Friday, November 30, 2012

Project #16, Option B

Project #15

Final Report on PLN



For my final PLN I cut down the number of resources significantly. I wanted to display the resources I used most often or found most helpful. On my last PLN assignment my main goal was just to take up space and fill up the Symbaloo squares. Also on my last assignment I had to modify the height and width because my PLN was so large. In doing that, it caused my PLN to have scroll bars and I wasn't a huge fan of that. I didn't feel it looked professional. Now that I have cut down on the number of resources my PLN fits perfectly on my blog homepage. I also feel it more accurately displays the sources I used to help me throughout the semester. My most helpful tool throughout the semester was probably the list of students from previous semesters. If I ever got confused about an assignment I would just find a reliable student from one of the past semesters and see how they completed the assignment in question. The tool that I was most excited to learn this semester was Prezi. I felt like Prezis stood out as an educational tool. They're like an upgrade from PowerPoint, and I know I personally hate PowerPoint. I even sent my brother a copy of my Prezi presentation because he works with the marketing department of KRAFT and he's now learning how to create his own to present his pitches to the company. Overall, though my PLN is smaller than it was originally was, I feel it is more helpful and resourceful.

C4K Summary for November

Andrea J.'s Blog Post on November 1, 2012.
New Mexico
Andrea's Blog Post
Andrea's J.'s post was all about the weekend she got to spend with her family. Her father had been out of town for a month and he showed up unannounced, surprising everyone. He then told his family he was taking the next four days off of work and they were taking a family road trip to New Mexico. Andrea and her sister were very excited. After driving the entire first day, Andrea and her family stopped in a town in New Mexico to stay for the night. Andrea said the town was "obsessed with aliens". She said there were aliens everywhere she looked. After enjoying the hotel pool and hot tub, Andrea and her family hit the road once again. After a few hours of driving they finally arrived at their final destination. They rented out a cabin for the entire weekend. They enjoyed hiking, and grilling, and sitting in the hot tub that changed colors. Andrea loved her spontaneous weekend with her family.

You can read all of Mr. Boylen's students' blogs by clicking here.

Rachel M's Blog Post on November 1, 2012.
October Reflections

Rachel's Blog

Rachel's most recent blog post was about what she did with her class during the month of October. She and her classmates wrote scary stories. Her's was about a little girl that finds an amulet and then discovers that someone, or something, is after her. Rachel said they also did a variety of science experiments following the theme of Halloween. They made "ghost poop, farts, eggs, vampire veins, and monster foam." She went into the most detail about the vampire veins. She said there are two ingredients you need to know so you can make "vampire veins" at home: water, and Vampire Goo. I thought that was hilarious! I'm sure Wal-Mart stays fully stocked with Vampire Goo. I commented back to Rachel saying how impressed I was with her writing ability. I'm not sure what grade this child is in, but she writes better than a lot of the students in this class. I also, very briefly, told her about a scary story I wrote when I was in fifth grade about an alien abduction. Overall, Rachel seemed like a very intelligent little girl and I was impressed by her work. If I were her teacher, I would have given her an A for her post.

To read all of Mr. Spicer's students' blog posts, please click here.

Candace Stewart's Blog Post on November 16, 2012.
Reflection

Candace Stewart

In Candace's most recent blog post she discusses her thoughts on the book she just finished reading entitled, Speak. She said it was a very intriguing read and she learned a lot from it. She said it taught her many things. She learned that you never know what's going on in someone's life until they tell you, and people actually care about other people's thoughts and feelings. I was glad to hear that she really enjoyed the book. I've only seen the movie, but it's one of my all time favorites. It really does have a powerful message. I'm glad to see that she actually got something out of it and I told her so in the comment I left on her blog post.

To read Candace's full blog, please click here.

Monday, November 26, 2012

Last C4T

C4T#4 - Post #1: The Principal's Principles
Smarter Balanced Assessments, change for the better?

John Bernia's lastest blog post was on November 5, 2012. He wrote about his recent staff meeting where they discussed the Smarter Balanced Assessments. At the beginning of the meeting they discussed the skills they want the children to be able to preform by the Spring semester of 2015.

The Goals of the Students

Then the meeting dove into a discussion about what they, as teachers, could do to help the students reach this goal.

Teachers Aid

I thought this post showed a great organization of the thought process of a teacher. What do I want my students to achieve? Okay, now what do I need to do to be able to assist them in reaching those goals? I also took notice that the teacher's "To-Do" list was a bit longer than that of the students'. As a student you're focused on your own workload and never stop to think of what the teacher is having to do to help you with your studies. This post really put a lot in perspective for me. Which is strange because at first glance, this post would seem to hold a lot of relevance to the average college student. But that's just me. This post really got my wheels turning. I also saved it so I could go back into my records and review the list Mr. Bernia came up with.

C4T#4 - Post #2: The Principal's Principles

Well, I never fully grasped the idea of C4Ts. I completed them and I understand the reason for the assignment, but I could never understand the layout I suppose. I understand this is a horrible example as far as a final assignment goes, and I'm pretty sure none of my C4Ts were completed correctly. And I apologize. But, I attempted them and I did my best.

Shrugging Shoulders

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Blog Post #13

Back to the Future
Back to the Future
This video was a seminar by Brian Crosby about how he incorporated technology into his classroom. First of all, the majority of Mr. Crosby's classroom was made up of students whose second language was English. That in itself is a challenge. Also, a vast majority of his classroom were completely inept to their surroundings. He brings in the subject that these students are so unaware because they have been taught on a narrowed curriculum which only hinders the students. A narrowed curriculum only brings the student down and brings down their level of creativity. In Mr. Crosby's class each student is required to have a blog. They record everything they do. Then the students embed their videos onto their blogs. Mr. Crosby also required his students to set goals. The goals they set were not just for themselves, but for their community, their school, and their country. He asked them what their "High Hopes" were. He then conducted a hot air balloon experiment with his students. The kids then recorded and posted all of their progress with this experiment. Their progress brought in attention from all around the globe. Many people from other countries wrote to students what their own "High Hopes" were. Then the students and Mr. Crosby constructed their own hot air balloon and flew it into the atmosphere until it exploded from the atmospheric pressure. Inside the balloon, the places all the recorded hopes they had encountered. An experiment like that empowered the students to learn on their own. It also helped break the language barrier because so many students had to learn how to interpret written and spoken word English. Mr. Crosby even had a student brought into his class via Skype because she had leukemia and she was treated as if she were a normal day-to-day student.

Mr. Crosby's classroom was very inspirational to me. His balloon experiment created a higher sense of confidence in the children and an overall sense of importance. It showed what kind of an impact an ordinary sixth grade classroom can make. With each assignment we are given in this class I more clearly see the importance of blogs in the classroom. With a classroom dynamic like Mr. Crosby's the possibilities are endless.

A Vision of Students
A Vision of Students
This video very clearly illustrated every thought of every college student ever. It covered topics ranging from professors never learning your name to spending thousands of dollars on textbooks deemed important but are never used.

The assignment very clearly stated not to view this video from a students prospective, but to view it from the prospective of teachers or University presidents. In that case, I'd feel very poorly about my performance as an educator and a leader. It's one thing for a student to pay for a class and never show up, that's their decision. But assigning material that is irrelevant to their field of study or not adapting to today's lifestyle is a problem for the administration. In continuance of the example of the student choosing not to come to class, let's ask the question, why? Why is this student ignoring a class that he or she paid a lot of money to be enrolled into? Is it because they are lazy? Most, I'm sure would assume so. Maybe it's because the instructor never covers any relevant material. Maybe they never teach. It is possible that the instructor is not giving quality information. As said in the video, college students are multitaskers because they have to be. They have to make sure the time they spend is productive. As an educator you cannot waste a student's time, just as much as they are expected not to waste yours. Instructors and educational leaders need to be thinking of the needs of the student. Sadly, this is almost never the case when dealing with a University. It's always about money. That's why textbooks are so expensive. That's why you cannot graduate from a college or university without taking at least 36 hours first. It's all about money.

This video just very clearly shows the expectations a college student has, but are never achieved. It also clearly shows the things expected from a college student that are not realistic. There are only 24 hours in a day. One person can only do so much.

Progress Report on Project #16

Final Project Progress Report

Project 16 Option B

My group and I have chosen to participate in Option B of Project #16. We have already had two group meetings. In those meetings we discussed and delegated the responsibilities each group member is responsible for. I was responsible for creating a list of possible topics and situations to discuss and portray in our video. Laura Allen was responsible for creating a "script" for our video. We have chosen to make our video into a bundle of satirical skits. Rachel Beaguez was given more lines in the script than LJ and I because there was no more work to be done to the script or outline. We are all working together well. We have good communication and we all have the same goals in mind for the project.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Blog Post #12

Hillary's Blog Assignment
For my assignment, I chose to center it around Pinterest. Pinterset is a website that accumulates every kind of blog, arts and craft, recipe, DIY project, lesson plan, etc. all onto one website. With this assignment I want the student to imagine running their own classroom for a day. What would you need? Anything you can think of can be found on Pinterest.

For this assignment I would like the student to:
1.) Find a lesson plan corresponding with the subject you wish to teach
2.) Find an activity that correlates with your lesson plan
3.) Find a picture to represent your lesson
4.) Find a book related to your chosen topic that you could assign to your students

My Assignment Example:
1.) Propaganda and World War II
I chose this lesson plan because it brings in a big part of WWII. It, not only, incorporates propaganda from the United States, but it also uses examples from the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. The website this lesson plan is from also gives a detailed description about the lesson plan and makes sure the sources are credible.

2.) WWII Video Quiz
I chose this activity because I believe it is important to watch movies and film in history classes. You cannot learn and retain history by simply reading from a text book. The quiz gets the students thinking about what they're watching. It also helps them make sure they understand what is going on.

3.)
World War II

4.) I chose this book because it is for learners who are just starting to learn about World War II. Since I am planning on being a secondary teacher I felt this was an appropriate difficulty for that age group.
Second World War

Friday, November 9, 2012

Blog Post #11

Little Kids...Big Potential

Little Kids, Big Potential

Ms. Cassidy mention seven different types of technology that she uses in her classroom:

(1.)Kids writting on blogs.
Using blogs in the classroom allows the students to get instant feedback on their work. It also allows them to watch their spelling skills improve. It also allows them to keep an online portfolio of their work.
(2.)Learning how to safely use the internet
Ms. Cassidy has only allowed her children to put their first names on their blogs to ensure the safety of their indentities.
(3.)Class webpage
The class webpage in Ms. Cassidy's class offers multiple links so students have the chance to learn at home or in their free time. On this web page, they can also choose which program they would like to work with instead of being told which one to do.(4.)Wikis
Using Wikis in the classroom allows the students to post questions online and have them answered by people around the world.
(5.)Videos
The use of videos gives the children a broader sense of creativity. Making videos offers a multitude of options for assignments. They also learn how to post the videos they on the internet and embed them onto their blogs. They learn how to embed videos to their blogs
(6.)Skype
Skype allows Ms. Cassidy's classroom to visually communicate with other classrooms around the country.
(7.)Nintendo DS
The Nintendo allows to children to work with a device they are very familiar and comfortable with so it hardly feels like work. This allows them to play video games that are education so they can learn and have fun at the same time.

Skype Interview with Ms. Cassidy

Skype Interview with Ms. Cassidy

Dr. Strange's interview with Ms. Cassidy covered many topics. How long has she been using technology in the classroom? How did she come across the idea? Do the parents and the students like it? And so on and so on.

I do agree with a lot of the methods that Ms. Cassidy is using. I am still a little hesitant about Wikis because I still do not fully understand them. I also do not know how I feel about using a Nintendo DS in the classroom. I feel that could take a sense of authority in the classroom, but I could be looking too far into it. I do, however, think that's a great tool for them to be able to take home and teach themselves with. I have made a complete 180 when it comes to blogs in the clasroom. At the beginning of the semester, I thought blogs were a waste of time. Now, I can see the progress I've made throughout the semester. Incorporating blogs into a classroom of younger students could benefit them even more. It turns into a portfolio of their work, just like Ms. Cassidy's children said. Students could go to their blog and review lessons they have already finished. They can read over past posts and even see how much their spelling and grammar has improved. It also helps keep students organized. I know when I was in school looking at some of the other kids' binders made my head hurt. Learning organizational skills in school is very important. All in all, I liked the way Ms. Cassidy runs her classroom. I plan on incorporating some of the aspects of her classroom into my own one day.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Special Blog Assignment

A World Where Grades Will be Left Behind
This entire article is based around revolutionizing education. "A single class might enroll tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of students, but "there will be no more one-size-fits-all," Thrun says. "Education will respond to you." Grades will no longer exist. Sebastian Thrun describes grades as the "the failure of the education system". In this type of education system students will learn at their own pace and take as much time as they need to master a certain skill. Thrun taught an online artificial-intelligence class with over 160,000 students. The aim of this type of system is to make online education cheap, and as affordable as a cell phone bill. "Instruction will be free, but related services might involve a fee. Among those are certification and exams, which will be conducted separately from the learning process." Thrun explains that his aim is not to take over traditional education. He explains it with such that traditional education is to theatre as online education is to film. Film did not end the theatre. Film replicated theatre into its own being and made it available for a wider audience, which is his aim for revolutionizing education.


I thought this article was very intriguing. I love the idea of revolutionizing education and making it into something more relatable to students. Learning in a brick-and-mortar environment was dreadful. The prospect of teaching, and learning how to teach, in a game-based manner is something I would be greatly interested in doing. On the other side, I have taken an online class or two and it is easy to get lost in the shuffle and get behind. But I suppose if it is done in the right way it could be effective. I think an online course, like this article suggests, centered on group projects would be most effective. It gets students interacting with other students. I know in my online class I almost never talked to anyone else taking the same course. I had no one other than the professor to contact; and online professors are very hard to get in touch with. This article also suggests having multiple professors from around the globe. I would take a course like that. I would love the opportunity to learn from a professor 100,000 miles away. The prospects of an idea such as this are endless.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

C4K Summary for October

Social Butterfly's Post on September 11, 2012.
Sharon's Blog Post
I left a comment for a little girl named Sharon. She's in the seventh grade and lives in Canada. In her post she never exactly says her name. She goes by the alias "Social Butterfly". Her post was a summary of herself. She goes into short detail of her likes and passions. She loves music and in her spare time likes singing, dancing, and babysitting. She also mention briefly that she likes snakes! From that, I took that she is a very adventurous little girl.

I commented back to "Social Butterfly" and told her that I shared her love of music. I even gave her the names of a few, appropriate, bands and artists I like right now. I also told her that she was a braver woman than I for her love of snakes.

To read Sharon's blog yourself, please click here.

Wills' Blog Post on September 17, 2012
Wills' Blog Post

Wills more recent blog post was just a picture of his paintball gun he bought. So, I decided to comment on the post he made minutes before that one because it had more content in it. This post was a basic questionnaire Wills filled out. It asked question like "What's your favorite..." and so on and so forth. Wills added in this post that his favorite television show was Prison Break. I thought that show to be a little mature for a child his age; but, I commented on his post saying that I enjoyed the show as well. Also in his post he put that his favorite subject in school was lunch. I found that to be quite amusing. I would have put the same thing if I were still his age.

You can read Wills' blog yourself by clicking here.

Vitulli & Santoli: Eyes on Ireland
The Meeting on the Turret Stairs
I was originally assigned to post about the fourth post above #1, but alas, there were not enough posts. So, I counted the fourth down and struck this.

The Meeting on the Turret Stairs

This particular blog post is an elaboration by Ms. Vitulli about a stunning watercolor painting. She said she first discovered the painting the gift shop of the National Gallery of Ireland. Having immediately fallen in love with the painting, she buys numerous objects displaying the painting. She then becomes puzzled because she does not remember seeing the original painting in the gallery. So she and Dr. Santoli ask about the painting. It turns out that the painting is so old and fragile due to the state of the watercolor that it is only displayed an hour a day, three days a week. Vitulli and Santoli are blown away. They then plan to return to the galley and view the painting during one of its hour slots. The ladies then decide to turn this into a learning opportunity. They post this assignment:

assignment

Being an art enthusiast and a hopeful history teacher, I thought this was a great assignment. It requires the students to research the painting to find background information and it also triggers their creative skills. What do you think is going to happen? What do you think already happened? What do you think they are doing? What is your interpretation of this painting? If you created this painting yourself, how does the story actually happen? Assignments like this aid in instilling appreciation of the arts. It also helps solidify history. They can see the workmanship that was put into it so long ago and makes them think more deeply about the work.

To read this blog yourself, please click here.