Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Summary Post C4T Teacher #4


Hello again, my name is Malissa and I am following your blog and commenting on different posts for my EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama and I think the link about starting your own PLN step by step is great and it will help so many other people who may be unsure about what a PLN really is clear.

In this blog Joe Dale points out the importance of a Personal Learning Network or PLN for short. There is a lot of great advice about using different sources to expand your learning potential. Whether it is just connecting with other teachers from around the world or collaborating with your peers a PLN is a useful tool. Another point is using twitter to put suggestions out there and automatically get a response form other people who happen to be tweeting at the time.

Blog Post #14

pencil and a cartoon drawing of a pencil



This blog post was geared specifically for a students in Mr. Pierre's class her name is Yasmine and she has some very interesting topics posted on her blog. Specifically one concerning food allergies like the one she has to corn products so she has to be careful about what she eats. She makes a very valid point about health risks and the use of artificial sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup in so many products in the stores today. I believe she said 1 in 20 products are actually organic or safe for her to eat. She has enlisted the help of people reading her blog to find a way to present this topic to Mrs. Obama and help make products safer. This little girl has some great ideas.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Project #6 Summary of Survey and Results

 Summary


21 responses
Summary
Have you visited the new center?
pie charts and bar graphs
YES
838%
NO
1362%
People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.
What kind of physical activity do you participate in?
Aerobic Activity
943%
Muscle -Strengthening Activity
314%
Other
943%
How many times a week do you participate in a fitness activity?
0
21100%
1-3
00%
4-5
00%
5-7
00%
People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.
If your participation is lower than you would like it to be, what are the reasons?
Lack of Interest
15%
Illness/Injury
15%
Lack of Time
1579%
Other
526%
People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.
What priority does health have in your life?
Low proirity
High priority
1 -
Low priority
00%
2
00%
3
629%
4
1362%
5 -
High priority
210%
Where do you currently exercise?
USA REC CENTER
314%
LOCAL GYM
314%
HOME
1048%
OTHER
524%
Give reasons below as to why do or do not use the rec center.
I use the recreational center because I want to stay healthy.I do and I like it.too many people, don't wanna take a shower there I don't have enough time to go to the Rec Center.I do not use the rec center because I have a membership at Jason's Fitness and I am more familiar with the atmosphere there than at the rec center. Another reason I attend Jason's and not the rec center is because I work out with a friend at Jason's and she is not a student at South, so it is easier for us to go to Jason's.It's close to where I live, and it has a lot of fitness activities and workout machines you can use...
Do you think you should pay recreational fees in your tuition?
YES
314%
NO
1886%
People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.
What other amenities would you like the USA rec center to offer?
wifi so that we can to homework while also relaxing by the pool/. Hmm, I'm not sure./private showers/None/Dance classes for beginners /Free Massages /ping-pong/ don't know we have everything!/not sure none/ shuffleboard
What is your age range?
18-25
1781%
25-35
419%
35-45
00%
45-55
00%
55-65
00%
65-older
00%
People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

  The final analysis done in Google docs shows that a large amount of students have not visited the new USA rec center and the majority 79% of students don't have time to exercise but when they do it is generally aerobic activity they participate in. Most of the people surveyed do not participate in a fitness activity more than one time a week due to lack of time but health still has a high priority in life for 62% of students. The students surveyed generally try to exercise at home and more than half feel that recreational fees should be part of tuition also the majority 81% of students filling out this survey are between the ages of 18-25 which is when incorporating a good fitness routine is key to keeping one as they get older.
What I learned from this survey is that good health matters to most people and the time frame to establish a good overall healthy attitude is to make time and adjust schedules slightly to modify the fitness goal one is trying to reach. I also learned that good health is something most people are blessed with so maintaining is should be a major concern. Although most of the results show health as a high priority in one's life no one practices maintaining it for lack of time.

Blog Post #13

    The Alabama Learning Exchange or ALEX for short is a very useful and informative tool for educators. You can find lesson plans, web resources related to the lesson plans and state requirements, as well as access to Google tools. Google tools includes tutorials on how to use important documents like Google Docs, Google Earth,  and Google Calender these can be used in various ways to help structure assignments and workloads.
    ACCESS is a distance learning site dedicated to introduce students in high schools to curriculum standards using today's technological tools this also gives students flexibility with their assignments and helps with student attendance in some cases. As a college student I have taken distance learning classes when there was a time conflict in my traditional classes and it is very useful for furthering one's education without having to actually travel for class.
    Both the ALEX and ACCESS sites have numerous amount of information for student and teachers alike although ALEX is more geared for professional educators and implementing learning tools that can be integrated into the classroom ACCESS is an equally important partner with updating our traditional classes and giving something students are able to work with in their daily schedules. I would definitely recommend either site to someone wanting to check into what advantages technology has in education.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Blog Post #12

I think a good example for a blog assignment is to research different teaching styles and find one you may relate too. After you have find a website, blog or material you are interested in create a short description of the information and main points then include a link to that information for others to see. Make sure you post a comment and a link to your blog for them to check out your thinking style.
This is an very interesting video and it has an interesting outlook on education and teaching. We should involve students in learning and continue to learn from each other. We normally overlook the ability of students because of their age. We as educators need to look at all the options for learning styles. We can always learn something but are we giving everyone a chance to be heard? New posts are added regularly so learning is always evolving and demonstrating new opportunities to be amazed at we can do. There is actually another post to this blog I found to be interesting so check out The Myth of Forced Determination and Calvin and Hobbes

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Final Project Progress Report

I am putting ideas out there for collaboration with a partner so I am not 100% sure on what subject will be addressed.

Additional Assignment # 5 My response to Tom Johnson's adventures in Pencil Integration by John T. Spencer

 a computer with a pencil laying on it

I read the posts on John T. Spencer's blog related to the use of technologically engineered pencils and the use of these "pencils" in the classroom. Just because you use pencils in your classroom doesn't mean the students only pay attention so they can use these tools. Obviously the pencils are computers and students are interested in learning at their pace and without to many restrictions. They need to be given respect that reciprocates and time to be creative to learn new things.  Sometimes other people may just think just because computers are present in the classroom it will keep the students quiet and seated. That is not what you really want in a classroom students not using their abilities you want them to talk and ask questions so they are involved with what is going on.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Project #14

                                              Teach Someone Something

Friday, November 5, 2010

Summary Post C4K 3-7

drawing done by a child of a man flying through the air while blogging with a bubble above his head which say who is as smart as a cookie?



The next school blog I visited was located in Auckland, NZ and they have some wonderful movies they made complete with sound and pictures. They could probably teach me a thing or two with the movie trailer I am going to do.
The fourth school was also in NZ and their blogs were fairly new but the student I commented was particularly interested in dirt bikes and racing them which is a bit dangerous sometimes but having a hobby keeps you focused.
The fifth comment was for the same school in NZ but for a different student. This class was watching the movie Cars and using some of the lessons in the movie for life skills.
My sixth comment was for a student in Mr. Goerend and Mrs Quam's in Iowa. They were writing original stories and posting them on their blog. I really enjoyed reading the story for my selected student it was interesting and creative but it is still to be continued for now.
My last comment was for a student celebrating Red Ribbon Week at school and he choose to make healthy decisions and not do drugs in his life which I told him I thought is a great idea.
Each and every one of the classes who participate in learning about how to blog and find information they need with technology are actually getting a head start on life lessons. They learn how to stay safe when using the internet and good communication skills for the future.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Summary for C4T #3

       Jenny Luca is the third teacher I was assigned to comment on. She is very informative on new topics and I enjoyed her post and link to Sir Ken Robinson’s animated point of view. I fully agree with the ridiculous concept of ADHD of course I am also not qualified to make that decision but I have a 9 year old who is bored out of his mind when he goes to school and sit there for hours in one spot. I am glad Mrs. Luca posted this video it proves that I am not crazy for not going with the flow of things and making my child a zombie so he will learn how to score better on tests and the fact that she is sharing this video maybe it will make people think outside the box.


characterized picture of the different communication outlets illustrated on a map in 2007


cartoon drawing of a map and the new facebook communication borders


This is an interesting summary put into pictures of what we use in terms of social networking. I think the change in what communication outlet we use will continue to evolve as long as there are new services that grab our attention so far Facebook has knocked MySpace literally off the map. As Mrs. Luca mentioned I think this could be used in the classroom to show students how it represents the change in communication over a short period of time.
Mrs. Luca is an effective teacher who is bringing new objectives into the lime light to be addressed and noticed. She also posted an interesting picture on her her blog relating to the way we have changed our social network providers in the last few years.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Blog Post #11

Two




Mrs. Cassidy is an excellent example of an innovative teacher using technology in her classroom. She teaches her students life skills that will definitely use in the future especially learning to share by using the Nintendo DS in the classroom. I thought the use of the DS was very interesting because children are always wanting to play video games and this way they are learning too. She also produced a short movie which involved her students knowledge of a Wiki and keeping their own blogs. They also learned important factors about safety on the internet. She also implemented the use of SKYPE in her classroom which is a good way to see what other classes in the area or around the world are doing. Mrs. Cassidy is doing an excellent job in promoting how we can use different technology in the classroom and still be within the curriculum standards we must follow.