pick things up walk say mommy and daddy and crall, she can sit on her mom and dads laps. and Mellody can not do any of those. Butterscotch is a good dog and can help blind or parcialy sited and the injured. I think Sharon Draper is trying to get us confused because I am.

My response to Brodie:
Brodie, my name is Haley and I am a college student at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, AL. I am studying to become an elementary teacher and I am excited I have been assigned to your blog this week! I watched the book trailer about Out Of My Mind and I am very curious to know more about the book. Is Mellody the main character? It sounds like Penny and Mellody are related. You say Penny can walk and crawl but perhaps Mellody has a medical condition that confines her to a wheelchair. That is one of my guesses. If so, Butterscotch probably makes Mellody happy because they can relate. Keep reading Sharon Draper’s book and you will not be confused anymore. What has been your favorite part so far? I would love to know what happens! Here is the link to my class blog, feel free to read it with your teachers permission! Haley Marrs Mobile, AL


Tracy
Mrs. Mclean's Class
Tracy's blog post:
In the still of the night, I go outside.
I look up at the stars, in them I confide.
I tell them my joys, and hope for tomorrow.
When I am under their gaze, I forget all my sorrow.
The moon is another ally to me.
she smiles down on me mysteriously.
I bask in the glow of her friendly moonshine,
reminding me of a far ancient time.

My response to Tracy:
Tracy, this is a beautiful poem. Did you write this? My name is Haley and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. Where are you from? I would love to know if you have more poems. I have read this poem many times because I just love it :) Write back soon! You can view my blog here.


Sam
Medbury School - 5G

Sam's blog post:
Bengal tigers
The Bengal tiger is an endangered animal now. They usually live for around 10 years. The mammal is known as a big cat sometimes it is even called the Indian tiger because lots of them live in India and Bangladesh. Some carnivores of the Bengal tiger are crocodiles, leopards and pythons. They attack crocodiles with their eyes and paws. They are such powerful nocturnal hunters. Bengal tigers hunt individually. Bengal Tigers can have up to a litter of 4 cubs at once. That’s 4 times the amount of humans. Tigers use their distinctive coats as camouflage on top of their very heavy weight of 107-200 kg. Most of the Bengal tiger family live alone and aggressively protect their own territory.They cover their territory and look out for their predators. If you go into a Bengal tigers territory you are probably dead meat but the Bengal Tigers main predator are humans. The wild Bengal tigers usually live in mangrove forests. Mangrove forests are made out of plants, big curvy trees and big, long, wide, snaking rivers. The other Bengal tigers live in zoo’s and they sleep anywhere in their enclosure. Humans kill Bengal tigers for their terrifying claws. thier devastating teeth, Their beautiful whiskers and there nice looking coats for carpet.
My response to Sam:
Sam, My name is Haley and I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama, USA. I am studying to become a teacher and I wanted to let you know I think your blog is great! You have a lot of skills for your age and your grammar is wonderful. I love your post about tigers because it is very educational and interesting as well. Is the Bengal Tiger your favorite animal? Keep up the great work!


Maddie
Grade 7 - Mrs. Horst's Class
Maddie's blog post:
Who is the main character? Would you like to be friends with the main character? Why or why not?
The main character of the text Out of my mind is Melody. Melody has cerebral palsy and cannot verbely communicate with her peers or family, the best she can do is point to common phrases on a plastic board with her finger. On certain levels I would like to be friends with Melody but at the same time I don’t think I would understand her completly and some meaning will be lost in translation, like when she is trieng to communicate on her board not all the words are there.

My response to Maddie: Maddie, I am a college student in Mobile, AL. I was reading your blog and found it very interesting! How do you like the book “Out of My Mind”? I can imagine it would be very hard to be in Melody’s shoes. It is nice that you would like to be Melody’s friend even if it were difficult to understand her at times. You must be a very sweet friend! I like the color blue you have used but it is a little difficult to read. Keep up the great work Maddie! -Haley

Blog Post #11

Write a post in which you discuss Ms. Cassidy’s approach to the use of technology in the classroom. Comment on which of her techniques you might use in your classroom, the impediments you might encounter and how you would address them. Discuss also the benefits you might anticipate by using Ms. Cassidy’s approaches.

Little Kids...Big Potential!

Dr. Strange's video interview with Ms. Cassidy is a prime example of using technology in the classroom. I enjoyed listening to her views on 21st century technology. I find it incredible that her young students are learning how to blog and use computers to expand their minds. In my classroom I hope to be able to use blogging with my students in a way such as Ms. Cassidy. She has her students blog once or twice a week and typically only a sentence or two. I respect the fact that she has her students use only their first name. Any time a picture is uploaded to her class blog she does not put a name with the face. This is in order to protect her class. Anyone that allows their students on the internet should always monitor the students actions and always limit the sites that they have access to. Class blogging a fantastic way for parents to check in on their children and their children's progress. I would agree with Ms. Cassidy's views about cheating in the 21st century. She says the world is always changing and technology is not going anywhere. As far as cheating goes, we should look at it more as "collaborating". Group work is frequent in today's generation as well as EDM310. Because I am still a young student who has little to no experience teaching in a classroom, I would have to say that I would follow Ms. Cassidy's blogging guidelines in my own classroom. She basically states she has never had any issues as long as she sets limits for her students, informs the parents of activity, and keeps their learning progressive.