Smartboard Project #13

Additional Assignment #3

Changing Educational Paradigms by Sir Ken Robinson
I do think Sir Ken Robinson has hit the nail on the head. We are so quick to diagnose a child with ADHD just because they are bored out of their mind and tired of sitting in one place all day. I realize we students are taught different subjects but never really looked at it the way Sir Ken Robinson portrayed it which makes good sense. We are not sure which direction to send our children in as far as the future of the economy waivers back and forth so let's just bore them to death and not teach them any useful life skills. I also know that children mature at different levels just because a child is physically twelve does not mean he is academically on the same page as all twelve year olds around the world there are too many factors that play into that equation. I am honestly finding a hard disagreeing with Sir Ken Robinson. His thoughts are very to conducive to our way of teaching and given the chance some educators want to change how their students learn but for the most part why deal with it when we can give them medicine and make them zombies. If I were going to be involved with a production such as the one Sir Ken Robinson made I would like to narrate because I can be a very animated reader but still keep focus on the project. I would say I am very auditory.

Project #11

Blog Post # 10

  

       My attitude about education is somewhat close to Morgan Bayda's but there are some differences concerning the larger universities. I've always had small classes in which I am encouraged to ask questions about the topic of study. The very familiar experience again is the book you are required to purchase for class. Morgan Bayda mentioned she agrees with Dan Brown's ideas about school and education even though she would not have followed the same path. The reason behind staying in school regardless whether we are or are not learning anything is for one reason. That reason is a diploma a piece of paper stating you have completed your education and taken the required classes needed to graduate. We all do this with hopes of finding a job in our field of specialty I agree  information is  "free" but a diploma is not. Even though sitting through long lecture classes can be a grueling experience until something is done nothing will change. So what do we as students need to do to change that? If everyone despises learning this way let's take steps towards finding out how to fix the problem.

      Don't Let Them Take the Pencils Home was an interesting post on Ton Johnson's blog. The use of pencils at home lowers test scores is a silly idealism. I really admire Mr. Johnson's decision to teach his students the way they respond to learning regardless of whether they use a pencil, crayon, or finger paint the idea is to help students learn and achieve that no matter what. The school's are so focused on test scores that is all they see. I understand that most of the funding a school receives depends on what level they test on but it should not be that way. It is ridiculous because they are not learning they are memorizing answers so what does that prove they have a good memory. Let's ask the same students who studied for a state test to take the same test three weeks later will they pass? Probably not because they never learned anything they temporarily retained it. I believe Mr. Johnson has the right idea so why nag him about silly stuff when his students are learning regardless of  whether or not his students are bringing pencils home he is making a difference by not just going with the flow because of standardized test scores. Good for him I hope he continues helping his students LEARN.

 MY SENTENCE:
"I am a positive role model in my families life, I always find a positive to any situation  and as I become a more influential person  I teach and encourage everyone to do the same from this day forward"

Blog Post #9

     

  After reading "What I've Learned This Year" by Mr. McClung. I realize that getting nervous about lessons and how you present them are not effective methods of learning if you expect everything to just fall into place and work out beautifully. As a first year teacher Mr. McClung gives some useful advice and helpful hints to help with just starting out in the classroom. We do have expectations of our students as we should;  we want the best for them but don't make them feel the goals you have given them are unattainable. Teaching is an interesting field but very worrisome also because you may constantly focus on getting the right lesson plan and it does not work for your students.
       If you have ever been able to see any of Mr. Henry Wong's material then you know you do not want to be stuck in survival mode where your main goal is to just make it through the day and not care if your students actually learn anything. Unfortunately some teachers do get stuck in that rut but not Mr. McClung  he was very aware of his abilities to apply different techniques to learning and going with the flow. He also knows how to communicate like he mentioned just listen to your students and they will reciprocate the respect. I am pleased to see a first year teacher catch on so quickly and pass his help along to others.
       It is very inspiring to see a new teacher grasp the concept of individuality in teaching his class. His ability to adapt is what we all need to work on with diffeent scenarios simply because life is not a set blueprint we are able to change our attitude and environment at any time which is what I will do.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Blog Post #8

  
        After watching Richard Miller's This is How We Dream Parts 1 & 2 I am truly astonished that he has never utilized a library for his work. Let's go back a few years when laptops were not cheap to come by and obviously you could not lug around a desktop computer it was just not done. The information that is out there is unbelievable it is definitely up to the individual to obtain it. The world has definitely progressed in technology since the beginning of time and it will continue that way. I honestly have no idea what lies ahead in the future but from the capabilities I have seen it will be an interesting journey.     As far as libraries are concerned they are historical archives to generations of great authors the ability to research projects has changed with all the new internet capabilities and people expect to get their information faster and faster but to actually sit down with a good book is a good feeling. I know different versions of Kindle are available but it is different. I am not afraid of technology just concerned about societies need for speed.     I do agree with Miller that if we do not learn anything it is definitely our own doing, we are ultimately able to seek out any information about anyone or anything we want with the click of a button. We need to use the tools we are given to improve our teaching styles and skills.                                                                                            

                                           EDM 310 Short Movies   
         These are two movies that definitely portray the way we fell sometimes in The Chipper Series procrastinating and being overwhelmed go hand in hand when you feel like you are not accomplishing your goals they start to slip further and further away so to push forward and not give up is the best option. EDM 310 for Dummies was helpful when directing you to sites that will help you with all of the instructions but I think where I am able to get help is from the lab assistants. We have all been to that stressful point when we want to pull our hair out so the short movies did help me feel like I wasn't the only one. If I were to produce a video it would consist of different ways to work with children who have attention problems and show sometimes there are alternatives to medications.     

                                       Critiquing Smartboards
       In these two outlet of information you are able to draw your own conclusions about the pros and cons of an interactive teaching tool. Yes, they are expensive and I never really considered all the negative aspects of a Smartboard because when a classroom is unable to have multiple computers the Smartboard complements the lessons by using interactive websites.

Timetoast Instructional Timeline

Madison Group Podcast

TIME TOAST TIMELINE

Project # 10 Progress Report

I really liked the Symbaloo design for starting my PLN it is colorful and everything is right at your fingertips. It is more convenient than opening window after window to find something you are looking for. My PLN is still in the beginning stage but I am having fun looking for new items to add. I know there are other ways to create your own personal PLN but this is a little more colorful and creative.

Blog Post # 7

This is a very admirable individual he is truly a GREAT teacher. He puts himself out there and accomplishes his goals due to his illness he wants to leave a mark on society. His thoughts on children and dreaming are honest. We all dream but when we are younger it seems more acceptable we should always keep that in mind it fuels our goals for the future. As students of all ages we sometimes feel as if we have just hit a brick wall and can't go any further but once we get past that we have overcome adversity Dr. Pausch is very adamant about pushing forward. He also makes reference to when people give you a hard time they are wanting you to perform at your best they're not just being mean or cruel they are your motivation.
He believes that hard work is worth something so keep moving forward and proving yourself it will make you a more valuable person. Complaining about something has never proven to get a task done just do what you need to to get through it. The fact that someone is telling you to set goals and strive to reach them is not that impressive but, Dr. Pausch is not just telling you to keep your dreams in mind he followed through and accomplished his dreams by joining the NFL.
We all make mistakes it is how we overcome and react to each situation that is important. We are not taught to dream it just comes naturally. We need to overlook our age sometimes because we get so involved in being a grownup we lose sit of our original drams.
We can all learn a lesson from Dr. Pausch which is what he hopes we will do. He gives a very honest lecture and it really makes you look at your life and think whether or not you still have dreams you can make a reality. I really enjoyed his lecture because there is no bias he just believes everyone is capable of some good.

Summary Post C4T #2

I really enjoyed Jason T Bedell's blog posts. They were very informative and explained the use of PLN's in today's teacher development tools. He was very in depth and explained how to use each of the tools we have today to the best of our abilities at presenting ourselves as professionals. It is important to always remember what you say or post because it could ultimately come back to haunt you. I am very impressed with Mr. Bedell's use of his blog to point people in the right direction for Professional Development.
I think being an innovative teacher is where the future of education is all about. I really enjoyed your Professional Development 2.0 it was really heplful for a future educator. I foun it to be very resourceful and told other classmates about your blog and how it helps identify what your goals and perspectives for teaching are. Thanks for your thoughts and reflections on PLN’s.

Summary Post for C4K 1 and 2

I was assigned a student's blog in Mr. Chamberlain's class to follow and comment on their progress. They set up a blog and made a Learning Manifesto and About Me post on which I was to comment on. My student stated he wanted to pay more attention in class so he could be a boss of a big company and not work in the local plant in town. I admire his goals and realized we all have goals we just lose sight of them sometimes.

BLOG POST #6

The Networked Student proves a very important point that as students are given the opportunity to learn without lecture they respond better to the material. They may feel they are responsible for learning the techniques for use in the networked classroom. Also when they learn to apply the things they have learned it may help them feel a sense of accomplishment.
They will learn through trial and error. When students are at a point where they need help the teacher is there to guide them through the process. A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment (or PLN) is really a student who does interactive work on her computer with classroom assignments and seems to enjoy the freedom of expression to display her work. The difference in this students PLE and my PLN is the setup and types of research she is doing other than that they both have similar learning objectives and the freedom of displaying your work with respect to others of course. I think it is important to have a plan when you start working on something as well as so many networking options to choose from.

The Machine is Changing Us by Michael Wesch keeps you interested with his presentation by using different references and YouTube videos to spark your interest and make relevant points about how the use of the word "whatever" has taken on different meanings through the years and hopefully one day we will not just think whatever in terms of our society instead how can we fix it. It is true the term whatever is even very prevalent in my vocabulary especially when I am frustrated about something. I also grew up in the MTV generation and sometimes I am self absorbed but as Mr. Wesch stated we are a self-absorbed, narcissistic, generation with short attention spans. The generation of today is considered to have a very short attention span due to video games. I do think that is wrong again we will need to use our resources and build on this supposed short attention disorder we have developed through the years. It will help teachers of the future to use these same short videos to help students discover the many available options of research and learning available to learn through hands on activities.