EDM 310 Class Podcast/Videocast

EDM 310 For Dummies...

EDM Blog #15

A Seventh Grader's Personal Learning Environment

Hands down, this 7th grader has me beat. So far for my PLN I have used our EDM 310 class blog and its materials and contributors as resources. I have also used classmates and a few teachers that I have commented on in comments for teachers. I have also used Diigo instead of Delicious. I plan on using Delicious a little bit more because you can directly save articles from South's library database to Delicious. I liked the fact that she used Evernote and I got to see how it worked, I have an account with them but got too caught up in all of the other forms of technology we used in this class instead and ended up not using it. However, it looks like a pretty useful tool that I will be using in the future. Overall this video helped again realize one of the many different ways that I can develop my PLN and use the many different tools on the internet that are free.

A 7th Grader's PLE

Two Questions that Can Change Your Life

Wow! That was a really deep video that had a great message for the small amount of time that it took. This clip actually made me think of what my sentence is for right now and I would have to say it goes a little something like this... I empower kids to make healthy choices. It's interesting to think about how your sentence changes throughout your life. For example when I was leading SMART Girls in Puerto Rico my sentence would have been: I empower young females to have a strong sense of self and to stay out of abusive relationships.

As far as asking yourself if you were better today than you were yesterday, what a great question. Through asking yourself this, you will stay in check and stay motivated to be at your best. I'm human and I have days where I was better the day before or vice versa. However if I can consistently be better than I was the previous day, I'll know I'm in a good spot in life. I just hope that this question doesn't stress me out too much and I end up obsessing over it!

The Two questions: Daniel Pink's Vimeo

SKYPE

My experience with Skype...

I used Skype for the first time last night and I really wished that I used it sooner. I got into contact with a good friend that I haven't seen for six years. I got to see her house, meet her kids & husband, but most importantly I got to talk with her face to face. When I went home for Spring break I found out that two of my cousins, my aunt and uncle all use Skype. I have a new baby coming and I can't wait to get my parents in Portland, OR involved in Skype so they can see their new grandchild on a regular basis. I'll also use Skype when my husband is out of town on business. Skype will make it possible for him to see our baby every day even when he's gone. As you can see, I'm really excited about using this tool. I can see its potential in my future classroom and in every day life as well. As I said in the beginning, I really wish that I would have started using this program sooner... I guess its better late than never... Click the link below and try out his extremely simple program for yourself, you'll like it...

Skype.com

EDM Blog #14

To Praise or Not to Praise...

On a whole, EDM 310 has been a good experience for me. I know that there were complaints about the class being too challenging and the workload being too heavy. I kind of wonder if these complaints were mainly coming from a generation of people who have been showered with awards throughout their lives in spite of doing very little. It is almost that they need or want praise and awards for doing the most basic things that one should do to be successful; like showing up for class or completing an assignment on time. I also wonder if these complaints are coming from people who don't really understand that EDM 310 is a 300 level class (even though it's in the name and is located right next to EDM). If one sings up for a 300 level class that means that they should be prepared to meet the challenges of a mid to upper level college course. I know that college can be overwhelming and stressful but this will be a cakewalk compared to some of the days you will experience in your future classroom.

I see my self agreeing with them and disagreeing with them at the same time. I agree with this group because the workload seemed a little heavy. However, it was work that had meaning. If it were meaningless busy work that you gained nothing from then it would be a different story. I was able gain a tool from every assignment that I will be able to use either in my future classroom, my current classes here at South or in everyday life. I don't feel intimidated by technology any more, I used feel indifferent towards it but now I have a new found appreciation for it. Now, I finally feel prepared to teach in tomorrow's classrooms, that is if my skills wont be outdated by the time I graduate. I really don't think that any of this would be possible without my EDM 310 experience.

I'll end my post with some questions for you all to ponder... How will we as teachers find balance between too much praise and too little in our classrooms? What is a good meter for this? Praise has it's place and recognition should not be abolished what-so-ever (I myself am a huge fan of praise and practice it often). However, where do we draw the line in order to not create students with ungodly senses of entitlement and lousy work ethics? I think that good work and effort should be recognized but do you feel that sometimes we have taken it (praise & awards) a little far? I know that good teachers already know how do do this, how do you do it or how do you plan on doing this in your future classroom?

Comments 4 Kids

This past week I got to comment on Tau's blog. Tau is from New Zealand and put together a great animated presentation on the history of her country. She put together her own drawings and animated them, she also used old photographs in her presentation. It looked as though she put a lot of hard work into it and I really enjoyed the fact that she used so many different mediums throughout her presentation. You can visit Tau's presentation by clicking the link below.

Visit Tau's Classroom Blog Here

Comments 4 Teachers...Dangerously Irrelevant

For this assignment I got to follow Dr. Scott McLeod's blog entitled "Dangerously Irrelevant". I read his post on Tenure and how some schools want to abolish this policy. From reading the post and the comments about this topic from educators around the nation I realized that tenure is a double edged sword. It is a double edged sword because many stated that it helps teachers of low quality keep their jobs. However, on the other hand it helps protect deserving, hardworking teachers from losing their jobs. I'm not sure where I stand on this issue. If you would like to read this post to determine your opinion about tenure click this link Dangerously Irrelevant

I loved this blog because Dr. McLeod always says what people want to say but never do in fear of offending someone. He presented at a conference at the American School in Bombay and continued to "keep it real". One teacher was a little upset about the fact that Dr. McLeod was not recognizing the fact that the teachers who were at the conference represented schools that were far more technologically advanced than other schools. McLeod really didn't like this comment and put the person in their place to say the least. He challenged them to do a better job at implementing technology with all of the resources that they have at their finger tips. In my opinion this teacher that made this comment represents a school that has many more resources that those other schools that he or she was claiming to be beating in the technology race. You can view his response to this comment and listen to his presentation at Dangerously Irrelevant.

Wordle.net

Wordle.net

This is my Wordle Creation...

More on PS 22 Chorus

More on PS 22

I just couldn't leave this one alone. To listen to a little bit more of what I have to say, click on the link below that's entitled "More Thoughts"...

More Thoughts

Google Docs Survey, Soda Anyone?

Google Docs Form Project

View this survey by clicking the link below...

Soda Anyone?

View survey results by clicking the link below...

Soda Survey Results

EDM Blog #13

The Zax

The Zax movie that I got to view can be related in the use of technology in the classrooms in

many ways. However, let me just focus on one main point on this su

nny Sunday. The main point being that many still are not willing to make the necessary changes in their classrooms in relationship to implementing technology. I hope that I do not have the level of stubbornness that the

Zax do when it comes to implementing technology in my future classroom.

My main concern is about lower income schools where the resources may not be present to support what I want to do with technology. When people are stubborn like the Zax it is one issue, but when people want to progress but don't have the means to do so, that's an entirely different issue at hand. We always seem to shed light on people who are stubborn and don't wan

t to learn about technology or implement it, we never think about how to help those who want to but can't due to lack of resources.

PS 22 Chorus

This video was absolutely amazing and made me cry. I even got sidetracked and proceeded to watch the majority of the videos that they had out on You Tube and I checked out their class blog. With the help of a dedicated teacher, a group of great kids, and the internet PS 22 has become a well-known success. This is a prime example of why it's beneficial to display your student's work whether it be via blogging, You Tube etc. Mr. B. displayed his kids work online and got so much exposure from influential people and in return gave his students experiences of a life time. Some of the experiences include being on the Today Show, singing the national anthem for the New York Rangers and being able to have celebrities come visit their classroom (ie. Matisyahu, who is one of my favorite reggae artists and Tori Amos to name a few). The previous could not have been achieved so quickly and efficiently without the help of YouTube and blogger. Need I say more about technology use in the classroom?

These kids were great! They worked as a team really well and were able to express themselves in a positive and healthy way. This is a great example of a good teacher in action. A teacher who works hard for his students, cares for them and encourages them. One who is energetic and passionate about what he does. I hope I can like Mr. Breinberg someday.

Check out PS 22 Chorus Blog

Comments 4 Kids

This week I got the chance to comment on Semi's video post. Semi attends Pt. England School in Auckland, New Zealand. In his video he told about a noodle eating contest that he was in. He told about his experience eating noodles with a chopstick. I love eating with chopsticks, love Asian food, but still can't for the life of me eat noodles with chopsticks.... What a fun activity to have in your classroom someday.

View Semi's Post Here

EDM 310 Blog Week 12

The Intrepid Teacher...Dear Kaia...WM Chamberlain's Class Letter to Kaia...

The Intrepid Teacher is a blog created by Jabiz Radisana, a teacher at an international school in Doha, Qatar. He speaks of an experience where he reads The Last Child in the Woods. Upon reading this book he has a revelation that his daughter does not spend enough time outside. So, he takes his daughter outside to explore with cameras in hand. Together, as a team they discover the beauty in their surroundings which are composed of a desert landscape, trash mounds, and construction refuse. In spite of their dismal surroundings, they find their beauty and capture them on film.

On this impromptu field trip Jabiz states that, "We spoke of the wind, the setting sun, and how plants can grow with little water. We spoke about the power of art to make the ugly appear beautiful. We asked questions of each other. We guessed at answers. The two of us were a mobile outdoor classroom. Father and daughter in an empty field in the desert." However, the learning didn't stop here and opened up a whole new world (no pun intended) of opportunity.

This experience with his daughter leads him to create the blog entitled "Dear Kaia" which is a blog that allows Kaia to share her photographs and experiences with different classrooms and children around the world. At first, like any parent, Jabiz was apprehensive about putting Kaia out there on the web but it proved to be a success. Not only did he connect with Mr. Chamberlain's class he also connected with many others throughout the world thus creating a virtual classroom while giving Kaia an meaningful learning experience.

The creation of Kaia's blog along with the connections that Mr. Chamerlain's class is making are vivid signs that changes in the education system are happening. These changes are for the better. It is evident that the internet and technology are powerful tools that can bring cultures together, create awareness, and provide many with invaluable learning experiences.

The Intrepid Teacher Blogspot

Dear Kaia

Mr. Chamberlain's voice thread & video to Kaia

Comments 4 Kids

This week I got the chance to comment on Cezar's post in New Zeland. Cezar is currently in the 3rd grade and is learning to speak his native language Maori. He spoke Maori for about 30 seconds on his video post and it was interesting to listen to a language that I was completely unfamiliar with. To view Cezar's mihi (greeting in Maori) click the link below.

Cezar's Mihi

Comments 4 Teachers

For this assignment I got to follow the Anne Marie Holmwood's post entitled "The Meaning of Life or 42". Anne teaches media arts and creative writing in British Columbia. Her posts were very interesting. One focused on her experience in grad school, she read a poem that captured her expereince and then posted it to You Tube and embedded it in her blog. The poem was great and she shed light on some of the aspects that make me nervous about being a teacher. The main aspect being having to tailor your curriculum to the standardized tests at the time. When I read the comments for this post she actually stated that in Canada parents have the right to not have their child participate in standardized testing. The parents are required to have some sort of academic/educaitonal activity provided for these students during test time. I thought that this was great. Standardized tests are probably not used as rigorously as they are here in good ol' America. I wish I could teach in Canada.

The other post I viewed was a speech written by Anne's twelve year old daughter Willa. Will gave a speech for a competition that dealt with the impact that technology would have on her community. She went over the pros and cons of each side and came up with a lovely conclusion. Through reading this post you can tell that the apple does not fall too far from the tree here.

Visit The Meaning of Life or 42 Here