Sunday, March 25, 2012
Blog Post #8
This Is How We Dream
This Is How We dream by Dr. Richard Miller is a series of two lectures that talks about how collaboration between humanities and sciences and the ideal way of learning. In the beginning of his lecture, Dr. Miller focuses of the incremental change from paper learning, such as books, magazine articles, etc., to digital and online text. He goes into detail of how all the different usages of how tools, such as the internet, makes life and learning easier. One example that he included in his lecture is a personal one to prove that it really is a great tool to take advantage of. His example was that he was once asked to write an article about Virginia Tech for the one year anniversary after the famous massacre. He was able to write his whole article without even stepping foot into a library for research. After his article was printed, it made its way from the publishers to his fellow professors to the trash. However, a his work remained forever online as an online text copy.
In the second half of his lecture, he talked about the ideal learning process. In his ideal learning process, Dr. Miller said that there had to be ideas and creativity. I agree with him in this statement because without a combination of both of these, how can the learning process be more than just teaching students while they burp back answers? How can we make learning interesting? We need inspiring teachers to help motivate and want students to be interested in learning. We also need inspiring spaces so that students walk into a classroom and not just see four walls and some posters. The spaces should make students crawl out of their skins with eagerness to learn.
This is a very inspiring video to watch. At first, I was a little confused on what exactly this video was talking about. However, after continuing to watch it, I had a better understanding of it. Dr. Miller said that a lot of the resources that we need for the ideal learning process has not yet been created. However, until it has it is up to educators to do the best they can to make it an enjoyable process for students and teachers alike. I really enjoyed these this lecture and recommend others to watch it.
Blog Post #12
Blog Post #12 by Carly Pugh was an assignment she had to do for her EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. Her assignment was to create her own original assignment she felt her professor should have assigned that the he may use in a later class. Her assignment was actually a very interesting one. She thought that the students should create a YouTube playlist of videos that described the following:
1). describe the kind of teacher you would like to be
2).show ways you can motivate your students
3). offer tips on classroom management.
4). offer tutorials on programs you have learned about in this class that you like so much you would like to use (podcast, iPods, PLN's, etc.)
5). are on topics related to your field of study; for example, if you are going to be an English Teacher, include videos about Shakespeare, poetry, novels, things of that nature.
6). describe what a good teacher is and what a bad teacher is
7). ways to improve modern education as we know it
8). have been used in other blog posts from this semester. It could be a video you had to write about or one posted on the blog of a fellow classmate, teacher, or classroom's blog.
9). center around creativity.
10). advocate challenging, motivating, encouraging, and supporting students (but still maintaining professionalism)
In my opinion, her post closely identifies with the ideas that Dr. Richard Miller mentioned in his lecture The is How We Dream in the fact that it shows some of the many ways technology could be used. In this way students would be able to describe their ideas with a list of videos and share them with their fellow students and the world. Doing this, their work is now open so that others may comment on their work offering ideas and other criticism to help them improve their work and even their ideas. This is how technology can be used as a tool for collaboration without students even being in the same room. Carly's assignment was very interesting and probably a lot fun to do.
The Chipper Series and EDM 310 for Dummies
EDM 310 for Dummies and The Chipper Series are vote very humorous videos about the EDM 310 class. The message I received from the videos is that this class is difficult because it's not a simple "burp back class." Dr. Strange pointed us in the direction. However, it is up to us to complete the journey of the learning process. We have to teach ourselves if we want to be successful. A video I think I would like to participate in would be one that show what tools are learned in EDM 310 and how they can be used in the education world.
Learn to Change, Change to Learn
Learn to Change, Change to Learn is a very insightful video. In the video, the speaker makes a statement saying education is different. It also says that some kids learn more from multimedia resources that they do from school. This isn't necessarily a bad thing because teachers are not going to know everything. However, teachers would be able to find the answers with the internet very quickly. We should lead by example. Encourage students to do their own research online. It's not all about what is learned inside the classroom. It is also about what is learned outside the classroom.
Scavenger Hunt 2.0
On the website Discovery Education
there are many useful tools for teachers and students alike. One such tool is Animoto. It is a tool designed for creating presentations and, when used correctly, can be very powerful. It comes in three prices ranges. The lite version is free. The plus version is $30 per year or $5 per month. The pro version is $249 per year or $39 per month. Although the prices may appear to be kinda steep, this tool offers a vast variety of ideas and usages.
Another way Animoto can be used is for its video features. One feature that it has is easy sharing. Animoto can quickly upload videos to sites such as YouTube, Facebook, and twitter. Another feature is that it has the ability to incorporate music into videos making them more enjoyable. Also, videos can be viewed in high definition giving them a greater impact. Animoto has many more features that can be used making it an even more powerful tool.
Another tool I found on the Discovery Education website was Edmodo.com. It is a social website for students and teachers. I found this as a healthy way for students and teachers to keep in contact outside the classrooms and also work on assignments. One way I could use this in my classroom is to have online homework and quizzes done and submitted to this site. That way I could quickly examine and provide students feedback and also answer any questions or clear misunderstandings in a short amount of time.
This Is How We dream by Dr. Richard Miller is a series of two lectures that talks about how collaboration between humanities and sciences and the ideal way of learning. In the beginning of his lecture, Dr. Miller focuses of the incremental change from paper learning, such as books, magazine articles, etc., to digital and online text. He goes into detail of how all the different usages of how tools, such as the internet, makes life and learning easier. One example that he included in his lecture is a personal one to prove that it really is a great tool to take advantage of. His example was that he was once asked to write an article about Virginia Tech for the one year anniversary after the famous massacre. He was able to write his whole article without even stepping foot into a library for research. After his article was printed, it made its way from the publishers to his fellow professors to the trash. However, a his work remained forever online as an online text copy.
In the second half of his lecture, he talked about the ideal learning process. In his ideal learning process, Dr. Miller said that there had to be ideas and creativity. I agree with him in this statement because without a combination of both of these, how can the learning process be more than just teaching students while they burp back answers? How can we make learning interesting? We need inspiring teachers to help motivate and want students to be interested in learning. We also need inspiring spaces so that students walk into a classroom and not just see four walls and some posters. The spaces should make students crawl out of their skins with eagerness to learn.
This is a very inspiring video to watch. At first, I was a little confused on what exactly this video was talking about. However, after continuing to watch it, I had a better understanding of it. Dr. Miller said that a lot of the resources that we need for the ideal learning process has not yet been created. However, until it has it is up to educators to do the best they can to make it an enjoyable process for students and teachers alike. I really enjoyed these this lecture and recommend others to watch it.
Blog Post #12
Blog Post #12 by Carly Pugh was an assignment she had to do for her EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. Her assignment was to create her own original assignment she felt her professor should have assigned that the he may use in a later class. Her assignment was actually a very interesting one. She thought that the students should create a YouTube playlist of videos that described the following:
1). describe the kind of teacher you would like to be
2).show ways you can motivate your students
3). offer tips on classroom management.
4). offer tutorials on programs you have learned about in this class that you like so much you would like to use (podcast, iPods, PLN's, etc.)
5). are on topics related to your field of study; for example, if you are going to be an English Teacher, include videos about Shakespeare, poetry, novels, things of that nature.
6). describe what a good teacher is and what a bad teacher is
7). ways to improve modern education as we know it
8). have been used in other blog posts from this semester. It could be a video you had to write about or one posted on the blog of a fellow classmate, teacher, or classroom's blog.
9). center around creativity.
10). advocate challenging, motivating, encouraging, and supporting students (but still maintaining professionalism)
In my opinion, her post closely identifies with the ideas that Dr. Richard Miller mentioned in his lecture The is How We Dream in the fact that it shows some of the many ways technology could be used. In this way students would be able to describe their ideas with a list of videos and share them with their fellow students and the world. Doing this, their work is now open so that others may comment on their work offering ideas and other criticism to help them improve their work and even their ideas. This is how technology can be used as a tool for collaboration without students even being in the same room. Carly's assignment was very interesting and probably a lot fun to do.
The Chipper Series and EDM 310 for Dummies
EDM 310 for Dummies and The Chipper Series are vote very humorous videos about the EDM 310 class. The message I received from the videos is that this class is difficult because it's not a simple "burp back class." Dr. Strange pointed us in the direction. However, it is up to us to complete the journey of the learning process. We have to teach ourselves if we want to be successful. A video I think I would like to participate in would be one that show what tools are learned in EDM 310 and how they can be used in the education world.
Learn to Change, Change to Learn
Learn to Change, Change to Learn is a very insightful video. In the video, the speaker makes a statement saying education is different. It also says that some kids learn more from multimedia resources that they do from school. This isn't necessarily a bad thing because teachers are not going to know everything. However, teachers would be able to find the answers with the internet very quickly. We should lead by example. Encourage students to do their own research online. It's not all about what is learned inside the classroom. It is also about what is learned outside the classroom.
Scavenger Hunt 2.0
On the website Discovery Education
there are many useful tools for teachers and students alike. One such tool is Animoto. It is a tool designed for creating presentations and, when used correctly, can be very powerful. It comes in three prices ranges. The lite version is free. The plus version is $30 per year or $5 per month. The pro version is $249 per year or $39 per month. Although the prices may appear to be kinda steep, this tool offers a vast variety of ideas and usages.
Another way Animoto can be used is for its video features. One feature that it has is easy sharing. Animoto can quickly upload videos to sites such as YouTube, Facebook, and twitter. Another feature is that it has the ability to incorporate music into videos making them more enjoyable. Also, videos can be viewed in high definition giving them a greater impact. Animoto has many more features that can be used making it an even more powerful tool.
Another tool I found on the Discovery Education website was Edmodo.com. It is a social website for students and teachers. I found this as a healthy way for students and teachers to keep in contact outside the classrooms and also work on assignments. One way I could use this in my classroom is to have online homework and quizzes done and submitted to this site. That way I could quickly examine and provide students feedback and also answer any questions or clear misunderstandings in a short amount of time.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Project #10 PLN
PLN Progress
When I first began this class, I had no idea what a Personal Learning Network, or PLN, was. Now I have somewhat of a better understanding of what it is. It is a network of tools and people that I can ask for help throughout my learning process. So far my PLN is going great. I use tools such as twitter to help my PLN grow and to connect with other people. I really look forward into seeing how much my PLN expands by the end of this semester and throughout my career as an educator.
When I first began this class, I had no idea what a Personal Learning Network, or PLN, was. Now I have somewhat of a better understanding of what it is. It is a network of tools and people that I can ask for help throughout my learning process. So far my PLN is going great. I use tools such as twitter to help my PLN grow and to connect with other people. I really look forward into seeing how much my PLN expands by the end of this semester and throughout my career as an educator.
C4T Summary #2
For this Comments for Teachers (C4T), I was assigned to read posts on the blog Life of an Educator by Justin Tarte. The first post I read was 10 ways to be a great teacher. This post was a remake of an earlier post entitled 10 ways to be a terrible teacher by Vicki Davis. In his post, he list 10 essential ways to be a great and successful teacher. He made very excellent points in this post. The one that really stood at the most to me is that "Great teachers will always value the relationships with their students over everything else. Great teachers know that when the students know you care and know you are there to help, there is nothing that can't be done or accomplished..." In my comment, I told him how much I agreed with that statement because if there is not a valued relationship between students and teachers, students will not be motivated to do much. More than likely the students will try to only do the bare minimum. Students are not the only ones who have to learn. Teachers are learning as well and without a healthy relationship between students and teachers, we will not be able to learn from them.
The second post I viewed was Make A Kid Smile. Once again, this is an excellent post dealing with student teacher relationships. In this post, he talks about this program they have instituted at his school where they reward students for a variety of achievements such as academic improvement, going above and beyond, or even just all around good citizenship. This is a very good program because students being rewarded may feel the need to do better in order to continue to be rewarded. Other students may also feel the need to do better so they can be rewarded as well. In my comment, I agreed with Mr. Tarte and also expressed my view on this idea. I agreed with him and explained my opinion that students who only receive negative reinforcement or nothing at all for the work they achieve may only do the bare minimum required to get by. However, if students receive more positive reinforcement they may become more eager and motivated to achieve. I would like to thank Justin Tarte for his post and recommend everyone to view his blog. It is very resourceful and insightful for people who want to become an educator.
The second post I viewed was Make A Kid Smile. Once again, this is an excellent post dealing with student teacher relationships. In this post, he talks about this program they have instituted at his school where they reward students for a variety of achievements such as academic improvement, going above and beyond, or even just all around good citizenship. This is a very good program because students being rewarded may feel the need to do better in order to continue to be rewarded. Other students may also feel the need to do better so they can be rewarded as well. In my comment, I agreed with Mr. Tarte and also expressed my view on this idea. I agreed with him and explained my opinion that students who only receive negative reinforcement or nothing at all for the work they achieve may only do the bare minimum required to get by. However, if students receive more positive reinforcement they may become more eager and motivated to achieve. I would like to thank Justin Tarte for his post and recommend everyone to view his blog. It is very resourceful and insightful for people who want to become an educator.
Blog Post #7
The Networked Student
The video The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler is a very insightful video. This video talks about a student who is building a network of tools and people he can use to strengthen his learning process. He starts by using tools to help find credible source to put into his network such as Google scholar. After building a knowledge base, he starts his own blog which is open to viewers all over the world to bring in their own views. Using this plus other tools and people, he now has an extended network of experts and professional to help him through his learning process. The best part is that he will be able to share his organization of knowledge to the rest of the world.
After viewing this video, I was amaze at all the different tools that can be used to culminate a large network to help build the learning process. I had no idea that simple things, such as skype and twitter, can be used to build a network. Using these tools, I can communicate to people all over the world to get his or her expertise on certain topics. One key statement made in the video that I personally liked is when the narrator said it never hurts to ask. That is very true. Most people are very willing and happy to share their ideas if they are simply just asked. I believe that it is very important to build a network of connections and after viewing this video it is very simple to do.
In the video, the narrator asked "Why does the networked student even need a teacher?" Basically,the teacher was not there to quiz and test the student on material, she was needed for guidance. She showed the student how to use networking tools to the best of that they can be used. She also showed him how to connect to other people and how to interact. However, she was not there to do the work for the student. She pointed the student in the right direction to begin the journey. However, it was up to the student to finish.
A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment or (PLN)
This video of A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment is very interesting. I learned a lot of things after watching it. She has organized it in a way that is very easy understand and straightforward. Also, I was a bit confused on exactly what a personal learning network is. However, after seeing her PLN I now understand better on what it is. It is the tools and people that you use to help progress through the learning process. This video is very informative and I plan on using it as a reference in order to help build my very own PLN.
The video The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler is a very insightful video. This video talks about a student who is building a network of tools and people he can use to strengthen his learning process. He starts by using tools to help find credible source to put into his network such as Google scholar. After building a knowledge base, he starts his own blog which is open to viewers all over the world to bring in their own views. Using this plus other tools and people, he now has an extended network of experts and professional to help him through his learning process. The best part is that he will be able to share his organization of knowledge to the rest of the world.
After viewing this video, I was amaze at all the different tools that can be used to culminate a large network to help build the learning process. I had no idea that simple things, such as skype and twitter, can be used to build a network. Using these tools, I can communicate to people all over the world to get his or her expertise on certain topics. One key statement made in the video that I personally liked is when the narrator said it never hurts to ask. That is very true. Most people are very willing and happy to share their ideas if they are simply just asked. I believe that it is very important to build a network of connections and after viewing this video it is very simple to do.
In the video, the narrator asked "Why does the networked student even need a teacher?" Basically,the teacher was not there to quiz and test the student on material, she was needed for guidance. She showed the student how to use networking tools to the best of that they can be used. She also showed him how to connect to other people and how to interact. However, she was not there to do the work for the student. She pointed the student in the right direction to begin the journey. However, it was up to the student to finish.
A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment or (PLN)
This video of A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment is very interesting. I learned a lot of things after watching it. She has organized it in a way that is very easy understand and straightforward. Also, I was a bit confused on exactly what a personal learning network is. However, after seeing her PLN I now understand better on what it is. It is the tools and people that you use to help progress through the learning process. This video is very informative and I plan on using it as a reference in order to help build my very own PLN.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Blog Post #6
Randy Pausch The Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams
Randy Pausch's last lecture, Achieving Your Childhood Dream, was a really inspirational video. He was born October 23, 1960 in Baltimore, MD. After college, he became a professor at Carnegie Mellon University where is also obtained his Ph.D. He started off his lecture discussing his cancer and how he was only given three to six months of good health. However, he would not allow this news to discourage him. He felt that he could not change anything but he could still live his life the best he could.
He talked about some of his own childhood dreams. Some of which included working for NASA and even Disney. However, neither of his childhood dreams came to surface. In his lecture he also mentioned these things called "brick walls." He said that brick walls let us know how badly we want things. After hearing that in his lecture, I really had to think about that statement. It is very true, especially when pertaining to me. If an obstacle comes into my way and blocks me from reaching my goals, I would fight to reach them if I really wanted it. If it was not something I really wanted, I would just let it stay blocked by the "brick wall" in my life.
Another thing that was emphasized by Pausch is helping others. He also said that when helping others you should have fun as well. I also agree with this statement. If you are able to enjoy helping others, then you would want to do it more often. This also works parallel to teaching. In my opinion, the majority of a career is the relationship between educators and students. This includes them helping each other to learn. Students will not be the only ones learning. As an educator we have to learn as well which is why we have to help the students and they have to help us. If we enjoy helping each other, then it would make the experience even more worthwhile and students more eager to learn.
At the end of the lecture, Pausch stated that this lecture was not for the audience. This lecture was for his kids. This video taught me a lot of lessons that I hope I could use in my classroom one day. I would encourage anyone and everyone who is wants to be an educator to watch this lecture. Yes, it is a lengthy video but every second is worth watching. Dr. Pausch passed away on July 25, 2008 from pancreatic cancer leaving behind a legacy that will last forever.
Randy Pausch's last lecture, Achieving Your Childhood Dream, was a really inspirational video. He was born October 23, 1960 in Baltimore, MD. After college, he became a professor at Carnegie Mellon University where is also obtained his Ph.D. He started off his lecture discussing his cancer and how he was only given three to six months of good health. However, he would not allow this news to discourage him. He felt that he could not change anything but he could still live his life the best he could.
He talked about some of his own childhood dreams. Some of which included working for NASA and even Disney. However, neither of his childhood dreams came to surface. In his lecture he also mentioned these things called "brick walls." He said that brick walls let us know how badly we want things. After hearing that in his lecture, I really had to think about that statement. It is very true, especially when pertaining to me. If an obstacle comes into my way and blocks me from reaching my goals, I would fight to reach them if I really wanted it. If it was not something I really wanted, I would just let it stay blocked by the "brick wall" in my life.
Another thing that was emphasized by Pausch is helping others. He also said that when helping others you should have fun as well. I also agree with this statement. If you are able to enjoy helping others, then you would want to do it more often. This also works parallel to teaching. In my opinion, the majority of a career is the relationship between educators and students. This includes them helping each other to learn. Students will not be the only ones learning. As an educator we have to learn as well which is why we have to help the students and they have to help us. If we enjoy helping each other, then it would make the experience even more worthwhile and students more eager to learn.
At the end of the lecture, Pausch stated that this lecture was not for the audience. This lecture was for his kids. This video taught me a lot of lessons that I hope I could use in my classroom one day. I would encourage anyone and everyone who is wants to be an educator to watch this lecture. Yes, it is a lengthy video but every second is worth watching. Dr. Pausch passed away on July 25, 2008 from pancreatic cancer leaving behind a legacy that will last forever.
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