Blog Post #9

"What I Have Learned 08-09" was very eye opening. I related to him in the "how to read the crowd" section because I felt the same way my first year of teaching. I was so worried what my boss would think of me and other teachers that I didn't focus on the students at first. But as time went on, I started figuring out that my kids are more important. Being flexible is so true too. Being a teacher for only 2 years, I can see where the lessons are never perfect! You sometimes have to do whatever you can to keep the attention of the students. Communication is definitely key to a great environment! I love sending notes to parents-positive notes that is! I do not like talking on the phone much to anyone, but it is the most effective way to get your point across. I have been working on that! I definitely can relate to being reasonable. I had to encourage lots of 5 year olds when I was teaching. They get their feelings hurt so bad if they can't do something as well as another student. It would break my heart. But I was there to cheer them on so I did! I used a board called the Mimio when I was teaching and that was really the only technology we had besides 3 computers for the kids to do Accelerated Reader on. I liked it but it didn't work as smoothly as the SMARTboard. I am always a good listener even to my husband and family. I love the little note from his student! I think parents don't take enough time with their children to LISTEN, and most kids eat it up in school because teachers WILL take the time. I love it how he says never stop learning! I agree 110%!!! No matter how old you are, or what you are doing, you can always learn more!!

"What I Have Learned 10-11" was great!! Love this "Our decision making process should always be student centered and not centered around pleasing adults." I have been working on this too just in life. I try to focus on my own life and husband and daughter. We know we aren't perfect and nobody is so we just live our life and cherish every moment! I am learning that everyone has an opinion (like I didn't already know) about education. I think some people are negative about change and just don't like it! Teachers are so used to do doing the same things over and over they never get creative or allow their students to see the fun part. The older teachers usually do this and they need to take EDM 310!! :) I love the outsider section. I know I'm not an outsider. I loved eating lunch with my babies! They are so fun to talk to and have the best stories! They always made me laugh! Oh don't ever touch the keyboard while training someone is great advice! So true and you see that everywhere! I have to remember that. Getting comfortable is normal. I know I did it but I am ready and so motivated to go back and find a ton of new lessons and interactions for the students! I loved his posts!

SMARTboard Presentation Project #14

Blog Post #8

1. "This is How We Dream" was so interesting to me. I love how Mr. Miller describes technology as so many things. One being, how we get to "communicate globally." I love that expression because it's so true. We can now talk to anyone and everyone around the world thanks to Skype and many more softwares I'm probably oblivious to! Also, he says how we work, research, publish, upload images, produce film, produce sound and visual documents and so much more on the computer that's it; hard not to be knowledgeable about technology. I definitely agree with him that everyone pretty much uses technology in their everyday life. I think it should be in all classrooms around the world and should be used daily for most of the day. I also caught him saying it's a way of "sharing knowledge infinitely" and it truly is! Where would the world be if we didn't have technology? I think it would be scary to even think that!

Part 2 of "This is How We Dream" was great too! It really intrigued me at how quickly technology changes. Mr. Miller said it changes in front our eyes. I think it does too and without us even knowing! How can people be more aware of the changes going on? I don't read the news, or even pay attention to the TV most of the time. I am so wrapped up in other things it's hard to keep up! So how do you suggest we keep up with all these changes in technology and learn how to use them? I know it helps to explore on our own but how are we supposed to know where to go, what to do, who to ask for help? I love how Mr. Miller says as educators we must share ideas freely. I totally agree with that. As teachers, we must share with our co-workers the ideas that worked best and what ideas didn't work so well. I think that is a huge factor when teaching. You must collaborate with the other teachers on your grade level about the best lessons or techniques for the students.

I really foresee technology becoming, if it's not already, the center of our universe! It's everywhere you look! Everyone of all ages use it! I think it's an amazing resource for everyone, whether it be working in your business, or just personally using it for your own photos or whatever. I love it and all the updated gadgets it offers! I love learning new things and how to do new things on different types of technology. Teachers have a huge advantage because they get to see the newest technologies and teach their students how to use them along with themselves. The world is changing for the better and that's because of technology and all it has to offer!

I am getting prepared to use multimedia by taking this course. I really have learned so much in just a few weeks! I love working on the computer and creating new things and even learning how to do what seems like the impossible. It's amazing how much there is to do and create on a computer, especially the Mac! I definitely want one now! I love iMovie and iPhoto and being a photographer I will certainly have to save up to invest in a Mac very soon! I honestly think my students would be able to use multimedia too if I provided the tools necessary! They would have to spend time on it and learn to explore it by searching about what the programs had to offer. I look forward to using all types of multimedia in my classroom to create some pretty cool things! I want to be that teacher that opens new doors for my students by showing them that there are endless opportunities out there!

2. Carly Pugh's blog post #12 was somewhat confusing to me when she was talking about the playlist. She had great ideas within her posts though! I think Kindergarten students would love hands on and visual lessons and I will explore more about those when I go back to teaching! I do love the philosophy lesson. All teachers should think about that before they teach! I agree with her!

3. Chipper's video was basically about the student who procrastinates with every thing and always has an excuse. She sounds like a lazy person who does nothing to be ambitious. She takes whatever she can get as in a job and then blames others for her own faults and weaknesses. She has job after job and never applies herself at any of them. She isn't motivated to do well in school which leads to all these jobs. Then she wants to go back to school towards the end and says she is willing to apply herself this time.

"EDM 310 For Dummies" is so brilliant! That would be pretty smart to make a book! But no, seriously, I have found it quite simple to complete these assignments. It's not difficult as long as you don't procrastinate! I enjoy learning new things and watching motivating videos that inspire us to become better educators and people. I have made new friends and everyone is so willing to help each other when needed. So it has been a great experience so far!

4. "Learn to Change, Change to Learn" was very informative. Change is way past due in the classrooms. I feel like we should be way more advanced than other countries when it comes to technology. We should have iPads, Smartboards, skype, iMovie, etc in ALL classrooms!! The arguments are legit. I feel like technology is so advanced and will definitely bring out the skills and talents children have. It will make them so much more creative because the possibilities are endless! Children need to be introduced to all of these technologies. Teachers do too! I really hope it happens soon. I will definitely share what I know when I'm in the classroom! We have to start somewhere!

5. I created an Edmodo account and I can use this tool as a teacher by communicating with my students. I can also assign things on there. I could give a quiz, or even take a poll! This is a very useful tool! Also, I can connect with other teachers! That is pretty amazing! I can create groups if I only want to address certain students in an email or discussion. I can also create groups for projects. I can even upload links and files to a library! Also, I can share in Google Docs. I see a grade book as well which I really like and a calendar! I always write stuff down and have a "to do" list so this is pretty amazing!!

Animoto is an awesome video tool! You can create videos from your wedding, baby, or even something with teaching a lesson! You can add music and make it high definition! And of course, you can share it with the world! Love this!


I created a poll on polleverywhere.com. Take a look!

Book Trailer Project #12

Project #11 Short Movie

Re-edited version:

Blog Post #7

1. "The Networked Student" was basically another way of explaining our course, EDM 310. It was a concept map of how students use technology to create blogs, web searches, and how to use lots of other gadgets. I think the teacher isn't needed as much because the students aren't learning from the teacher, they are learning from what they find on their own. The teacher just assigns things and the students have to create, find and do it all on their own. It is great! They learn a lot and find things out they never even knew. I certainly have found out so much by taking this course that I never knew existed! The networked student doesn't need a teacher in my opinion. All the answers are on the internet already! All you have to do is Google it, right? That's the answer to everything now! It's so crazy to me how everything is online and done on the computer! My sweet dad called the other day and said Wal-Mart wasn't developing film anymore and how he would one day own a digital camera! He wouldn't have a clue about any of these technologies we have learned.

Networking is such an advantage in everyday life. People can get online and find people they haven't seen or spoke to in years! You can connect with so many people all across the world. I think students should relate to each other and compare cultures and their schooling online by Skype or another source of talking to one another. I think businesses network online because the internet is accessible in most places now and it's a great way to advertise. Also, people can give feedback on the business or service. It's all about sharing with one another on the internet and exploring what else is out there. Facebook, Twitter and Skype are so popular and very entertaining. It's like the world rotates on the internet!

Teachers and students will have so much to learn every school year about new technologies and how we, as teachers, can strengthen our students' skills and abilities on these new technologies. I look forward to learning about more technologies and how we can use them to our advantage in teaching. The world is changing to be a better place and a lot more advanced than ever and we get to see it firsthand because we are the ones supposed to be teaching our students how to use it. But, the networked student would teach himself right? That's even better but what happens to our teaching jobs? Something to think about and what profession we want to pursue. Exciting, yet scary!

2. "7th Grader's PLN" video was pretty cool! She was so motivated and engaged about her work and how she does her assignments. More children should be like that! I love the Symbaloo website and think most kids would too! I will definitely use that in my classroom! I think we both listed a lot of our common interests and websites we use daily. She had a lot of her assignments listed which I thought was wonderful to share with everyone. She is very confident in her work and is a great speaker! Her PLE was well organized like mine. I liked the one page document website that you could put audio, text, and images on too. I need to remember that one for future reference! Great video and she was super cute at how excited she was to share all of her work and findings!

3. "Thomas Suarez's Video" was too cute! He is such an intelligent little boy! I learned that we can do anything we put our minds to! If you want to create an app, there is a way! He did it and so can we! He had a vision and great ideas and wanted to share it with the world so he did! In order to do something, you must analyze and research on how to! I love his motivation and sense of humor! Glad I had the opportunity to watch this video! He makes me want to be a better person in education and to always achieve your dreams!

Project #9b Prezi Presentation

The ABC's of Sea Life on Prezi

Project #10 PLN

My "Personal Learning Network" consists of what I love to do! I love to shop, eat, and take pictures! I have lots of favorite stores on my Symbaloo, as well as restaurants, social networks I use daily, and some interests I have. I love this webmix I created because it shows who I am and what I love to do! I will definitely add to it and try to find more teacher related apps. I am excited to use this tool to broaden my knowledge of all the apps available to me.

C4T #2

Comment #1:
Ms. Diane Dahl's blog is so motivating! The post I commented on was about positivity and how positive attitudes affect the brain. She included a website called "BrainSMART" that has different activities to use to engage the brain in thinking positively. She talks about being positive in the classroom to help children improve their learning skills. Positive energy helps them want to learn and support each other. I am so moved by her blog because she is absolutely right! Negative teachers will bring the entire class down and students will become negative as well and not care about their schoolwork or creating relationships among themselves. Positive teachers will bring happiness, encouragement, confidence, and motivation to their students and it will be a much better environment where the kids will want to help each other and connect with one another.

Comment #2:
I commented on Ms. Diane Dahl's blog under the "Anchor Chart" post. Her post was about using the charts in her classroom and getting the students involved in creating them. I love this idea and I told her that I have used charts before when I taught Kindergarten. I think kids need that visual aspect when learning something new or even helping them solve problems or just critical thinking. I like how she coded key words too. That shows them how important that word is and helps them remember what to look for in their own work or assignments. I also love the "Strategies for Math" chart. I have seen a similar chart and thought that was so neat and such a great way to help children feel secure when doing math problems. I know some kids are afraid to ask for help so they could just look at the chart and it would help them figure out math problems. Great thinking!

Podcast-Project #8

Part 1:


Part 2:

Blog Post #6

"Randy Pausch's Last Lecture Video" was very touching! He is such a great influence and role model to have for future teachers and educators. I was not excited to watch an hour long video but as he went on about life lessons it really caught my eye. I couldn't stop watching! His first teaching method was to follow your dreams. I definitely will use that in my classroom in the future because children and even adults always have dreams they want to pursue. I grew up with an awesome family who supported me through school and always told me to be whatever I wanted to be. With that being said, I became a teacher! I would come home from school everyday for years and years, and play school! I would run off papers, grade them, file them, and even use chalkboards in my own bedroom! I had a passion for teaching so I am proud of my achievements so far! I hope to be a role model to my students and be that person who pushes them to reach for the stars and follow their dreams! Parents, mentors, and students can help others to achieve their dreams as well. They all set examples on how to do so by coming into the classroom with a positive attitude and being an inspiration to others. They should always show gratitude, work hard without complaining, be good at something, be prepared, and find the best in everybody-no matter who it is.

Everyone should have high expectations and goals for themselves and others. To be an over-achiever is something not many people cannot say they do. Always be someone to look up to and for others to want to be like. Pausch says indirect learning is useful because you should learn more important things like leadership, sportsmanship, and perseverance, not just the skills that are taught. I couldn't agree more and I will have character words in my classroom as well. I think that being the best person you can be is so important in life especially with children because they need to see how to be better people. I think this is where brick walls come into the picture too. Some people just can't see pass them and that is why it is important for teachers and educators to show students how to set goals for yourself and do everything you can to achieve them. Pausch says, "Brick walls stop people who don't want it bad enough." That is so true and we see it all the time in life. Life is too short to waste time. I love how Pausch said be an imagineer and to make something like Disneyland instead of just experiencing it. That says so much about how to be somebody and a leader, not just a follower. Love that!

Achieving your dreams is easier said than done! Once you achieve a dream, make another one! I think life is precious and you should live it to the fullest and go places, spend time with the ones you love, meet new people, enjoy every second of every day because you never know when it will taken away from you or someone you love! With that being said, you should knock down those brick walls and be powerful and show the world and yourself how successful you can be! It takes time, energy and hard work but if you really want something, you will find a way! Helping others is such a great start because it will come back to you in the long run. If you're good to others, others will return the favor. Get other people to help you-be honest, earnest, apologize when you should, and focus on others by setting an example for them. In the classroom, we can learn from our students as well. They have faith in their teachers and look up to them as someone they may want to be one day. So we need to never lose the child like wonder. Also, never give up! There is always a way! I will too have a "Never Give Up" atmosphere in my classroom when the time comes! Another idea I like is not being allowed to say the word "can't." It reminds me of this course! You can always ask for help.

Life lessons are the hardest. Or are they? You know we are put on this Earth to live our lives how we want and how we think will make a difference in other's lives. Pausch is still changing lives and motivating others with his videos and lectures. He worked hard even when he was at his weakest points which we never even saw, or at least I didn't. It's so touching to see someone strive to be the best even through his toughest moments in life. He touches so many lives and we respect him for that. I love how he ended his video with the lessons learned: How to Lead Your Life, and how this talk wasn't for us, it was for his kids. That really got to me because I cherish life and especially my daughter and to be in his shoes trying to educate others about his "lessons learned" he was really talking to his kids about his sickness and how they shouldn't let anything get them down not even the worst possible thing. In my classroom, we will discuss life and how sometimes it seems unfair, but it's our job to make the best out of it because we only have one!

Blog Post #5

1. In Travis Allen's video about the "iSchool Initiative" I frowned upon this idea because it seems too far out there to even think of putting all the lessons on an app. I don't think the world is caught up enough to all the technology advances and it's easier said than done to get those advances in a classroom, let alone have every student have an iPhone/iTouch to do this iSchool app. Would all these apps be free or would they cost money to download? I'm thinking they would cost money. Also, teachers wouldn't be needed anymore and that is just hard to imagine right now. It could happen but I don't see it happening anytime soon. I don't think many kids would want to go to school by going on their iTouch. Kids don't want to do homework on their cell phones or keep up with school work on it, in my opinion. If I'm wrong, so be it. Honestly, I would LOVE to see this happen and the world run on a perfect technology based system and let everyone be business leaders by using their iTouch or whatever technology they may have, but I am skeptical as of right now. I think Travis is a brilliant person and has a lot to offer for the education world. His ideas of having all of these apps like grades, lunch menus, graphing calculators, notes, email, calendars for attendance, etc are amazing! He may one day be a billionaire for creating this iSchool Initiative! I really hope it does work out and that would be so awesome to save money for our children but what about teachers? Where would they come in at that point? Someone would have to run the class right and keep track of all the students. Also, would they still have class meetings everyday or just once a week? Also, not everyone would have access to an iTouch or internet for that matter. Did he think of that? What happened to experiments and dissecting frogs in science class? Kids wouldn't have that or any hands on experiments which is what engages and motivates children to learn. I don't see any motivation for children with the iSchool Initiative. Aren't kids supposed to get out there and explore the world and take field trips? I don't see any of that happening on an iTouch. What you see on a computer screen is different than seeing it in real life. The more real life experiences children have, the more they learn and remember, in my opinion.

2. "Virtual Choir"
This was a pretty amazing video. I can't believe someone could actually do this. How in the world did he do this with 185 people from 12 different countries? Where would you even begin? He must know a lot about music as well as technology to create something like this. This is just a very impressive work of art! I wonder how long it took for him to audition people and then record them and put it all together. That is so unique and very impressive! Job well done! :)

3. Kevin Roberts' video Teaching in the 21st Century" made me think about the future and how teaching would be so different from when I grew up. Roberts is showing us all the technology skills there are to know and also to teach! He can see how all the advances in technology can help students more in the future than ever. I think it is great that he put together that video because it can be a great resource for parents too. I am excited to see what the future holds in teaching and what technology we will be using in our classrooms. It's all about skills and finding out how to do things on your own. You'll never learn if someone always tells you or shows you how. Just explore and you'll be amazed at what you can do and find. I think this class is similar to Roberts' video. It's all about handing you the materials to create these assignments with some help and direction along the way but mainly we are doing this by ourselves. That is going to really help us as educators in the long run because we can teach our students everything we've learned.

4. Why I Flipped My Classroom!"
"FIZZ-Flipping the Classroom" and
Flipping the Classroom-4th Grade STEM" are all really great videos and ideas!! I love the idea of flipping the classrooms! I think it would be ideal and so much better than having lectures everyday for so long and losing touch with the kids. I just wonder if the kids would actually be excited to watch the "lectures" at home. Would the parents be on board with this and make them watch? Also, the parents would have to understand that this would be the key to learning! Some parents now don't have 5 seconds with their children to do schoolwork or even spend quality time with them so this worries me a little. I really hope this is successful in all schools! This is amazing and I would love to do it in my own classroom. Students would really enjoy being prepared before going to the actual class. I think they would want to know what they were going to be working on and what they needed to do ahead of time. Brilliant!

TimeToast Timeline Project #9a

Blog Post #4

First, I read 1st Graders Create Their Own Audio Read-Along Book." In this article, Mrs. Langwitches showed us how she created booklets from the scripts of a book the class was reading and how the children could use it to follow along. Also they would know the chapter had ended when they heard this certain sound. Mrs. Langwitches thoughts told us how the children were so excited to record their own part because they started experimenting with their voices and how they could change the speed and emotions. Mrs. Langwitches wanted to take the next steps in creating a "How-To" blog or email for parents. It would show them how to download the podcast episode to their iTunes on their home computers. Also, she wanted to see if the library could start keeping the podcasts on an audio file so it's accessible to all students. I love this idea! I had no idea what a podcast was or how it was created until I read these articles. This is amazing that these kids get to learn these skills at such an early age. Mrs. Langwitches is a brilliant teacher and motivator for letting these kids be creative and be independent. I hope I can do the same in my future classrooms.

Next, I read Podcasting With 1st Grade." It was so heart warming to see the children so excited to be able to record their own voices. Mrs. Langwitches said they would do class chants in certain parts of the podcasts, which they enjoyed as well. Then, some students would record indepently while the class was doing another assignment or the teacher was reading to the class. I thought that was pretty cool that the teacher trusts the kids to do it independently and that the kids were able to do it that way. Also, I like the part where she said it helped the shy kids come out of their shell. I was an extremely shy kid growing up and if we would have had this to help us communicate, I think I wouldn't have been so shy for so long. I think it was a great idea to let the kids record one sentence at a time and out of order. That way they would have to come together and think of the order of the story. This just amazes me that they have these technologies and now have the skills to make something like this. I am impressed! Also, by making a podcast, students build confidence and expression of their voice. They become more animated and ready to talk about anything! The skills being taught are listening, speaking, presenting, comprehension (which I had trouble with), storytelling, performance, voice acting, oral fluency, media and technology. WOW! Just by doing this one project, children gain so much!

The last article I read was Listening-Comprehension-Podcasting." I wish I would have had this when I was elementary school. I know I would be more confident in reading and writing. This article was telling us that podcasts are wonderful for language learners by seeing their voices, reading sounds, manipulating sequences, and being able to delete, edit and emphasize their sounds. I loved how they would use the smartboard to put all the sentences everyone recorded in order. They are using more technology to sequence the story. These children will be able to do so much and teach their parents and peers all these different skills they know just because of one teacher. I love that and I hope one day I can make a huge difference in education like Mrs. Langwitches.

My Sentence Video

Blog Post #3

Part 1
a. The video "What is Peer Editing?" was very informative. It showed me how to correct peers without being so harsh. First you start with compliments and always stay positive. Any negativity will hurt their feelings and I definitely wouldn't want anyone being negative towards me and what I write. Second, make suggestions and check to see if the word choice sounded right, if they used details, check to see if their thoughts were organized and if the sentences were correct with no fragments or run-ons. Finally, you will make corrections on grammar, punctuation, sentences and spelling. I am so sensitive and don;t like anyone telling me what I did wrong in any case so, I really felt like this video was just what I needed to hear.

b. The slideshow "Peer Edit with Perfection" was similar to the video and basically was stating how to critique in a harmless way so that the author understands what they need to improve on or fix. Nobody is a perfect author therefore I believe everyone is always going to have something to say about what they read. I personally do not like being critiqued, whether it's good or bad because I know I have my faults and weaknesses. But, I will try to stay focused and positive as to what my classmates have to say. Maybe I've just had bad experiences with others who don't know how to be sensitive or positive when providing feedback.

c. The video "Writing Peer Review Top 10 Mistakes" was hilarious. I thought in every situation it related to me or someone I knew. I can see myself being a Picky Patty because I know I pick at every little thing when I see it needs editing or revising. BUT, I will try my hardest and follow the rules in peer editing. The one that I could see myself being is Defensive Dave. I wear my heart on my sleeve most of the time and it's not hard to hurt my feelings but I will put up a wall just for this blog and try not be so defensive. I'm glad we have these videos to watch to help us understand how to approach certain situations. I will definitely show my students this video before editing another student's work.

Part 2
a. The video "Technology in Special Education" really touched my heart. I never even knew there were so many technologies that accomadated to special needs students. I absolutely love how the teacher strives to bring them more resources to use to communicate and to build their skills on. We need to expand the technologies for special needs to every state in the country. I hope to be fortuante enough to have those accomadations for my special needs students one day. I am not familiar with teaching special needs children but I do hope to learn how to and where to find resources I need in order to help them succeed. I could use the iPod touch for reading of books so the students can listen to them in a quiet area with headphones. Also the mouse that scrolls through text and can type in a word document is awesome for special needs students. The keypad that is used to spell out words to communicate with others is amazing as well. I love how each student had something different to learn with. Also, I really liked the zoom text program the boy had to magnify the text so he could see it better. All those technologies are so great to have and I can't wait to learn about more in the future.

b. After watching the video "How the iPad Works for Academics with Autisum," I just couldn't stop smiling. Braden's parents were so rewarding and motivating and he fed off of that. I can not wait to purchase an iPad soon and download these apps for students and my own children. Autistic or not I think they are wonderful. The app to download for counting is "Toddler Counting" and it helps with autism children by letting them touch while hearing and seeing the number and objects. The sight word app is "My First Words" and that helps with seeing and hearing the words as you read them. These apps are very interactive and requires your complete attention. The writing app is awesome. I will probably download that if my iPhone lets me. It is called "Kids Writing Pad" and it allows you to write a word on handwriting paper and let the child copy it. I loved that video too! An app I would download for my autism students would be "Marble Math" because it is a fun and engaging way to learn math concepts. It shows multiples, addition, subtraction and many other objectives children learn in a math classroom.

3. In the video, "Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts" I am very skeptical because these technology based classrooms are new to me. I had one computer class in highschool and that was 10 years ago so to see a classroom with students doing nothing but sitting on the computer doesn't make me believe that that is the best way to learn. I understand there is so much technology out there and the future will depend on that but what happened to science class where you experimented with things? What happened to art class where you were free to draw and create from your mind-not anyone's blog or website. Guess I'm old fashioned or just OLD but I don't think of a classroom being fun and creative by just sitting on the computer all day long. I love that she is trying to expand the technologies to the world and has done a wonderful job. I think the term "Teacher-preneur" is awesome and more teachers need to be like her. The blog "Digi Teen" and the "Flat Classroom Conference" website is a great way for the world to connect and share their thoughts and beliefs. She reminds me a lot of this class because she is similar to Dr. Strange by making us look up answers to our own questions instead of him telling us. Don't get me wrong, I do agree with that and think the more we explore all these programs and videos/blogs the more we will know and better our technology vocabulary and skills. I am glad he has outlined some assignments and give us many resources to complete them.

Presentation Project #5

C4T #1 Summaries

C4T #1: Mr. Genereaux's recent blog was about teaching digital media to all of society. I love this part that he wrote: "We don’t teach video-making as a necessary skill to all college students. Only certain majors are likely to ever have a video project required, yet digital online video is a huge part of almost every college student’s life." I most certainly agree with him in that aspect and replied to him that I think it should be a requirement in high school. Every child should learn about technology and the digital media there is to know. The world has so much to offer to young people and they should take advantage of it all. He also talks about media literacy and "digital natives"; "digital natives" supposedly being experts in communicating with technology. He said it is a mistake to assume all young people are aware of all the types of digital media out there and he thinks everybody should be taught more about it.

C4T #2: Mr. Genereaux's newest post is talking about his home life and how he thinks he should keep up the blog to interact with the outside world other than in the classroom. He is working on a dissertation called "How my work in school fits into larger context of schooling and society." He goes on to tell us what he has so far. It starts off with how he feels pressured to be the "authoritative source of knowledge" to teachers, student and superiors. He talks about fairness in the classroom and how students said they described it as "treating everyone the same." Well, he stated "The only way to be truly fair is to treat each person as an individual with respect and dignity; not sameness." I couldn't agree more. I believe all kids are different and learn in different ways. He asks some very deep questions like "Is it fair that some students were raised in families that encouraged a strong work ethic and resilience in the face of adversity and others were not?" No, it's not fair but that's reality and how people live and sometimes nobody can change that. We have to strive to get our students on the same "level" as far as preparing them for the future. He says to never give up on students and to let them learn with their abilities and talents. He thinks grading is unnecessary because jobs do not look at your GPA which I do not agree with because if you are a high school dropout, I think there is a lesser chance than getting a job as a lawyer. He says that he feels like he could be a better coach and he will continue this dissertation talking about his role as an educator.

Blog Post #2

1. Did you know? 3.0 -A. John Strange 2012 Version

This video was created originally by Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod to bring some facts of education to this country. I personally love it and the way it is real, but then again it's so hard to say we need it and we don't need it. The video is comparing the United States to China and India. First, how can we be behind these countries when we have so many schools and teachers out there with all the resources we have, and funds they get? I do not understand. The U.S needs to pick up the pace and figure out what is going on in schools and focus on these statistics. So basically, the video was saying India has more honor students, and higher IQs than the United States, so are we blaming technology and social media for being lower than them? Honestly, as much as we love our cell phones, youtube, and Facebook, this country would probably be more book smart without all of it. Kids have too many privileges and play too many video games these days. Over in India and China, what are they NOT doing to become so technically smarter than the US? I do not know much about their culture, but I'm guessing they don't have as many materialistic things that take up their time as we do here in the United States. It's really something to think about. We have all this technology that we will use and teach about in the future but yet what's it doing for our students? We as teachers need to hand over as many resources and knowledge we can to prepare our students for the future.

The numbers are insane that 2 years ago 7th-12th graders were spending about 2 hours texting and almost all kids had cell phones! I don't understand why in the world an 8 year old would need a cell phone. What happened to writing letters or riding your bike to your friends house to talk? What happened to pen pals across the world? Are people just too scared to let their children roam because all of what has happened or is it fear of what could happen? But then again, technology is what keeps the world turning right? There are two sides to this topic and it's so hard to see the world without technology now that we have it everywhere we go!

I seriously hope I do not have 10-14 jobs by the time I'm 38 years old. As teachers, we need to be the ones pushing our students to college. If graduates would just go to college and get a degree then those numbers would drop. Easier said than done! My role as a teacher in preparing students to use technologies that do not exist would be to teach them about the technologies I do know about and how to use them. This class has taught me so much already even though it is hard to keep up sometimes. The more you learn about technology the more you can teach to others. I think technology is great for some things-class, reading, writing (typing), educational games, intervention and enrichment for students, and for any educational purpose. I've taught my Kindergarten classes with technology-we played number games with adding and subtracting, and counting, etc. I think it's used wrong in the country and that's why we are behind in the statistics.

2. Mr. Winkle Wakes

Mr. Winkle wakes up from a 100 year nap and discovers a tall building so he goes inside and hears all these noises and sees all kinds of machines, which one is spitting out paper with writing on it and he's overwhelmed because he doesn't know what is going on. He sees people talking to each other on a screen with headphones and just doesn't understand. So he feels sick and goes to the hospital nearby. He sees people being kept alive by these machines that pump air into them and he see these xrays and then thinks that they can't help him feel better so he leaves. He finds himself walking, with no direction and comes to a school. He walks in, sees a teacher lecturing to her class and the students are just sitting there writing as she speaks. He likes what he sees because he is used to it.

This video is awesome because it shows how advanced we have become over the years. Not only do schools and teachers get to use technology, but hospitals and most businesses do too. Technology is the key to a successful career no matter what you do. I guarantee you that some sort of technology is used in almost every field of work. If it's not, then it probably should be. Teachers are so fortuante to have the different kinds of technology they have to teach the children that one day lead our country. Skype, GPS, computers, printers, fax machines and ventilators are just a FEW of the technologies we take for granted because we are used to having it. Where would the world be without technology? I sure don't want to find out.

3. The Importance of Creativity

Ken Robinson is a great motivational speaker as well as very knowledgeable about creativity in schools. I agree with him and honestly think I have experienced lots of creativity in the 2 years I taught Kindergarten. I know there is always room for improvement and of course always more and more ways to be creative in teaching. I am glad he brought up how kids are scared to be wrong and I've seent his firsthand in my classroom. Teachers should always tell their students that it's not the answer that counts it's the "answering" that makes you a better student. In other words, putting effort into learning is what will help them learn. Also, kids need to be exposed to field trips, and speakers as well as lessons being taught. Different atmospheres work wonders in some kids. I love how we had career day where the parents would come and talk to each class about their career and what they did to get there. Kids love change-it keeps them motivated and thinking "what's next?" I also have experienced these so called ADHD/ADD children who seriously have that issue and whose parents "thinks" their kid has that problem. I can't tell you how much I am annoyed at that topic!! Kids will be kids! Let them live their childhood, explore and conversate with others and adults! Parents should be the most creative ones in their children's lives because they know them best and what engages and excites them. Being a hyper child and not wanting to sit in one place for 7-8 hours in normal! It doesn't mean they are ADHD or ADD. Get them up and moving and engaged in activities! Creativity is something I love and will always do my best at. I've always been known as a creative person so there is no stopping me now. I loved how Robinson talked about focusing on technology. Technology is what makes the world go around whether we see it or not and we need all the help we can get to find these resources and materials so we can teach to everyone we can. So much changes in such short periods of time and it's our job as teachers to keep our students motivated enough to go out there and explore all there is-technology or not.

4. Classroom Disruption

Classroom #1
-Teacher was enthusiastic
-asked for feedback (reaction) from class
-Youtube
-Virtual Tours
-Facebook fanpage for lessons, video and audio links
-Twitter-articles,
-blog for class
-technology was very nice and accessible
-Video Chat for students to talk to teacher

Classroom #2
-Teacher unprepared
-assigned busy work-reading in textbook
-Flip charts
-teacher has no expressions
-sleeping students
-Easel
-35 page article in text and will be tested on
-Teaching to text and nothing else
-didn't know names of students
-didn't address problems of students with assignments

Definitely choosing classroom number one. He was more down to earth and seemed interested in the students and wanted to help. He had many computers that looked like each student had access to. He had tons of contact information on the internet so the students didn't have to worry about anything. He was willing to help and he showed that. I have taken classes similiar to classroom number two. It really opens my eyes as to how teachers have changed from just a few years. I didn't have but maybe 2 or 3 computer classes. Back then they were called that but now every class should have a few computers in it that are being used on a regular basis. When I taught Kindergarten I had 4 computers that we used everyday! I loved it! The techniques used in classroom number one is advanced using computers and the internet-more of a visual and auditory learning technique. Classroom number two is taking the textbook, reading comprehension technique by reading graphs and diagrams and writing papers. The students will certainly learn in different ways. Class one will learn I think is the "easier" way by using the computer and getting things completed quicker and learning to use technology as they go. Class two will learn just by what they read and write. Technically, they could be taught the same thing but learn it differently because of the sources they have. I would still want to teach with computers and all the technology I could get. I think it's very creative and the kids always want to know what new technologies can do and how they can use it when doing assignments. I think as a teacher I will need to remember everything I've learned so far and keep up with technologies as they develop. I will definitely keep up better and try to research about technology funding and how we can create more effective ways in using technology to teach our children.