C4T 5 & 6

I was assigned to read the blog Don't Waste Your Time for my C4T 5. On that blog, I read the most recent blog post "Video: A Brief History Of Tech In Education". It was a short video that went over the technological advances in technology. i really enjoyed watching the video because it brought back so many memories of me being a student in elementary school.

The second blog post that I read was called "eBook and eReaders (Infographic)". It was about the statistics of people that use eBooks and eReaders. In my opinion, I think they are wonderful devices because you are able to take several books around with you and it only feels like one. Click here and you are able to see the statistics.

Blog Post 10

After watching the video Do you Teach or Do you Educate? I felt very inspired to educate rather than just teacher. I loved the the words that were used in the video. For example, an educator enlightens, inspires, and empowers students. An educator is someone who provides his or her students with instruction and also advises students to the right path. Teachers often just teach the materials needed just to get through the day. However, in most cases the students didn't learn so they are just pushed off on another teacher. As a future educator, I plan to work with my students in the areas needed. I must guide them and mentor them instead of pushing them to another teacher. I believe that teachers/educators are much more than that because in some cases certain students do not have the right guidance at home as they should.
This video also reminded me of EDM 310. As explained in this course, most courses are "burp back" education when the teacher drills information into your head and you have to spit it back out on a test. I feel that educators must not always use this method. I plan to instruct students rather than lecturing them and expecting them to understand quickly. I believe that EDM 310 has prepared me to become and educator rather than just a teacher.

I really enjoyed reading the blog post, Tom Johnson's Don't Let Them Take the Pencils Home!. However, I was a bit confused at first. After reading through the other blog posts and after reading former EDM 310 students' blogs I can to the conclusion that the pencils were actually computer. I find it funny that the man thought computers were lowing test scores. Some people don't exactly understand how helpful technology really is. Johnson goes on the explain that low-income areas believe that computers are used for fun and games rather than educational things because they were never taught how to use it. Johnson explains that he has met with the parents to teach them how to use the computers and when the students go home they have fun projects to keep them interested.
I believe that technology is very important to learn at a young age. Especially in today's society. Some people of previous generations do not understand the importance of technology, like Gertrude, the School Curriculum Instructional Interventionist Academic Specialist. I think it is important for not only educators to understand technology but parents as well. Mr. Johnson's idea of having a program for the parents was and excellent one. As a teacher I plan to incorporate technology in my everyday lesson plans.

Blog Post 9

I really enjoyed reading the blog post What I've Learned This Year (09). Mr. Joe McClung explained in his post that he learned seven major things in his first year teaching.
1.) How to Read the Crowd
2.) Be Flexible
3.) Communicate
4.) Be Reasonable
5.) Don't be Afraid of Technology
6.) Listen to Your Students
7.) Never Stop Learning

I learned so much about being a "young and experienced teacher" from reading his post. During my first year of teaching I plan to follow Mr. McClung's words of advice to make me a better teacher.


Mr. McClung's second post What I Learned This Year (10) was about his second year of teaching in a new state and a new sudject. He explained that he was defiantly out of his comfort zone but that teachers should adapt to their surroundings. He had to teach a whole new subject and curriculum and he had to adapt to his new school and subject. McClung found out that his social studies students wasn't ever taught to think for themselves. he explained that it can be frustrating at times. He goes on to explain that when someone first becomes a teacher they should find a "school momma" which is someone that has been there longer and could help you through tough times. Joe McClung states that he learned to leave his ego at the door and that other teachers should too. Also, he explains to teachers not to loose sight of what really matters.



Joe McClung's last post was What I learned This Year (11). This year has been the first year that he has taught at the same school for more than one year and it has brought more change into his life. He explains that he is a coach of the cross-country team and he is also the computer applications teacher. Once again, McClung goes through the things/lessons that he has learned throughout the year.
1.) Know Who Your Boss Is
2.) Don't Expect Others to be as Excited About Change as You Are
3.) Don't be Afraid to be an Outsider
4.) Don't Touch the Keyboard
5.) Don't get Comfortable


I can honestly say that I enjoyed reading Joe McClung's blog posts. Like McClung, I plan to have and open mind and learn every single year that I am a teacher. I am excited to see the challenges that I face and the changes that will happen throughout my years as a teacher.

Project 13

Project 12

Project 11

Blog Post 8

After watching This Is How We Dream Parts 1, I realize more that the web is so much more helpful. Mr. Miller explains that all of his projects that he worked on was written with muli-media. He was able to quickly find information about our government rather than searching for it in a book. I believe that I am prepared to write in multi-media and that EDM 310 is helping me tremendously with it. I plan to teach my future students the importance of writing in multi-media because it will be their future.

In the video This Is How We Dream Part 2, Mr. Miller discusses the different ways to write in mulit-media. The information is updated instantly right before your eyes. Miller explains that there are people who make visual representation of a certain subject and how they collect the data to compose it. iTunes U is another wonderful thing that is available right and tip of everyone's fingers. Miller thinks that there will be a time that students will not only compose their information on word processor, but on "digital composing material". He explains that his publication was distributed through YouTube and within three months it was all over the web. If he would have just written and sent it off it wouldn't have come out until at least two years later. Miller sates that this is a way to push ideas into our culture and we should all want to do that. He ends in video by talking about his dream to build a building onto the one he teaches in. The building would bring together the best of the sciences and the best of the humanities.

I believe that I could learn more about ways to write in multi-media and how to be better at it. As a teacher that will one day be teaching students who are technologically advanced, I believe that it will be important to teach my students all about muli-media. I am edger to learn more about technology and what I can not only use in my classroom, but what I can teach my students. This, I believe, will make me a better teacher.



Carly's Post
First of all, I believe that Carly does an excellent job at writing her blog post. I also thought that her assignment was quite interesting. It fits Mr. Miller's hopes of writing in multi-media because everything assigned is through multi-media. It will let the students explore the media by using other "digital composing material".



I think that I would like to participate in a video that explains to upcoming EDM 310 students the importance of this class. I would also like to add things in the video that would make people get excited and willing to learn more. Having fun while learning, I believe, is a key to successful learning. If I was to make a video, I would explain the fun we have in the class, as well as the importance of it. However, one other idea that I have is similar to the video, "EDM 310 for Dummies" because I would explain the ways to make this class easier to understand and successful.



Learn to Change, Change to Learn.
I have to agree with the arguments made in this video because I feel that "schools are like factories". I can remember when I was in elementary school we only got to go to the computer lab once a week. It was a little disappointing because we all loved it so much. I believe that schools should incorporate all types of technology in the schools, starting in elementary. One of the speakers in the video explains that the students in schools today will not be using the "vending machine answers" in their future. I honestly have to agree with that. I is the like "burp-back" education that is explained in EDM 310.

1st Progress Report On My PLN Project #10

Once I figured out how to use Symbaloo I never wanted to stop talking about it. I learned how to make my own icon with the website of my choice, which is really helpful. I watched a few videos on other PLNs and it is so interesting to me. I think it would be awesome for my future students to have PLNs to help them with their classwork. I will definitely be using my PLN for other classes now and in my future.

Blog Post 7

I can honestly say that I really enjoyed watching Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams. The three points of his video was his childhood dreams, enabling the dreams of others, and how you achieve your dreams. From the beginning of the video I realized that he was a very determined person, even as a child. Randy Pausch had several childhood dreams. However, so he knew that would never happen. He explained that he had a wonderful childhood and in every childhood picture he was smiling. He also goes on to explain that it is very important to have specific dreams. He knew he could never make it to the NFL but that didn't stop him from trying. he stated that he got more from not accomplishing his NFL dream than the dreams that he did accomplish. Being able to get the fundamentals down before getting fancy is very important. Later on in his video, Pausch states a quote, "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you want". I couldn't agree more. AS a teacher, I plan to teach my students that you can learn from what you didn't achieve. It should only make you work harder. For example, Pausch says that the brick walls are there for a reason.

I believe that Randy Pausch was amazing at helping students achieve their dreams. he created a course called Building Virtual Worlds. It is basically a course on childhood dreams. The course has 50 students from art, design, drama, and CS. The students are picked randomly for teams that work on a project for two weeks. After the two weeks, the students are moved to a different team. Randy Pausch didn't know what to expect from the first project but he was shocked at how well the students did. He had to call his mentor and ask for advice on what to do next. His mentor said to go tell the students that they did a great job but they could do better. I didn't know how to take this at first but once he explained it I realized that was really good advice. I believe it is good advice because it would make the students work harder. I plan to use this teaching method in my future classroom and get a good reaction out of it.

Randy Pausch went on to explain about an ETC course in his video. It is a project based and hands on course. For example, the students would use video games to teach people things. What students wouldn't like to do that? Pausch explains this as being a "head fake" which is a good way to teach. It means having the students think they are learning something else but instead learning something meaningful. The students wouldn't realize that they are learning because they are having so much fun. This is another teaching method I plan to use in my future classroom. I want my students to have fun in my classroom and learn at the same time. I believe that it will make them want to learn more in the future.

The lessons learned that Randy Pausch explains about in his video are very useful. He explains that it starts with the parents and they should teach their children to help others. His parents helped students go to school in Thailand and passed it down to him. Eventually him and his wife helped on the same project. I feel that children watch their parents and therefore parents should be a good role model for their children. I also feel that teachers are role models too. A a parent and teacher, I plan to teacher my students and children to help others when in need. I plan to also teach them to never loose their "child-like wonders". It is very important to dream and strive to achieve them.

Project 9b

I received my information from the website Big Apple History.

C4T 3 & 4

I was assigned to read the blog, Cooperative Catalyst. The blog post, "The decline of thinking outside the box" explains that IQ scores are rising but the creativity in children is falling. I think that it is heartbreaking to know that some children will never get a chance to express their creativity. I believe that every child is creative in his or her own way. However, I think that it is rather interesting that IQ scores are rising and creativity declining. How is that so? As a teacher, I plan to make my students be as creative as they can be. Being a creative person will only better themselves in their future.


I was unable to read that blog of the specific person that I was assigned on the blog, Cooperative Catalyst. However, I just read the main blog post, which was Knowing and I Don't Knowing. The blog post is about an educator that realizes that students respond with I don't know more than they should. The writer explains that he once used the slogan "What you don't know today, you will know tomorrow" in his classroom. I explained in my comment that I agree very much so with the blog post. I had a professor in the past that would research every question from me or my fellow classmates if she didn't know the answer. She would have the answer the very next day and also an explanation of it. Lastly, I stated that I really enjoyed reading this blog post and appreciated the opportunity to do so.