Blog Post 15- Final Reflection

Looking back at my first blog post there is something that jumps out of me. I said that my students will learn by memorization. Dr. Strange taught us that the "burpback method" is no longer acceptable nor useful. True the subjects I will teach, Social Science, is a lot of memorizing facts but I want my students to enjoy learning and retain it. I plan to teach Secondary education and if my students were anything like me, they will be bored of the same boring lectures. I want to find new and creative ways to teach my students!

I am still a neat and organized person, so using a blog will be perfect for me. I can post syllabus, notes, etc., for my students and use less paper. I will like to use a SmartBoard for my lectures in class, my students would not be able to read my hand writing! I loved using the green screen and would like to use it in a big "end of the year" project. In reality all the tools and technology we used this semester can all be used in a classroom. The job as a teacher is the find which one is best suitable for the students.

Project 13

Project #16

Final PLN Report

During the semester I have enjoyed making and using my PLN. I went the Symbaloo route. As a educator in a ever evolving Internet world, I need to be organized with my websites. Symbaloo, too me, is the best choice because it is organized in a grid form and allows you to color code your item. There is also an app for you iPhone, so you can use it on the go. I've added several sites to my page like the History Channel, CNN, iTunes, ESPN and other sites that I might use.

Blog Post 14

2.)The article talks about how the program works and it gives the details of how it's used in a classroom with Mr. Guardia. It's being implemented by schools like Texas A&M. It is said that it is Big Brother watching you all over again, but with good intentions. They idea is that professors are able to look at their student's effort. They are given an digital textbook that has software to allow the teacher to see if the student has read it or not.

3.)As a teacher I love the idea. I would be able to track my student's effort on their work. If a student came to me saying they did not understand the material, I could just check to see if he or she had read it. I would probably less lenient on a student if I know they are reading the material and are trying.

4.)But as a student I probably wouldn't like it as much. I wouldn't have much wiggle room if I was to ask my teacher for extra credit when I he or she knows I haven't read all semester. I would definitely try and read a lot more if I knew the teacher could track my efforts.

5.)Questions for the teacher:
Do you like this technology?
Is more beneficial in a small or larger classroom?
Do you think this will help students?
Will you use this in the future?

6.)Questions for a student:
Do you like this technology?
Does it bother you knowing that your teacher is paying a close eye on you?
Does it make you nervous?
Will you try and read more?
Do you even benefit from reading a text book?

7.) I think there are both pros and cons to this technology. First I think it can be positive in changing some students study behavior. Knowing that the teacher can see if he or she read can have a effect. But I think it will have students nervous and always "looking behind them" and afraid of what the teacher might think of them not reading. Some students do better from not reading a text book.

Project 15

Blog Post 13

Paul Anderson started the Blended Learning Cycle video by introducing the strategy and breaking the words in blended learning and learning cycle. Blended learning is a form of education that combines face-to-face classroom methods with computer-mediated activities. The learning cycle consist of exploring, expanding, engaging, explaining, and then evaluating. When the two are combine students answer questions, elaborate, review and take summary quizzes. I think blended learning cycle can help teachers improve how they present a subject, involve the students and evaluate them. When I become a teacher I will think of using this strategy in my classroom because it will be very beneficial to the students.

Progress Report: Final Project

This post is a progress report on the final project my team, the Pigskins, and I will be creating. We decided to create a movie about surviving the class. It will include the top ten most important steps to surviving the class. It will include things that will help future student prepare for the class. For instance going to class, if students do not go to class then they will not know about changes to assignments that Dr. Strange may have. We hope our survival guide will help enhance future students prepare for this class.

Blog Post #12

Since I plan on being a history teacher I decided to create a history assignment.

These are the directions to my assignment: Go to: http://www.timesearch.info/timesearch/ and search the year of your birth and another year of your choice. Describe 10 interesting facts from each year.

My Assignment:

1990 (birth year)
- The Hubble Space Telescope is launched from a space shuttle and goes into orbit 370 miles (600 km) above the earth.
- UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher, by now at odds with many in her cabinet, is challenged in a leadership contest and loses.
-Iraqi troops cross the border into Kuwait and are soon in control of the whole country and its oil wells.
- Mary Robinson is elected president of the republic of Ireland, the first woman to hold the post.
-East and West Germany are united in a new Federal Republic of Germany.
- Expelled from his own country, Saudi Arabia, Osama bin Laden moves to Sudan where he continues to develop al-Qaeda
- Panama's dictator, Manuel Noriega, is captured by US troops and taken to Miami on drug trafficking charges
-Nelson Mandela is given an ecstatic reception on his release after twenty-six years in prison on Robben Island, near Cape Town
-The aged president, Félix Houphouët-Boigny, wins the Ivory Coast's first democratic elections
-Aung San Suu Kyi's party wins an overwhelming victory in Burma's general election but the military refuse to hand over power

1812:
-French scientist Georges Cuvier introduces scientific paleontology with his Research on the Fossil Bones of Quadrupeds
-The British prime minister, Spencer Perceval, is assassinated in the lobby of the House of Commons by John Bellingham.
-After the death of Perceval, Lord Liverpool begins a 15-year spell as Britain's prime minister.
-Napoleon launches an attack on his ally, the Russian tsar Alexander I, with an army of more than 600,000 men.
-Damage to US trade by British orders in council prompts war (the War of 1812) between the two nations .
-After victory at Borodino, Napoleon enters Moscow to find the city abandoned and burning
-Napoleon begins the retreat from Moscow, in arctic conditions and harried by guerrilla attacks
-The British capture Detroit in an early engagement of the War of 1812
- The Spanish Cortes in Cadiz produces a strikingly liberal new constitution for Spain
-The Spanish authorities recover control of Venezuela, ending the region's first brief spell of independence

C4T Summary

http://www.michaelkaechele.com/why-we-havent-talked-about-racism/#comment-2471

The teacher discusses his plans to teach his students about racism and the struggle people have gone through. But he thought that his students may not be ready or mature enough to discuss it.

http://www.michaelkaechele.com/when-things-dont-go-as-planned/#comment-2936

The teacher started to discuss when he went over racism with his students. He didn't expect them to get off topic and bring up personal experience of racism.

C4k summary April

Casmira, I have never been to Nebraska but it sounds like a interesting place to live. I am a student at the University of South Alabama. It is in Mobile, Alabama. The capital is Motgomery, our state flower is the Camellia, and our state bird is the Yellowhammer. Great post and keep up the good work!

http://kidblog.org/MrsGeldes2013/c1131e84-e5c3-40f5-ae75-df250d32e45e/where-i-live/#comment-955

http://meg.global2.vic.edu.au/
Meg, I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I also love going to football games during my breaks from school. Hopefully your team will win next time! Great post and keep up the good work!

Blog Post 11

Mrs. Cassidy's first graders have it made when it comes to education. They get to use so much technology in the classroom. Each student has their own blog to post on certain topics. This helps them with grammar and writing skills. They get really excited when others comment on them. They also have a class webpage that has links to other learning sites. They can use this webpage to study up on a certain topic or they can use it in their spear time. The students use Wiki pages to learn about rituals and the alphabets. They posted videos about alphabets and received response videos from EDM310 students. Mrs. Cassidy's students use Skype to communicate with other students miles away and are able to ask professors from colleges questions on a specific topic. They even get to bring their Nintendo DS to school to play educational games. This helps them learn to read, solve problems and share with others.


Teachers like Mrs. Cassidy is doing her students a great service. By using these technologies her students are getting so much more knowledge than they would using just text books. I applaud Mrs. Cassidy and hope that other teachers follow suit.

Project #14

Blog Post #10

Adventures of in Pencil Integration
I am not really sure what the representation of the cartoon is. But it says on the left side is the papermate pencil, which is cheap and easily broken. The character is an large old nerdy guy that I think represents papermate. I may be wrong because it seems to me to be a bad representation; a large man is not easily broken. The right side of the cartoon is Ticonderoga pencil new, more expensive pencil. The cartoon character is skinner and dressed more like a young person that would be my age. Even though you can not see his pants, I would picture him with skinny jeans. I personal do not have skinny jeans but for some reason a lot of guys wear them.

Why Were Your Kids Playing Games
In Why Were Your Kids Playing Games Mr. Spencer is being asked by the principle why he was letting his kids play games in the classroom. The principle had previously said that there would be no games in school due to a parent complaint. Mr. Spencer tried to explain that his game was an advance simulation that involved the students making a mock factory. The students had to draw, read various scenarios, and describe their solutions in text. The principle told him that he was suppose to help the students memorize for a test. Memorizing is not teaching, just temporally remembering information. Mr. Spencer was in the right by actually doing his job.

Avoid Social Networking
The second post I read was Avoid Social Networking . The post starts out by with Human Resource officer stating that teachers should not interact with students on social networking sites. One of the teachers, Ms. Jackson, spoke up against the resource officer saying, "the best way to model appropriate adult behavior is to interact with kids and be a positive role model." Another teacher was told to stop coaching a baseball team outside of school with children from school. A third teacher was told she could not acknowledge students when she saw them at a grocery store. The post is saying that teachers should have any contact with students outside of school because it may be viewed as inappropriate.

I can agree to some degree with the post. We see in the news sometimes teachers having "inappropriate relations" with their students. But I do not think that all teachers should be rude and avoid their students outside of school. I believe that social networking can be beneficial for both students and teachers. A teacher could answer questions threw Facebook or blogs. Posting lessons or reviews on YouTube or a blog would be great for students and their parents. I plan on doing this in my classroom. But I can understand where people can get the idea of inappropriate teacher/student relations and teachers need to be taught not to step over the boundaries.

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff Please
In the post Dr. Mcleod is addressing parents, teachers, and administrators telling them not to teach their students how to use technology or social media in the classroom. He warns of cyber bulling, sexting, and sexual predators that students could run into when they use it. I totally disagree with him because students must learn technology in today's society because they will most certainly fall behind. A school that did not have any kind of technology would be doing severe damage to the student's education. Dr. McLeod is right that there is cyber bulling and sexual predators online but if parents and teachers teach kids how to use it properly then they will not have a problem.

Scott McLeod, Ph.D., is currently serving as the Director of Innovation for Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency 8 in Iowa. He is also the Founding Director of the UCEA for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE, the nation's only academic center dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators, and was a co-creator of the wildly popular video series, Did You Know? (Shift Happens). He has recieved numerous national awards for his technology work, including recognitions from the cable industry, Phi Delta Kappa, the National School Boards Association, and the Center for Digital Education. He is widely recognized as one of the nation's leading academic experts on K-12 school leadership and teachnology issues.

Project 11

C4T #3

Post 1: In the post the teacher has set up an example picking the best video for a new job. Your a game designer for Rovio Entertainment and you must choose the best of 4 demo videos.


My comment was just me picking the video I would have chosen.


http://fnoschese.wordpress.com/2013/03/21/projectile-motion-assessment-task/#comment-12542




Post 2:
In this post the teacher is displaying his findings on the experiments he did during the day. He did experiments on kinetic and gravitational energy. He asked his readers on what their thoughts on the subject was.


My comment basically said on what I could remember from science class which was that the both energies depended on the mass of the object.


http://fnoschese.wordpress.com/2013/04/02/video-analysis-of-a-bouncing-ball/#comment-12805

Blog Post #9

Volume 4


Mr. McClung made several good points during his reflection of his fourth year of being a teacher. He mentions that he was worried about how his peers thought of his image the whole school year. That worrying the whole year could have hampered his teaching a bit and his student may have not gotten the full education they could had gotten. As a teacher you probably need to be more focused on the students rather than your peers. I love how he warns about getting to comfy as a teacher. I had several "comfy" teachers in high school and they did not teach to their full potential. As teachers we should always continue to challenge ourselves and it will reflect with our students challenging themselves.




Version 1 (2008-2009)


Mr. McClung's first year reflection starts by mentioning what he had noticed is that teachers were more worried about the delivery of their lesson rather than student comprehension of the subject. The second thing he learned is to be flexible. No one is perfect and your going to mess up sometimes. You don't need to beat yourself up and just move on. Letting something effect you throughout the day will probably effect how you teach your students. He finishes by saying that teachers never should stop learning. This is probably something a teacher needs to remember every day. Sir Francis Bacon said it best, "knowledge is power!"

Project #12- The Brave Monkey Pirate by Hayes Roberts

C4T Summaries

Learning is Messy


This blog is about understanding that learning can be messy. When teaching you have to go with the flow and try to teach students effectively. The teacher used the example of a clean kitchen. You spend time cleaning up and enjoy the satisfaction of it being clean but then it gets dirty again when you cook. It would stay clean only if no one lived there. Hernandez continues by saying learning is messy because life is messy and learning is life. There is no way around it.

Ck4 summary march

John Roberts:
Hey John, I am a student at the University of South Alabama. It’s awesome you broke the record for throwing the farthest in your grade. I bet you learn a lot since your dad is a coach! Keep up the good work!

http://kidblog.org/MissMacsOutstandingOwls/johnrobert84149/spain-park-baseball-by-john-robert-thompson/#comment-1667

Kaustav, I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I also think it would be cool to have a friend with superpowers. But if he/she had dangerous enemies that would be bad. Great post and keep up the good work!

http://kidblog.org/MrSeyfertsClass/ecc569a7-62ea-42d2-8d88-96786a100523/wanna-hang-out/#comment-1319

Hi Lauren, I’m a student at South Alabama University. William Kamkwamba is certainly an awesome story. Being able to make a turbine and producing electricity in his area is incredible. Being able to give water and electricity for his family must be a awesome feeling. Awesome blog post and keep up the good work!

http://kidblog.org/Harbor7/7c6b0c29-91b4-4077-a96a-a4f1a6bdb650/william-kamkwamba-8/#comment-746

Hey Joe, I'm a student at the University of South Alabama. It must have been a intersting to hear a speech from a Holocust survivor. It was certainly a dark part of human history. Great post and keep up the good work!

http://joeyscs17.edublogs.org/2013/04/05/philip-gans/#comment-40

Project #8

Project #9 Personal Learning Network (PLN)

For my PLN, I created a Symbaloo account. It is a cool website of organization. It helps you keep websites that you need all on one webpage. It is a great tool for someone who likes to be organized or for someone who NEEDS to be organized. After I created my account, I started to add websites that I find useful. Symbaloo also has an app for smartphones, so now I can have the websites that I find useful at my fingertips!

Blog Post #7

Dr. Pausch intrigued me after watching his first video early in the semester. After doing some research I began to remember him back when we did a shorter lecture on Oprah. He starts his last lecture by asking the crowd "what wisdom would you try to import to the world if you knew it was your last chance?" The first section of his lecture is about his childhood dreams. Pausch dreamed of being in the NFL but never accomplished it. But he gained experience of playing the sport and trying to achieve the dream by the technique of "head fake" or indirect learning.


In the second part of his lecture Pausch tells about enabling the dreams of others. Another childhood dream of his was to become an imagineer. He achieved the dream after hard work and helped create the Aladdin ride. He figured out a way to help others achieve the same dream by creating a class film animation. This part of the lecture reminds me of chapter 5 of the book "Lighting Their Fires" by Rafe Esquith. In the chapter he discusses that people must earn their success by dedication and hard work.


The third section of the lecture was called "Lessons Learned." Pausch discusses about lessons he learned from his parents. He continues to mentions other people who could help us in our lives: teachers, mentors, friends, and colleagues. In the end of the lecture we find out the whole thing is for his children. It the only way he can teach them how to live when he has passed away.


My first reaction of the video is how composed Dr. Pausch is. This was his last actual lecture and he had amazing composure. I applaud his honesty and how he has accepted his fate. Many people would be at home reflecting on their life on what the could have done different but he is still helping others. On comment Pausch said that I will remember is, "brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want something." Again I remember Esquith's book and remember that if you want something bad enough you should go after it. Just because there is a wall doesn't mean there is not a way around it.

C4K Summary for February

Week 3:

Hey Taiaha, My name is Brody and I am a college student at the University of South Alabama in the United States. I see you enjoy rugby, I have always been interested in the sport. Where I live American football has a huge following. I understand that the two sports are similar but also VERY different. For instance, both are very physical sports but rugby players wear very little padding. Takes a tough guy to play rugby! Keep up the good work on the blog and school!

http://pestaiahat.blogspot.com/2013/02/all-abut-me.html?showComment=1361479848888#c2708072165166377147

Week 4:

Hey Cooper, I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am also looking forward to spring break. A visit to an aquarium sounds really fun, I have not been to one since I was your age. Awesome blog and keep up the good work!

http://kidblog.org/Vannoy/aa29cd9e-3884-4514-aeca-2d9a2ab17bac/winter-2/

Blog Post #6

The Networked System

I think it is pretty awesome that you can contact whoever you want to get help on a certain topic on the web. It is true that a lot of things posted on the web is inaccurate, if you double check your findings then you can get a idea if the facts are right. This could be good for the classrooms and help with student's assignments.

The system needs a teacher because he/she will teach the student how to work it and take advantage of the opportunity. The teacher is also needed for guidance when a student gets stuck. One of the most important things the teacher will teach the student is how to properly communicate with others and ask for help. Hopefully the student will remember all the teaching and use it in the future.

I believe I am ready to be a networked teacher. I will be able to show students how to use the web and technology properly. I will also use ideas from this class and from other places. I am sure I will be learning new technology and different methods I can use for my teaching style. I think all future teachers my age will be ready to be a networked teacher because all the old style teachers will be weeded out and new technology advanced teachers will replace them.

My Sentence Movie

Project #5 Presentation

Blog Post #4

Langwitches

Langwitches is a perfect example on who to create a functional podcast. The podcast has the students reading "Dinosaurs Before Dark." It a shows the students following along to each others voices. This seems to keep their attention as they wait to hear their own voice and if one student gets off track there is sound at the end of each chapter to get them back on track. Having students create podcast is a great way to keep them being a creative. It is also a easy way to introduce them to technology.

Podcasting with First Graders

The first graders in the blog heard the second grade's podcast and wanted their own too. During that time the class was reading a book from the Magic Tree House Series, one of my favorite when I was there age. They were recorded doing a Q&A with the main characters. The sentences that the students are suppose to read help in reading comprehension skills. The students seemed to be excited using the podcast, even if they did not realize that they were learning. I probably would had enjoyed making an podcast when I was that age too.

Flat Stanley

Flat Stanley is a great idea because it helps students realize how big and different the world is. The students get to pick a location of their choosing and have to research on it; then write a short script on it. Not only does Flat Stanley show students culture, geographical differences of the world but help them in their reading and writing skills. I would love to use this in my class one day!

C4T Assignment

Do You Trust Students?

Micheal Kaechele's blog us frequently updated with a variety of ideas and opinions. The first blog I read was about trusting students. He had giving the class a project on the Cold War and Vietnam War. He discussed the details of the projects and what he expected them to accomplish. Kaechele was blown away by some of his students creativity. For expample, some students used a temporary wall to draw scenes for their video project. He talked about struggling with letting them go and hoping that they would use their time wisely. Most teachers can probably agree that they struggle with the same problem and I most likely will too in the future.

Why Teach Primary Sources?

Kaechele's second post I read was about an argument of why to teach primary sources. Sometimes primary sources can be difficult for students. Often they use high vocabulary and complex sentences that students may not understand. What Kaechele is trying to say is there is no harm in using a video as an source as long as the students understand the topic and get answers right during a discussion.

Blog Post #5

My Dream School

The thought of having the ability to build a school with no limitations is staggering. Where should I start? I would make both the outside and inside of the school colorful. I would have the school broke down into different sections based off different subjects. For instance, I would have a history hall with the walls painted people, events and other things that the students would learn in a history class. The same would go for an English, Math, Art, etc. halls. Every classroom would have up-to-date technology in them. This would include computers for students and projectors, smart boards for the teachers. The students would not be required a bunch of classes they did not want to take. If a student did not want to learn Chemistry, then he/she would not be forced to. The aim is for the students to enjoy learning, not for them struggle to stay awake in a class they did not like. I was not a big fan of end of the semester exams when I was in school. So at my dream school students would only have to take a semester exam if they have a grade lower than an 85 in the class. As a student I wished that my high school's lunchroom had better food at lunch. I want my dream school to have the best food that would also be healthy at the same time; some people may laugh at the sentence because all the good food usually isn't good for you! I would want my students to feel safe at all times, so I would have a security guard at every entrance. By no means am I trying to start a heated debate on political views, I am just simple posting a part of my dream school.

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir

It is pretty awesome to see someone take the time and effort to make the virtual choir. People who are interested in choirs and are not able to travel can now listen to one from the comfort of their own home. It also shows that it can connect people all over the world for one common interest.

Teaching in the 21st Century

Teaching in the 21st Century is certainly different from previous ones. I would get a laugh to see a teacher from fifty years ago see the changes in the classroom. The way teachers connect with students has gotten easier with emails and social networks.

Flipped Classroom

Flipping the classroom idea is a very creative way to give students extra time to learn a subject. Using modern technology like YouTube, teachers can post lectures online so the students can learn at the own speed. This allows fewer lecture in the classroom and gives teachers more time to actually teach the students. This also allows the class not to be stuck on a particular subject for multiple days and allows them to not to get behind on the class schedule.

Blog Post #3

Peer Editing

Peer editing can be very helpful for students of any ages. It is editing your work with someone your own age, usually a classmate. Generally getting suggestions or comments from a peer can be better received rather from a teacher. The first rule of peer editing is to always stay positive! It is best to start off by pointing out something the writer has done. Next you need to make suggestions, but remember to stay specific and positive. Some areas to focus on are word choice, using detail, organization, and topics. The third and final step in the process is making corrections. Meaning that your check the person's paper for grammar and spelling mistakes, missing punctuation and incomplete or run-on sentences. Follow these instructions and you will be a successful peer editor.

There are a lot of mistakes that can happen when peer editing. What I mean is that people may not do a quality job in giving or receiving criticism. Some people can be a "Picky Patty," where they pick out little mistakes like lightly marked period at the end of a sentence or too much of a space between a comma and the following word. Some people often are a "Whatever William," meaning that he/she does not care about the process. They let the assistance go in one ear and out the other! Another mistake that can be made is an "Off-Task Oliver," and unfortunately I have been an Off-Task Oliver. Always remember to stay focused on the task at hand and there will be time later to talk about what else is on your mind.

Assistive Technologies

The Mountbatten is an incredible tool that can be used for the blind and visually impaired. Immediate feedback is important for slow learners and the Mountbatten does this. The machine allows the student to feel the braille that is type while audio feedback is given on what was typed. The machine can save files and also send or receive other files from a computer. This is such an advanced machine and should be used in any classroom that has blind or visually impaired students.

Students who are blind or visually impaired certainly do have a harder time in the classroom. The technology has incredibly improved in the past decade. Students today who are impaired have it a lot better than students ten, fifteen years ago. With the tools and technology they have an equal chance of learning and graduating school than students without any impairment.

The Mountbatten is an excellent tool for the blind or visually impaired, and should be placed in schools across America. But, I do realize that may be a problem with certain school's money situations. The math tool created by Professor Karshmer and USF, allows students that are impaired to easily learn math the same way a student without a impairment. To me this instrument would seem to be cheaper and more affordable for a school to buy. The iPad is the most accessible and affordable for someone who is blind. The settings is able to be changed where someone who is impaired may be able to read from iBook or use any learning app he/she may have downloaded.

Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

Vicki Davis is from a rural town in Georgia. She is a perfect example of how teachers can use technology in their classroom to help students learn. She uses a variety of technology to help her students learn; from blogging, Wiki, and a virtual life program called Open Sim. Open Sim looks similar to the popular Sims computer game, but with Open Sim the students learn by teaching each other how to use it.

Davis and another teacher also created Digi Teen. This is a program where kids from different schools are able to study and teach each other digital information. They also created the Flat Classroom Project, which helps students study and experience trends in information technology. What Davis is doing is helping her students and other students around the world open their eyes to what it has to offer. That just because you are from a rural town in Georgia does not mean that you confined to that town.

Special Blog Assignment #1

WolframAlpha

Population of India: 1.21 billion
Population of China: 1.35 billion
Population of USA: 309 million

It is estimated that 300 million people in China speak English and 18 million are learning. If those people are successful then there will be 318 million people in China that would be able to speak English. As stated above, there is 309 million people in America, so there would be more Chinese-English speaking people in China than the entire population of our country.

Using WolframAlpha, I found that Georgia's population two times the size of Alabama's population. Last year, Georgia had a population of 4.8 million and Alabama had a population of 9.8 million. Alabama had a lower annual death rate then Georgia, 46,977 to 67,808. But, Georgia's annual birth rate is greater than Alabama; 148,633 to 63,232. Both death and birth rates are from 2006, so the numbers today are slightly different.

WolframAlpha would be a great tool to use in a classroom. It can be used in any subject. A student can look up information for a math information or famous painting.

Gary Hayes Social Media Count

It was crazy to see the Social Media Count by Gary Hayes. Our society today wants all our info as soon as possible. Facebook and Twitter is unfourtnatly leading the way in getting us our information. Anyone can make statement and people will take it as the truth. Trying to keep up with all the info can be difficult.

I believe that this astrounding rate will only increase. I will have to keep up with the pace during my career. I want to keep my students up to date at all times. If people think that today's youth is fast pace generation, the future generations will be even faster in getting their information.

Blog Post #2

Did You Know? 3.0- John Strange 2012 Version

As I began to watch the video, I found it difficult to wrap my brain around the numbers. It is hard to believe with all the early learning tools and programs in our country that our honor students would be outnumbered by India's honor students. Another mind blowing fact from the video is that "by 2025 the number of English-speaking Chinese is likely to exceed the number of native English speakers in the rest of the world." To my understanding, English is one of the easiest languages to learn and that is one of the reasons you see it all over the world.

Every day I continue to be amazed by all the technology we use every day. We live in the Information Age, at all times of the day people are finding new ways to interact with others. We have Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, text messages, etc; to communicate with each other. It is interesting to me to think how many people today have social anxiety and that it probably was not as common ten-fifteen years ago.

I wonder what technology I will use in my classroom ten years from now. Will the classroom still consist of smart boards and projectors or will there be some new technology that we have never heard of come available. Whether its new or old technology, I will be ready to prepare my students with the obstacles that lay ahead of them.

Mr. Winkle Wakes

This is a great funny video. It showed how our society has evolved technologically and our schools have been left on the back burner. This may be one of many reasons some countries honor students outnumber ours. The blame can be dished to our politicians and the schools themselves. Politicians today are cutting funds for schools that would allow them to afford better computers and other technology for the classroom. Some teachers can be blamed also. Some do not try to learn the new technology and refuse to use new methods of teaching.

Our schools must do a better job in funding and showing teachers how to use the technology. The latter, I believe, will fade out in the coming years. While old style teachers begin to retire, new teachers will replace them that know different methods of teaching and will be able to use new technology.

Sir Ken Robinson

I really enjoyed Ken Robinson on creativity. I believe creativity is very important in our lives. Living in the Information Age we are finding new ways to acquire knowledge. If we are educating children out of their creativity, then how will they ever take a chance to learn? Art has declined over the years and is not an importance in our school systems. A degree in art is not worth much in today's world, I think it is a shame.

I think it is very important to refocus ourselves on creativity. I struggle to come up with a reason because I was taught to be correct. We need to rethink our use of creativity and not downplay it. People say money is what makes the world go round, but I believe creativity does. If it was not for people's creativity then there would there would be no need for this EDM 310 class.

Pinterest

The article on how to use Pinterest in education is very useful. It can be used by teachers or students. Teachers can share lesson plans or ways to teach a subject. Students can find pictures or videos that may help on a certain project. Pinterest is very simple and well organized. That is why it would be a good tool for a teacher to remember when they are in the classroom.

Out of 20 best Pinterest boards, I picked Educational Technology. I believe this is the best board for a teacher in today's classroom to find new and creative ways to use technology. For example, I never thought of using a fake text app would be useful in a classroom. iFake Text can be used for History, English, and many other subjects.

Project #2 Wordle

Blog Post #1

Background
Hey everyone! As you may know, my name is William Brown, but I go by my middle name Brody. I am from a small town in north Alabama called Arab, just south of Huntsville. I double major in Social Science and History of Secondary Education. My favorite of the two is History because the subject has interested my since an early age and I've had several teacher influences in the subject. I decided to attend USA after two years at Auburn University for several reasons. One major reason was to be closer to my girlfriend, Taylor. I also have family in the area and they are very important in my life.

I have a close relationship with my family. I have two older brothers, the oldest lives in Marietta, Ga. and the other lives with me in Daphne. My parents are no longer together, they divorced when I was younger. My mother still lives in my hometown and my father lives in Okeechobee, Fl. I feel in love with History in 6th grade, I had an excellent teacher who showed me that learning could be fun. My grandmother was a teacher for a number of years and everyone who had her always said she was the best teacher they had. You could say she is my role model as a teacher because she helped so many students lives.

My Classroom
I plan on teaching high school in subjects that fall under Social Science. I aim to make my class fun and exciting, that means I will have to make my teaching style fun and exciting. I will always have to up beat and exciting while I teach my students.

As I previously stated, my students will be in high school, their ages will range from about 14 to 18 years. I cannot tell you how they will learn, but I will teach them ways I used when I was their age. Most of the material covered in Social Science can be studied by note or flash cards. I believe that is the easiest way to memorize the people, terms, dates, etc.

In the learning process, I will use several tools to help my students. I will use power points during my class discussions to help the students keep up. Then I will email the power points to the students or printout the notes for the ones that may not have an email. I am not a big fan of textbooks, but I do know I will be forced to issue them in a public high school. I would also like to issue secondary books that would fit the topic, to help the students understand the topic better.

I am a very neat an organized person and my classroom will reflect that. However I do not want to be a teacher who doesn't allow food or drinks into the classroom, I will expect my students to pick up after themselves. I would like my classroom to be a good atmosphere for my students. I hope to have up to date technology in the room, but I know that will most likely be up to the school system financial means.

Randy Pausch on Time Management
The first thing I learned from Dr. Pausch's video is goal setting. When setting a goal you need to ask why you are doing it instead of just doing it. Next, is to ask yourself what is the goal and how do you get to it. Third, you need to ask yourself what happens if I do not accomplish the goal? Will you be punished for not doing the goal or would it go by unnoticed? The next thing I understood from the video, is not to focus on doing things right, Pausch thinks that can be very dangerous. It is much more important to do the right things than to do the wrong things beautifully.

Another key topic in the video is experience. It is very valuable and there is no easy way to get it. Meaning that experience comes from bad judgment and it is important to remember when things are going bad you gaining experience. The topic of planning is important also. It has to be done in multiple levels. For someone that is academics the levels may consist of what is needed to be done today, this week, and this semester. It is important to know that a plan will sometimes have to changed and you can't change it if you don't have one! To do list are good for when you have a lot on your plate. It helps to get the ball rolling and get your goals accomplished. The thing to remember with to do list is to start with the worst thing first.

Test Blog #1

Test Blog #1

Test Post #1

Test Post #1

Test Post #1

Test Post #1