Project #13 SMART Board Instruction

Additonal Assignment #3

What do you think is the most important thing Sir Ken Robinson says in this presentation?

I think the most important thing Sir Ken Robinson says in this presentation is the current “industrial model” of education is not working.

Is there anything you disagree with in this presentation?

While it may be time to change the “industrial” model, these methods have enabled the most literate society in history. In doing this, we have probably placed a lot of square pegs in round holes.

How congruent are Sir Ken Robinson's positions with those which you are being taught in the College of Education. In other words, where is there agreement? Where is there disagreement?

Most education classes are structured to continue the current methods and infrastructure of the traditional classroom. We see some progress with classes such as EDM310 and PLNs.

What can you do to address the issues Sir Robinson raises?

I can work with students to promote motivation and not medication.

What do you think of the presentation?

I thought the presentation was distracting. Though, it was interesting, I think it would have been easier for me to focus if it was a straight lecture or powerpoint.

If you had to do a presentation with others like this, what role on your team would you like most to play?

Narrator.

Blog Assignment #10

Post by Morgan Bayda

No matter the venue or the size of the class, my experience is that good teachers can make the difference. If you have a poor teacher in a small class that uses technology and a good teacher that can hold your attention in a large lecture hall, you will still end up with the opposite of the described problem.

Technology and online facts are not a panacea. If one does not learn the basics of grammar and sentence structure, getting online to teach yourself English 101 prior to writing a report for your administrator is probably not a good idea.

Good, motivational instructors that teach in relevant ways are the key now just as they have been for the past 1000 years. The problem is that we need more of them. Technology is a tool that we will use to keep ourselves and our courses relevant and hopefully, make us one of the memorable teachers for our students.

Two questions that can change your life

What’s your sentence?

Was I better today than I was yesterday?

The two questions above serve to focus us on a goal. The first is to establish a goal-worthy core value or philosophy and the second question is to provide a constant measure of our progress in living up to that goal. Right now, after a hectic day with a class of four-year-olds, I believe thinking about ”my sentence” will help me react in a more positive way.


My sentence:

I will be a positive influence and role model to the children I teach through personal attention and interaction.

Blog assignment # 9

What I’ve learned this year

 I would summarize Mr. McClung’s post with four values: listen, be flexible, be positive and never stop learning.

In these are valuable skills to use in everyday life as well as in the classroom. Everyone wants to be heard. Often, you can disagree with someone and still work together as long as you acknowledge that their viewpoint has value.

Children, especially young children, have limited ways to express themselves. We must be aware and listen to this feedback. Whether as an individual student or a class body, if we pay attention to the feedback, we can modify the message to connect more.

No one likes working with a sourpuss. Not even other sourpusses! When we emphasize the positive (what we CAN do, what we DO have control over) we can affect other people’s outcomes in a positive way.

Never stop learning is the final point Mr. McClung makes. I try to remember that everyone you meet can teach you something and many times those “somethings” are valuable. A good administrator can teach you leadership. A student’s viewpoint can be insightful. With our technological resources we have no excuses for handicapping our students or ourselves by not using them to further our own education.

Project #12 Skype Interview

Blog Assignment #8

This Is How We Dream:

Dr. Richard Miller is a visionary when it comes to the application of broadband media and publishing. This is a huge paradigm shift for today’s adults, but I think our future students will have a much easier time with it. Familiarization with the multimedia through the web and available on cell phones and iPods will allow the future students to quickly adapt to multimedia publishing. This has been evident in several of the videos we have watched as part of our class assignments EDM310.

This course is providing a good introduction to many of the tools and technology that are required to publish in this realm but I will need a lot more practice to be comfortable with the multimedia. As the technology matures, new tools and software are being developed to make this type of publishing easier and more seamless. One of the biggest challenges will be ensuring that the content is original thought and not just a mesh of other people’s work.

One concern about students is the still limited access to broadband internet in rural areas. Access is usually provided at school and in libraries but the students that will need the most attention will often be the ones with the most limited resources and access.


EDM310’s videos

The primary message in the Chipper Series was to get your work done and be professional because that is the expectation. As an adult, that is what you are going to have to do.

In the EDM310 for Dummies, these girls thought of a way to help students get through EDM310 with an “A” .

After watching these two videos, an idea I thought of was a video on specifics of a PLN. It would be more of a “how to” video with specific guidance.

Critiques on Smartboards

Both Mr. Staton and Mr. Ferriter seem to agree that it is not necessarily the technology of the Smartboards that they have issues with, but how they are used (or not used) in the classroom. Mr. Staton believes that there are more cost effective ways of obtaining the same technology without the expense of a Smartboard.

Mr. Ferriter believes that the Smartboard can actually hamper effective learning by maintaining the “teacher-centric” model. Both agree that the purchase of Smartboards can be an easy way for school administrators to show technological advancement, whether or not the boards are used effectively.

A contrasting view is cited below.

http://doug-johnson.squarespace.com/blue-skunk-blog/2010/5/5/smartboard-survey-teachers-likem.html

Instructional Timeline #9b

Project #11 Short Movie

Additional Assignment #2

1. What do you think? If learners are motivated, can they teach themselves?
Yes.

2. If those motivated learners are kids, can they teach themselves?
Yes.

3. What conditions are necessary for kids to teach themselves? For anyone to teach him or herself?
Learning resources such as access to information. Groups can also facilitate learning.

4. What role do computers and internet access play in the process?
They’re a source of knowledge that is immediate and direct.

5. What role does motivation, a desire to learn?
Motivation stimulates people into action. Without motivation there is no learning.

6. What roles do a problem, a question or multiple problems or questions play in the process?
The questions or problems stimulate thinking. People naturally want to solve problems if it concerns a subject they are interested in.

7. How do you motivate someone to learn?
You motivate someone to learn by finding out their interest and leveraging their interest.

8. How are you motivated to learn?
I am more motivated if I can apply a concept or subject as opposed to learning theories or concepts that do not directly apply to me.

9. Can anyone who is not motivated to learn?
They can be exposed to it, but probably will not retain it.

10. Do you teach yourself? When? Why?
Yes. At some levels we are always learning. A large part of this course involves learning the subject matter independently. Also learning hobbies or crafts are examples of individual, independent learning. Motivation can range from curiosity, to deep interest in a specific subject. The long term rewards that are obtained (degree, job) are another source of motivation.

11. What role does a teacher (either answer generally or use a specific example) play in your learning?
A teacher’s most effective role is coach or mentor. With a teacher’s guidance, the learning process can be made more efficient and direct (wasting less time than undirected self learning) and at the same time, provide timely feedback to ensure that the desired skill level is reached.


12. What is the most important idea, question or emotional response you take away with you as a result of watching this video?
Group learning is more effective than individual learning.
Age is not a barrier to learning with technology.
A mentored class, even by an unskilled teacher, demonstrated a significant increase in learning.

13. What other questions or issues are raised by this video that should be considered and discussed by aspiring teachers?
How effective is the SOLE concept for long term learning?
What type of subject matter is this method best suited for?

Blog Post Assignment #7

Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture

I really enjoyed Dr. Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture. He advocated many wonderful teaching methods.  The first is to realize that all children have dreams.  If we key in on those dreams and use them to motivate the learning process the children will pretty much teach their selves.

 Another applicable topic was, “Are you a Tigger or an Eeyore?” It’s easier for a student to pay attention and want to learn when they are excited about a topic. Effective teachers create and foster that excitement by being a “Tigger” and not an “Eeyore”. Unusual and off the wall teaching methods can aid in maintaining attention and creating a focused effort.  This also goes with what he said about, “have fun, make it fun”. Whenever possible, learning by doing and combining some fun will result in effective learning.

Dr. Randy Pausch said, “Most of what we learn, we learn indirectly (or by “head fake”).” I can relate to this because I have probably learned more about the development of children from babysitting and my job rather than what I have learned from the courses I have taken. Or to put it into military terms, a flanking maneuver can be more effective than a frontal assault. If we give the children the tools to find the answers, they will often ask the questions.  As several of the blogs we have viewed have demonstrated, students can amaze us with their abilities of doing something hard and still yet having fun in the process.

A lot of the lecture was philosophical in nature, but is highly relevant to our classrooms.  “Never give up”, “never lose the childlike wonder”, and “the best gift an educator can give is to make someone self reflective” are all core goals and beliefs that we should carry with us in our work.  If we can use any or all of these techniques and philosophies to impart a desire for learning, then Dr. Pausch’s legacy will live on.

First Progress Report on PLN Project #10

My PLN emphasis is using technology in early education classrooms.  I started with Twitter and Symbaloo.  I’m also using sites like, Google, Delicious and YouTube to find information on my choice.  I am reading different blogs and websites for research and to find different links.  I am interested in finding out the degree to which young (kindergarten and first grade) students can use ”hands on” computing and technology.  I know that my five year old niece can manipulate the smartboard in her classroom during certain exercises.  I would like to know if these methods are effective and what other tools can be used.

Summary Post C4T #2

I commented on the Langwitches Blog by Silvia Tolisano. Her blog posts consist of links to other blog posts and sites that she found useful and wanted to share. I commented on the link she posted about the 9 Worst Ways to Use Twitter for Business, by Diana Freedman. The post is self explanatory from the title. I thanked her for posting the link and told her that it was very helpful. I also told her that one of the tasks in this class is to experiment with Twitter for educational purposes.

The second post I commented on by Silvia Tolisano was on a few different things. On link she posted was about a free SMART board game. Another link was, Don’t Forget Your Audience! 5 Ideas to Connect with Real Audiences, by Lisa Nielsen. The last link she posted was Docs Teach. This site was very interesting. It consisted of over 3,000 sources chosen from the National Archives and also, tools that were ready to use for teaching with documents in the classroom. I again, thanked her for the useful links. I told her that a helpful addition would be some of her personal experiences in integrating technology in the classroom. Not only what worked, but also what didn’t work well.

TimeToast Individual Project #9a

C4K #1 and #2 Summary

I commented on Valeries' post, "My Learning Manifesto". Some of the things she talked about are reading more, writing more and being on time to class. I told her that those are wonderful and that they will have a very positive outcome.

The second comment I made was on Kyla's "About Me". Kyla's mother was in EDM310 this past summer. I told her she seemed like an awesome girl, who knows how to have fun and that it is great that she loves to read and dance.

Blog Assignment #6

The Networked Student

Historically, this is a model that works well among motivated individuals. An example of this would be the Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge chartered in the 17th century. These gentlemen networked to advance the scientific knowledge of their era.

In the video, the networked student needs the teacher as a guide, a motivator, and a resource. The teacher no longer imparts the specific knowledge, but is instead a vehicle to obtain the knowledge. Instructors need to be well versed in, and able to communicate/validate, the reliability of search and data sources that the students use. They are still responsible for ensuring that the overall learning goals and objectives are met.

The described class activities will naturally allow the more motivated individuals to spend a larger amount of time on their own and actively networking. This will naturally allow more time for the teacher to assist the students that need help and to motivate the unmotivated students.



A 7th Grader’s Personal Learning Environment (or PLN)

This was very exciting! This Science class is a perfect example in the application of the technologies that we are learning about in EDM310.

This 7th grader’s PLE is very similar to my PLN. We have learned to use the same tools for research and documentation, such as Google docs and even blogging. It demonstrates that we need to adapt to the current technology to be able to teach it.


The Machine is Changing Us

Mr. Wesch’s comments on isolation from peer groups and society doesn’t affect my personal life too much because I come from a large family, even nonrelated, who are still considered to be family. We spend a lot of time together and really enjoy it.

His comments on people more concerned with amusing themselves rather than with an intellectual application (serious reading, opinions and activism) affect me more. I don’t watch much TV because I am so busy with work and school, but when when I do, I want something “mindless”. I also do not spend time on serious reading much right now, other than what is needed in the courses I am taking.

Thinking about communication and how it is delivered makes me think about the amount of time that I communicate texting instead of face to face communication. Texting is a good way to keep in touch, but it reduces communication to the bare minimums and it does not allow you to see body language on how the message may be received.

I can use the comment Mr. Wesch’s made about technology controlling the message and how it is delivered/received when it comes to my future professional work as a teacher. This can be done by the way I deliver the technology to my students and with the way they will receive it.