C4T# 3

Summary of Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano:  Mrs. Tolisano's post titled What are the Best Ways a Teacher can Demonstrate Leadership in the Classroom? was her interpretation of what leadership means. She talks about definitions of leadership that she found while researching other peoples views on the topic. 

 My Comment: I like your four components of "Leadership". Model, experience, Share, and trust. What great examples of what it means to be a leader in the classroom. As a future educator, I am beginning to understand the importance in embracing constructive criticism, and growing from it. A true leader will admit they do not know everything, but they will learn from it and share their new knowledge with others.

Social Media Conference

Summary 2: Mrs. Tolisano gives some great advice on how to introduce social media at a conference as a means of learning, and not just technology.

Comment 2:Great ideas!! The concept of using social media in the classroom can be intimidating to traditional educators, especially those who might not be as tech savvy as others. A hands on approach sounds like a great way to get attendees involved without feeling over whelmed. As an Education Major myself, I am slowly adapting to this new way of teaching through technology. It is so clear to me now that incorporating social media is not about teaching technology, but as you stated “learning”. 

Special Assignment

Curriculum21 is a great site. I'm so glad it was introduced to us in this assignment. The amount of resources is impressive. Here are a few that really stood out to me, and I'd like to use one day.

1. Visual Thesaurus: This webpage is really cool. I have never seen a visual Thesaurus, but I'm so glad I found this one on Dr. Jacobs page. I will definitely like to use this learning tool one day in my classroom. The visual thesaurus is really easy to use, and gives you so many different definitions to any word searched. For instance, "Dog" will provide you with different breeds of dog, any kind of subject related to dogs, and a list of different ways the word can be used, nouns, adverbs etc. It's a great way to have student expand their vocabulary, punctuation, and remember words. Really great find!

2. Tag Galaxy: Tag Galaxy is fun, and interesting way for students or anyone to explore the many different meanings of a word. It has a futuristic feel to it which keeps it exciting. I searched the word yellow, which brought me to different items that could be yellow, for instance a flower, or banana. I chose flower, and tag galaxy showed me thousands of different pictures that included yellow followers. You can individually keep clicking on each flower to get a different description. What a fun way to increase vocabulary, and literacy skills.

3.Story Bird: I absolutely love the concept of this page. As a future English teacher this will be a must have in the classroom. Story Bird lets you choose from an array of colorful animations, and pictures. You can then make them your own by telling your own story using these animations. Students can write poetry, Journals, whatever they would like, save it and share it. This is a wonderful way to improve writing in general, and also enhance creative writing for young students.

4. ZooBurst: Like Story Bird, ZooBurst allows students to create their own stories, while using 3D images. ZooBurst offers some choices for 3D pop up, or you can use your own images. I really love this concept for Elementary aged students, or students who would like to get a little more creative with their animations.

5.Easy Bib: I love this tool. Easy Bib helps students form citations by simply scanning their book bar code with their phones. Not only is this something that I would recommend for my own students, but as a student myself I might use. What a convenient way to get your sources down.

6.ReadWriteThink: Is a part of the International Literacy Association. It's a wonderful resource for teachers, students, and parents. This page has classroom resources, lesson plans, videos, personal development tools, and after school resources for all grade levels. Read, Write, Think has something for everyone to learn about. I really think this can be a great resource for any teacher.

Assignment #10

What can we learn from Mrs. Cassidy?

In this weeks assignment we were asked to discuss what we can learn from Mrs. Cassidy in a 3 part interview with Dr. Strange, and his students. Mrs. Cassidy touch on many interesting and informal topics such as, protecting students identities, monitoring what they can see, twitter, and PLN's. The main topic that I really enjoyed was her outlook on blogging. This is definitely something that I would like to incorporate into my classroom one day. Although this is my first blog, I can already see the benefits, and I rather enjoy it. Mrs. Cassidy made a statement "students become better writers by practicing on blogs" I'd have to agree. I can already see the love I had for writing as a teen coming back from practicing on my blog almost daily. Like Mrs. Cassidy a main concern is always the child's safety, and I think I would prefer to keep identities rather private. With the use of blogs I think my future English student will have the opportunity to express themselves on a whole new level. I can see the sense of pride a student will have after writing a quality piece for the world to enjoy. It can only enhance their drive to become even better writers.

 Here are some links to the interviews: Interview 2, Interview 3.

Assignment# 9

The Article Seven Essentials For Project-Based Learning had some great advice on how to approach project based-Learning. As I read this article I thought about our recent assignment in EDM 310, which we made our own PBL plan (assignment 13 and 14). It was encouraging to see that I was on the right track in how I personally thought was a good approach to a project. For instance, I also believe that a project must be meaningful both personally, and educationally in order for it to be successful. Students want to get involved with projects that make them think, and make them want to know more. In our group project, we decided to incorporate what this article called an "entry event". Our event was a book, and a video discussing the wide range of fruits, and vegetables that are locally grown. Having something to capture the attention of student is so important, in order to get them interested from the beginning.

Tony Vincent made a cool video Project-Based Learning for Teachers. PBL is such a great way to teach student, or in many ways a great way for students to teach themselves. It seems more clear to me that in EMD 310 I am involved in my own PBL assignment and the driving question is Project-Based Learning itself. It is amazing how much students can teach themselves by problem solving. Not only is it teaching us to answer the question at hand, but it teaches us the importance of communication, gives us confidence, and a voice. Personally I am experiencing its benefits through-out this course.

Project-Based Learning in High School was a insightful video on the challenges teachers face when trying to come up with an effective PBL Plan. As an aspiring English teacher it really touched on questions I had myself. In certain subjects such as English or Math it is going to be more of a challenge to come up with your own PBL Plans. They included a wonderful project where students read a book on the Holocaust, and were encouraged to think about what it must feel like to have no voice. They then did research on organizations that gives a voice to the voiceless. What an incredible way to keep important literature alive, and dig deeper in order to bring out the emotions of these writers.  There are so many lessons to be learned with this one example PBL plan.

Five Keys to Rigorous Project-Based Learning is a really informal video on some key components to effective PBL.
1. Real World Connection: Project-Based Learning should include real problems facing the world today. Real problems that drive open-ended questions.
2. Core to Learning: Following standards that are straight forward.
3. Structural Collaboration: Allows students to work together, but each person becomes in control of their own task in the project.
4. Student Driven: Teachers are more of the facilitators in the classroom. They must ask the right questions in order to keep students thinking critically.
5. Multifaceted Assessment: Students are assessed without directly knowing they are being assessed, and at the same time taught to assess themselves.
These five concepts are all interesting to me because they give you an understanding of what PBL is all about. Although it is not the traditional way of learning that many educators are used to, it is a very effective, and necessary approach to learning in the 21st century. PBL is not only a wonderful way to learn, but a wonderful way to help many issues facing our world today. With students collaborating with others around the world the possibilities are endless.

I really loved this video PBL Math: Beyond The Textbook Everyone who knows me, knows my absolute "kryptonite" is Math! I'm not ashamed to say, I am horrible at it. This video shows how an 8th grade Algebra class came up with a neat way to involve PBL in their lesson. Using cube shapes to what one student called "crack the code" for each equation. For me math is something that I have a hard time learning, and if PBL was something that was used in my classes growing up, it probably would have made all of the difference. One students said " Doing these projects helped to break my shyness barrier, and I'm not as afraid to as questions". So many students are nervous to ask questions, with PBL its ok to ask questions, and most importantly its ok to be wrong and make mistakes.

Project # 12 Part A

Project # 9

Project # 14

Our group: Jessica McCants, Madison House and I created this project for a first grade class. It is on Fruit, and Vegetables.

Project Rubric
Project Plan
Project Calendar
Learning Plan Through BIE

Assignment #8

                                                                       Randy Pausch
                                                                         1960-2008

What an incredible, and inspirational video. Literally this video brought tears to my eyes, for so many reasons. It is not very often in life that people get to fulfill all of their dreams. Honestly I have never heard of Randy Pausch, but I have become a fan. It saddens me that such amazing person had to leave earth so soon. This video is a positive example of what most of us know, but often doubt within ourselves. We have all been told to "work hard", "never give up", or "follow our dreams". Even though we know this is what we should do we let life's obstacles get in the way. When we learn of a person such as Randy, has in fact never given up, and followed his dreams, it inspires us to do the same. When we see that anything is possible by witnessing the outcome of others hard work, we can see "the light at the end of the tunnel". To be a good teacher is to inspire,and critique in order for students to put their best foot forward. It's our job to teach our student to persevere, and if they have a vision follow it forever. It's important for us to constantly learn. When we learn we grow, when we grow we gain the tools necessary for success. We cannot be scared of those brick walls, they are there to challenge us. I can only hope that I can one day be an inspiring influence such as Mr. Pausch. I have to read his book.

 New favorite quote:
Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer.-Randy Pausch

C4T#2

1. Summary of Becky Goerend: Becky is an elementary school teacher who has decided to switch things up,and being come an electives teacher. She reflects on the bond she has made with her students, especially a young 6th grader. 

1. My Comment: Truly this has touch me in so many ways. As an inspiring middle school teacher, these are the connections I hope to one day form with my own students. It is so wonderful to see educators who really cherish these moments, and bonds made. What a blessing it is to make such an impact on a child.

2. Summary: Mrs. Goerend talks about her position on the use of Wikipedia as a reliable source of information. She goes on to explain how, and why she thinks it's an great resource for up to date information. 

2. My Comment: I really love this post. Throughout my school years, it's always been a huge "no" "no" to use Wikipedia as a reliable resource. As a future educator, I would love to adopt your outlook on it. Wikipedia is a great way to get up to date information. As you stated, important information should be backed up by other sources, but Wikipedia is a great start in my opinion. 

Project # 13

Our group, Jessica McCants, Madison House, and I did our project clouds. This projected was made for a second grade science project.

Lesson Plan Through BIE
Lesson Plan
Rubric For Lesson
Project Calendar

Assignment # 7

Using imovie and the Alabama Virtual Library: In this video Dr. Strange interviews two Baldwin County Elementary School teachers, Mrs. Davis, and Mrs. Bennett. They go on to discuss how children in kindergarten are using today's  technology in the class room, in particular the imovie app. Mrs. Davis also fills us in on the Alabama Virtual Library, a wonderful resource for everyone to learn basic research.

We All Become Learners : Mrs. Bennett goes on to explain how the use of technology in the class rooms has made such an impact of everyone individually. When everyone has their own devised, it forces us all to learn by doing. Therefore everyone is learning something new, even the teachers.

1. Rung Oi! - Earth - We're in it together!: This video shows how Alabama native and author Pat Mitchell's song, "Earth were in it together" has went viral. With the help of technology students in Vietnam recorded a sweet routine to her song.
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2. Ms. Lauber Interview: Dr.Strange interviews Ms. Lauber, a teacher of 16 Years at Gulf Shore Elementary. She goes on to explain the difference in teaching over the past 4 years, and what an impact it has made on students.

3. Dr. Ernie Rosado Interview: Dr. Strange has a very informal interview with the principle of Gulf Shore High School. Dr. Rosado goes on to discuss what kind of qualities he is looking for when he hire teachers.

4. Aaron Warner: This interview is with the instruction technology specialist over at Gulf Shores Elementary. Mr. Warner goes on to explain his role in helping teachers transition from the traditional classroom to the new technologically advanced classroom. He also goes on to discuss the impact of technology on students.

These videos were so helpful to me. I have made it known of my skepticism with this new way of technology based teaching. Watching these interviews has changed my mind dramatically. Mr. Warner discussed the change in the way students, talk, interact, and participate in learning activities. With project based leaning students are less intimidated to ask questions, and give feedback. I can relate to this because I myself have always been a hands on learner. When Ms. Lauber talked about the change in reading levels, and scores it was exciting to me. I absolutely love to read, and feel as though people just don't value a good book anymore. It's refreshing to see such changes in such an important subject like reading.
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 Mrs. Bennett made some great points about everyone learning from one another. Students are learning from educators, and educators are learning from students. I'm so amazed that children in kindergarten were making trailers in imovie. I have to be honest it took me hours to figure out our book trailer project. Listening to Mrs. Davis, and Mrs, Bennett help me to realize I have to "improve my technology game"! I must commit myself to learn as much as I can about the different methods of technology used today. My career depends on it.

 Like Dr. Rosado stated in the hiring process he is looking for educators who can bring something new and interesting to the table. They are looking for people who can go beyond a boring lecture, and really interact with students. It's obvious through these videos how important these changes are. I'm amazed at what an impact project based learning and technology is playing on students. As I watched the young children sing Mrs. Mitchell's song it really touched my heart. What a wonderful gesture to share with kids across the globe. It just goes to show that " the sky is definitely the limit" through these methods of learning. 

Project # 8 Book Trailer

Assignment #6

1.Project Based Learning Part 1: Dr. Strange's interview with Mr. Capps gave me a small glimpse into incorporating project based learning into the classroom. This video helped me to understand the concept of project based learning, as it should be a way to teach children from beginning to end. Traditionally projects are due after a lesson has been given, but through PBL the entire project is in fact the lesson, and the outcome. It makes perfect sense how effective this style of teaching must be. When you give a child something interesting that can in some way relate to them they are more excited to participate.

 2.Project Based Learning Part 2: I really appreciated how Anthony elaborated on how sometimes things don't always go according to plan. Sometimes a "curve ball" might get thrown your way as a teacher, and you have to find an alternative. Planning your projects can be time consuming, and require a lot of work. Projects are something that you put time an effort in, and like Anthony stated "you are proud of them", But you have to be ready for someone to disagree. Either way through project based learning you should never limit a child through what you have asked of them, let them go beyond. It will help them to develop there own ideas and become more effective thinkers.

 3. iCurio: is an online tool that is used throughout Baldwin County school systems. ICurio is basically a filtered search engine that provides students with proper internet access for educational purposes. I really love this idea! I was not aware that programs like this exist. I have expressed in the beginning of this course my skepticism towards this new technological way of educating, but with every lesson I do I see the impact. One of the questions that I wondered was how we could prevent students from having fun on the internet rather than learn. It is refreshing to know that these issues are being monitored through programs such as ICurio.

 4.Discovery Ed: Is another exciting resource that children are using in class. I am really starting to see the process in which technology is being used in such a positive way in schools. Discovery Ed provides students with lesson, pictures, and videos that are related to subjects. This virtual way of learning has endless possibilities. It goes far beyond one text book used all year long, the information that we can discover is amazing.

 5.Tips for Teaching: I really enjoyed this interview. Its nice to get an honest take on the life of a teacher. I love the point that Anthony makes about how being an educator should be fun, and its ok to take that home with us. Our jobs should extend beyond our 9-5 paid hours, and be something we actually enjoy discussing with our families. Being an educator is apart of who you are as a person not just a job. Dr. Strange make a great point, that we have to have a love for learning. Our learning experiences will go far beyond our college years, it will be a way of life throughout our careers and then some. We have to be good learners in order to be good teachers.

6. Use Tech Don't Teach it: I felt as though this video was intended for me. I am one of those people who thought technology in the class was ridiculous, but I have always seen the importance of keeping up with the times. Mr. Capps is right there is nothing that we can do about it as educators so we had better get on board with the idea. I think Anthony makes a good suggestion, that rather than teaching technology he lets his students learn about it by using it. Any type of hands on learning is the most effective learning tool in my opinion. Throughout my short time as an EDM310 student I have learned more about technology than ever. By our assignments alone I am doing things I doubted I could do.

7.Additional Thoughts: I see through this video that planning a lesson takes a lot of thought. Everything must be connected properly for it to flow in to the next lesson, and those after.

To the Students

To the Parents

Assignment # 5 PLN

What is a Personal Learning Network? Our PLN represents all of the tools, social networks, and people that we use in order to continue the never ending process of learning as an educator. With the boom of technology it is extremely important to stay on top of what's new in society. Having a good PLN we have access to people around the world with similar interest, value, and ideas to help us becoming better students, therefore better educators. As teachers, we must constantly grow, and learn from one another. Sharing ideas with other's around the world will open us up to endless possibilities that we an incorporate into our own classrooms.

I will create my PLN through Symbaloo. This is a great way to start your PLN by keeping things organized, and easily accessible.

My Personal Learning Network will start out with some suggestions by  Dr. Strange.
http://attheteachersdesk.blogspot.com/
http://bethstill.edublogs.org/
Also I will follow Dr. Strange, and other members of EDM310 via twitter.
My journey is just beginning, and I hope to build a powerful PLN that will be a guiding tool throughout my professional career.

Project # 3 Presentation

This is my sentence.....

This is my passion...

Search Engines

According to my husband I'm a know it all thanks to Google. His favorite dig when I have a question is "Google it"! So its pretty clear I am a Google fan. It has always been my "go to" search engine for everything, so when I was asked to find 8 I was shocked at amount of choices. I had no idea there were so many different option. Here are a few I found.

Bing-Seemed to be okay until I began searching. Seems to have poor search quality compared to Google. I hate to make constant comparisons, but that is the standard that they must hold up to in my opinion. I did however enjoy there image quality, it seemed to be more high definition to me. very crisp photos.

yahoo- I actually like Yahoo, it seems rather easy to function, and everything you might want view is right there on the main page. Mail is easy to find, weather, news etc. When you type in something is shows, pictures, videos and any other subject matter related to your search. Visually is could use some updates, but all around not bad.

AOL- Like Bing it was just OK. AOL gives access to email and other feeds fairly easily, but I didn't care for the layout of its links. Everything seemed to be the same. It is an older search engine, but many people still use it for email purposes.

ASK- I kind of like this search engine because it is different from most. Its more based on answering a specific question and it gets you a range of answers. This could be useful when you need to find out a generalized question fast.

Web Crawler- I didn't care for this one at all it was very plain, not at all visually appealing. When you search for something is brings up inappropriate context mixed with things that can be accessed for children.

Duck Duck Go- I really didn't hate this one. It's not a favorite. Seems to have a lot of great video options, and is pretty straight forward when you search something. I didn't find it at all appealing to the eye.

Wolfram Alpha- Honestly I love this one! It seems like a very useful resource for educational purposes. It gives great descriptions on subjects and clear directions. I'll definitely use this in the future.

Dog Pile- Really cute layout on main page, other than that images are mediocre, and video selections were OK. Searches were very generic. This one wasn't bad, but I think I'll stick to Google nonetheless.

Assignment # 4 What Questions Do We Ask? How Do We Ask?

Asking questions is an inevitable part of being an educator. A major part of our careers will be asking, and answering an array of questions. As professionals, and educators for the future it is extremely important to ask the right questions in the right manner. In order to have students dig deeper and give a well thought out answer we must phrase questions correctly.

Joanne Chesley Makes a great point on open ended questions vs close ended questions. When asking a question that is close ended we should expect a short answer such as, yes or no. When we rephrase a question in ways that will help a student expand their thoughts, it can help teach them on a higher level. I see the importance of this topic, it can make all of the difference in learning process when we make a person really think about an answer. When you avoid leading questions, and give the student a chance to collect their thoughts, they will be able to come up with answers perhaps they did not even expect themselves to know.

In the article Asking Questions to Improve Learning there are some great points made. Active learning should definitely extent beyond the classroom. When we engage with students, and ask questions that can touch a student in a way that triggers their thought process beyond class, we are on the right track. Showing interest in our students answers even if we do not agree is so important to keep students interested. Also making students elaborate on questions rather than vague answers is also important. Many students need that extra push to get their brains thinking a little more thoroughly. 

C4T#1A

Summary of Angela Maiers : Mrs. Maiers class of what appears to be middle school aged students, made a simple yet powerful video of them signing the words "You Matter". Just the simplicity of this short video is what makes the message so much more meaningful. Sometimes the most simplest of statements can make the biggest impacts. These two words have brought on the you matter movement.

 My Comment: Love this! What a great way to express how important every individual is, how we all matter.

Summary #2 Transformation through Heartbreak: Mrs. Maiers shares a guest blog post by Siliva Zanatta a 7th grade teacher that uses the influence of the "you Matter" movement to inspire her classroom. Siliva has her students dig deep and discuss what breaks their hearts. Topics such as, Poverty, and Violence were among the few. Not only did she have them discuss these heartbreaks, but she also had them come up with solutions to help these issues.

My comment:What a wonderful Idea! It warms my heart to see such compassion being brought into the classroom. Having children not only think about what breaks their hearts, but brainstorm for a solution. A movement all classes should incorporate into their curriculum.

Assignment #3 How Can You Provide Meaningful Feedback to Your Peers?

While watching the following videos What is Peer Editing?, Peer Editing with Perfection, and the The top 10 mistakes I realize the importance of the three major rules of peer reviews. Compliments, Suggestions, and Correction. It can become challenging to make constructive criticism on a person that you barely know. Although classmates, we don't know each other on a personal level where opinions won't becoming misconstrued to negativity or as a  threat.

It is extremely important to start any review with a positive open statement to eliminate that initial tension or "threat". Make suggestions in the same manner as you would appreciate suggested to yourself. Be polite, and throughout your feedback always be positive, and empathetic. The more comfortable a person feels with your approach the greater the outcome.