Blog Post #16

C4Tp#4

Ms. Tolisano wrote a short blog showing how powerful social media can be. She shared the conversations between her and a few friends about the C.U.L.T.U.R.E. acronym standing for collaborate, understand, love, trust, unite, respect, empower. I love this acronym. Ms. Tolisano was then challenged to create a graphic for the acronym and this is what she created.

I also read one of Ms. Tolisano's older blogs titled Upgrading Blogs Through Lens of SAMR. In this post, she talks about the SAMR model which stands for substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition. In the classroom blogs, Ms. Tolisano wants to implement this model by substitution: substituting technology for hand written work, augmentation: technology will be the direct tool and platform for publishing assignments on their blog, modification: students can now use hyperlinked writing to connect their ideas, redefinition: the blogs are now an embedded part of the communication process and learning cycle. This is a good model when trying to implement more technology into the classroom.

C4Ta #4

In the first post I read by Shelley Wright, she tells us how we are preparing students for a like that we do not even know is going to exist years from now. We are trying to teach them about technology that is not even invented yet and we are preparing them for job that do not exist. Wright says that they only way we can do this is by focusing on skills, not content. The most important skill, according to Wright, is the ability to learn. Wright says that if our students make it though school without ever failing, then we have actually failed them. In the real world, failure is almost inevitable and she believes that we need to prepare our students for this. We need to teach our students how to get through situations when something does not go the way it was planned.

In the second post, Wright gives a step by step process on how to shift a classroom.
1. Start with one unit: by starting with one unit, you will be able to see what worked and what did not in order to make the necessary changes.
2. Talk about learning: Wright is straight forward with her students and tells them that she is preparing them for jobs that do not exist. She also talks to them about how their brains work. She thinks that using big words when talking to her students makes them feel smart and understand more.
3. Make teach work for you: Wright first teaches her students how to use Google Docs, and I now see why. She also uses the social media tools in her classroom.
4. Expect to hit the wall: at some point, your students will become overwhelmed with some of the emotional subjects being taught. Be prepared.

Blog Post #14 and #15

Although I have only taken a few of my education classes here at South, I hope the remaining classes will teach me most of what I need to know in order to become a successful teacher. One of my strengths that I think will help me in my teaching career is that I am open to new ideas and change. Before EDM 310, I was not aware that technology was used so much in the classroom. Now that I know all of the possibilities, I am excited to use them for myself. I also want to be able to learn different techniques and strategies from the veteran teachers who have been using technology in their classrooms. I am always ready to learn. One of my weaknesses is going to be how I also second guess things when making decisions. This is an awful habit of mine that I have to break before I become a teacher.

QR Codes are something that I have not heard of before, but find very interesting. In the video, the teacher created an audio file for her students to access where ever they would like. Her students can scan the QR codes with their smart phones and it will take them directly to the file. This way, students can have any audio recording their teachers want them to have just by scanning the code. One thing I have learned from

EDM 310 is I must try my hardest to have iPads in my classroom. In the video, iPad Reading Center, we see how iPad can be used to help younger students with their reading while teaching them how to use the technology. With the iPads, the students can record themselves while they read and then go back and listen to see if they read everything correctly. This way, students can also see how their reading progresses over time. The next video, Poplet with Ginger Tuck, students can create a visual map for any book they have read. This app allows students to work on their reading and typing skills while adding pictures and information to create their visual maps for the book.

As many of us know, Alabama Virtual Library is a helpful website when collection information. For kindergartners, AVL has an app that helps them with their reading. As students search for a word, the app will read the word out to them while the teachers asks them to draw what they are hearing. iMovie is one of my favorite parts of Apple. In the video, Tuck iMovie Trailer for Kindergarten, we see how Ms. Tuck uses iMovie in her classroom. She believes that iMovie is a great way for students to show that they understand what they are reading in the classroom. In the video, Tammy Shirley Discovery Education Board Builder Moon Project, we see how another app can help students have more fun while learning. The Discovery Education Board Builder app allows students to make poster board like presentations on the app to show what they have learned. They can add all off the pictures and information they would like to make their poster board their own.

In Dr. Strange's interview with Ms. Davis and Ms. Bennett about Twitter for Educators, they tell us how useful Twitter can be in the education world. Using

Twitter has helped them keep up with the latest educational advances. Ms. Bennett conducts chats every night on Twitter that anyone can follow just by searching the hash tag begin used. This is a great and convenient way for educators from all over to communicate together. We All Become Learners is the last video we were assigned to watch. This one has my favorite message. Ms. Davis and Ms. Bennett tell us to remember that even though we are educators, we are still always learning from our students, especially when it comes to some of the technology we use in the classrooms. Some students know more about iPads and the different apps than I ever will. It is important to remember to always listen to our students and take what they teach us to heart.

Overall, I think that technology in the classroom is becoming a very big and important thing. The possibilities when using technology are endless. We can now teach in a more fun and entertaining way so that our students will want to learn. Engaging students and making them want to learn is my main goal as a teacher.

Blog Post #13

I think that most of the blog posts that we have done in EDM 310 relate to my subject concentration, which is English. After all, we are using Blogger and have to write at least twice a week. I think a specific blog post that may be useful in future EDM 310 classes would be finding at least three websites that can help students improve their writing and give a brief explanation on why each is helpful.

For example:
Purdue OWL: One of the first things on the Purdue OWL web site is a step by step instruction to help students with the writing process. I think that this is helpful because it describes each step in the writing process in depth, and shows students exactly what should be included in each step.

LD Online: LD Online is a good for helping those students with learning disabilities improve their writing. This is great for teachers because it lists different things the teacher can do to help these students improve as well. Some of the suggestions are staging assignments, allowing longer time limit, and adjusting the writing format to meet the students' needs.
The Teaching Center: The Teaching Center focuses on peer review to help improve student writing. I am a huge advocate for peer review myself. This site suggests that engaging students in peer review helps them learn how to read carefully with paying attention to details, transition their writing, and gather and respond to feedback on their work.

Blog Post #12

Project #12 Part B

Here is Group Kennedy's lesson using the SMARTboard

And for your entertainment, here is a link to our bloopers :)

Project #10

C4Tp #3

In Ms. Tolisano's video, The Possibilities of Student Blogging, we see how much of an impact blogging really does have on students. Blogging gives students a platform where they can talk to others who are not in the same room as them is great for students. Teachers can decide on how global and open the platform can be for the student blogs. Quad-blogging is one thing that I had not heard of before watching this video. Quad-blogging consists of four teams. they take weekly turns commenting and writing blog posts. One team will be the ones writing the blog posts and the other three teams will be the commenters. They switch after a week. Each team is from a different country so it gives students a global experience. Students say that blogging helps improve their writing skills. They went from writing blogs that were only a few sentences long to posts that are over 1,000 words long. Comments are a way to start a conversation with the author of the blog. According to the students, the comments you leave on someone else's blog should be personal and should have enough information for the author to comment back to the commenter.

In Ms. Tolisano's second blog post, I learned about documenting in the classroom. I know I am very unorganized at times, so this will help me keep track of everything in my future classroom. Documenting also helps students take ownership of the hard work they do. This is definitely a technique I will use in my classroom.

C4Ta #3

In the first blog I read by John Spencer,Seven Ideas for Avoiding Blogging Burnout, I found his ideas about blogging very useful. I can see how someone could become burnt out on blogging, especially if you're posting multiple times every day. Spencer gives many tips on how to prevent this.

1. Keep it broad: Spencer suggests that many blogs die out because the author has focused the subject on something that is too narrow. He suggests that having a more broad topic will allow your blog to have a longer life.
2. Keep it long term: give your blog a name that will still be considered "new" a year from now.
3. Figure out the medium you love: if you love media, then maybe post more videos on your blog; if you're a writer, write your heart out.
4. Create a thinking space: create a checklist or use other blogs or newspapers as inspiration for your own blog.
5. Have fun: Don't be too serious. It is your blog, your thoughts, have fun with them and do whatever you please with them.
6. You can't please everyone: you will at some point write something that offends someone. If you try to write things that won't offend anyone, your blog will get boring fast.
7. Ignore the metrics: don't worry about how many views your blog is getting. Just keep writing about the things you like and those who like what they read will share it with others.

In the second blog post I read by Josh Spencer, he starts by talking about the fireworks he watched with his daughter on the Fourth of July. He says that watching the fireworks reminds him that life is short and magical and beautiful, even if it is scary at times. He relates this to his own art by saying "the act of making art forces me to remember that life is fragile and powerful and beautiful and magical if I'm paying attention to it. And that, right there, is a key reason to keep the arts in school." Spencer believes that while students create their artwork, they realize that life is short and beautiful.

Blog Post #11

I am going to start with my favorite video we watched for

this blog post, Sam Pane's Teaching Digital Citizenship, video shows the importance of teaching students how to safely use the internet to gather the information they need. This is my favorite video because the internet is becoming a huge part of students' education, they should know all of the things they should and should not do on the internet. Pane mentions how students should keep their personal information private, since anyone can see it once it is posted on the internet. Mr. Crosby's Back to the Future video tells us not to rush our students through their education and make sure they are receiving the best education you can give them. Mr. Crosby connects with his students through technology and exposes them to parts of the world that they may not get to experience otherwise. Blended Learning is mobile, online, and classroom learning all built into one. In order to present a blended learning lesson, Paul Anderson says you need six things: question, investigate, video, elaboration, review, summary, and quiz. Blended learning is a new term for me and I would like to try and use it in my classroom whenever possible. In the last video, Project Based Learning by Dean Shareski we learn that we can combine different subjects into one PBL. My group did this when we created our Shakespeare Renaissance Fair PBL. We incorporated the English from Shakespeare and the Renaissance time period from History. I want to try this project with my own class one day.

Blog Post #10

Using technology in this classroom is one of the main things EDM 310 teaches us. Dr. Strange asked us to watch all of his interviews with Mrs. Cassidy

to see how she effectively uses technology in her classroom, even with first graders. Two of the things she uses in her classroom are the SMARTboards and blogging. These are two things I plan on using in my classroom. Before doing our SMARTboard demonstrations, I was not aware of everything a SMARTboard can really do. Teaching lessons using SMARTboards is more interactive for students, and getting students interested in what is being taught is one thing I am big on. Also, I had never kept a blog until EDM 310 either. Since I will be an English teacher, blogging is one thing I will definitely have my students do on a regular basis. Blogging will help improve students' writing skills and teach them to communicate with not just the other students in the classroom, but whomever they choose. I love how Mrs. Cassidy is starting to introduce her students to these forms of technology at such a young age. This will help them become familiar with the technology and know how to use as much as they can.