Thursday, October 28, 2010

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Blog Post #10

An Open Letter to Educators
post by Morgan Bayda video by Dan Brown

The teaching methods most teachers use are out dated and mostly focusing on memorizations and facts. I agree with Morgan that long lectures and short interactions with peers are somewhat cheating us out of a "liberal education". I have attended three different colleges and yet the learning routine are the same. Buy books that will never be opened, take notes from professor, memorize the notes for the test, and repeat steps until completing course. We are rarely tested on what we think but on what others are telling us to think. Sometimes it is hard to express your opinions about situations because some professors think they are right and there is no other way to think.
The internet is a tool where facts, knowledge and anything else you can think of are free. However, dropping out of school won't get you anywhere! Everyone knows that obtaining a degree is more suitable for better living. No matter how much information you learn and read on the internet it all boils down to proving what you know, which is by showing your credentials on paper. I agree with Dan on education today is not preparing us for the future. Yes we are paying Universities for information we could simply learn on the internet, but that's just how the system is set up! I do wish that the approach to education would change to giving individuals a voice in their learning. Some teachers are taking steps to independent learning and incorporating new ideas into the curriculum. It is a work in progress....

by Larry Ferlazzo
Interesting post!! I must honestly say I've never thought about pencils as being a toy until reading this post. The information seems to be so true. Mostly in a household pencils and pens are giving to children to scribble on paper during play time. Some parents never tell their child the significants of writing with a pencil. This post was an unusual but great observation of the use of pencils in a low-income household.

Two Questions That Can Change Your Life
by Daniel Pink

Everyone has a story and different things that motivates their improvement in life. What's your sentence? Was I better today than yesterday? These questions should be asked to begin the path of improvement. This post helped me realize everyone has their own sentence but almost the same goal, improvement. I like to think of myself as a dream catcher, therefore my sentence is: "I will devote my time to teaching students useful information and helping them reach their goals in life."

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Additional Assignment #3

Sir Ken Robinson: Changing Educational Paradigms
What do you think is the most important thing Sir Ken Robinson says in this presentation? "ADHD is not an epidemic." I have often thought about why so many students now struggle with paying attention? It is now clear that the students are not interested and the teachers are boring! The teacher view the student as a behavior problem because he/she are bored and playing with something while the teacher is lecturing. When the student becomes bored and uninterested in the teacher the first thing the child is labeled ADHD. The teacher should be labeled instead of the students. In public schools today, teachers are teaching standardized testing. Everything lesson in the curriculum is scripted and teachers are afraid to alter the information because of the possibility of losing their job.
Is there anything you disagree with in this presentation? I agree with the entire concept of his presentation. I also enjoyed the way he presented the information using RSA animate. The use of this tool caught my attention and kept me interested in the information. I think new tools, such as rsa animate, should be used as a teaching method to keep the students focused.
How congruent are Sir Ken Robinson's positions with those which you are being taught in the College of Education. In other word
s, where is there agreement? Where is there disagreement?
Knowledge comes with experiences. It all comes down to experiences. I think some standardized testing are bias because it test on what an they think an "average" student should know. What if I'm not average but a little more than average in another area. Just because a student is unfamiliar with the testing materials doesn't prove what they know or don't know. We need to find another way of figuring out what a student has learned rather than standardized testing.
What can you do to address the issues Sir Robinson r
aises? I will strive to teach and learn different strategies of approaching education. Even though there are goals set to be met in education, I would teach students "how" to learn instead of teaching "what "to learn.
What do you think of the presentation? If you had to do a presentation with others like this, what role on your team would you like most to play? I enjoyed the use of RSA animate in this presentation. It was interesting and kept my attention for the entire 11 minutes. I would want to play the Idea Generator.

sir ken robinson's rsa animate

Friday, October 22, 2010

Monday, October 18, 2010

Blog Post #9

"What I've Learned This Year"
by Mr. McClung
picture of students raising their hand in a classroom

Mr. Clung shared his experience about his first year being a teacher. He talked ab
out the do's and don'ts of being an effective teacher. I agree with his post and will incorporate his ideas when I become an educator. Communication is an important factor when dealing with others. If we practice effective communication skills a lot of misunderstandings wouldn't occur. We as future teachers should always encourage students rather than discourage them. Teachers should help students stay on the path to success. A teachers' focus should not be on self but on the students. We should ask "How can I serve my students in an effective manner?" I also agree that teachers should never stop learning. So many people are afraid to admit they've changed their mind about a subject. If we are afraid of change then are we really learning new ideas? I believe we are all students until the end of time. The learning process should never end for anyone, let alone teachers. We should embrace new and fresh ideas, for it is not always about you as an individual. I will keep these tips in mind when I become a Special Education teacher.
a note to self

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Project #9b Instructional Timeline


Blog Post #8

This is How We Dream Part 1 & 2
by Richard E. Miller


In this video Richard E. Miller discussed the new way of writing. Instead of writing a book and waiting for it to be published, simply use technology to share ideas. There are so many ideas that can be shared in different ways using technology. This information will be viewable infinitely instead of books being out of print. He mentioned how fast information is shared through technology rather waiting for things to be published on paper. He referred the changes as an incremental change and not a fundamental change.
"Ideas don't belong to us individually, but they they belong to us as a culture". I agree with this statement. Ideas should be shared in order to progress in a positive manner. Ideas should be shared globally and freely. This type of writing does not limit your ideas and abilities to the classroom teacher. Other people ideas merging together makes learning a lot easier.
I think this video was a must see. It opens your mind to a whole new level of sharing ideas instead of the traditional way. I know almost everyone has hear the saying "by the time a news is printed in the newspaper, it's already old news". Technology has presented many ways to share ideas in a fast manner. However, Richard Miller mentioned teaching how to write this way hasn't yet been invented.I think we are being prepared in EDM310 class to begin the process of writing in this manner. I have learned so many new techniques in this class to share with my students in the future.


The Chipper Series and EDM 310 for Dummies

These videos were interesting and gave real encounters of ever day feelings while taking EDM310.The videos were also funny and kept my attention. I have been through similar situations as "Chipper" looking for other jobs avoiding the long process of going to school. Obviously, it didn't work because I'm back in school now. In the past I have thought why do teachers stress the importance of deadlines? Now I know that everything in life revolves around deadlines.
EDM 310 for Dummies is much needed for technologically illiterate students taking EDM 310. This class is overwhelming to person who has no idea of new technology advances. I felt overwhelmed at the beginning of this class. I had trouble understanding how to complete some assignments. However, the additional instruction and lab assistants has made EDM 310 less stressful.
I would like to create or participate in videos that are humorous and has a life learned lesson. I would like for my video to be meaningful and relevant. The humor is in addition to keep the viewer interested.

Why Smartboards are a Dumb Initiative and Why I Hate Interactive Whiteboards compared to Why Use an Interactive Smartboard?

I agree with both perspectives of using smartboards. I understand that technology itself is not the learning tool but its how we present material with technology. Teaching lessons using smartboards somehow keep the attention of students longer than using the nonactive whiteboard. I agree that smartboards are expensive and giving it all the credit for learning is overrated. I don't think smartboards are the learning guru, however I believe it is a great learning tool for students with different learning styles.


Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Post 1st Progress Report on PLN Project #10

I am currently working on my PLN using Symbaloo. So far I have added twitter, flickr, blogger, delicious, skype, and facebook. I am following @web20classroom on twitter. I sent a direct message no response as of now. On facebook, I joined several groups, iSchool initiative and SPE Class of 2011 (the last blocksters). I'm not quite sure if I'm on the right track though. I've watched videos on youtube and googled ways to create a PLN. This is my 1st progress report for project #10. Please feel free to give me tips and feedback on creating an effective PLN. Thanks!

Summary Post C4T Teacher #2

Mr. David Hopkins blog posts are interesting and helpful. He discussed helpful tips for creating relevant and useful presentations. He also mentioned ways to make a presentation better. This post, "Presentations; what to do and what to avoid" was an eye opener for me. I am ashamed to say that I was doing most of the AVOID tips. I am glad I was exposed to this information. I know my next presentation will be much better than previous presentations.
The next blog post was "Preserving your carefully designed presentation". Mr. Hopkins described a situation where a Power Point 2007 presentation did not work correctly on another computer. I know we all have been a victim to this problem. In this post he shared many strategies to prevent this from happening. After my incident with PowerPoint 2007 , I started using Google Docs presentation. However, Google Docs presentations does not have many options. Now that I've been exposed to the problem and how to fix it, I will definitely give PowerPoint 2007 another chance.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Blog Post #7

a picture of a brick wall
Mr. Randy Pausch's Last Lecture was inspirational and motivational. I think all students, at some point in their education should view this lecture; it talked about achieving your childhood dreams and enabling the dreams of others. Mr. Pauch stated "WE can not change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." This statement is so true. Many times during of lives we wonder why things aren't going our way. It's not up to us to constantly complain about the situation, we must find a solution to our problem.
Randy also stated "Never give up." Many young adults need this type of motivation, so many students feels as if it's okay to just throw in the towel when they don't succeed. When did failure become an option?
"Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you want." Mr. Pausch's statement encouraged me to view life experiences in a different light. Everyone do not receive the best in life, but everyone will have experiences in life. Experience is something no man can take away. We, as educators should encourage students to never give u on their dreams. We should expose disadvantaged children to as much as possible so that they too can feel like they have a chance to succeed.

"Brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want things." A statement that should impact anyone who hears it. I agree with Mr. Pausch about brick walls. There are many times in life when people think something is too hard, so they quit. I will remember this lecture forever. I will share this information to my students in the future, hopefully it will impact their lives as it did mine. Thanks to Mr. Randy Pausch for sharing this information.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

C4K Summary 1 & 2

I recently read an "about me" and "my learning manifesto" blog posting by Yolanda S. Yolanda is a student at Noel Elementary. She has a very close family and enjoys spending time with them. I think family is important in children's lives because family gives children the support and confidence needed to succeed in any challenge.She mentioned she has difficulties in math and promises to work harder on understanding the concepts. I commend her for not giving up. Most girls lose interest in math and science during elementary school. I loved her learning manifesto.Her ideas helped me reevaluate my learning process. I know Yolanda will accomplish her goals and succeed in life.