Blog Post #5

Travis Allen- The iSchool Initiative

In this video, Travis Allen, a then 17 year old, talks about his idea called the iSchool Initiative. The iSchool Initiative embraces the notion of a "paperless" classroom. If a school were to use Travis's idea then every child would need an iTouch to hold textbooks, homework assignments, etc. Travis argues that, with the iSchool, less money would be spent because, basically, everything that a student would need could be purchased as an app. Take, for instance, scientific calculators. Most high school students are required to have a scientific or graphing calculator and if a student was enrolled in a school participating in the iSchool Initiative, then they would have their calculator on their iTouch. Other useful apps that are mentioned in the video include Chemical Touch, an informative periodic table, U.S. Constitution, a digital copy, WorldWiki, where they could access maps and globes, and various other helpful and resourceful apps. Also, the iTouch's basic apps would come in handy. The email application would allow teachers, students and parents to send and receive homework assignments, schedules, grades, etc. while the Notes app would work for student to use in class as opposed to a pencil and paper.

Call me old school but for elementary age students I don't believe that the iSchool Initiative would work. However, if I were a high school or even middle school teacher, I would seriously consider talking to my principal about participating in a trial of the iSchool Initiative. I think it's a great idea that would keep students engaged and even organized. I know, personally, it was hard as a high schooler to keep all of my papers, tests, assignments, books, and everything else that could possibly fit in a book-bag, together. With the use of the iTouch, everything that students need would be in the palm of their hand. I also love the fact that their iTouch would be limited to only educational sites and that students and teachers would be totally accountable for assignments and grades. This would promise that students wouldn't be able to access sites that were distracting and did not pertain to their studies.

In the other video, I learned that Travis and a group of 25 college students travel to schools educating principals and teachers about the iSchool Initiative. Some schools have already adopted Travis's plan. Overall, I think the iSchool Initiative would be a great way to integrate more technology into a 21st century classroom to promote more flexible learning styles that adhere to every student's individual needs.

Eric Whitaker's Virtual Choir

While watching this video, I sat with dropped jaw, staring at the computer. I'll go ahead and say that I'm not a person that just "gets" technology; I wasn't born with that gift. So when I watched this video, I couldn't quite wrap my head around the fact that this 2052 member choir, performing Lux Aurumque, was all recorded over the internet. And the fact that they had never even met and rehearsed in person? That blew my mind! I thought this was a really cool way to use the internet. It's obvious that it took a lot of thought, time, and effort.

Teaching in the 21st Century

In the video, Teaching in the 21st Century by Kevin Roberts, John Strange version, Roberts' ideas are expressed throughout the whole video. He believes that, in a 21st century classroom, teachers should be teaching skills to go along with the facts that they are given to teach. In this day and age, students can find information anywhere and Roberts believes that it is the classroom teacher's job to be the "filter". Roberts believes that teachers need to teach students how to handle information that they find outside of class. These concepts include validating information, communicating with others through the internet, and analyzing information that they find. He believes that teachers should teach skills instead of only facts so that students will know how to make life decisions and will be able to use their knowledge outside of the classroom. Another point that Roberts makes concerns technology in schools. He believes that teachers should teach technology because it makes up most of the world today. Roberts says, in essence, that teachers should teach students to be knowledgable not only of facts, but also of skills, and that it is the responsibility of the 21st century teacher to do this.

I believe that Roberts' ideas are correct. I think it is so important, especially now, for a teacher to be relevant. We must not only drill children with facts but be able to equip students with outside knowledge that they need for life skills. The point that I liked the most that Roberts made was when he posed the question, "How do you manage technology?" He said that you manage technology in the classroom the same way that you manage a pencil and paper. Any tool will provide temptation to students but with proper discipline, any tool, especially technology, can be effective. I agree with Roberts on the fact that classroom materials must be engaging for students. Even in my small Sunday School class, I've realized that children are simply not interested in learning if it doesn't involve some kind of technology. They are around it all the time and school should not be any different. Teachers must teach meaningfully in the 21st century and that means being relevant and engaging.

Flipped Classroom

I loved watching the videos by Katie Gimbar, Dr. Lodge McCammon, and Ms. Munafo, regarding the Flipped Classroom. I had never heard of the Flipped Classroom but I think it is a great idea especially for higher grade levels, and individualized subject classrooms. I think it would be most beneficial for older students because there may be a little too much responsibility involved for younger children. However, for middle and high school grades, maybe even 4th or 5th, I think the Flipped Classroom is how every classroom should be! It teaches students, not only facts and information, but also responsibility and communication. If I were a middle or high school teacher I would definitely use the Flipped Classroom. It would involve lots of work, but I think the outcomes would be rewarding.

My Sentence Video

Project #5 Google Presentation

Project #3 C4T

C4T Assignment

C4T #1 comment 1

For my first C4T assignment, I was assigned to Ms. Edna Sackson's blog entitled What Ed Said. Ms. Sackson is the teaching and learning coordinator for a school in Melbourne, Australia. The first two post on Ms. Sackson's blog were guest posts, so I started with the most recent post written by the author herself. This post was titled, "Time to learn..." and focused on a recent "Staff Conference Day". This was a type of professional development lead by teachers for the teachers and was divided into different groups that the teachers could either decide to participate in or to facilitate. Ms. Sackson provided quotes, some of which were from facilitators and some that were from participating teachers, all of which coincided with their group. By reading the teachers' comments, it was clear that everyone enjoyed a professional development day that was interactive and one where they could decide which group would be most beneficial to them.

I left my first comment under this post made my Ms. Sackson. I introduced myself and informed her that I was in a class at USA and that I was assigned, for a short time, to view her blog and comment on a couple of her posts. In my comment I also said that I enjoyed reading the quote from a woman named Linda who facilitated in the group that was learning more about blogging and its benefits in a classroom setting. I informed Ms. Sackson of the sole purpose of EDM 310 and that we were also exploring the world of blogging and how it can be incorporated in the classroom.

C4T #1 comment 2

For my second comment on What Ed Said, I was able to read a post titled, "Twitter in the classroom..." and it focused on a class, the first class in the school, who had started using Twitter. The teacher had ultimate control of the classroom Twitter account, which I liked, but the students could tweet about their learning experiences or they could collect data from their followers. Ms. Sackson began by showing the class how Twitter works and created a sample tweet. She said that shortly after, the children were learning and eager to tweet. She said that, when you use Twitter in your classroom, not only do children learn technology, but they learn other skills such as expressing themselves to an actual audience and reflection of their learnings.

In my comment, I expressed to Ms. Sackson that, at first, I was slightly skeptical of what Twitter could offer for children. I was worried that their little wondering eyes would drift off into something not pertaining to classwork, or that they would just see Twitter as something fun and not a learning experience. However, like I told Ms. Sackson in my comment, I loved that the classroom teacher had ultimate control of the account and that students could post throughout the day about what they learned with teacher supervision.

Blog Post #4

Podcasting with First Grade

I found Ms. Tolisano's blog, Langwitches, to be very informative, especially concerning podcasts and using podcasts with your students. The first post of Ms. Tolisano's that I read was titled "Podcasting with First Grade." First grade?! Are your kidding me?! I'm twenty years old and, quite frankly, I find creating a podcast to be terrifying! But sure enough, these first graders created a podcast like champs. They were so excited to be involved in the creating process and you could really hear it in their little voices. For this particular podcast, the students created an "interview" with the main characters in the story Vacation Under the Volcano by Mary Pope Osbourne. Students pretended they were interviewing Jack and Annie about their adventure to Pompeii. The questions and answers were created by the students and when the "script" was finished, each child played a role, rotating the parts of the interviewer, Jack and Annie. Ms. Tolisano said that the children loved to hear their own voices and editing with sound effects. She helped them with their acting voices and fluency to make a more fluid interview. Ms. Tolisano was sure to point out that the students were not focusing on the skills required to make a podcast, but instead they were learning listening, comprehension, and storytelling skills. They were also working on performance and presenting. I loved how excited the children were! Ms. Tolisano did an excellent job making sure the children were engaged and enthused about learning.

Flat Stanley

I also read Ms. Tolisano's post, Flat Stanley Podcast. I've heard the story of Flat Stanley before but the approach that Ms. Tolisano took was above and beyond. Last year, my nephew came home with a little paper man named Stanley that he was supposed to take with him throughout the day, recording his journeys and when he was finished, he was to send Stanley to a relative. Stanley made his way, through the mail, to my house and I even got to take little ole Stanley to a Mississippi Surge hockey game. I thought that was the cutest idea, until I read Ms. Tolisano's approach to Flat Stanley.

In the book, by Jeff Brown, Stanley is a normal little guy who, one day, gets squished by a bulletin board. One would normally look at this as a problem but, now that he's flat, Stanley can go anywhere through the mail! Instead of sending Stanley through the mail, Ms. Tolisano's students pretended that they were the ones that were flattened and that instead of a bulletin board falling on them, their Smartboard was responsible for the flattening. The assignment was to figure out a location that they were going to "go", research that place, think of sights, smells, and feelings that they would experience, and their transportation to and from their destination. After the assignments were completed, Ms. Tolisano created a podcast with the students briefly explaining their journey. It was absolutely adorable! Like the first graders in the above mentioned blog post, these students were so excited to tell about their pretend getaway and to hear and manipulate their own voices. This project, also, wasn't just about learning to podcast, but instead critically thinking about the story that they had read and applying that to life events. Podcasting, in this sense, is about engaging kids in learning and it is a great tool to do so.

Producing a Podcast

Another post in Langwitches that I read was titled, Producing a Podcast. Like I said before, I am terrified to create a podcast, but if first graders can do it, then I know I can, too! Even though this particular post is about what Ms. Tolisano does when producing podcasts with her students, I also benefited from her approach by applying it to my own learning to podcast. She says that the very first thing that she does is identify the purpose or theme of the podcast (interview, summary style, etc.). Then she prepares her students. In this second step, instead of preparing students, I would be preparing myself by practicing speaking, volume, and fluidity. Thirdly, Ms. Tolisano makes her children familiar with the sound editing software. In my case, I would have to familiarize myself. Next, she records the audio, which I would do, and created segments if working in groups. She then adds transitions and an outro. I think I will use this post as a guideline when making my own podcast. Even though Ms. Tolisano uses these steps with her students, I think it would also be beneficial when creating your own podcast.

Blog Post #3

Peer Editing

For my C4C #2 I commented publicly instead of privately because I didn't feel that anything that I said would be embarrassing to the student or would hurt their feelings. I was fortunate enough to read a well-written blog post where my classmate followed the rules in the blog post's instructions and as well as the instructions in Writing A Quality Blog Post. There were very minimal amounts of spelling or grammar mistakes and I could tell that my classmate had taken her time in writing the post. Her writing was clear, very informative had someone never seen the videos, and it was well written. In the future, if I ever had to read a blog post that wasn't as well written and had more mistakes I would probably decide to let my classmate know privately. Fortunately, for this post I did not have to do so.

After watching the video, What Is Peer Editing, viewing the slideshow, Peer Edit With Perfection, and watching the video, Writing Peer Reviews Top 10 Mistakes, I feel very informed on how to write a meaningful, quality review for a peer. The first video and the slideshow went hand in hand. I liked this because I am more of a visual learner. It is hard for me to just remember what I hear, so I liked that the slideshow basically restated what was in the video. To write a quality peer review, you must follow 3 basic steps: compliments, suggestions, and corrections. Also, you should stay positive and be specific in your comments and reviews. Let the writer know exactly what you think, but make sure that your criticism is constructive, not hurtful.

I love, love, loved the Top 10 Mistakes video! Those kids were great! I've always been afraid that my peers were going to think that I was a "Picky Patty" and I definitely did not want to seem like a "Mean Margaret". I think that it is hard to not seem like at least one of those characters in the video, but we should always keep in mind how we would feel if someone were to say something hurtful to us. Also, the video taught us to be mindful when we are on the receiving end of a peer review. Don't blow off the comment like "Whatever William". Gladly receive comments even if they aren't what you want to hear. Most of the time, your peers are trying to help you and if you take their comments with an open mind then, chances are, they will benefit your writing.

Technology in Special Education

A.) Students in Special Education classrooms or even children with special needs that are integrated into a regular classroom often have trouble that other children would not typically have. Sometimes they have trouble visually and sometimes they have trouble speaking. Usually these children are incredibly bright, they just have a difficult time either communicating or paying attention. After watching Technology in Special Education, I learned that there were many ways to help children in need with the use of technology.

Ms. Cook does an excellent job incorporating the use of laptops and other technology in her Special Ed classroom. A couple of the students shown had trouble talking and they used the computer to type out what they wanted to say. Another child couldn't see very well so he used a computer program to magnify the print of the text that he was reading. Also, one child, who had difficulty in reading and concentration used his iPod touch to listen along to a book. Technology in Special Education has come a long way. I think the use of technology is a great way to get Special Education students involved in learning and excited about learning. The students in Ms. Cook's class were very excited about their technology, and Im sure other students would be as well.

For the future, if I had a special education child in my class, I think a laptop or an iPod touch would be a great thing to keep in my classroom. I'd also make use of powerpoint presentations to show to the whole class, so that the class would benefit and my special education student would also be able to learn. I'm sure that there are resources out there that I haven't even heard of. I'd love to learn and maybe incorporate those technologies into my classroom for special needs children. Each child is different and they learn in different ways; I'm sure with all of the fun new technology there would be something that could benefit every child.

B.) The app that I chose after watching How the iPad Works with Academics for Autism is called Reading Raven HD and it is available on the iPad, iPhone or iPod. I was drawn to Reading Raven because of its fun graphics and the great customer reviews. Reading Raven is an app consisting of lessons and games that help children read words then builds up to reading full sentences. Its lessons are self-paced and can be customized to fit the age group that you are working with.

I would use this for class games and if there were special needs children in my class it would also be beneficial to them. The colors are bright and the illustrations are exciting. This app works on many different subjects from reading and writing to phonics, spelling and vocabulary. It seems like it would be a good tool to use for several different subjects, not only one, and I think it would grab the attention of special needs children while also being effective for the other children in the class.

Vicki Davis: Harness Your Digital Smarts

Vicki Davis is an IT teacher at a Georgia public school who founded two different social media/blogging sites where her students can post and interact with students from around the world. One site, called DigiTeen, encourages digital citizenship among students while they post to their blog concerning a certain topic. The other, Flat Classroom Project, incorporates students from all over the world, reporting together and communicating through the site. In the video, Ms. Davis says the she encourages students to be thinkers and to teach others. She also says that it is ok if a teacher doesn't know everything.

I love Ms. Davis' teaching style. I feel like I'm that teacher that doesn't know everything under the sun but I am willing and excited to learn. In our day and age students, especially older children, are more informed than their teachers are and teachers shouldn't be afraid of that. I think Ms. Davis' sites are beneficial to students because, without those sites, these children would probably never talk to a student in the middle east or across the seas. I'd love to learn more about her websites and possibly even use them in the future.

Blog Post #2

Did You Know?
For Blog Post #2, the class was to watch Did You Know? 3.0- A John Strange 2012 Version by Dr. Strange. The video is an up-to-date version of Did You Know? 3.0 by Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod. In Dr. Strange's video, he begins by stating that "...25% of the population of India with the highest IQs outnumbers the entire population of the United States" and concludes this thought by telling viewers that India has more "honor students" than America has kids! These statements are followed by thought provoking facts about today's modern technology and the changes that have developed in the past and what is predicted to develop in the future. He says that, "2 years ago 93% of all 8-18 year old in the United States had computers in their homes," that, "89% of blacks and 92% of Hispanics had computers in their homes," and that, "85% of high school students...had cellphones." These were the statistics from 2 years ago. Dr. Strange also said that "the top jobs 10 years from now do not exist yet," and that in these jobs, workers will be using technologies that are completely foreign to us today. He concluded by asking students if we were prepared to be the educators of the future.

As I watched this video I could not help but think of the challenges that I will face when teaching students 10 and 20 years from now. There will be technology that my students will, most likely, know how to work better than I will. They will be applying for jobs that I, today, have never heard of and they will be interested in things that do not exist presently. While this worried me, I could not help but think back to when I was in elementary school myself. I'm sure that my Kindergarten teacher in 1997 would have never expected some of her students to be taking a class on modern technology and learning to blog in 2012! At the end of Dr. Strange's video, he asked, "Are you ready to be an educator?" and my answer was yes! I may not be completely prepared, by I am willing and excited. The only way to be up-to-date and relevant in today's technologically advanced society is to keep yourself informed. The world is ever-changing and we must put ourselves out there to be educated and knowledgable of what is going on around us. It is important for teachers to not only be educators, but to also be learners. I think technology is an important thing to learn as times change, and this video could not be more relevant.

Mr. Winkle Wakes
Mr. Winkle Wakes, a video by Matthew Needleman, is about a man who wakes up from a 100 year nap to find out that the world has dramatically changed. He walks outside and sees many tall buildings and decides to walk into one. He sees all types of machines, printers, and busy people at work. Mr. Winkle says that people could even see each other and talk to one another from across the world. Mr. Winkle also explored a hospital. He saw machines keeping people alive and lasers and x-rays and decided that this hospital surely wouldn't make anyone feel better. Mr. Winkle goes outside and walks and walks disturbed by what he sees until he finally finds a school. He walks into the school, a familiar sight, and sees students seated in rows taking notes while a teacher stands at the head of the class and lectures. He sees a "strange machine" like he had seen in one of the "tall buildings" before, but it is dusty and unused. Mr. Winkle decides that he is comfortable in the school because it is a familiar place and it is not taken over by technology that he does not understand.

I can clearly see why Mr. Winkle was troubled by the technology that he was unfamiliar with and why he found so much comfort in the classroom setting. I could not imagine waking up 100 years from now; what a change there would be! I agree with Mr. Winkle that there is a certain comfort in a classroom. Some things cannot be replaced by technology. But if we do not move along with technology we will for sure be left behind. If Mr. Winkle were to walk into a classroom today, I don't think that there would be a dusty computer in the back of the room. I'm sure one of the first things that he would see would be a teacher, standing at the front of the class like he likes, instructing the class from a smartboard. He'd also find a huge computer lab down the hallway and children eager to play interactive games and take tests on the computer. I don't know where Mr. Winkle was, but I believe he did not get a good look at a 21st century classroom.

Sir Ken Robinson
Can I start by saying that I was so not excited to watch a 20 minute video of a man complaining about how schools "kill" creativity?! However, to my surprise, I was laughing the entire time that I was watching The Importance of Creativity. Sir Ken Robinson is one hilarious man and it is evident that he is passionate about creative expression. Robinson thinks that humanity and education squash a child's creativity from early on; I completely agree. Mr. Robinson makes note of the "educational hierarchy" that schools world-wide have. It is so true that schools focus more on math and language as the more important subjects and fine arts as the bottom of the list. To me, this places limits on children's intelligence and ultimately on their self-esteem.

I love the quote by Robinson, "we are educating people out of their creative capacity," and I love that he defines creativity as "the process of having original ideas that have value." That's just it! Every idea that comes from the precious mind of a child has value. Wether that value meets state guidelines or not is not what is important. Of course, we cannot disregard our guidelines, I am not saying that at all, but a child's intelligence should not be dependent on what they cannot do, but what they can do! When teaching, we should encourage children to be themselves and to be creative. As cliche as it may sound, every child is intelligent in their own way and we have to be aware of that. I would hate to be the teacher that kills a child's self-esteem because they were not meeting up to what I consider to be "smart".

A Day Made of Glass
While I watched the video A Day Made of Glass, I sat with my jaw dropped in amazement! I want to teach at that school! Even though I'm young, and consider myself to be up-to-date with the latest technology I had no idea that anything like that would ever be created. Although it was extremely cool, it was almost frightening to think about the hospital scene. I know that technology is ever-changing but I think I'd like to know what was going on if I were in that hospital.

As a future educator, and in light of Mr. Winkle Wakes, I cannot help but think of what our schools will be like in the future. In the school that Mr. Winkle walked in to, the teacher was at the head of the class and students were seated facing the front and listening. In this "future school" the teacher also stands in front of the class, instructing and guiding, but there is a more hands-on approach. I think, and also hope, that this is the way of the future. Hands-on learning provides a wide variety of creative processes to flourish. Who would have ever thought that a piece of glass would be able to project a dinosaur into the Redwood Forrest or perform an MRI. I'm sure Mr. Winkle didn't!

Project #2

My first picture using Wordle!

Blog Post #1

About Me
Hello! My name is Taylor Davis, I am 20 years old, and I am from the little town of Grand Bay, Al. I still live with my parents and I am very thankful for them. I graduated from Alma Bryant High School in 2010 and immediately began school at USA the following fall. I am currently a junior majoring in Elementary/Special Education. As of now the majority of my time is taken up with school but when I'm not in class or studying I enjoy spending time with my family. I have the greatest parents on earth, an adorable niece and nephew, one crazy brother, and a hilarious and supportive boyfriend. We all love to spend time together and always have a blast. My mom is my best friend and we love to shop together and to crafts that we find on Pinterest. (Yes, I am a junkie!) I also love music and love to sing. One of my passions is helping others and I strive to make a difference in my little world. That's one of the reasons why I want to teach.

I have never imagined myself in any other profession. When I was little I would round up all of the neighborhood girls to play school. Of course I had to be the teacher! Recently, I became a substitute teacher with the Mobile County Public School System and that definitely confirmed my calling. I love being in the school and interacting with students. I fully believe that I belong in the classroom! I am so excited for EDM 310, even though it sounds like a lot of hard work. I think the tools and techniques that we learn in the class will be very beneficial to our future as teachers.

Randy Pausch Video
While watching Dr. Pausch's video on Time Management I couldn't help but wonder what his life was all about. After watching the video, I continued to watch other videos about Dr. Pausch and the speeches that he made. Randy Pausch was a professor, suffering from terminal pancreatic cancer, who decided to make the most out of life. He was a family man, someone who was very devoted to his job, and he seemed like someone you would want to be around.

In Dr. Pausch's video on time management he discussed some simple, yet important tips to managing time wisely. He continued to tell students and listeners that it was mandatory to set goals and to avoid wasting time. He said that time and money go hand in hand, as do time and experience. When you invest your time wisely into something you will always end up with a better outcome. Dr. Pausch said to ask yourself questions such as, "Why am I doing this?", "What is the goal?", and "What happens if I choose not to do it?". He stressed the importance of planning ahead and said, "failing to plan is planning to fail." Your plans can always be changed but it is better to plan in advance so you will have a better idea of what is to come. He said, in essence, to take baby steps and get one thing done at a time. Do not overload yourself but instead take your time.

I found Dr. Pausch's video to be very informative and relevant. Just since starting college I have found out that my time management skills were not the best and that I had to figure out a way to be responsible and manage my time wisely. In high school, the work always came very easy to me. I always made straight A's and did not find the work to be very challenging. When I started college I realized that the material wasn't necessarily harder, but that the work load was. I had to learn to prioritize and get work finished at a more efficient rate. I find Dr. Pausch's idea of breaking things down into small steps and getting finished with the hardest thing first very relevant to my own time management ideas. I've discovered that if you do a larger or more difficult challenge first then the other, more simple things will not seem as strenuous. I greatly appreciated Dr. Pausch's video on time management and his overall outlook on life.

Test Post 2

Another test to make sure posts are sending

My Test Post Title

This is my first post. I clicked the HTML button as I should always do in EDM 310. I am now a blogger!