Project #13

We have used so many types of technology in this course! We have had the best opportunities to learn about Skype, Facetime, Google Docs, SMARTboards, PLNs, YouTube, iMovie, iPhoto, iBook, blogs, and so many other collaborations. I have used Skype prior to the class and loved it from the beginning. I love how we can integrate it into our classrooms and connect with teachers and students from around the world. Facetime is one of my favorites as well. I have used Facetime prior to this class and thought it was great how you can talk to someone like they are there in person.I have used this to collaborate with my group this semester and it was very helpful. Google Docs is amazing! I love how you can share documents with anyone you want, whenever you want and it is accessible anywhere! I am so glad that tool is available for us as teachers. SMARTboards are awesome! I can't wait to learn and do more on those in the classroom. They are so interactive and engaging for children to apply their learning. I can see so many things I can do on the SMARTboard in my classroom to get the students motivated! I am also glad to have found my PLN (Personal Learning Network) and to be able to add teachers and experts to it as I find them for future references. I'm sure it will benefit me in the future when I'm teaching. YouTube is such a huge part of this class and I feel very lucky to have used it so often and see how to embed videos or share them in different programs. iMovie, iPhoto, iBook are all wonderful programs!! I have really enjoyed creating movies, videos and the iBook. I have learned so much like how to insert pictures, videos, text, charts, hyperlinks, make movies, detach audio from a recording, upload photos, import, export, edit, crop, resize photos, etc. I must say the possibilities are endless when it comes to technology! I am so fortunate to have learned so much in this course and to have all these technologies to use and get for my own classroom. The students will be so excited to start learning about them! All the blogs we had to visit and comment on were great experiences and showed me how there are so many educators out there willing to share anything you want to know. I can only hope that the school I become a teacher in has as many great technologically advanced devices to utilize as we got to learn about in this class!

Blog Post #15 Final Reflection

Final PLN

This is my Final Personal Learning Network. This personal network is very interesting because unlike face book or anything like that its very simple. Everything I need is rite here to view. All I have to do is click on any of my tiles and I am ready to go. Some of my tiles even have children's books. I can definitely tell that in the future and in my classroom when I become a teacher I can use these almost daily. This was a very eye opening tool that I am class edm310 introduced to me. I also love the pinterest tile because they have so many amazing ideas. This site is so creative that I am sure I will be using this in all aspects of my career.

Final Project #16 Option C

Project #15

Blog #13

By: Brian Crosby
Video:Back To The Future

Brian explains that his fourth grade class is dealing with poverty. These students were asked simple questions like: what country do you live in? What is your home phone number? What is your home address? Many of the kids could not answer these simple questions, that by now they should know with no sweat. All of his students have their own blogs and he explains that it lets them think out of the box. They "High Hopes"project they did was very interesting. They sent a balloon  up into space with a camera attached. It was part of the state standards which is supposed to show the layers of the atmosphere. The examples he shows in the classroom are very interesting, it keeps the students wanting to know more. He also incorporated language arts into this science lesson about altitude. He made the students act as if they were the balloon, and write a paper about their journey. I think that this was very impressive, because not only does he just teach the standards but he lets the students interact with these projects and papers. They used Wikkis and Flicker to upload there space pictures. The kids also get to see that people are really readying their papers. After this project they had to write a "High Hope" for their community or neighborhoods. Their class then opened up the "High Hope" to the world, and they got so many people from Australia, Canada, China, they also got to send their High Hopes up with the class. This was just amazing that this is offered in a public school class, I want to be a teacher like this that gets the students on fire. He definitely has high hopes for his classroom and you can tell by watching this video, this was very inspiring.

Video:A Vision of Students Today

So when I saw this video I completely related to each and every single one of the students holding up the cue cards. Especially the cue card that stated, "I will be $20,000 in debt after I graduate", because this will probably be true for me as well. It makes me sick how our education system has turned from learning basic knowledge, to a endless money pit. Just like the above picture says "I buy hundred dollar textbooks that I never open, that is so true. Why are college classes making students buy $300 textbooks? In high school the books were issued to you for free, colleges have 10 times more money then any local high school near you. Everything is about money, and 1/2 of whats left is about knowledge. What this video is trying to say is that, if we can look beyond the money and textbooks we have it all wrong. One of the students held out a computer that said "This computer cost more than some people make in a year." While watching this video as a student it made me mad to be honest and even as a future educator I see that it will only get worse. The world is headed down a road of poverty, with college costing so much money a lot of students will give up. And the ones that get government funding and aren't paying for it out of their own bank accounts like the video showed do not show up for class. School needs to be reevaluated and not be centered around being a money pit.

Blog Post #12

Blog Post #12 Due 11/11

Watch the Video 21st Century Learners.Think about what you have heard and seen. Don't just watch the video as a student, think about how you will use these tools as a future educator. After watching please summarize this video in two paragraphs, pointing out the tools you would most likely use in your own clssroom.


The assignment: Blog Post #12
While watching this video it makes it clear that students are starving to use technology. The kids were saying how can I be seen? How can I be heard? Using the Blogger system is the best way for kids to be heard and seen. Especially the way South has set up their blog posts. If my classroom had blogs and the University of South students commented on them, I am sure that it was encourage them to write more and proudly.  Because having a blog can bring you some what of pride in your work. You know that wherever you are, someone is out their watching your videos or reading your opinions in your blog.
Kids also do not relate to textbooks anymore. While researching I came across this table that shows that E books are easier for kids to download and own. Also its easier to keep up with just one tablet like a nook or Ipad, rather than carry 10 books around in a book bag. Now days we do not need rolling book bags, we do not need huge binders, we have laptops. The paper school days are just about over and this video pretty much somes up that kids in the 21st century cannot wait.

Blog Post #11

 

Ms.Cassidy's Video: Little Kids..Big Potential




Imagine a world were parents can monitor their child's educational progress anywhere. This is the kind of learning environment offered by Ms. Cassidy. She stands to reason that you are almost never too young to begin using technology. Ms. Cassidy has successfully proven that first grade is not too early to introduce children to technology. Now what do we mean by technology?  Today's technology is not the same as yesterdays technology. Yesterdays technology meant that if a first grader could successfully use a four function calculator, they would almost be considered gifted. In today's world being able to use a computer has almost become the standard. Ms. Cassidy believes that in this ever expanding technological world, the students need to be introduced early on if they are going to be able to keep up in this ever growing data age.



 Although these learning programs are designed primarily for the students, they also benefit the parents in that they can monitor their child's progress from anywhere. How do the parents really feel about having the child's work broad casted on the world wide web? Until the schools implement a real online curricula or until privacy guidelines are in place, I am hesitant on using these practices in my own classroom. This does not mean that I disagree with them. Nine out of ten parents can say yes,but it is that one that disapproves that must be accounted for.The only major flaw or impediment I see in using the online wikis or blogs in the classroom, is privacy and legality. If 100% parent approval is not possible, I believe that maybe an in class only blog could be used instead.This would still offer the experience and feed back as the traditional blog would. I like these methods, but as a starting out teacher it will be overwhelming enough without having to try and over come school bureaucracy. Introducing technology into the classroom is not without its benefits. One major benefit for the younger students is that the parents can monitor their children's progress online via the web. This can also benefit older students because we instructors can post assignments online that can be viewed anywhere without having to send individual emails to students. I am all for technology in the classroom and personally believe that global interface is the new generation of learning.

Ms. Cassidy's Skype Interview:Part 1,Part 2,Part 3
 



Blog Post #10

 

Cartoon By: John T. Spencer

Adventures in Pencil Integration:

      The cartoon is Spencer's imitation of a Mac and PC ad. This is an attempt to represent the proverbial saying, "you get what you pay for", with technology being the subject at hand. PCs are most likely represented by the paper mate and Macs by the latter. It has been argued that Macs give you better quality than a PC. This may be true if you pit a $1500 Mac against a $300 Toshiba, but not when you compare a Mac to a PC of equal price.

      Most people are either a Mac or a PC kind of person. The Mac offers more straight out of the box experience, compared to the PC. The Mac has a built in anti virus system that cannot be beat, while the PC comes with completely no virus protection at all. Most people have to buy anti virus software for their PCs and if not the computer will most likely not last as much longer than a month. The PC is also dumbed down as much as possible so that it's user friendly. While the Mac is simple but different than the PC making it confusing for the Microsoft users.

     The point being within this blog post is that the Mac computer is more efficient. While the PC will not be as adequate or dependable as the Mac. John T. Spencer made a very good cartoon portraying this. The best way to find out for yourself, is to own a PC and then a Mac. You will see the difference within 3 months                  

Why were your kids playing games?
By: John T. Spencer

         The principal asked, "Why were your kids playing games?" This article is definitely how most normal people view the education system of today. Instead of letting the students understand what they are being taught, the principal would rather them memorize certain things, even if it means sacrificing the knowledge of our future students. A lot of teachers in today's society practice the teaching technique called burp-back knowledge. Burp-back knowledge is when students simply state what their teachers have made them memorize. Most students memorize these facts and then months later, they can barley tell you the name of the teacher who made them memorize them in the first place.
          This is why Mr. Spencer is trying to change the classroom up with games. We need our students to learn not memorize. When students play games or have hands on learning experiences they are not only memorizing the concepts, but they are understanding them. For example, if you were to learn how to assemble an airplane, then later on if you ever came across a question about building airplanes you would find it easier to remember. Compared to a student who memorized the parts of an airplane out of a text book, but they have no idea how to even work a wrench.
      
Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?
By: Scott McLeod

Scott McLeod writes about technology as if he was not impressed by it. He is telling the parents not to let them use the computers or cellphones, stating that we cant trust young people. He is in a way making fun of the overall aspect of technology and children. And that is that they are going to look at porn or be lured away by a predator they met online. When actually they can learn more by using technology, but the system doesn't want them too. Mr. Scott McLeod is a teacher who lets his students use the internet and learn. This is actually a very simple blog post but it hits you in a way that has a big meaning. Please, don't teach your kids this stuff.

Special Blog Post

Special Blog Post:

“A world where grades will be left behind”, sounds too good to be true right? This is not the case, according to Sebastian Thrun, the German research professor at Stanford and Google VP. Thrun’s fascination with robotics and computer science has led to the founding of Udacity, which is an institution that offers free classes for its enrollees. Thrun has developed an approach to teaching that he hopes will be more appealing than primitive chalk board methods. Thrun hopes to stimulate learning by incorporating special effects into the curricula. All of this sounds too good to be true, like a sophisticated leap frog game.  This is no kid’s game; however, these computer classes are targeted at those wishing to excel in advanced fields such as robotics and computer programming. Thrun is striving to create a learning environment where the students can connect with the material and move at a pace that allows them to fully master a certain skill or concept.

Thrun is trying to revolutionize teaching. In other words, he wants to change it, and make it better.  It appears to me he wants to use technology in two major ways.  The first way is to garner student’s interest and keep them interested and challenged. The other way is to reach the masses, via the internet.  He wants everyone to be able to experience Udacity.

I agree that the education system could use a good overhauling in some aspects. Thrun has some good ideas, but I do not think that a work at your own pace program would work for everyone. This is due to the fact that some people, including myself, may lack the self-motivation and self-discipline required for this type of learning. I personally believe Thrun’s approaches to teaching are still mostly on the theoretical end and need more solid evidence of success before I decide to jump on the Udacity bandwagon.

 

Project #15 Green Screen

PLN Project #2

This is my PLN. My Personal Learning Network system is very useful. I can click any of these icons and they will take me straight to where I want to go. I have a couple of icons that are educational. Like my Educational News icon, which updates me when any kind of news about the local school systems comes out. Also I have a icon for art. I love art and I am very interested in it, I figure if I am interested in this topic I should add it to list. The website I used it called Symbaloo. It is very easy to use and actually fun to get everything you like in one square.

Book Trailer project #12

Smart Board Project #14

Blog Post #9

Mr. McClung 1st Blog Post:

Mr. McClung has shared some good ideas on what it takes to be a good teacher and overcome obsticals as a starting out teacher in these two blog post May27,2009 What I've Learned This Year (2008-09) & June 15,2012 What I Learned This Year (2009-10). It sounds like, being that he was new, felt a lot of pressure and felt that all eyes were on him and that he had to prove himself early on. He states that he began to lose a connection with the students. He became too focused on himself and missed the overall picture, teaching. This is understandable, because as a new teacher, I could see that there is a lot of pressure to perform.

Even teacher make mistakes, Mr. McClung makes this clear. Not every lesson will be a perfect lesson, but you can always build on it from feedback from students or grades, and turn it into something better next time.

Everyone wants to avoid confrontation in the work place but we all know that will never happen. We as teachers must work to promote synergy in the work place. Having good relationships with fellow teachers can lead to a more productive year and a better atmosphere.

It is apparent that Mr. McClung has connected with his students more as he’s matured as a teacher. He admits that he had too high expectations that proved to be unattainable. I believe that as teachers we all want our students to perform at their optimal level but in reality, that just doesn’t always happen.

I agree with using technology one hundred percent. Technology has exploded in recent years and has no end in sight. Laptops are on almost every desk now. We as teachers must learn to master this technology so we can implement it in the class rooms effectively. Such as slide shows to more advanced things like computer aided design.

Communication with students is important. Mr. McClung says that one student wrote him saying, I feel the teacher cares about me as a person when he listens to me as a person. We can all learn something from this because at one time or another we have all felt ignored and overlooked by some teachers. That leads to discouragement which is very counterproductive, and will ultimately leave the student feeling like they are less than adequate.

I found it amusing and interesting that he finds what he calls a “School Mom” that basically lets him under her wing while he adjusts to the junior high setting. I think a lot can be said for finding a mentor and this circle’s back to having good relationships with your fellow teachers.

The scope and sequence portion of his post also struck a nerve with me, because I too believe that I focus more time and energy on  the subjects that interest me as opposed to being more well rounded.

Mr. McClung makes a good point about never stop learning. The students never stop learning so why should we as teachers? We don’t know everything. Our credibility as teachers is based solely on the fact that we know more than the students themselves. Therefore we owe it to them to continue learning and growing as people ourselves.

 

Project #8 group podcast

C4K Project #7

Summary for Month of September/ October

C4K #1
Bishop W. he wrote a story about a champion relay team. I commented on it and said that he has good reading skills and his video impressed me.

C4K #2

Lara a 4th grader wrote how she loved playing tennis. I wrote back to her and tried to inspire her to keep with it. I told her how she should think about getting on a team and one day she could get a scholarship at a college. I reminded her that she needs to always dream big and stay with it.

C4K #4
I had a classroom blog for Mike & the Upper Episcopal School. He talked about how young people have lost interest in voting. These days young people do not vote at all.
I commented on this blog and this is what I said:

it scares me that people my age take voting so lightly. That is our job as a US citizen, its our only say so that we have in this country. Why would you not want to vote? I think your post is very educational and eye opening. I actually have heard that more people vote for American idol than they actually vote for the president. This is sad.

C4K #6
Ethan made a Animoto video about nature. And I wrote this:Hi Ethan,
My name is Kayla Szymanski and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am taking EDM310 and I was assigned to your blog. I loved your Animoto, the pictures were so pretty. Did you take those pictures yourself? I love nature, it is so beautiul to me. Also I liked how to music made the video flow. Very nicely done.

C4K #8
I was assigned to Amber A's blog post. And this is what I said.
Hi Amber, I am a student at the University of South Alabama and I have been assigned your blog. I loved reading about your dancing and family. It really took me back in time. I also come from a big family and I have two older sisters and and older cousin. We used to put on dance shows also. That is to this day some of the best memories I have. I think it's awesome that you and your cousin stuck with it. Keep dancing you never know, maybe you can try out for a team one day.
I really enjoyed reading this blog, it brought back memories.

C4K #10
During this comment for kids I watched a video made by a 4th grade class about Rosa Parks. All the kids made a slide show type video and they said stuff in the background. It was very interesting and it seemed like the kids enjoyed doing it.
I said this:
Hi! I am a student at the University of South Alabama where I am taking EDM310 and was assigned this blog by my teacher. I enjoyed the Rosa Parks video done by the kids. It seemed like they really enjoyed theirselves making it. I am so impressed by the 4th grade skills they have in making a video with sound and technology.

Blog Post #8

This Is How We Dream  Parts 1 and 2
By: Richard Miller

Mr. Miller talks about amazing technology in these two videos#2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KsEQnOkTZ0During and #1http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHvoBPjhsBA. In this video Richard Miller talked about technology that I had no idea even existed. He says that he can tell which city is the happiest just by looking at the  computer. He also brings up the building that he works at, the screen shows a building rotating. He says that the future can only be a bright one if it is shared through the people who work in the sciences.

He goes on to say that the goal of this technology is to be able to share it with others. We cant make our dreams visible unless we have this kind of technology. We no longer take our books and pencils to work, now its laptops and kindles. This technology is very efficient, and I hope one day I can be better at using and understanding these things. If you can understand technology I think that it could be your new best friend.

You can find anything you need on the web. You may need to see a lecture as a example so that you can make a lecture just like it. Or maybe you need to be more informed of historic events, you can look at teachers teaching it. This kind of thing it very useful for teachers and students in the classroom. All of this information is available on the web. We all need to be aware of new technology so that we can share it with our kids.

EDM310 is Different

I loved the EDM310 for Dummies video it was very humorous. And almost true, I could relate to it. I would like to be able to create one of these videos for future students. I find that it would be so much help if a student could sit down and explain how to keep your grade up in this class. I really liked the music and the way that it starts out with the screeching music. It then shows the students with everything under control and the music is light and care free. The students are very happy with what they have accomplished. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqhMRj-Ne38 This is a very good video, I wish I would have known about the EDM310 for Dummies book sooner!

Learn to Change, Change to Learn

If you watch this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tahTKdEUAPk you will see that our future in education is very important! I felt so bad when I watched this video. I really did not notice how bad education has gotten. School is so out of date, and all of this technology is available. It makes me sick that its all available and its not being used. Students should be able to use things that they use everyday, instead they get these things taken away during class. This makes me want to have a very technological classroom. We need to open the door to labs and things being developed on the web. It could make students better prepared for college too. So many teachers now days do not care, as long as they get a paycheck. They are lazy, I will not be a teacher that is lazy. My kids will always have the best and the latest technology on hands.

Scavenger Hunt 2.0

1. I found a site called Edmodo.com. This site is just like facebook. It is set up almost exactly the same way. I made a teacher account and when I played with my page for awhile it was quite fun. My profile name is Ms.Szymanski which sounds and looks more professional than a regular facebook name.Its really cool you can post assignments and their due dates, and the kids will get them just like a notification on facebook. Also if you have some kids that are not doing the assignment or were not assigned it, you can specifically pick your students you would like to send it to. I think this is definitely something that I will use in my classroom. All of my kids can then always have their assignments. No more excuses about missed homework assignments because the student did not write it down it Will be via web available.
2.Next I saw Prezi.com and got all of their pricing. You can click here to view pricing:http://prezi.com/pricing/. You can choose different types of accounts. The more money you pay the more space you have an things like that. Anyone can have an account for free though it will just come with the basic stuff. Students and teachers get these deals:Prezi teacher & student deals.
3.)I made my comic strip at Stripcreator.com.

Comic strip!! by kaykay1021 10-13-12 Happy Halloween! Um, its September.. I only have 3 months to get out of here! I love turkey during Thanksgiving:) This is top secret I didn't even ask?

4.)I visited Animoto.com and saw that it was very useful. This site allows you to use tools such as high definition and cinematic technology in your slide shows. This website allows you to take pictures straight from your computer,facebook,flicker, and instagram. These days everybody has sort of a web scrapbook. All pictures are now digitally uploaded and that's usually where they stay. This will help you extremely when it comes time to fine you pictures easily.
5.)I found a website called pollcode.com, at this site you can make polls for free. Here is a poll that I have created trying to figure out why so many kids drop out of college.

Why did you drop out of college?
	To exspensive
	Lazy
	To busy
	Family problems
	No drive
	Drugs/ alcohol abuse
	Classes were too hard
pollcode.com free