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