Sunday, March 25, 2012

Blog Post #8

This is How We Dream Parts 1 and 2

In this post , Dr. Richard Miller discusses how reading and writing are transforming into something much, much bigger. The ways in which we all read and write is continually changing through technology. We now have the ability to do basically anything with the web. We no longer have to go drive to and sit in a library and search for books and soley use just paper and pencil for our writing assignments. We can sit in the comfort of our own homes now.

We can search pretty much anything we want or need much faster by the use of the web at the tip of our fingers. We can write papers and such by finding and reading a number of books online. There are so many different resources we have by using the web. It is basically limitless and endless. It is also constantly growing and extremely interesting as well.

Our learning of such things as technology and numerous ways to use something so broad and large as the web as anything else should never cease to grow as well. In such things we can help to not only prepare ourselves, but prepare our own students with a much better and brighter future. It is kind of scary to know that there is something out there that is already so big and is still constantly growing. We have to prepare ourselves for this type of constantly changing environment as well as our students.




Carly Pugh's Blog Post #12

A fellow student at the University of South Alabama, and former student in EDM 310: Carly Pugh posted a wonderful blog post about her own form of an EDM 310 assignment. Her assigment she too created herself was a playlist of youtube videos that basically define yourself as a teacher that you would like to be and then some. As Dr. Miller did, she used numerous approaches to different types of technology to read, write, and then create her own phenominal assignment for herself and other students. She has shown great talent and dedication already, so I truly believe she will do well in the future as a teacher as well with her own students.

Chipper Series and EDM 310 is different

The Chipper series kept a smile on my face as I watched and made me giggle out loud. Chipper is a young lady who expects the world to work out her way by breezing through it basically. She thinks she can do whatever she wants, whenever she wants throughout life and still get the outcome she wants such as easy success for basically doing nothing. Life is hard. This class is hard. Nothing gets handed to you, and you do have to work for the things you want and deserve. Too bad life doesn't work out the way Chipper thinks it ought to be. It took being a garbage person to turn her life and mind around to proper thinking and decide to get an actual education attending class, doing work, and such.

Edm for dummies is a dream I wish were real ha-ha. I would pay good money if I had it for such a book because I will admit I am constantly overwhelmed by this class. I feel so accomplished when I get things that I have never done before completely finished, but the process is mind boggling and very stressful. I have appreciated the help in the lab very much. This video made melaugh, but in all seriousness I wish it were real.

I do not really have any idea personally for a video just yet. I think a commercial might be fun and creative? I would definitely want to something comedic though because I love making other people laugh. I think laughter helps loosen up the stress causing tension.

Learn to Change, Change to Learn

This video really makes you realize how large the need for change really is. I will admit, just learning now as a junior in college how to really utilize technology is extremely stressful and frustrating, but I believe that I would enjoy it much more if I had been taught sooner in school and actualy understood it more and better. Students should grow up with this growing change and be taught early so they aren't thrown in it and slapped in the face with something so large and confusing later on in life, such as in college when they should already know and understand it. If teachers everywhere brought this into the classroom sooner, I feel we could really get somewhere and really help our students in a way that they would enjoy it.

Scavenger Hunt 2.0

1. Classroom 2.0 is the social networking tool I found that I enjoyed. It is like a Facebook for teachers only. It is really cool and interesting. It makes you feel like you are really a part of something bigger now. It is full of interesting discussions from different people from all over the world that share the same profession and clearly love or yearn for knowledge of technology. I think being a part of this network will be a lot of help because you can always ask questions, get involved in other discussions, and stay current with what's going on with schools, learning, and technology everywhere.

3. I used a tool called Make Beliefs Comix to create my very own comic strip!

CLICK FOR MY COMIC PLEASE

5. I used a tool called Poll Everywhere to create my poll.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Blog Post #7

Wendy Drexler - The Networked Student
Wendy Drexler's video The Network Student shows a different way of learning. It shows how students can learn through social networks by connecting with other students online. It not only shows that you can connect with other people, but web content and information as well. It just shows another new 21st century way of learning through connectivism.

This video was pretty interesting and very illustrative. It shows a way of learning I have never heard of. I guess I am just oldd fashioned. I am okay with that though. I am more of a personal/face to face/ hands on interactive learner. It is all a matter of opinion and personal preference though. I don't think it should be something forced in a classroom or on a student if they prefer learning other ways.

I like technology. I like using technology as much as any other 21 year old. I don't want to be dependent on it though. I do think this video presents a good and positive way of using technology if it's a way you're interested in learning. It shows independence on the student's part and guidance from the teacher's. That too is good.

A 7th graders personal learning environment (or PLN)

In this video, a 7th grade student tells about her own PLN. It's really neat to see how other students are using personal learning environments not only to help themselves learn, but others as well. I too used Symbaloo to create my own PLN. Although my PLN is not as advanced as hers, I still find it to be very neat. I'm still learning.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Blog Post #6

The Last Lecture: Really Achieving your Childhood Dreams

Randy Pausch (October 23, 1960- July 25, 2008), a professor at Carnegie Mellon University gave his Last Lecture on September 18, 2007. In this lecture he talked about his many interesting and amusing childhood dreams. He also discussed his many lessons learned and gave inspiring advice on how to achieve your own personal goals. He optimistic with a great sense of humor regardless of his numerous cancerous tumors. He is very motivating to watch and listen to. This lecture was extremely inspiring and absolutely wonderful to watch.

My favorite thing he said in this lecture was: "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand". This was actually my background on my phone before I had ever listened to this lecture. Just those words alone help to push you further and convince you to keep your head up through everything, no matter how hard things may get in life, but listening to his entire lecture can do so much more for you. We can't change or control everything that happens to us in life. We can, however, change the way we think about it. We can control our actions following whatever happens to us.

With that being said, I will express how not only that particular quote, but Dr. Pausch's lecture and himself as a person help to motivate and inspire me. Recently after transferring schools, moving, and beginning the most difficult semester of my life so far with a chronic illness IBS among other much more personal issues as well, I was diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety with high stress levels. It is not something I openly share or speak about, but I feel it is necessary to allow others to better understand how much someone like Randy Pausch can help to motivate people like me and worse in life. I guess it is my "elephant in the room to introduce" as he says.

Another thing he says that I love is: "Brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want things". I firmly believe that. Life wouldn't be as worthwhile if we never hit any brick walls. Hitting these said brick walls help you to overcome and apreciate a multitude of different things and obstacles in life such as severe depression, anxiety, stress, school, relationships, and other personal dreams and goals we all have in our minds. Dr. Pausch helps to motivate me to keep going no matter what, no matter how hard or frustrating it gets, no matter how many times I mess up. He says: "When you're screwing up and no one's saying anything to you, that's when you know they've given up. Good lesson to learn because your critics are the ones who still love you and care" and "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted". Everything this wonderful man says helps you. It all makes you want to keep going, keep bettering yourself, and keep helping others better themselves as well. May this man rest in peace and his words and wisdom always live on.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

C4t

America's Biggest Story Time with Tim Tebow!


This blog post was about America's biggest story time and how to integrate it and reading into your own classrooms. Reading is important and it can be really fun if you know how to make it that way in your classroom. Disscussed in this blog were ways to integrate reading into your classrooms in a much more fun and interesting way to allow the students to see reading as more fun and enjoyable. If students find reading to be more enjoyable, they may be more willing to read themselves on their own time. This blog post also discusses ideas and sctivities such as throwing a reading party in your own classroom and setting up a fun and comfortable reading environment. I really enjoyed reading this post and will incorporate these cute ideas into my own classroom in the future.

My Comment: Hi my name is Katelyn Gill and I am from edm 310 at The University of South Alabama! I will be reading and summarizing your posts as posts in my own blog as an assignment. I have left a link to my personal blog. Here is a link to the edm 310 class blog: http://edm310.blogspot.com/. I love your idea of a reading party in the classroom and making it cute and cozy with food. I think it a great and creative way to get children more interested. I also completely agree with you and believe everyone should have a pinterest! It has so many creative ideas and I am an addict! Thank you for your post!

Link: blog