Comments 4 Teachers Summary Number Two

For this Comments 4 Teachers Assignment, I had to comment on Martha Yim's Blog. The URL for her blog is http://theparentsview.com. She is a wife, mother, teacher, and a business owner. She lives in Alabama. Mrs. Yim is very passionate about her children and Education. She wants all children to receive the best education possible.
Her first post that I commented on was a video by Sir Ken Robinson about Homeschooling. It was titled "Homeschooling or Unschooling." In his video he states that he agrees with the idea of homeschooling, but it takes time, dedication, and the proper materials. Mrs. Yim also likes the idea of homeschooling. She also agrees that you have to be dedicated and invest a lot of time in your child's education.
I commented back to her stating that I loved the idea of homeschooling. I also agreed with what Ken Robinson said, "It's a personal choice." You have to be dedicated. Mrs. Yim replied to my comment. She said that she agreed with me that you must be dedicated. She also said she wishes there was a happy medium between homeschool and traditional education. I agree with her on that 100 percent.

The second post that I commented on was Connect the Schools and Parents. It was posted on October 21, 2010. It is regarding, "Parents want Schools and Teachers that Know How to Communicate."
I learned many things from this post. For one, it stated that as a teacher, if you cannot communicate well with the parents you are missing a great opportunity for support and help.
Mrs. Yim gives some suggestions of how to keep parents informed. They are: involve the parents, talk to the parents, be available to them, and send notes home to them. You should also find a way to give the parents a personal way to contact you. Either on your cell phone, or if you don't want to give them your personal number, you can sign up for a free Google number and forward the calls to your cell phone. Also, another great way to communicate with parents is through a class blog. On the blog, parents can see photos, videos, and text of what is going on in their child's class.
There was a link to an awesome article in this blog post. The article was called "For Kids Sake Let's Connect Parents and Schools. You can find this article at http://www.huffingtonpost.com. It was written by Suzie Boss. This article stated, "Schools are all strengthened when parents are involved." Edutopia published a Home-to-School Connections Guide. It is a free download. It has tips, tech tools, and strategies for family and school communication.
I learned so much from Mrs. Yim. I will definitely use these resources and her advice in the future.

Comments 4 Kids Summary

I was very excited to comment on the student's blogs. It is very interesting to see the different things students across the world are doing in their classrooms.

The first student I commented to was in Ms. Lugrins 6th grade class. They were writing about a book they were reading and skiing trips that they had been on. The outlooks these students gave were amazing.

Next, I commented to Jamie in Mr. St. Pierre's class at Terryville Elementary in New York State. Jamie was writing an SS Essay about the Three Branches of Government. She was very informative in her blog post.

The last student that I commented to was Sarona in Mrs. Helen Squires 5th Grade Class at Pt. England School. She had posted a wonderful peice of artwork on her blog. I wrote and asked her what the picture was about. She wrote me back and said that it was a picture of her at her Nana's on the playground.

I love participating in Comments 4 Kids. It gives us wonderful incite into the lives of children and how they are different. It also shows us that students are capable of keeping a blog and using it in the classroom.

Blog Post Number Six

The Networked Student
By: Wendy Drexler

This video was very informative regarding the use of connectivity in the classroom. It talked about a high school student that his teacher hardly ever lectures. They learn through the connectivity of PLN's, Blogs, Podcasts, and other types of resources. Through these resources, they have had access to some of the best professors out there. They even keep a virtual textbook. I though that was really neat.
Then came the question, "Why is a teacher needed for this type of learning?" It stated that the teachers are there for many reasons. They are there to show the students how to build their network. They provide guidance whenever help is needed. They teach the students how to communicate properly and help them organize their information. This is a very creative way of learning.
I do think that after taking Dr. Strange's course that I will be prepared to teach "networked students." Before this course, however, I wouldn't have had a clue. Now when I finish, all I have to do is keep learning the various new forms of technology. A teachers learning is never done.

Welcome to My PLE

This is a video about a 7th grade student and her PLE. Her PLE is on Symbaloo. I was amazed at all the things she uses her PLE for. In the video, she shows many different things that you can use the PLE for. Like, research and classwork.
She also blogs reflections of what she is or has done in class. She created a Glogster for a research project in Science. She then emailed different scientists around the world to get them to critique her work. I thought that was very creative.  She also showed how a PLE is useful for citing your sources in a research project. You can keep everything organized on one page.
I wish my PLN was as good as her PLE. I will definitely take some of what she said and use it.

Compare and Contrast
Why Smartboards Are a Dumb Initiative By: Michael Stanton
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Why I Hate Interactive Whiteboards  By: Bill Ferriter

In Michael Stanton's article, he talks about the reasons that he doesn't like the use of Smartboards. He says, "Smartboards don't change the model that's broken." He says the reason for this is that the teacher still stands in front of the classroom teaching a lesson that the students still don't want to learn about. He also says that Smartboards do not give an adaptive learning environment.
He also says that it's an administrative cop out. It just gives the administration a reason to ask for more money. He says he would rather everyone work towards re-imagining what's possible.  I would think that using Smartboards would be a way of doing that.

In Bill Ferriter's article, he states that he has used Interactive Whiteboards. In his opinion, they didn't make teaching the required curriculum any easier, but the students did like it. That's different from Mr. Stanton's view. He said that it didn't change the way the students felt about the material.
Mr. Ferriter also says that you need the time and the training in order to operate the Interactive Whiteboards or it's a useless attempt. With this not being possible in lots of school systems, he says, "It's nothing more than vain attempts to buy change."

Both of these guys have strong opinions about Smartboards. Mr. Stanton thinks it's just a way to ask for more money, where Mr. Ferriter said that it's an attempt to buy change, but the teachers don't have the resources to use it properly.
I found a blog that is for Educators. It lists tips for doing different things on the Smartboard. It also offers lesson plans and suggestions for every grade level. The blog is: http://www.teacherslovesmartboards.com/

TimeToast Instructional Timeline-- How to Make a Baby Quilt

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I actually made this baby quilt. I listed the steps in order according to what I did each day while making the baby quilt.

Blog Post Number Five

The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom

By: Joe Dale

This was a very interesting video. It pointed out ways that podcasting can be helpful inside and outside the classroom. It provides a way for the students to interact and for students who are out of school to keep up with their school work. I think it is also amazing that it provides a way for parents to keep up with what is going on in the classroom. This would end the question,"Just what do you do at school?" Parents could get on the teachers blog and listen to the podcast to find out.

The process is very easy and the blog that this video is on also provides tutorials for creating a Podcast. Students can take their lessons with them everywhere they go. If a student is struggling with a particular lesson, they can just pull up the podcast for that lesson and listen to it over and over until they understand.

This is a great tool to use in the classroom. By doing our own Podcast in EDM 310, I can now use this valuable tool in my future classroom.

The Practical Principals

With: Melinda Miller and Scott Elias

This podcast was great. It provides a site for sources for educators. It is a place for teachers to gain insights and hear of other's experiences. It reminded me of a radio talk show, but it was actually something I was interested in hearing.

I learned from this sight that a podcast can be anything you want to make it. I like how this podcast was like a general conversation between two people. The conversation about their experiences helps you realize that other educators go through the same type of situations we do.

100 Ways to Use Your iPod to Learn and Study Better

I really liked this website. This blog posted many things that your iPod can be used for. I had no idea all these things were available. There are tutorials and help applications. You can have anything you need for your education right in front of you.  Everyone should have a list like this at their disposal.

TimeToast Timeline

Group One Project 8- Debating Tech Literacy

Our group debated and discussed some of the issues relating to Tech Literacy. This is an important topic for teachers in the 21st Century. Maybe this will be an imformative podcast for you to enjoy!!

Blog Post Number Four

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff, Please?
Dr. McLeod is an Associate Professor in Educational Administration at Iowa State University. He is the Director of UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE). CASTLE is supported by many companies such as, Microsoft and IBM. He has received numerous rewards for his work in promoting technology in Education.
I love the way Dr. McLeod approached his ideas in the poem. It was very sarcastic. He is definitely right. If we keep our kids from learning and using technology, then his and other kids will have the upper leg. We must teach our children the correct ways to use technology and how to be safe with it. The way to do that is not by keeping it away from them.

The iSchool Initiative
I loved this. I wish school would have been like that when I was in school. It is much better for the environment and it also saves money all the way around. This would teach students to actually problem solve instead of having all the answers right in front of them.
If students have to look for their answers and collaborate with students through the use of technology, this is engaging them in what they are doing. They would actually be learning by doing. What a way to remember the stuff you are learning. If it leaves an impression on them, they will not forget what they are learning.

The Lost Generation
I loved the format of this video. It started out by stating what people in this world say about the new generation of students. They wonder what will happen to this world we live in. I believe, if we teach them in the right way and teach them to do things instead of just looking for an answer in a book, then they could take this world farther than it's ever been. The video then turns it around to say what will happen if students learn to use technology and to problem solve in their every day lives. We must teach them to collaborate and think critically.

Eric Whitaker's Virtual Choir
I thought this was awesome. I have never seen anything like this before. I did not even know that this could be done. WOW!! This goes to show that with the use of technology, we can go anywhere and do anything.

Teaching In the 21st Century
"Teach" in the 21st Century means to engage your students in what they are learning. If they are engaged in what they are learning, they will never forget it. Education has to change or we will always be behind. We are filters for our students. This doesn't mean that we should just give them all the answers. We should help them to search for answers to the questions we pose.
Creating things through technology would also help the students who are creative. This type of education could bring all students together in a way that we have never seen before. I would love to see my students actually learn by doing and creating.

Leiha Casler "My Sentence Video"

A Vision of K-12 Students Today

I thought this was an amazing video. It made me think about what students would say if we asked them how they felt about technology and education. This video was an eye opener for me. As future teachers, we should take into consideration what is best for our students, not just ourselves. After all, it is about them.