Final Reflection Blog #15 :EDM 310

I have learned so much this semester. Although this class was daunting for me from the start, I have overcome my fear. The key is taking time and exploring what you find! This is my final blog post, a personal reflection. These are the things I take with me from this class and experience!! Thanks to Dr. Strange and the lab assistants at University of South Alabama! Good luck to my fellow students!

Blog Post #14 : Jose Picardo : EDM 310 Class Blog

Box of Tricks

Mr. Picardo has compiled a very useful list of tools and their links for teachers. His top ten list is what teachers should live by; each can be easily incorporated into curriculum and classroom activities and offer advantages in keeping students participating. Streaming video, music, teleconferencing, interactive exercises, better use of IWBs, and podcasts are a few of his suggestions. Used to deepen the educational experience and pique the interest of your students, social networks, blogs, internet tools, and the maximum benefit of their OWN devices can make your direction and guidance in the classroom more effective. I copied his sources into my PLN for later evaluation and organization, and especially appreciated his huge list of tools and how they worked.

Triptico is great for gameshow formatted IWB app for games, quizzes, and text analysis tools. He discusses the iPad's usefulness in "bringing the subject to life in front of your very eyes", which would hold students' attention well.

Quizzin also lets you embed a quiz into a blog post, so it could be used as an informal assessment, or a way to make sure students visit and maintain their blogs regularly. These tools are a teacher's best friend when it comes to teaching technology. All learning types in our students benefit from a daily exposure to these and others. Sharing his research results to help other teachers, Mr. Picardo reminds us to keep our minds open and our students will learn from us and through us. I look forward to visiting each site and exploring the usefulness of each tool, and establishing their places and values in my PLN.

Project #7: C4K November Comments: EDM 310 Class Blog

My first comment was to Mr. McClung's World Class Blog post in which they were learning about writing professional letters to the community's leaders and businessmen requesting their help with some projects. I pointed out that this skill was particularly valuable in that it is a lot like grant writing, or what some non-profit organizations consider a requirement to foster community and public relations. Some organizations rely heavily on the donations, grants and provisions of the local citizens, and the classroom is the suitable place to hone those skills.

I wished them luck in their endeavor and that I would love to hear about their progress and project updates.

Secondly, I commented on Htawara's Class Blog when I watched her animated videos and listened to her describe her family members' names and what she liked to do at school and home. She went to her father's shop after school, and liked to swim a lot. She had pictures of her swimming on her blog. I complimented her talent for animating short videos and asked her a couple of questions about the yearly temperature in her country, Burma. I commented that I love to swim also and grew up swimming in an Olympic-sized pool when I was little. I encouraged her to make and publish more videos to tell us more about herself.

Final Report on PLN : EDM 310

 

Each month I receive bills in the mail, so I pay them, and mark them "paid". Then they go into a holding drawer, until I have time to sort and put them in proper folders. Until my PLN is organized EXACTLY the way I decide it will be to best suit me, I will continue to simply collect and sort its sources! Under general labels, I house many websites and ideas for my classroom. As time allows, I will explore these sites, make decisions, and put them in more specifically organized folders and web mixes. Symbaloo is my choice to compose an ever-changing and growing network. I look forward to perusing my Twitter daily to pull new possible resources from my Tweets to my Symbaloo tiles. There is so much creative freedom in these applications, and the fact that they are free makes them even more enticing! Teachers can easily use these tools to make teaching tech a lot easier and more accessible. Blogs are great sources as well; I have many teachers' blogs in my web resource folders.

Diigo is a great bookmarking app that allows one to add quickly a possible lookover when there is more time.  The library sidebar makes it easy to revisit and filter possible classroom sources; I am constantly adding, editing, deleting and changing tiles. If I take a small amount of time to practice maintaining my PLN, it will provide me and my students with an ongoing source of modern learning material pertinent to students' futures.

Project #14: Skype Interview : EDM 310

Using Skype, I interviewed Gene Embry, author of my book trailer , Sammy Snail's Tennessee Adventures . He is a local playwright and children's author in my town. He writes the stately adventures of Sammy Snail, a curious snail whose vision is to visit each state and tell his readers about them. A grandfather and former mortician and florist, Embry draws on his real-life experiences to bring to life his plays, which range from parody to Southern Gothic. I was thrilled to speak with him and inquire as to Sammy's future. We look forward to the books, and I cannot wait to begin working as his new illustrator!

Project #16 : The New Teacher's Quest : EDM 310

 

Our group, Gretchen McPherson, Raven Castleberry and Dominique Spence, made this video to give its viewers a quick synapsis of how technology can benefit students in the classroom. We learned a lot making it, and actually enjoyed ourselves. Each new teacher will face these challenges when given his/her own classroom. We should make our decisions based on how we can best serve our students' needs, not our own. We hope you enjoy and consider this video a starting point of why we became teachers!

C4T #4: EDM 310 Class Blog

The Power of Educational Technology

Lisa Thumann, a sixth-grade teacher who has taught for 20 years, has decided to join the School for Global Education and Innovation at Kean University, and she is excited about the change. She says she wants to keep on working with others in the educational field to prepare students for five years from now. She mentioned that it is not the device or technology, but the "methodologies that help students meet their objective."
Ready to face the challenge, she looks forward to it, so I congratulated her success and thanked her for her years of service in the public school system, reminding her that her past work and future work will change lives. She will definitely be in her element, and I wished her much success.

10 Things You Could Be Working On

Lisa Thumann has composed both a list of resources for teachers to augment the funding provided them for their classrooms, and a list of projects or conferences to participate in. I thanked her for taking the time to compile this list, and write a short synopsis of what each opportunity entails how it can be useful to teachers and students. The participating businesses and organizations provide a chance for children to become involved in helping themselves; several of the contributing organizations actually give prize monies for projects, so the students begin to realize how far hard, diligent work can take them, and that someone cares beyond the school, the classroom, and the community. These offerings are a wonderful way to get students motivated and eager to participate.
I commented that I copied her list to my PLN, and plan to utilize it, as well as local business contributions to help my students achieve success. I'm not afraid to beg, demand, insist, and even grovel when it comes to providing success to my students; having such experienced educators as she providing helpful resources makes our tasks less daunting and more achievable.

Why We Use Metaphors : EDM 310 Class Blog

Metaphors are commonly used in the English language to represent something else, perhaps of a controversial or taboo nature. Political cartoons use a range of metaphors in their humor; they depict situations or viewpoints using simpler elements or images. It may be easier to make a statement that could be offensive by using a less offensive means. Literature and history are rich with metaphors, as we continue to use them to tell the human story in a symbolic or subtle way.
In literature, two classics based on metaphors about change are The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, and Animal Farm by George Orwell. Each delineates the changes or alterations that the human condition offer the main characters, and the slow descent into a deep human abyss. With undertones of insanity, chaos, rebellion, oppression, and the darkness of the human mind, these classics offer a glimpse into the human spirit as it absorbs and rejects its world and society.
The Trojan Horse, a gift given by the Greeks to Troy as a peace symbol to end the war, is a good example of a historical metaphor. The Greeks won the war, but the name "Trojan Horse" implies a secret tactic to sabotage something given in the form of a gift. Even computer language today reflects the lesson learned in the Old World, naming a particularly nasty information-destroying virus that can wreak havoc once opened as a friendly email "Trojan Horse"!
When metaphors are presented to us in a story or an event, our brain must work harder to comprehend what is being told through storyline or text. The obvious can be overwhelming, so metaphors can ease the raw nature of life, and sometimes even soften the proverbial blow. On the other hand, some metaphors are chosen for their ferocity. As a modern statement presented in artistic form, Pink Floyd's Album, "The Wall", is the mother lode of literary metaphorical assignment. It is a modern interpretation of what is wrong with the parental, governmental, and educational systems of today's world, seen and told through the eyes of a young man, and stands as a terrific cinematic example of metaphor. As long as humans write their stories, metaphors will be serve a great purpose in representing them.

Blog Post #13 : EDM 310 Class Blog

Today's public school system is failing our students. With national reading levels well below average, we face a future of unnecessary illiteracy, and books that discuss explicitly exactly what the problem is can shed some light on a permanent solution. In his book, "There Are No Shortcuts", Rafe Esquith states, "Frankly, you need to be fairly smart to be a good teacher. At the elementary school level, a good teacher not only knows literature, but must also be versed in basic science, history, and the arts, as well as being equipped to play social worker and psychologist"(p. 35). Written in a personal voice, with instances of sheer joy and equal disappointment, he describes his teaching career and the many battles and friendships it has presented him. Sincere, and always one to take the high road, he warns new idealistic teachers about the perils of non-conformity and administrative blockades that await them, but contends that it is a rewarding job if one is willing to do the work and not be intimidated by those in positions of authority.
His story begins with his first error in judgement, which almost cost him his career. Young, and idealistic himself, he learned humility, and reminds us that humility is a good thing. After getting his second chance, he teaches at "Camelot", a school with wealthy students, where he realizes that his passion to excite young minds had decidedly mediocre results. The "Jungle", an overpopulated, inner-city school in Los Angeles becomes his home, where he and his students exceed expectations; reading scores rise dramatically, his students are invited to many prestigious events to perform, and he became the Winner of the American Teacher Award.
Many students have come into his class, and returned to visit, or keep in touch. He tells stories of how they have touched his life, taught him about himself and his strengths and weaknesses, and brought him a sense of purpose and humbled gratitude for his part in their success. The reader can see through his quoted text banter the range of horrible and wonderful moments he has experienced, and he shares these with the jaw-dropping shock or tear-jerking awe he felt as he felt them. I got angry right along with him more than once! His insight into the flaws of our public school system is disheartening and maddening. Some of the characters he describes, "Miss Egghead", "Miss Busy-as-a-Bee", "Mr. Incompetent", "Miss Hummingbird", "Miss Bright Light", "Miss Megabyte", are euphemisms for those they represent. These are a few incompetent players he encounters, and their presence in his book is representative of their presence in the schools. He tells us basically to be kind to all, and fight your battles wisely.
An obviously passionate reader, our author takes us through his discovery that his lifelong hero changes as his experience of teaching grows. Touched by many characters he has read about all his life, such as Huck Finn and Atticus Finch, he awakens in his students the love of reading and science and the arts. The students have experiences in and out of his class and learn how to be well-behaved, disciplined, humbled and kind. They strive because he believes in them; his class economic system allows them some freedom, and confidence. These strategies are aligned with the real-world strategies young people must master to survive, which is the main objective of education itself!
In moments when Mr. Esquith was ready to give up, his students' past and continued success made him fight a sometimes uphill battle. "When all is said and done, a good teacher helps the student to improve the quality of his life. With so many children growing up poor, one of my major goals is to give that child a fighting chance to end the cycle of poverty that paralyzes hopes and dreams,"(p. 149). Setting the bar higher and unafraid to upset administrators, he encourages parents to be heavily involved in classrooms, teachers to think outside the box to use their passion to awaken their students, and readers to never give up hope that the educational system will formulate and produce the correct combination of teacher competence and effective instruction to get children reading and learning.

 

Project #15 SmartBoard Smarts Part B: EDM 310 Class Blog

This is Part B of my group's SmartBoard Smarts Project #15. It is a little blurry, but Autumn worked very hard to get it uploaded to YouTube. We hope you enjoy!!

Blog Post #12: EDM 310 Class Blog

Watch these three videos:
1. "Microsoft's Productivity Future Vision" (2009)
2. "David Truss:: Pair-a-dimes for Your Thoughts >> Brave New World-Wide-Web!"
3. "What Are Our Excuses, Again, For Not Putting Computers in the Hands of Our Children?" by Sugata Mitra
You've been asked to host a presentation to the local school board soliciting funds for technology in your school. These three films were given you by your principal, who insisted you use them in your presentation in that order. Explain why he thinks that presenting them in that order will benefit your school and tell me if you agree or disagree and why.

_____________________________________________________________

I believe that my principal would have wanted me to present them in that order to

have the strongest impact! Basically, we see a world that encompasses technology in every possible facet of our daily lives, which is a peek into the future. The title of the first video, "Productivity Future Vision," describes what we will encounter as we move into the 21st century and a global economy. The world wide web had opened infinite possibilities to the labor force, and its ability to navigate exchanges of information that are minute and continuous. The first video really emphasizes the immediate need for technological readiness in our students; the future is just around the corner.

The second video is important to why every individual sitting in that auditorium is there-we are the educators that have to be the catalysts who guide students as they, and we, learn the latest technology. Here is where the benefit of funds being sought can be showcased. When parents, administrators, and members of the community see what the school is doing, and why they share in the common goal, they tend to be supportive, especially when explicit ideas and concepts are presented. Goals should be specific and reachable; these statements allow every person to see the benefits of adjusting today's curriculum to meet tomorrow's needs.

The final video, "What Are Our Excuses, Again, For Not Putting Computers in the Hands of Our Children?" by Sugata Mitra, makes an excellent argument about the "harness-able", natural curiosity in children. The experiment of putting foreign-language-speaking computers in the side of a building just to 'see what happens' raised quite a few eyebrows, and expectations! The children's natural curiosity and intrigue sparked a few more in-depth studies about how young people react to a challenge when left to their own devices. The results were surprising, and offered new information regarding children's motivation-even with no guidance.

The order of the videos suggests that:

A. This is the future - inescapable - and coming up quickly!!

B. This is what we can do to teach our students to be (and keep our teaching) effective, innovative and ultimately successful!

C. If this kind of impact comes about accidentally, or without even trying, imagine the possibilities if we teach aggressive comprehension and readiness skills to our students today in preparation for the global market of tomorrow!

I agree that presenting these videos in this order is the best idea. They tell somewhat of a story, one that describes our vision of today and the wonderful possibilities of tomorrow's classroom through the eyes of technology. Hopefully, this presentation would begin a positive exchange of ideas and proposals among the decision-makers.

Final Project Progress Report: EDM 310 Class Blog

Green Screen anyone? Please?!

My group mates and I met recently, and discussed what we thought, collectively, might be a great culminating project to showcase our technological savvy and knowledge of its uses and benefits. We want to make it entertaining, informative and of quality. In keeping with the overall strength of EDM 310 in modern education, we have decided to explore the dichotomy that exists between the use of computers in the classroom and the nonuse of computers in the classrooms. Certainly not a new topic, nor one that is lacking in a host of controversy, we have decided to incorporate several skills and programs we have been introduced to in EDM 310 into our final project.
The problem is that we would love to learn all about green screen manipulation so we can use it in our multimedia movie. I have asked about having a workshop or class to learn this element; it would be most beneficial to our project, and a quality technological skill itself. I suppose we could "adapt", and make do with other clever devices to reach our goal, but I am really hoping that green screen will be available to learn and use! It could be so useful in a classroom-a teacher could manipulate pictures from around the world of places, events in history, and other significant happenings and superimpose the students' likenesses to produce a 'virtual field trip' to share with other classes, or as a group project component. I have been to Rome to the Colosseum, but many of my students may never get the chance. Using green screen would make a wonderful aspect of a science or social studies project come to life for students! And they would have much fun telling about their "trip" and new "virtual experiences"!
These ideas and a host of others can be fun and used in the classroom to get students involved, enthusiastic, and ready to learn more about the world around them. My group hopes to make a video movie that shows our skills, enthusiasm and classroom readiness!! Let's please get Elizabeth Brooks to show us green screen!

C4K #10: Mrs. Yollis' Class Blog: EDM 310 Class Blog

Mrs. Yollis' Classroom Blog

Mrs. Yollis is an example of an extraordinary teacher who uses her and her students' experiences and knowledge to showcase to the world how wonderful the art of using technology in the classroom can be as it benefits all parties involved! She invites and involves the parents, other classrooms and students and the general public into her students' world to see something amazing, on a daily basis. The driving force is the success of her students, and with enthusiasm and detailed guidance, they soar with obvious confidence, independence, and well-earned, well-documented learning at the helm.

As I explored the blog, I took notes, jotting down the benefits of each component, as I saw and watched the videos, looked at pictures, and clicked on the links. There is a multitude of resources that Mrs. Yollis has carefully compiled where she encourages students to look, listen and learn, and take responsibility for their own learning. She has posted detailed tutorials explaining the use and development of computer language, dialogue production, and electronic manipulation. Many of these skills meet state standards, and the students themselves have participated in making videos, teaching their classmates on the benefits of technology by using non-examples and etiquette to further ready their writing and storytelling for publication on their blog. "How To Capture Good Digital Images" actually was generated by a student, where she was able to share her mastery of a skill to benefit her classmates!

The concept of monitoring time zones of their friends around the world lends itself to many applications in the classroom. They explored lunch and recess in other countries, which really show the differences and similarities of life, allowing students to use prior knowledge or experiences to learn about the lives of others in various schools and countries. The video on California; shared facts about its population, history, leaders, wildlife and places, and encouraged those watching to leave comments or questions. One class used the green screen effect to show and tell about local places in their community; what a clever way to get others involved in your students community and explore and share places close to home!

In her welcoming video, Mrs. Yollis mentioned her wonderful trip to Hawaii, and piqued her new students' curiosity by putting some great and quite informative video footage from her trip on the class blog. This brings her experiences to the classroom first hand, and allows the students to relish in her excitement by proxy, as she will use hers and her students' enthusiasm to learn in depth about the ocean and its many offerings in science. She definitely succeeds in making learning fun, and works very hard to make sure that her students are engaged and participating in the teaching process.

I copied into my PLN every website, resource, link and idea that this extraordinary teacher had to offer. Her class blog is one to frequent and model, rich in every kind of helpful component of effective teaching. According to her class blog, "Blogging is....Learning, Reading, and Writing", and the students benefit. As their confidence is raised, they become aware of global consciousness, independence, and the direction of their own learning. The number of visitors their class blog has seen proves that as students become aware of the world around them, so does the world become aware of these 21st century learners! I can only hope that EDM 310 can aspire to raise that much interest in our class's learning!

Blog #11-Ms. Cassidy Tells All!: EDM 310 Class Blog

Ms. Cassidy's Skype Interview

Ms. Cassidy's Skype Interview with EDM 310 

Ms. Cassidy is a shining example of an effective teacher! Given the chance to utilize something of which she had little knowledge, she took on the challenge of educating herself AND her students; what we see today is an exemplar pioneer whose wisdom is sought out by educators and pre-service teachers alike. Having formulated a working resource base, Ms. Cassidy had some smart ways for students to use classroom computers to be successful and gain confidence and allow all those involved in a child's education to benefit.

In the beginning, a webpage was her first production. She mentioned the strong support she had, and the importance of involving the parents in the whole process, from online safety issues to flexibility that putting their child's work online afforded parents. I would involve parents of my students by granting them access and involvement, as their willing of permission and understanding is key to its success.

The students feel proud of their work, as it is viewed by other classmates, classes, schools, parents, grandparents, and many more, as they enjoy their virtual audience. They like the encouragement, and it helps them begin their educational portfolio of learning. Since technology is here to stay, as she points out, these kids will continue blogging, tweeting, etc. Having them begin as youngsters keeps their mind actively learning and maybe even start a PLN they can use and improve over time.

Ms. Cassidy encourages us to take opportunities and participate - if not, we possibly handicap ourselves and our students in the classroom. Every teacher should be technologically aware, and students need an online network of their own, so you (as their teacher and tech person!) must keep learning. I want to have my students use twitter to find resources for subjects we are studying; they will have to use them to develop their PLNs. The benefits of twitter are: the students could see how immediate access and information can be delivered and utilized; resources for videos, webcasts, podcasts, webquests, interactive posters and websites, and discussion forums (such as edchat) can be joined in real time; threads of discussion and replies can lead to interesting and useful information and people; projects can be formatted to include tweets, twitter polls, and networking sources.

Focusing on the importance of safety and self-reliance in using the computers, Ms. Cassidy directs the students how to navigate safely and stay on task. Being positive is important, and they model it through their blogs, posts and responses. Time is essential, and the teacher can use it accordingly in class activities. Using it in rotation not only gives every child more time, but it keeps the activity fresh and novel, so that students look forward to what they will write and how they will write it, which makes them spend their time more wisely. With the virtual 'eyes' of the cyber world peering at them closely, children relish the idea of sharing their lives with those who are interested and will give them feedback. These computer websites, used effectively, facilitate confidence, pride, respect and a sense of accountability in students; they also obligate teachers to share in their accountability for students learning.

PROJECT #13 My Book Trailer:Sammy Snail's [State] Adventures:EDM 310 Class Blog

The author of this book, Gene Embry, is a local playwright and friend. He directs many of the plays I participate in, and recently approached me about illustrating the remaining books. Sammy Snail is set to visit every state eventually, and I am proud to be a part of his adventures! Thanks to Mr. Gene Embry! I hope you enjoy!

THIS VIDEO IS GREAT! : EDM 310 CLASS BLOG

I love this video! It shows how using technology to retell an old fairy tale can be fun and interesting! These "Infographics" give Little Red Riding Hood a new look!! Imagine using this to get your older students to think about technology, folklore, and creative storytelling; you could discuss the ways that information is used and why. Enjoy!

Slagsmålsklubben - Sponsored by destiny from Tomas Nilsson on Vimeo.

Project #3-C4T #3: Summary

The teacher whose post I was commenting on is a principal in Massachussettes, Julie Vincentsen, and this year was her first year. She posted that she had sent out a letter to the parents of 4th and 5th graders at her school announcing the new chorus program that observes Art in Education, and she invited parents to explore the importance of arts in education by visiting the websites. Her excitement was evident, and she outlined the benefits of teacher collaboration during this period. I commented that as an artist, I appreciate the power and creativity that the arts can bring to students, and the impact that their participation will have on their learning; her enthusiasm is well delineated in her open invitation to parents to become involved in their children's schoolwork, and I told her that I hoped to work alongside someone as innovative and inspiring as she. Of course, I wished her and the students good luck!

Ms. Vincentsen wrote about her first staff meeting to begin her first year as principal, and its postponement due to weather. She went on to say that the meeting did take place, much to her relief, and that she chose to use a concept she became familiar with in her years of camp counseling, called Unpacking My Invisible Backpack . This euphemism she referred to as a way to get to know her staff, their strengths, goals, experience and views, and how she can best use them to make sure that she and her team always communicate to keep their school operating and educating at its optimal level.
I mentioned my years of Girl Scout camp counseling (in the same state as she!) and how it had also left me with strong team-building activities, goal-oriented teaching outcomes, and how to produce the best possible learning atmosphere, given the strengths and contributions of those involved in its success. Many of the camp-oriented concepts she mentioned were second nature to me. I felt that my experience, as well as hers, also gave me an edge that will make my teaching more effective. She certainly is an inspiring leader, and like a good one, goes that extra mile!

Blog Post #10:EDM 310 Class Blog

DO YOU TEACH OR DO YOU EDUCATE?

The video "Do You Teach or Do You Educate? is a thought-inspiring one for anyone. The definitions of the words themselves give pause; words like show, induce, cause, information, fact, sound lifeless next to words like mentor, guide, and advisor, and should impact our reasoning for entering the education field.

I like the word guide as a description for an educator. You simply do the footwork in finding the most effective, research-based ways of presenting concepts, ideas, questions, projects, explorations, and problems to students, and guide them toward finding the solutions, answers, results and outcomes. You go further, if you are an EFFECTIVE educator, and give them the power and encouragement to follow through with analysis, synthesis, organization, implementation and presentation of their findings. This symbiotic relationship between teacher and students fosters their trust and enthusiasm, and makes the classroom a busy, exciting, productive place where students want to be and succeed.

I am going to let my students make mistakes-big ones, little ones- and then teach them how to figure out why and what to do to correct them. You always need to have that small scientist's voice in the back of your head asking, "How can we solve this problem? How can we get from A to C when B is absent? How do we use what we have to solve B? Where can we find more information that will lead us to a solution?" If you model your problem-solving skills, even choosing wrong answers to show how they can be a non-example to help learning, students will react and respond. Willingness to make mistakes on purpose and always knowing where and how to look to find solutions or paths to an answer are two important characteristics of an effective leader. "A good leader never asks his men to do something he is not himself willing to do", as the saying goes, and I heartily believe that is even more true for a teacher.

This video, with its poignant settings and pictures, uses powerful music and words to make its viewers ask themselves tough questions. The producer got his point across quite well; I think the rhetorical nature of his inquiry is well-placed and serves its purpose well. It's an asset to EDM 310's self-reflective provocation!

Don't Let Them Take the Pencils Home!

After reading Mr. Johnson's posts and blog, Don't Let Them Take the Pencils Home! , I realized that he writes using a sense of metaphor, when one thing or concept is used to represent or comment on another. In this case, his "pencils" represent technology, and the different impacts it has had on the classroom, teachers, students, administrators, and the public's opinion of its usability and benefit to the classroom.
His encounter with the long-named 'specialist' (given so to nudge at the antithesis of her 'knowledge') basically represents the administrators and school PR pushers whose career and success is based solely on standardized pencil-and-paper tests, and the resistance that this group holds to change; the teacher is the protagonist and the 'specialist' is the antagonist, each pushing his agenda. In this case, however, our protagonist has the students' best interest at heart, and is willing to do battle and present positives outcomes for his agenda,"We can change the paradigm". His desire to invite and include parents in the use of pencils at home with their children only exemplifies the protagonist's duty to be an effective teacher for his students.
I read Larry Ferlazzo's latest post, My Take on Recent Study Saying Home Computer Usage Can Lead To Lower Test Scores which Mr. Johnson's post was written in response to, and he outlines the results of a study of 150,000 5th-8th graders as the study group, and goes on to summarize the results and his opinion. Even he contends that technology is only as beneficial as the teacher's knowledge makes it. The old adage, "Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day; TEACH a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime", certainly is comparable to the question of how educators can use computers and the world-wide-web to help our students and future citizens survive and thrive. Mr. Johnson's argument, in MY opinion, is that we must resist the old views, opinions, objections, cliches, and stereotype-addled policies to come up with many shades of gray (HOW can we effectively use technology to make it optimally beneficial?) to answer a black and white question (how can something children and adults have in the past misused, abused, misunderstood, feared, and used for entertainment be beneficial AT ALL??!!) of a somewhat colorblind audience.
There will always be promoters and protesters in the public and private school arenas. The most important factor in the equation is the student, and we must ask ourselves, "WHAT IS GOING TO BENEFIT AND PROMOTE THE INTELLECTUAL HEALTH AND GROWTH OF TODAY'S STUDENTS TO PREPARE THEM FOR TOMORROW'S WORLD?" I believe that Mr. Johnson has taken a serious and controversial subject and, using metaphorical language, presented it to readers as a simple means to a solution from a determined and open-minded writer, educator and thinker!

Blog Post #9 : EDM 310 Class Blog

Mr. McClung's First Year

Mr. McClung's Second Year

Mr. McClung's Third Year

This blog is wonderful reading for pre-service teachers, especially since it is presented in a raw, real context by a peer who is giving his honest, candid history of and discoveries made his first several years spent in the public school.

I read all three posts, and can easily follow the advice he gives as it goes from general statements to more student-oriented practices.

His first post had two important long-standing points, that teachers should always check for student comprehension, and that instruction should be audience driven. The advice he gives after that are in short, sensible, workable sentences that address many of the fears/apprehensions/unknowns to new teachers. He includes examples, events, and the small truths that have delivered him to these epiphanies. The fact that he thanks his "moms" at school who took him under their proverbial wings is a nice touch; they are very important to the comfort and success of novice educators.

As I continued to read the second and third posts, he mentioned that he was involved in many firsts, and that adds to his apprehensions. He was honest about how he taught when he was assigned a subject he was not very familiar with, and the complacency he felt (much to his later chagrin) that eventually made him become more passionate and familiar with the subject to teach it more effectively to his students. I can see that his comments were a lot like Esquith Rafe's experiences in his first years of teaching; a rebel of sorts, he prides himself on being more at ease with his students as he builds a better rapport with them than fellow teachers. Referring to the Scope & Sequence of lessons, he states that the key component is assessment, and goes further in saying that teaching methods and classroom management are essential as a teacher. How true!!

By his third post, there is a refined sense of the tricks of the trade details that he is outlining, and when he comments on the schedules that made his teaching a little easier, mainly due to less time gathering resources, more time using what he has gathered, it gives a moment for pause to the reader that there IS LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL! Building the resources that will become the teachers' tools is a large part of the hard work. He emphasizes not to become stagnant, comfortable, and content, but rather, gives suggestions on how to keep the passion of teaching alive and well. He states apathy is a side effect of routine, and encourages staying motivated through participation and continued involvement.

I think Mr. McClung's blog posts are great reading for education students, and have a nice, bedside "peptalk" quality that makes the reader feel as though he or she is talking to a friend who genuinely wants to impart earned wisdom to those who may otherwise be seeing through rose-colored glasses. There is always an ideal to aspire to, and a real to navigate; I think that his down-to-earth, non sugar-coated way of emphatically stating his advice through experience is invaluable for those contemplating a life in the public school arena!

Project #13: SmartBoard Smarts!! : EDM 310

This is our group making a video for SmartBoard instruction for Project #13. We hope it is enjoyable and informative!

Gretchen McPherson
Dominique Spence
Raven Castleberry
Autumn Bowling