SmartBoard Instruction

Additional Assignment 3

Changing Education Paradigms

     I honestly do not believe in ADHD. Like Mr. Robinson I am not qualified to say for sure. I just think they have way too much structured time. Kids now don't ever get time to just go outside and play, nor do they really have any motivation to. After all they have video games and television. The most important thing that he mentioned, which is something I beat to death, is that great learning happens in groups and there is more than one way to go about teaching and learning. Not every student is the same and if they can get ideas from each other they can learn things that they don't understand in thelecture or get a different view.

     I can be an "outside the tradition" educator. I can use new technology and allow collaboration in the classroom to enhance the in class experience. I can teach every student that they matter and that they can do something better than their current social state. Most children think "I am born poor so I am stuck." That absolutely is not true.

     If I were to be in an RSA animation project I would most likely be the narrator or the idea generator. I am creative but my artistic abilities do not venture outside of the music world. I am very good at speaking clearly and with the proper inflections. 

Blog 10

                                                           An Open Letter to Educators

     I, like Morgan, cannot stand lecture, listen, and take notes classes. I am a Socratic learner. I need to be able to bounce ideas off instructors and students to fully learn. Granted I can memorize and "burp back" information very well. I am a flash card making fool, as I like to say. But I do not like to learn that way because I feel like nothing is retained.
     There is no way I would have dropped out of school like Dan Brown. Granted I find his annoyance validated, but dropping out did not solve anything. I think I'll follow his other videos and see how it has worked out for him. Like I have said a thousand times in past blogs I have considered just throwing the towel in on this college thing. But its not what I want for my life.

Don't Let Them Take the Pencil's Home

     I liked the metaphorical pencil. In my brain I thought the pencil could be replaced with laptop, iPad, iPhone, etc. Anything a student does not have at home and they see in school or anywhere they immediatly think "Oh cool, what can I do with this?". That exploration and play often leads to learning. Just because the student is not using a tool in a structured maner does not mean it is mindless play. Often when I am comfronted with something new my immediate response is to mess around with it and see what I can do with the object and how it works.  

    A topic that keeps arising in these blog assignments is standardized testing nd test scores. The land of education is so caught up in test scores that students are no longer people. Instead they have been dehumanized into, as Mr. Johnson said, drill and kill test takers and score producers.  I, as a future educator, want to keep my students human. I want them to learn and not memorize and vomit. This, in part, is the reason I chose language arts. There is so much up for interpretation in literature and I want my students to know how to think and learn.

      Two Questions That Can Change Your Life

     What's my sentence?  What a crazy thought, putting myself in a sentence. A great thought though. My sentence is "I will teach children how to use their own minds to interpret literary works, also to unleash their own literary creative ablilities." I want my students to look back and say "Wow, she loved and cared for me. I learned so much from her."



Blog 9

What I've Learned This Year
Mr. McClung's blog was a self reflective and informative blog of the does and don't of a teacher. His first point was "how to read the audience". Teachers sometimes get so caught up in performance evaluations they forget that students are suppossed to learn and comprehend what is being taught. Lessons should be student centered. Be flexible was the next point. As an educator you need to have a little wiggle room. After all you are human and mistakes will be made. Communication and listening can not be stressed enough. Especially in a professional enviroment such as a school where you have you co-worker and student-teacher relationships to keep in good standing. After all 98% of daily friction is caused by the wrong tone of voice. Don't be afraid of technology. I thought this point was a little funny. I am terrified of messing things up where technology comes in. But I am trying to figure the big scary computer and its friends out. Never stop learning. Never, ever, ever stop learning. There is always new methods, information, and theories emerging and it is impossible to learn it all in your lifetime. I think that this point can never be stressed enough. I would like to think that I will be an awesome teacher and reach every student and all that jazz but I am a human. I will screw up. I don't want to, but I will sometimes. All I can do is do my best and correct my mistakes when they happen.

Short Movie Project

Instructional Timeline

Blog 8

This is How We Dream

We have gone from studying from books and in libraries with pencils and paper to our laptops and desktops. We look up everything we need to know from search engines. Instead of books we would much rather be taken right to what we are looking for. A big positive side of that is that the work can last forever instead of being lost in print and thrown away.

Collaboration is immensly important. Two or more minds are certainly better than one. Everyone has their own talents and experiences and to bring all of those together gives you some awesome works.

The constant update of information on the internet keeps us up to date on current events. I am not totally prepared to use multimedia but I will be. I am slowly but surely becoming aware with the systems and programs available in multimedia. I am bent on becoming as technologically literate as I can be. I might not be the best but I will try and that is all I can do.

Edm 310 for Dummies and Chipper

First of all the book should totally be written. I know I would buy it. jamie Lynn and the others involved did a great job. It was entertaining and it showed how we all feel at one point in time when we try to do our EDM 310 assignments.

I would love to be taught in EDM 310 but I think me teaching myself these things and following the instructions is making me a better student. I think I need the deadlines. If there were no deadlines in EDM 310 I know that I would keep saying "next week..." until the final. I liked how the Chipper video portrayed how a stubborn attitude can just mess up your whole life plan. She wanted to be taught, Dr. Strange refused, so she dropped out, and she went through some horrible jobs, plans and huge life setbacks. But in the end she learned her lesson and returned to school.

The videos were very entertaining and professional looking. I think a confessional kind of video would be cool. A "Well..... I decideded not to do my EDM 310 assignments and this is what happened". Maybe a solo video with really dark lighting.

Compare and Contrast of Smartboards

Michael Staton gave us two cons of smartboards. He basically said that smartboards are cool to have, but not necessarily better than whiteboards or projectors. He also pointed out they are just an excuse for administration to spend more money.

Bill Ferriter told us that the Smartboard is basically useless and they aren't any better than whiteboards. Which is true. I do not think that technology makes the teacher. Most schools, like Mr. Ferriter said, just buy the smartboard just for the sole purpose of being able to say "We have smartboards." Sure they look awesome and are cool to have but skill and passion makes the teacher not the technology.

Pros are

• They are great for demonstrations
• Colorful
• Acommodate different learning styles
• All ages respond
• Distance Learning
• Maximize limited computer access
• Attractive
• Interactive
• Kids like them
• Teach large groups computer skills
• Teach editing

Show how to use internet

http://www.waukeshaschools.com/WIT/smartBoard/benefits.htm

http://rmtc.fsdb.k12.fl.us/tutorials/whiteboards.html

Additional Assignment 2

In my opinion what Mr. Mitra did was the perfect example of the class motto of "I don't know let's find out." He put the computers out for those who had no idea how to use them and they figured it out. Such as when he had the students make themselves understandable to the speech to type tool. Also people that aren't motivated can learn but they may or may not learn as much as a motivated student. Because generally if you don't care and put effort into learning then not alot of learning will take place. I do believe that if a learner wants to learn and is motivated to learn they can. There is nothing that can't be accomplished if you want to learn or do something, whether it be children or adults.

For a student to teach themselves they need the tools. Such as a computer, or books, or just another person. A person or a group of people to bounce ideas off of is a tremendous help to me. Because I am not just trying to absorb information but I also get to see what other people think and if I don't grasp something I can ask someone else and get their take on the subject.

There are three basic types of motivation. Fear motivation is the classic "Do this or else...." Intrinsic motivation is just "I want to clean my room because I'll feel good about doing what I need to do." There is also incentive motivation which is "If you clean your room I'll give you twenty dollars." Fear motivation stops working once the threats aren't followed through or the fearful gets away from fear source. Intrinsic is the best one because it comes from within, and incentive motivation requires the incentive to get bigger over time or it stops working. And for a student to be motivated to learn one of these three methods needs to be used. Obviously the fear and incentive should be avoided but sometimes it needs to be done.

I teach myself when I have no one else around to instruct me how to do something but I learn best by watching and repetition. Whether it be a new recipe or EDM 310. But I would much rather have a teacher present to show me how to do something because I'm usually not confident that I have the right idea or methods.

The biggest thing I took away is that I don't want to be a teacher that is too good to teach somewhere that needs me. Sure everyone's dream is to teach at their alma mater or a nice school with all the best but honestly those places don't need me. I think all aspiring teachers should teach where they are needed. Maybe not for their whole career if that isn't where their heart is but the experience can change your life.

Blog 7

The Last Lecture

I had watched his abridged "Last Lecture" on Oprah and I've seen the interveiw with his wife after his death and its still hard to believe that he is dead. I hope that if I ever find out that I am terminal that I can be that positive and influential.
When you are a kid it is so easy to dream and say "When I grow up..." Its the holding on to that attitude that is the kicker. Honestly I let go of whatever dreams I had as a kid so long ago that I don't even remember what they were. How sad is that? All I remember is saying that I wanted to marry someone rich. Which I'm sure that that does not count as a dream. Its totally true that the ones who care about you are the ones who push you. Because if they push you then they believe in you. You have to learn to appreciate the people who are constantly on your case. I wish I would have realized that five years ago.
"We cannot change the cards we are dealt, we just have to learn to play the hand"-Randy Pausch. This quote from him really spoke to me. We spend so much time being bummed about a bad situation or a "flesh brick wall" that we hit that we forget that we can live through it. We just need to learn to pick ourselves up and put in some effort. If Randy Pausch can be positve and educate even through his 3-6 months left to live then by God I can live with not having everything I want. If you want something bad enough nothing can stop you.
"So my next piece of advice is, you just have to decide if you're a Tigger or an Eeyore. I think I'm clear where I stand on the great Tigger/Eeyore debate. Never lose the childlike wonder. It's just too important. It's what drives us."-Randy Pausch. I would like to think that I am hands down a Tigger. But as I mention pretty much every blog I get frustrated. I get discouraged. I wonder "what the hell am I doing?". This happens about 3 times a week. Then my Tigger jumps in with "Hello? Just bounce you got this" I wish my Tigger was permanent. Because we all know, the wonderful thing about Tiggers are Tiggers are a wonderful thing. Their tops are made out of rubber and their bottoms are made out of springs. Bouncy bouncy fun fun fun fun fun (believe it or not that was purely memory from my three year old little brother's toy).
This was hands down my favorite assignment. Seems like it was just in time and I really needed to hear him again.

C4T 2 Summary

Mrs. Carrillo's blog post that I commented on first was her fifty five minute classroom time structure. It was outlined as 5 min - Warm Up Activity
15 min - Instruction Part
15 min - Instruction Part 2- Different format as part one. Venn Diagrams etc.
10 min - Group Work.
10 min - Independent Practice

I thought that was an excellent idea. It keeps the students engaged and prevents restlessness. The students of our generation as mentioned in this class before, myself included, have very short attention spans and in order to reach the student you have to keep their attention. An engaged student is a successful student.

My second comment was on "What Makes a Good Dentist?". Ms. Carrillo states that even after all of the warnings and instruction she received on flossing and the dangers of not doing so so still does not floss everynight. Even though she knows the consequences. Which raises the question "is the dentist a bad dentist?" No. So if a educator does all they can to teach a student a concept and the student doesn't succeed according to a standardized test they shouldn't be considered a bad teacher.

I agreed completly. I also suggested that even the brightest students have horrible test anxiety so even though they know the information, they doubt themselves. There are also the apathetic students who could care less about learning. Even though the educator does all they can to reach everyone, it is impossible to do so. A standardized test should not determine a teacher's skill. I beleive the only true way to determine that is observation.

Timetoast1

C4K Summary 1

My kid was Ricky W. He is thirteen years old who likes PE and hates math. His manifesto outlined a plan to get more rest, wake up in time for breakfast, and study more in order in succeed. Ricky seems to be a nice interesting kid and he has a good understanding of what needs to be done to make it in school. I commented and agreed that math is my least favorite subject and his manifesto outlined a very good basic plan. I also found it funny that his photo was a McDonald's logo and I work at a McDonald's.

Blog 6

The Networked Student

I really enjoyed the way it was presented. It wasn't your typical "watch someone talk" video and I thought that was pretty cool. The idea of a networked student seems intimidating yet exciting. I kind of fear that they'll know too much I guess. And that is a terrible terrible thought. I guess what I mean is I fear an arrogant know it all student. But those are inevitable in my experience. But a self motivated information seeking student will be amazing. I have a great passion for learning and reading and I love to see that quality in other people.

I agree that teachers will always be needed. There always needs to be someone there to show students how to use and discerne the information they find. In addition there are always guidelines and regulations that need to be followed in order to do a project correctly.

7th Grader's Personal Learning Enviroment

Her learning enviroment is so much more condensed than mine. Mine consists of four notebooks, four books, and my desktop that has my papers and online assignments. Whereas all of hers is paperless. In addition if I lose or spill something on my stuff it is either lost of damaged. But hers can be accessed on any computer. She seems really mature and savvy. Not your average twelve year old. I really like all the organization and knowledge she has.

The Machine is Changing

I liked the origin of the word whatever and how he uses clips from tv shows. The South Park "whatever whatever i do what I want" is actually an impression that is heard alot in my circle of friends. My generation does have really short attention span. We sit on Youtube watching mindless amusing clips such as "Charlie bit My Finger". Honestly I watched that and thought "Where are the parents?". They let their child hurt another one of their children because they thought it was funny and that other people would find it funny. Its really not. That toddler was screaming and obviously it really hurt. Youtube being used as a confessional is pretty cool. Sometimes people can't talk to other people about things they are feeling so they talk to "themselves" and they know someone will watch and put their input. Which will be a comfort to some. Also it can be a huge medium for others to see your ideas. The Free hugs video is a favorite of mine. Funny thing is I went to Bayfest last night and there was a guy with a shirt that said "free hugs" and I hugged him. We need to go back to whatever as in "By Whatever means neessary".