Saturday, November 29, 2014

Blog Post #5 part 2rainbowswithinreach.blogspot.com

My PLN is expanding everyday. The resources Dr. Strange has provided us has really helped me expand my learning on teaching. I now know how to use technology to help create lesson plans and ideas for my future classroom. The PLN idea is great it gives me a wide variety of ideas and opinions that I may have not thought of on my own. Some teachers may not give it much thought to post their lessons online, but to us beginners they are a big help to develop are own.
PLN: Personal Learning Network Time to LINK UP!

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Blog Post #14

Problems and their solutions stated by: Joel Klein. He emphasizes on professionalizing teaching.


  1. Pick from the best.  Start with the academic training for teachers. We need to look at a new approach in recruiting teachers. Rewarding teachers should help enforce great and productive teaching. 
  2. Seniority Distraction. Job security and seniority dictate how schools operate. Professionalizing teaching means that excellence would be the guiding hallmark.
  3. Radical Changes. Teachers should establish their own standards. Lastly, teachers would abandon their support for mandatory assignment of kids to neighborhood schools in favor of "the greatest possible choice among public schools."



Academic training should be enforced for teaching. While some simply just have a degree in the field with no education degree, can become teachers. I agree, that teachers should be educated. Some teachers go over and beyond to teach their students as to some who simply do what they have to do to get by. The teachers who go over and beyond should be rewarded for their handwork. Seniority distraction can determine how schools operate. Experienced teachers end up in middle class schools, while the poor kids receive teachers who are not always effective. Radial changes would allow teachers to establish their own guidelines. Teachers would then be promoted based on specialty exams. 



Professionalizing teaching would give the teachers the respect they deserve. As teachers, we guide the next generation of doctors, lawyers, and everything else kids want to be. Providing teachers with the best academic before they get out on their own only benefits the students. Rewards help boost teachers work. Seniority can be a good thing or bad thing. A young teacher who works his or her tail off may be cut because they were the new hire vs. the teacher who has been their for 10 years that sits down everyday. Teachers should be able to write their standards. They see what is going on in the classroom everyday. 

The Professionalization teaching

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Blog Post #13

Write a Blog Post on what you have learned in EDM310 so far.




When I signed up for EDM310 I didn't know what to expect. It is my first semester at USA, I transferred from a two-year college. I am very knowledgeable on how technology can be incorporated in to the classroom. When I was growing up it was just pencil and paper, but times have changed. I learned multiple ways to integrate technology with lesson plans. I have also built my personal learning network in the process. Dr. Strange has also shared with us some great resources to look back at when I develop my own classroom. I am also knowledgable on how to create a book trailer which would be really fun for my future students. I have learned a lot about the SMART board and how the functions work. I can not wait to use all my knowledge gained from EDM310 in my classroom.
robinsonkelseyedm310.blogspot.com

Friday, November 14, 2014

C4K November

Cameron V,

Mission 1 T walkers                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 On Digital Passport I watched a video and i saw when to use our devices in the right place at the right time.                                                                                you must not use it when your at a friends house and you can use it when your mom can pick you up.
Mission 2 Share jumpers                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     In this lesson it teaches you what you should share and how.                                                                                                                                                                             I learnt that you should not share inappropriate things because people are watching.

My comment:
Hi Cameron,
I am Paula Holt. A student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I agree there is a time and place to use devices. At a friends house you want to make as many memories with that friend rather than being glued to your cell phone. It is a great way to build a life long friendship. There is always things that should be kept a secret with yourself. Everyone does not have to know every little thing. Do you have any secrets that you keep to yourself?


<a href="http://holtpaulaedm310.blogspot.com">Paula Holt</a>



Kurt,
My left picture is before I printed and the one on the right is when its on paper, and printed.
fish drawn on styrofoam

painted fish with blue water

My comment:
Kurt,
I am Paula Holt a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I love print making. We just we over this in my art class. I am in the process of making my own print. You did a very good job on this. It is taking me a while to figure out what I want to draw. I hope you are enjoying school.
<a href="http://holtpaulaedm310.blogspot.com/">Paula Holt</a>

C4T #4

Post #1
Annie Palmer,
Some of the greatest lessons I learned were on a softball field as a young adult.  Oftentimes, I find myself making connections between that context of learning and the context of learning about instruction.  Let’s make a comparison between a coach on a softball field and a teacher in a classroom and tie it all into feedback, which is one of the most powerful strategies in improving student achievement.
1. During any given practice, a softball player does not receive a score on their performance, but rather specific feedback, such as “hit the middle of the ball” or “keep your head tucked in when swinging.”  This feedback is specific and directed towards one particular player.
What this means for feedback in the classroom: Do not mistake scores for feedback.  Scores are oftentimes an end result and sends the message that learning is done.  Instead, give feedback in relation to the learning target and success criteria in the form of a verbal conversation or written explanation, not a number.  In addition, focus feedback on individuals as opposed to whole-class feedback.
2. When a coach enthusiastically yells “Way to go!” to a player, there’s a sense of pride and accomplishment. It makes them feel good. This is important; however, it also does not give feedback on improvement.
What this means for feedback in the classroom: There is a place for praise in the classroom. But, research shows that praise affect’s a student’s ego, not their achievement.  And, when given in tandem with feedback, praise dissipates the power of the feedback.  The lesson: give praise in the classroom, just separate it from feedback.
3. A coach does not wait until the end of practice and definitely not until the end of the season to give instruction to their players. Feedback is constantly given in the act of learning.
What this means for feedback in the classroom:  The most powerful form of feedback is in the form of formative assessment, done daily and in the act of learning.  A teacher’s “aha’s” about student learning should come daily or weekly as opposed to that happening as a summative assessment is graded.
What other analogies can you think of connecting coaching and instruction through the lens of feedback?  I would love to hear your ideas!


My Comment:
I found this post very interesting. I as well played softball all year round for over half my life. It caught my attention that someone has compared teaching to coaching. I think feedback should be directed towards one student for his or her accomplishment than as a class. Once you see someone struggling or needing a fix it is best to assess the moment when you see it as to waiting until it is to late. I do agree that grades give the illusion that we are done learning on that and it is not the case we are always learning. Great post. It has opened my eyes to the one thing I love and the one thing I want to become. 
EDM310 Student at the University of South Alabama.
Paula Holt




Post #2


Darren Fix,
This is a good discrepit event to start a conversation on heat energy. Ice cubes are placed on blocks made of different materials (although students aren't aware of that). One ice cube melts at a much faster rate than the other. The block that melted the ice cube faster feels colder than the other. Students are quick to predict/assume that the warmer block would have melted the ice cube faster. This leads to a critical thinking discussion of how heat energy flows and the ability of materials to conduct heat better or worse than others. 


My comment: 
I am a student at the University of South Alabama enrolled in EDM310. This is a great way to show students energy and heat. This allows the students to engage and see the actual thing happen. Great post,thank you for sharing. 

Project #12 Part B Group 4

We will be teaching First Grade how to add and subtract whole numbers.
 Lesson Plan


Sunday, November 9, 2014

Blog Post #12

Blog Post #12 Collaborative Group #4

A. This video is just about introducing what Assistive Technology is and why it is important to have the classroom. For example, you could have a blind child in the classroom and as a result they will require a different approach to learning. They are just as smart and able and their able-bodied counterparts. They just need a different kind of help.


B. Apple has a range of technological options to help those who have disabilities live their lives to the fullest with their technology.


For the users with vision problems the “Voice Over” will read the screen to them. For those with hearing problems they can access the “Face Time” feature on the phone and can then converse with people face to face. For the users who have diminishing motor skills can utilize the “AssistiveTouch” features in the IOS. The IOS also has features to assist those with attention deficit or cognitive disabilities stay on task.


  1. The Mountbatten brailler is introduced to be a way to incorporate the blind into the classroom curriculum. This device allows the student to type what he or she is trying to say and the device prints the message in braille and reads the message back to the student in the process. The Mountbatten saves files and is able to transfer and receive files from the computer. This gives the blind an opportunity to achieve all academic goals they have set for themselves.
a mountbatten brailler
By: Paula Holt










  1.      Technology never ceases to amaze me!! In Teaching Math to the Blind, Professor Karshmer discusses the difficulties of teaching math to the blind while he demonstrates how to use his innovative device that will make it simple and easy to teach math to the visually impaired.
                 For sighted children, it is very easy to explain a math problem on the board because        
           they can see how the numbers line up vertically. They then can add/subtract/divide/                                     
           multiply accordingly. But for blind students, Braille does not line up just so. Their            
           numbers stay linear and they can only read them from left to right. This makes math way  
           harder for them to figure out. But with Professor Karshmer’s device, students can scan
           numbered tiles which tells them what number each tile is. They then can place it
           anywhere on the board and line up tiles to make problems easier for them to feelbraillepic.gif
           and figure out. Such a simple creation but it has a remarkable impact on it’s particular set
           of students. I personally have a very close friend who is blind and just from talking to
           him I know that it is extremely difficult to get a job if you are blind. With math skills your
           chances increase drastically. That’s why technology is such a huge must for students
           with special needs.
  1.     Another more familiar piece of technology that is becoming increasingly important for the blind is the Ipad. It’s so refreshing to see something so popular being put to good use
           for once! After watching ipad Usage for the Blind, I’m so amazed at what Apple has
           done! Using the Ipad for the blind is simple and so easy for them to hear and understand
           what they are doing while they are using their Ipad. This opens so many doors for them.
           Now they can create and store all kinds of information and easily access it without any
           outside help. I know that there are other forms of technology that have been made
           accessible for the blind, but according to my friend who is blind, most of these devices
           are very expensive. An Ipad isn’t cheap but it is attainable. It is also being used more
           and more in schools. This gives special needs teachers an easy tool to interact with
           with their blind students and give them a chance to feel in control! By: Taylor Gray





  1. Denise shows us how learning on the ipad is simple and easy for someone who is blind. By simply running your finger over the screen the ipad tells you what app or program you are about to click on. It is set to double tap, so when you are over the app you need you can double tap anywhere on the screen and it opens the app. The keyboard is the same way making it easier to send messages for someone who can only hear. This is a great tool for a blind person to communicate with the world. I feel this is a great aspect and will go a long way for the people who simply can’t see, but have all the dreams just like the ones of people with vision.
By: Paula Holt
  1. Special Education isn’t for everyone. It takes a calm, cool, collected, organized , and confident person to work with the special needs. Teaching can become overwhelming, so it is great to have a variety of options in your PLN. Working with parents and other teachers can offer many new ideas to help the special needs. Jeff Dunn has created an article 50 Must-See Blogs For Special Education Teachers.  This article provides 50 blogs for you to add into your PLN. Jeff has broke them down into different groups making them easier to find what you need. Special Education Teaching Tips and Strategies, Technology and Assistive Technology, Special Topics, Special Education News and Policy, Special Education Law, and Various Topics on Special Education. Expanding your PLN allows you access to many ideas you can incorporate in your lesson plans.

          learning knows no bounds
By: Paula Holt

Thursday, November 6, 2014

c4t #3

http://teachhighschoolmath.blogspot.com/2013/04/have-students-teach-class-student.html


The student engagement wheel is introduced. When you teach your students something and they know the material and can use it gives students excitement that they can teach their classmates. The student engagement wheel describes different parts of how students should be engaged with each other and you.


my comment:


I am a student in EDM310 at USA. I love the student engagement wheel. I love getting everyone involved and making the learning process easy as possible. Students are more inclined to learn material from their peers. A student myself I have always learned material I struggled with from my classmates. Different styles of teaching from those who are just students.

<a href="http://holtpaulaedm310.blogspot.com">Paula Holt</a>

student engagement chart

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Project #10 Teacher Interview

Blog Post #11

Brian Crosby, a teacher from Nevada, talks about how he uses technology in the classroom with back to the future. Every student has a blog. Instead of the standard 20 question test, Crosby asks the students to embed the video into their blog and give an explanation. He asks the students to set goals for themselves. While the students also build a learning network to collaborate with one another. Celeste, a student with Leukemia, attends class everyday through Skype or a similar application. This allows her to be a normal student while at home fighting cancer.

Mr. Paul Anderson describes for us what blended learning is for us.  He describes that online, mobile, and classroom is mixed with the learning cycle which is engage, explore, expand, explain, and evaluate. Blended learning cycle is the combination of both. Allowing the students to grade each others work and get involved allows for more learning. Anderson talks about having a good question, investigate, video, collaboration, review, and summary quiz. He uses the method for students to better understand the material with the blended learning cycle.

Same Pane shows us what it takes to be a super digital citizen. He demonstrates what it takes to be a good digital citizen. A digital citizen chooses to act safely, respectful, and show responsibility. Pane reminds the students to not give out any information to strangers on the internet. Using a website the students are able to design and create their own digital citizen. After creating this the students must write a narrative while building a comic of a digital citizen saving the day from people not being careful while using the internet. This allows the students to write narratives, analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to text, and ask and answer questions.

In this video, project based learning describes using projects because it increases engaged learners. It gives the students a deeper understanding of the material. Students use technology as a tool to bring the content to life.

PBL program at Roosevelt Elementary provides a video explanation of PBl. Using project based learning allows students to show they fully understand the concept. This also encourages public speaking skills. Starting the student at a young age with public speaking will eliminate this fear as the student ages. It allows the students to make decisions and form presentation.

Making thinking visible  is also a book that deepens the minds of students while deepening the depth of understanding.

blog post

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Blog Post #10

Ms.Cassidy provides a video of how her first graders use technology here. This video lets the students walk us through some of the technology based assignments used in their classroom. They use logging to help improve their writing and reading skills. This also gives the students encouragement to keep writing. Ms. Cassidy provides a webpage the students can access links to games and Ms. Cassidy's blog. They also use wikis, Skype, and nintendo d.s. to collaborate in the classroom.
I love the idea of blogging in the classroom. This allows the students to improve their reading and writing skills without actually knowing. This gives them confidence when their peers leave comments on a post. It lets the student know that they can write and to keep trying. In my classroom I will have a class webpage that has assignments, links. and anything I can find that pertains to the curriculum. I want my students to have 24/7 access to information they need to help them be a better student and prepared for class.
Technology in the classroom has so many benefits. It not only allows the children to learn at school but they have access from almost anywhere with a laptop to learn. Having an audience is very beneficial because the student is not only writing for the teacher, but they are writing for their peers as well. The class page as mentioned above allows the student access all the time. They can see what was missed if they are absent. It provides links to learning websites.
During interview #3 Cassidy talks about having the students create a school Facebook page. I really liked this idea. This allows the students to be updated and have another resource to get in touch with classmates. You can also find interview #1 and interview #2 where Cassidy talks about technology in her classroom.


technology in education



C4K October

Javon

He likes food very much. 


My comment: 
I am a student in EDM310 majoring in Elementary Education. I love your blog post. You had left the title out, but it makes it mysterious as to what you wrote about. We all love food. What kinds of food do you like? Do you also express an interest in cooking? Me, I personally like anything to do with pasta or chicken. I love to cook, it brings out my creativity side. Well hope you get out and try some new foods.


Sincerely,
<a href="http://holtpaulaedm310.blogspot.com">Paula Holt</a>





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Madison Rose did not have a blog post when I checked on Oct 13,2014. I will keep checking during the week.

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Alex,
  He feels that we shouldn't have homework because it kills trees.





Hi Alex,

I am Paula Holt, a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. When I was in school I hated homework. As I got older, I realized that homework was a tool to help me study and refresh what I had learned that day. Would you mind having homework on the computer versus pencil and paper? I thought the shirt you found was cute. Definitely an eye catcher. I hope you can see that homework is to help you not hurt you.



<a href="http://holtpaulaedm310.blogspot.com">Paula Holt</a>


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Today I have learnt about compass directions. I now know how to read a map and find locations. I am able to follow directions and find places. I can place symbols on a map.



HI Aliyah,
I am Paula Holt a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. Being able to read a map and place symbols is very rewarding. This means you will never be lost, as long as you have a map. Can you figure out what direction South Alabama is from your location? Keep up the good work. 

<a href="http://holtpaulaedm310.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2014-10-05T19:19:00-05:00&max-results=7">Paula Holt</a>



Comments 4 Kids

Project #12 Part A

SMART board basics.



Saturday, October 18, 2014

Blog Post #9


What Can Teachers and Students Teach Us About Project Based Learning?


As teachers it is our job to teach others the common core curriculum. Seven essentials for project based learning is a great article that teaches provides the seven essentials for PBL. The seven essentials are a need to know, driving question, student voice, 21 st century skills, inquiry, and feedback. Tony Vincent created this video to help teachers understand what project based learning is to teachers. It's a fun video to get you pumped about incorporating PBL into your curriculum. Ideas for PBL can be obtained from your PLN and trial and error by yourself. It's important that teachers have PLN's so they can share their experience while learning about what others have done and like. A group of teachers at  Sammamish High School in Washington got together to discuss their trial and errors and opinions on PBL. They tell what works for them and what doesn't. Creating relationships with your coworkers are a great way to tackle the new way of teaching. These sites are a great tool to use when you start incorporating PBL.  It is great source to put in your PLN. It gives you ten sites and describes each one of them. These sites are mostly for group work and allows students to do as group. 


Students give their ideas and what they like to do during class time. This gives the teacher ideas on what majority of their students like and are interested in. Kids enjoy getting rewards for doing great on an assignment. These students express their motivation in the classroom. They discuss what they like and what their teacher does to help motivate them on learning. PBL is for the kids so why not direct it around what interest the students. Students give us ideas on what they are interested in and what they want their classroom to be like everyday. 



It's a New Idea

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Blog Post #8

    Randy Pausch's  last lecture kept your attention for the entire hour. He was very inspirational and exciting to watch. After watching the last lecture, I have established some inspiration to never give up. As teachers we are enablers to help young children achieve their childhood dreams. We enable the dreams of others. Leadership is a great quality to have. Always remember that "Everything that can go wrong will go wrong, but at the end of the day a lot of people had fun" said by: Randy Paush. He also mentions in his lecture to try new things. When you do something enough it ends up becoming a part of you. As a professor, always mention to your students that they did good on an assignment but there is always room for improvement. Push your students to be the best they can be and over time people will surprise you. This allows the student to push themselves further than they dreamed of going. It gives them a reason to be the best they can be. As a teacher we get so caught up in day to day life that we tend to lose the child like wonder. Randy made it clear that we should never lose our child like wonder with this being said we can relate to our students and open our own imagination becoming an imagineer.
    As a learner Randy inspired me to always bring something to the table. Focus on others besides yourself and help will come. Never give up. As a learner you should cherish feedback good or bad. Feedback allows you to mold your weakness and receive advice from an outside party. When you screw up and no one says anything that means everyone has gave up and thats a bad place to be according to Randy. Allow people to help you. You can't get there alone. Always tell the truth. Apologize when you screw up. These are ways Randy mentions to allow people in. Remember that loyalty is a two way street. Most important thing is to just simply have fun in what your doing. Learning a hard lesson is always better when you are having fun. Be open to try new things you never know you may find a new hobby you love. When you are questioning authority you should always respect it.

The best advice as a teacher and learner I got from the last lecture is...
Brick walls are there for a reason and they let us prove how badly we want things.

The best girl advice was from Ceil, she mentions that...
The best dating advice is to ignore what men say, but to watch what they do on the first date.

Don't Bail

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Implications and Teaching Opportunities for Camera Use in Teaching and Learning.

   While the first iphone was introduced in 2007 only 7 years ago, that doesn't seem like a long time ago. Wrong! This could be the difference in one having a smart phone for 7 years or one having a smart phone their whole life. According to Emarketing 21.4% of the population has smart phones and most use it in someway every day. Incorporating technology into learning can have many benefits. Most people use it everyday why not put it to good use rather than spying on your enemies through social media for hours a day. Allowing teachers and students to have phones or access to internet opens for broader learning abilities. Communication between a teacher and student is almost close to 24/7 and the response is near instant. While having a smartphone with a camera gives the students an opportunity to take pictures and have a visual to look at while reviewing the lesson. Smartphones also allows teachers to have access to their PLN network they have created. It allows the teachers to take pictures of assignments and provide examples of interesting projects they have came up with in the classroom to share with fellow educators. Teachers can also tweak assignments to what works best for them and make note instantly so they wont forget. Technology in the classroom is changing the way all educators teach. Are you ready for the change?

   Having a smartphone or tablet in the classroom can be very beneficial. Having a smartphone or tablet opens opportunities that weren't available a decade ago. Everyone having access to internet can allow everyone to create a blog and share ideas for everyone to see. This boost communication through out the classroom and provides different opinions on work rather than just the response of the teacher. This also gives the students access to school work whenever they want. As times are changing there are numerous websites that help teach a lesson. Discovery Education, for example, allows the students to create a board on a topic. Once the student has created this board you can screenshot it and the students will have it available for access at all times. An easy assignment students can do at all times is to set their ipad up to record them reading and they can play it back and listen to them and fix any mistakes if there are any. Tablets give the students access to many educational games and that makes learning fun. The teacher having a tablet has access to her PLN at the palm of her hand and can provide new activities in blink of an eye if needed. This also gives the teacher knowledge of technology and to better help her students understand.


   I like the idea of having tablets or smartphones in the classroom, but children should know the appropriate time to use them. I feel the student can take pictures of their work in progress in the classroom and take home and show their parents. This also allows the students to take pictures with friends. I would love to go back and be able to capture my childhood at school and have memories now. My best friend in my life now has been with  me since K5 and we have one picture at that age together. I would love for all of my students to be able to create a scrapbook at the end of the year showing all the events and new friends made. 61% of population feel having a camera on their smartphone is very important.


Ipad and three iphones

Monday, October 6, 2014

C4T #2

Math in the Middle by Christy.


Keeping it all together. 
In this post she explains how you can keep all your resources into one. How you can use one website to keep up with notifications by 3 other sites. This website is called flipboard. It allows you to link up to 3 websites to your blog. It also provides easy collaboration with others. Livebinders is also another great website to keep all your information stored.


This post was really helpful to me, because I usually have all my paperwork scattered around. This post gave me some options to use to keep all my stuff organized. It opened my eyes that there are more ways to stay organized than in a binder.






Happy Halloween
Her class was unable to have a Halloween party. She figured the day would be stressful enough. She had a worksheet related to math with candy taped to the back of the assignment. She felt this would keep the students quiet and busy working. 



My comment:

I love this idea. It gives the students a treat while they are working on a worksheet. Candy usually keeps them quiet until it runs out. Extra candy is key. I hope this was a great tactic for you and that you are able to use again this year.


BLOG

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Project #13 Group #4

This assignment allows the students to pick any element on the periodic table. They then have to research that element and express all the characteristics in a creative way. This allows them to have a free mind and be creative.
 

The rubric  for this assignment can be found here.

uranium and facts about uranium

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Blog Post #7

   The classroom is constantly changing. As a child my classroom consist of pencil and paper and the teacher doing her best with the dry erase board to explain the lesson to us. Times have changed and most classrooms have a SMART board and access to the internet. The way I grew up learning is totally different than the way it is now. To prepare myself for my future classroom I will need to build my PLN as much as I can and continue for it to grow. I will also need to make myself knowledgable of the latest technology and PBL assignments I can create to better my teaching.
    My strengths are that I am always looking for a new of different way to approach things. I love learning new ideas and different aspects of assignments. My weaknesses would be that I am not patient enough to fully listen to instructions because I think I know everything already. I have to teach myself that I should be more open to learning all the ways to approach ideas. Another weakness of mine is that I tend to give up on things when I can't figure them out and just moving on to something different.
   I need to be more open minded on trying new things and getting the full description before I venture out on my own and think I know what I am suppose to be doing.

During my school time we always listened to a recording of a book. The person usually sounded just like a robot, as if they have practiced for years. Michelle Bennett created a youtube video that explains how I , the teacher, can record myself and play for the students. This is a great idea and the student can relate to the book as if I am reading it to them at that moment. She also explains how you can make a QR code for the sound you have recorded. When using word document this allows the student or teacher to record something and have the student be able to listen to it at home. You record yourself speaking at record mp3 then you get the link and copy and past it to qr code monkey and this generates the code. You can then place into word document and print and then you can have access to code. Most use their smart phones to access this code.

Ipad reading center is a great way for students to read material and then have it read back to them. This increases memorability. The student will pick any book and set their ipad up so that it can record them. The student will then press record and begin reading the book they have selected. Once they have finished they will stop recording and then play it back and make sure they did not make any mistakes. By doing this the student first reads the book, has it read back to them, and then will it is reading back to them they are following along making sure they didn't make any mistakes. This is a great way to incorporate technology into your lesson plan.

Poplets is a great project for kids to do to learn more on the book or whatever it is the book is about. Having the students create a poplet allows them to really dig for information on the chosen topic. The students create this "web" on their ipad. This allows them to save the information and have with them at all times. The poplet consists of the main topic in the middle of the page almost like a web. It then branches off and you give details pertaining to the topic. This is a great assignment to help kids develop typing skills and it also allows them to pick out the most important information on a topic.

The AVL for kindergarten students allows the students to research a topic and it provides a video or audio on that subject. The video demonstrated a great PBL activitiy for the students. They were to research a topic draw a picture of that object and then write a sentence on what they learned about that object. This gives students both ways of learning through technology and hands on.

Discovery Education board building is another great tool to allow students to research topics. Discovery Education allows students to create a board providing a title and facts about the topic. This is a great activity to get students involved and excited about learning. They get to use their ipads and once again the information can be stored so that they can recall it at anytime. All the information gathered in creating the board gave the student enough information to write a narrative. This helps improve writing skills as well.

These second grade  students from Gulf Shores Elementary would like to share their board. This is a great way to let the whole class see individual boards. By projecting them on the SMART board the whole class can see at once. This also helps boost public speaking skills for the student. Here is one more board being shared by second grade students.

Dr.Strange interviews two teachers from Baldwin County Schools. They talk about imovie and avl. They talk about how the students really love interacting with their ipads and making movie trailers. Michelle says that the students really get involved in the editing process while making the trailer. This gives the students fun projects but they are also learning while doing. The AVL allows the students to look up information. This information they can use to put in the movie trailer. Great resource to use in my future classroom.

We all become learners.  As a teacher we are always learning new ways to do things. The students surprise us. This is a great video explaining how the students teach the teachers and making us all become learners. Reminds me that I don't know everything.

student surrounded by books with email,html,Facebook, etc. words above her head




Sunday, September 28, 2014

Blog Post #6

Conversations with Anthony Capps 

    The conversations with Anthony Capps were very inspirational. Project based learning is incorporating projects into the lesson plan. Anthony mentions in the video Project Based Learning Part 1 that project based learning is normally used at the end of a lesson to see if the student actually learned what he or she is suppose to. Capps implies that is not the case of PBL that you should inquire projects during the lesson as method of resources to allow the student to participate while retaining the information. I am a more hands on learner myself. I love doing projects on new things, at the end when I am done I feel I have developed a new skill and expanded my knowledge.
    PBL Part 2 provided us with a project that all kid love. Capps asked his students to write a script as if they were a child in Afghanistan while incorporating cultures. One student's parents served our country in Afghanistan and didn't want their child to learn about the horror stories that exist oversees. Capps allowed this particular student to do a science project instead of completing the culture one. This will happen to us eventually and Capps did the right thing. It is important to please the parents while meeting the standards provided by each state in the learning process. Icurio is a website that has pulled information and made it child proof for them to access and search what it is they are looking up. This is used like a search engine for the students. This website also allows for storage so you can keep everything stored. This is also away to keep everything organized.
    Visual learning is one of the many ways I like to learn. If I can see it and have something to relate it to I am more likely to remember it or even elaborate on it. Discovery Ed provides you with illustrations to go with just about every subject to help you provide that visual learning to your students. The students can also use this as a search engine. The site also gives the students a video to watch and have another resource and not just the teacher. It also brings the text to life according to Anthony Capps.
Providing tips for future teachers is a great way to be added to someone's PLN. Tips for Teachers offers beneficial tips to future educators. John Strange offers that you have got to be interested in learning yourself. You need to be constantly learning to help understand different strategies to help your students learn on different levels. Capps says you need to be interested in learning as a hobby. You should be wanting to make lesson plans or discover things to add to your curriculum even when you are not on the clock, hard work. Enjoy what you do. The video Dr.Strange and  Capps has put together gives you tips from an educator and an educator who has just started.
    Technology is slowly being incorporated into the classroom. Technology should be a source to help the students learn, not the curriculum itself. Use Tech Don't Teach It is a great video explaining how technology can be incorporated in the classroom.
Don't worry Be Happy Keep Learning and photo of light bulb

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Thursday, September 25, 2014

C4K Summary September


Ilisa is year 7 and was able to help the year 2 girls around the cross country course. Lee is classmate was helping the year 1 girls which happend to be the same course as Ilisa's age group. Lee and Ilisa are rivals and Lee has beat Ilisa in the race for years. Today, was Ilisa's day. He was going to challenge Lee and finally win. Once the race was almost done Ilisa felt the fatigue but pushed though. In the end nor Lee or Ilisa won, they ended in a tie. Ilisa Blog is very interesting and impressive to be such young age.

My opinion was the pushing through to the very end is rewarding in itself. Most people would have gave up and quit, but he didn't. Even though it was a tie he was a winner in my book. Being friends and enemies is what it's all about. Friendship off the course only calls for more competitive feelings on the course.



Jordan B expressed how they were going to make a mark in the world by ending hunger. She feels that every one should have at least  3 meals a day. She also expresses that when you are hungry you make irrational desicions and do not think straight.
Jordan B. Blog


World hunger exists everyday. It is all around us if we know it or not. People like her will make a big improvement in this world by trying to fix what shouldn't have to be. Thinking irrationally is a side effect of being hungry. You don't think right and you may end up doing things unintentionally.



Hard work is more important than talent. She expresses that hard work can get you far in life such as good grades and a good job. By having a talent it can teach you to try new things. By using hard work it helps you to find out what you are good and bad at. Having a talent is like a hobby. By working hard you will earn what you get.



Hard work is very important in anything you do, if it's your talent or not. To achieve your set goals you need to provide hard work to make the reward that much sweeter. Talent is a hobby because normally your talent is what you are good at and enjoy doing.
Chloe's Blog



Comment 4 Kids

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Blog Post #5 PLN

My PLN progress is slow, but I am learning quick and finding new resources. I joined the FEA Future Educators in Action group here at the University of South Alabama. I hope to gain life long friends and different opinions on styles and teaching techniques. I am on twitter if you would like to follow me. I have followed a few of my professors and slowly building up my resources on twitter. I also like to watch and analyze my teachers just to see how they do things and if I would like to apply that to my classroom. Youtube provides great examples if you ever have a question and need an explanation. In my opinion the best resources out there are your fellow teachers. You are both in the education field two minds are better than one. I have also ordered some books off the internet to help further my knowledge on teaching. Interacting and talking to current teachers is also great way to help build your curriculum and get ideas.
http://www.onlinedegrees.org/building-your-personal-learning-network/