C4T #4

   For this C4T, I was assigned to Mr. Bernia's blog entitled, "The Principal's Principles". Mr. Bernia is a middle-school principal and in his 9 years of being in the field of education he has been a school custodian, a teacher, an assistant principal and now a principal.
   His first post that I commented on was, Our Parent Plan for Next Year. In this post, he described some of the actions and plans he wanted to implement in his school to further involve the parents of the students as well as the community. He had some great ideas including a parent book club and even an event called, coffee with the principal. I really respect his motivation to get the parents and community more involved in the schools. I responded to him by thanking him for his ideas and explaining that as a future teacher, I have been told just how vital community and parental support is to the success of a school. I know I will take with me these ideas and techniques to further help me in my future career.
   His next post I commented on was, What to do About Kony 2012. We have all heard about this issue whether it be from the news, social networking sites, or others in passing. Mr. Bernia received and e-mail from a student asking him to view the video put out by The Invisible Children Organization. About a month later, four of Mr. Bernia's eighth graders asked to meet with him. They explained to him that they wanted to do something to raise the issue of Kony 2012. Their reasoning? They heard about the children soldiers and wanted to help raise awareness. They explained that they began to realize how lucky they are to live where they live and have what they have and that they wanted the other students to feel the same way. I remarked on his post and told him how wonderful it was to see young people thinking on a global level. To have children of such a young age feel humility and pain for other children is a beautiful and inspiring thing. These students didn't want recognition or to become followers of an issue that has become so viral, they simply wanted to help those less fortunate than them. I think we can all learn a lesson on gratitude and humility from these students.

Blog Assignment #13

This was a very difficult assignment. It was much more difficult than I thought it would be. I did fine for the first few hours with no technology. No T.V.? Piece of cake! No Facebook? Bring it on! No cellphone? So not happening! I couldn't bring myself to turn my phone off so I wouldn't use it. I am so used to being in contact daily with friends, family, and my boyfriend that I hated the idea of not being in contact with them even for 24 hrs. This assignment showed me the extraordinary dependence we have on technology. I kept finding myself going to get on the computer or turn on the T.V. simply out of habit. Technology is such a part of my everyday life that I was completely oblivious to the fact that I was even going to use technology. I had to stop myself and remember I was not supposed to use it. Although I failed, quite horribly in fact, at this assignment, I learned that we truly are living in an era of technology. Our hands are glued to our cell phones and our eyes are glued to our computers and televisions. So, what does this realization mean for me as a future teacher? This assignment helped to further show me that as bad as I am with my dependence on technology, kids are ten times worse. For many children, not a day in their life has gone by where they didn't experience some form of interaction with technology. As a future teacher, it is important that I remember this. It is the responsibility of the teacher to teach to their students in the most effective way possible. If technology is what interests and engages them, then use technology! I want my future students to enjoy learning and retain what I am teaching them and technology will be a huge help in achieving this goal. I must say, however, that I do not feel bad about my "addiction" to technology because many of the reasons I use it are for educational purposes and to stay in touch with people I care about. I am thankful for technology and am excited to see just how far it will go in the future.

Project 15-Smartboard Presentation Part 2

Final Report on PLN

I have really grown to love my Symbaloo page. I add new things to it weekly and enjoy having all my social networks, educational sites,class sites and all my other most visited websites all on one page for me to view. I have included tiles on there to blogs I have visited through C4K and C4T so I can keep up with new things that are posted and gain ideas. I know I will continue to update my Symbaloo regularly and it will be a valuable resource for me in my college and professional career.

C4K Summary for April

For the worldwide blogging challenge I was assigned to a student named Joe. Joe enjoys sports and art, especially drawing. He explained to me that he was new to blogging and having a lot of fun with it. Unfortunately, I only received one comment back from him and he only made three posts. The first post of his I commented on was one in which he described a website you could go to and create your own clay avatar. I went to the website and created my own and thanked him for sharing. His second post I commented on was a picture he liked of a house in a meadow with a thatched roof. I commented several other times and offered encouragement for him to make more posts. Hopefully he will try to do more with his blog in the future.

The next blog I commented on was that of Room 9@ PT England School in Auckland, New Zealand. I was assigned to a student named Daniel. He created a video in which he read aloud a sentence he wrote about their class game of tee-ball. He was practicing using new beginnings to sentences and chose to begin his sentence with, straightaway. I commented on his post and told him how much I liked his video and how creative I thought it was for him to start his sentence the way he did. Check out Daniel's video

Progess Report on Final Project

For our final project, our group has decided to make an instructional video for children on how to make a webpage. We feel this will be beneficial as it will give students a chance to do something they think would be too hard or complicated for them. A student could create a webpage for their class or themselves. This project will also teach us how to make a webpage and one day teach our future students how.

Creativity and Curiosity: My Thoughts - Special Post #12A

They say that curiosity killed the cat, but is lack of curiosity killing our student's education? I believe children have an innate curiosity that must be fostered and not discouraged. I think one of the main reasons the curiosity and creativity of today's student is being diminished is due to the strict curriculum teachers must follow for state testing purposes. Teachers are under so much pressure to prepare their students for tests and meet standards that, more often than not, the teacher finds difficulty in finding time and ways to incorporate creativity into the lesson being taught. Children don't really have a chance to be curious because the "plain hard facts" are being poured into them like water into a cup. Unfortunately, teaching this way often produces a hole in that cup and as soon as a child is tested on what they have been taught, they forget it. The water drains out quite fast. Students are also made to feel like their questions don't matter or that there is no time for them to question something. They are not given a chance to form their own opinion. They are told WHAT to think and not given the opportunity to discover WHY they should believe it.

I think one way to encourage curiosity in a child's curriculum is to have more student-led learning. Students need to be given a chance to find some of the answers on their own. They need to feel excited about learning and feel a part of their learning process. Teachers must try to find a way to guide the student-led learning to make sure they are receiving appropriate answers and material to their questions. This could be aided through the use of digital kits. Digital kits are a collection of images, websites, videos and other digital sources that a teacher puts together. The kits can then be used by a student to research a topic. This way the student is still doing much of the learning on their own but the teacher is still guiding their process and is ensuring that they are receiving proper and correct information.

As far as creativity goes, a child must be allowed to explore their creativity and find out what they are good at. Creativity can be encouraged through engagement of the student. When the student is engaged, they are more likely to enjoy the learning process and actually absorb what they are being taught. Creativity allows a child to feel like an individual and to express their feelings and opinions on a subject. I think technology is a fantastic way to foster creativity. Things such as a smartboard will engage the child and get their creative juices flowing. Class blogs are another great way to foster a child's creativity. Blogging gives children a chance to express their ideas and opinions in a way that is fun and interesting. Through this, they are also learning how to navigate the web and technology which will no doubt benefit them in their future careers. Teachers need to educate themselves on the different uses of technology in the classroom. It is the duty of the teacher to provide the best environment possible for the learning of students. Just as a student is being taught something new constantly, the teacher must also try and educate themselves on a regular basis. Things change everyday and the teacher must stay up to date on new developments, especially in technology.

I feel the ideas I have offered would have no doubt aided in the growth of my curiosity and creativity as a child. Even as an adult, I still am just as curious as ever and love to express my creativity. Obviously one of my past teachers did something right. Schools need to back the teachers up on their ideas and help them. The teacher cannot do it alone. They need administrative and parental support. Unfortunately, this is not always given. I think many times people forget that, as cliche as it sounds, it really is all about the children. As future educators, it is our responsibility to learn now what we need to know to help change the future school system. Someone has to do it and it might as well be us.

"Curiosity in children is but an appetite for knowledge. One great reason why children abandon themselves wholly to silly pursuits and trifle away their time insipidly is, because they find their curiosity balked, and their inquiries neglected."-John Locke

Blog Assignment #12

Class blogs can be very beneficial to the education and creativity of students. It gives them a chance to share their work, look at fellow classmates work, and also explore other classes blogs from all over the world. There are different blog sites to choose from when you as a teacher decide to create a page for your class. One of these sites is, Class Bogmeister.
Explore the site and click on blogs from the countries and states given. Your assignment is:
1. Choose three blogs you come across and write a paragraph describing each one and what tips and ideas you learned.
2. Choose one of the three blogs and comment on it. Explain to the teacher who you are and ask them if they have any advice for you as a future teacher that wants to incorporate blogging into your classroom.
3. Explain in one to two paragraphs the benefits of blogging in the classroom or, if you so choose, explain why you feel blogging in the classroom is not beneficial but be sure to back up your opinion whatever it may be.

Refer back to Ms. Cassidy's videos if you need any help. Also, watch How to Use Class Blogmeister as a Student and Class Blogmeister Initial Setup. These will show you how to set up a blog as a student and as a teacher.

Blog Assignment #11

First Graders in Ms. Cassidy's Class

I loved this video. It is always amazing to see first hand the effects and positive aspects of using technology in the classroom. Ms. Cassidy uses different forms of technology including computers and even Nintendo DS's. The children experience with blogs, webpages, wikis, videos, and Skype. One thing I think I will definitely use in my future classroom is blogs. I have so enjoyed learning to use blogs in EDM 310 and think it's a great tool for grade school children as well. The kids on the video explained how blogs have helped them improve their writing skills and spelling. They also love having an audience to share their work with. I think it's fantastic to have a class blog so parents and anyone else who is interested can keep up with what your class is doing and learning on a daily basis. I think the only major problem I might face would be that of internet safety. However, Ms. Cassidy explains that it is completely possible to keep students safe. She never uses lasts names and never matches a name to the child's picture. She also provides safe links for her students on the class blog and explains to them what links to not click on that might pop-up. I love what Ms. Cassidy is doing with technology in her classroom and have gained many valuable tips and wonderful advice that I will carry into my future teaching career.

Skype Interview With Ms. Cassidy

It was great to watch the interview with Ms. Cassidy and delve a little deeper into her uses for technology in her classroom. She truly understands that technology is apart of our world and is not going anywhere. She knows that technology is the "norm" for today's child and that it will only benefit and help strengthen their learning experiences. I admire the fact that she really dove into technology and learned all she could and also continues to learn as technology advances. I agree with her that every teacher should be technology literate and not by past standards but by today's. It is not enough to know how to perform "basic" functions on the computer. That is only a starting off point to learning all you can about technology and how to use it to help teach your students. By not learning to use technology to its full potential, she says you are, "handicapping your students and yourself". In this class we are beginning to learn techniques we will use as future teachers, but it is only a jumping off point. We must continue to stay abreast of changes and advances in technology. I am officially sold on the idea of technology in the classroom and am excited to one day get to apply what I have learned to my future teaching career.


Ms. Cassidy mentions that she uses a program called Class Blogmeister for her students to use to blog. I have included a video that teaches children how to use Class Blogmeister in their classroom and I thought I would share it.

How To Use Class Blogmeister As A Student

Blog Assignment #10

Do You Teach or Do You Educate

I became an education major first and foremost because I love children. I want to help them and be a part of them growing up. I want to serve an important role in who they become as adults. Teaching is so much more than just filling a head with facts. A teacher needs to be a mentor, a guide, and a confident. I want my students to know I am there for them and will listen to what they have to say. I want them to be excited about learning and to crave new knowledge.

This video shows the differences between a teacher and an educator. Most of the definitions for a teacher focus on giving information and causing someone to learn something. An educator, however, is one who gives not only intellectual instruction but moral and social as well. I want to be a part of my students’ lives. I want to help their creativity to blossom and help them figure out who they are as people. Teachers play a huge role in a child's life. After all, they are with them five days a week for eight hours a day. Teachers grow to know their students on a different level. I want to educate my students but also serve as an open ear and a friend. Students may not have that at home and the teacher might be the only one who truly cares. I hope my students will remember me and what I teach them in a positive way and know that I was there for them in every aspect of their lives.


Don't Let Them Take Pencils Home

I love the approach Tom Johnson took in this post. What I took from this is that there are many issues stemming from the use of technology in schools. The “pencils”, to me, represent technology. So many administrators, teachers, and parents are not able or not willing to see the positive results that can come from the use of technology in the classroom. Tom Johnson explains that even at home, children might be playing a game or surfing the web but there is always a possibility that they are learning something. I think also that if a teacher is properly teaching their students about technology and proper safety measures, then the student will be less likely to abuse the internet or technology at home. Technology engages a child and spurs creativity. Engagement and creativity….hmmmm.. what horrible things to inspire in a child!

The key here is to EDUCATE teachers, students, administrators and parents about technology. Children today are growing up in a technology based society but the older generation did not. You must show those who do not know the positive implications that result from technology. We must also stop focusing so much on test scores. A child must be taught to LEARN and REMEMBER not HEAR and MEMORIZE. I believe a child is more likely to remember a lesson that engaged them and kept their attention then a lesson that is simply full of facts that are crammed into their heads. Technology is a fantastic way to achieve better retention and understanding of lessons being taught.

I like how Tom Johnson used something as ridiculous as not being allowed to take pencils home to show how equally ridiculous it is to have such a resistance to the use of technology in the classroom. In EDM 310, I have learned nothing that convinces me that I should not use technology in my future classroom. I want to be the best and most effective teacher I can be and if there is something to aid in that goal then I surely will be using it. I really enjoyed this post and it was a great take on the need to educate others about technology and focus on its positive aspects. There is good and bad with anything, but if we are teaching our students to be responsible with everything else in their lives then technology should be no different.

C4T #3

I was assigned to Mr. Bill Ferriter who is a 6th grade Language Arts teacher in North Carolina. His blog is entitled, The Tempered Radical. The first post of his that I commented on was, Using Google Docs to Create Digital Kits for Student Projects. What is a digital kit? Essentially, it's a collection of images, sounds, music, and videos that correlate with the curriculum being taught. They are very helpful because it gives students all the materials they would need for a project and saves the time of each student spending hours and hours on the internet searching for materials. They are also good because the teacher can make sure all the information they provide are available to be used without permission. In this post, Mr. Ferriter explained the benefits of using Google Docs to create a digital kit. One big benefit of using Google Docs is the fact that the teacher can share the kit with the students and the students can share their projects with one click of a button. Plus, they can simply provide a link to their projects online.
I started working on a digital kit just for fun and am really enjoying it. I have loved using, Creative Commons which is a website that provides you with digital materials that are available for reuse without having to deal with copyright issues. You should check it out and use it even for our blog assignment photos. I thanked Mr. Ferriter for his post and explained to him that I always enjoy learning new and interesting ways to teach my future students. Here is a great link to a Slide Share presentation that explains a little more about digital kits, Digital Kits for Differentiation and Engagement

The second post by Mr. Ferriter that I commented on was titled, What Can Schools Learn from Best Buy's Continuing Troubles? He compared the troubles Best Buy is facing (stores closing due to competition from online sources) to the troubles traditional schools are facing. He feels traditional schools are also on the brink of extinction. He explains that people go to Best Buy for the human interaction and to physically view the product. However, the employees are not being trained or paid as well as they should be and Mr. Ferriter feels this compares to school teachers and their training and pay.

I commented on his post and agreed with the comparison he made. I explained to him that as a future teacher, I worry about finding a job when I graduate and that even though I am receiving a wonderful education and will be well qualified, I worry that qualifications other than simply having a degree might not matter for much. I know that education has a long way to go and I hope that soon teachers will again receive the credit and acknowledgement they deserve.

Blog Assignment #9

What I Learned This Year 2008-2009

This post describes Mr. McClung's first year teaching school in Noel, Missouri. He describes some important things he has learned from his first year as an educator. He summarizes his experiences into a few main points. His first point was, "How to Read the Crowd". This point discusses the need to develop lesson plans that are student based and not to not be so focused on pleasing your superiors. I think this is very important advice because many teachers lose sight of their purpose which is to engage the students and make sure they are learning to their full potential. His second point was, "Be Flexible". He explains in this section that it's okay to make mistakes and not be perfect. Things will go wrong but you just have to learn to go with the flow and fix problems as they arise. The next piece of advice he gives is to, "Communicate". He feels, and I fully agree, that effective communication is one of the most important qualities to possess. As an educator, communication helps you resolve problems with coworkers, deal with parents, and get through to your students. "Be Reasonable" deals with not setting our expectations too high for students. Of course you should expect a great deal from them but you shouldn't get mad at them when they don't meet your expectations. Instead of discouraging them, you should encourage them to just try again. Kids are not perfect, neither are we, and educators need to remember this. His next point is, "Don't Be Afraid of Technology". This is a very important piece of advice for today's educator. He explains that most adults are wary about computers and afraid to learn how to use them. Technology is a part of our world and can be very beneficial in the classroom. If it can help the students learn in a more efficient, productive manner than you should want to learn how to use it. "Listen to Your Students"! Teachers need to learn all they can about their students. As a teacher, you may be the only person they have that will listen to them. They need to feel like they can talk to you and know fully that you are LISTENING to what they say. The last point he makes is, “Never Stop Learning". Teachers expect their students to learn new things daily but some teachers forget that they should be open to learning new things as well. I think this is one of the most important points he makes. How can we better ourselves as teachers if we aren't constantly learning new and improved ways to teach our students?

What I learned This Year 2010-2011

In this post, Mr. McClung discusses his third year teaching. Like his post describing his first year teaching, he breaks down his thoughts into a few main points. His first point is, "Know Who Your Boss Is". This point reflects some statements he made in his first post. Those being, you need to keep your teaching student-based and not focus on pleasing your superiors. As teachers, students are the main focus and many teachers lose sight of this. Teachers must always remember that the students are a reflection on you as the educator. His next point, "Don't Expect Others to be As Excited About Change as You Are", discusses the fact that just because you are excited about new and improving methods of teaching doesn't mean every other teacher will be too. However, you cannot let this fact discourage you from being eager to learn and apply the new methods in your own classroom. Just like in life, you can't let another person's negative attitude affect your positive one. "Don't Be Afraid to Be an Outsider", discusses the need to not feel you have to be a part of the main crowd. In life and as an educator, you need to stay true to who you are and what you believe. You can't let another person's opinions affect you. His next piece of advice is, “Don’t Touch the Keyboard". What he means by this statement is that as teachers you need to encourage your students to learn independently. If you constantly finish a task for them or tell them how to do something then they will never learn on their own. I don't see a problem in helping your students because that's part of your job. However, you cannot do everything for them. His final point is, "Don't Get Comfortable". He discusses in this point the need to not let yourself become too comfortable in your teaching practices. He explains that teaching is an easy career to let this happen in but you have to constantly remind yourself to stay abreast of new teaching methods, join committees, mix up your teaching style, and don't become apathetic in your teaching practices.
I have learned a lot from reading these posts and have picked up some great advice for when I start teaching. I hope to keep up with Mr. McClung's progress and continue to gain new ideas and fresh approaches to teaching. I really enjoyed reading these posts.