PLN

For my PLN I used Twitter, Facebook, and Email. I also learned about Plurk and Google Wave. I signed up for Plurk, but for GoogleWave you have to be invited. My subject was what to respect my first year of teaching. Nick_Drapeau on Twitter told me to be prepared to prep my first year of teaching. Kendall Goodwin on facebook say that you have to get control of your class the first weeks of school. He also says that if they take you as a joke, it's hard to gain their respect. Danielle Hodge on facebook said she had a wonderful first year. She said it was hard but her students motivated her.

I am excited and scared about my first year in the classroom by myself. I will spend more time on my personal network because I feel it will be very helpful in the future.

Mistakes of a First Year Teacher

I Will Miss You

I enjoyed this class. I wish everyone good luck in the future. I'm on facebook and twitter my email is kelia100@yahoo.com. If I can help in any way please let me know.

EDM 310

1. I was technology illiterate before EDM 310. Just about everything I learned in this class was new to me. But what I enjoyed the most was the information on Google. I have a very outdated computer and can not afford to buy one this semester. Learning about Google was a big help this semester and it help me save time because I didn't have to go back an forth to the school. I also meet a group of new friends. We did a podcast about Blogging in the Classroom.

2.The class only meet once a week and a lot was packed into one class period. I really did not understand the concept of iTunes. Everything was new to me.

3. I feel that everything I learn will be useful as a teacher. I am excited to get into the classroom and integrate technology and elementary learning.

4. This as a very exciting class because I was very technology illiterate. Just learning the technology and the different ways to use it in the classroom excites me.

5.Nothing was really intellectually challenging. Everything was easy to process and so things, like spreadsheets, you just had to practice.

6. A lot of the thing we had to post about was very boring. Less post and more projects. Maybe not more projects but spread them throughout the semester. We were giving a lot of projects the month in the semester and I worked more on them then my post.

7. Less post more Projects

8. On the scale I am GOOD but I know technology change daily and I must keep up..

9. I will incorporate what I have learned into the classes I will take in the upcoming semesters. I will keep my PLN because I feel that it is a very good networking resource.

Doug Johnson

Seven Stupid Mistakes Teachers Make With Technology

This article was a real eye opener. As a student and a parent I take technology for granted. Read below to see how I feel about the mistake Dough Johnson talk about in his article, "Seven Stupid Mistakes Teachers Make With Technology"

1. Not backing up data. My first semester at the University of South Alabama, I saved everything is a folder on my desktop and I had a printed copy. Two week before the end of the semester my computer caught a virus and everything was deleted. Luckily I had a printed copy, but it took days to retype everything for foliotek. How much time would I have saved if I had a junk drive?

2.Believing that one's teaching style need not change to take full advantage technology. Times are changing and so should your teaching style. Technology has made it easier for student to encounter first hand experiences. It has also made it easier and faster to gather more information about a subject. As a teacher you have to always be willing to change.


Doug also talks about Seven Brilliant Thing Teachers Do With Technology
1. Empower kids with technology.
2.Creatively find and use resources.
3.Make conferencing real time.
4.Put kids in touch with the world.
5.Except the role of co-learner.
6.Use the kids own devices to teach them.
7.Delight in the discovery, the newness, and the fun that technology hold.

These seven items collectively is what I feel will help me make it through my first three years of teaching. I have hard the the first three are the hardest because teachers just teach. With technology, I feel it is easier to keep kids motivated. If your students enjoy learning, you will enjoy teaching them. Student get excited when it comes to technology. Just think a student from Chatom, Alabama learning about real time experiences in Germany. It excites me!

New Classroom Rules

1. Come to school every day, unless you would rather go on line. I have taken on line class and they are very convenient. I could log in when I have time during my busy schedule. On line or going to campus everyday, the most important part of learning is making sure you are their. I you don't go to class you are bound to miss out on important information, and you can not ask questions if you need help.

Keep your hand to yourself, but share all your ideas and knowledge with others in you PLN. I have learned as a student that you want a PLN, classmate, and teacher to SHARE! Exchange ideas, projects, or website is very beneficial for everyone.

At the Teacher's Desk

How to Get More Visitors

Consistency is very important. My uncle owned his own business for the past 10 years. He has had the same address and phone number because it makes it easier to locate the business. For your blogs, I feel that it is very important to keep your blog up-to-date. If you don't visit your blog why should anyone else. When posting to your blogs make sure you check for grammatical and spelling errors. I never thought about the title to blogs but it makes sense to put a title your visitors will Google.

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Social Networking

Searching the web can be a tedious task. If you have a social network it could cut the task in half. Within your personal learning network there is bound to be someone who knows exactly where to get the information you need. Your personal learning network should help you get a grip on "the subject." Make sure your PLN has great mentors.

Tips:

1. Use the same user name across tools
2. Share as much as you take
3. Ask as much as you answer
4. Try new TOOLS before you decide they’re not worth the time
5. Comment on other people’s blogs
6. Life long learning is the key!

Positive Digital Portfolio

Watching the news or a youtube clip can be very depressing. We, adults and teens, tend to catch the bad. Watch this teen tip. Is this funny? We often laugh at the videos like this but I personally feel a little embarrassed. Embarrassed by the name and the content of the video because they forgot to mention how drunk driving causes accidents. As a teacher I will encourage my student to look at the positive outcomes of life.

Why is it important for students to post their work to blogs!

Enjoy this video PS22 Chorus "Landslide"

Why is it important!

Reason 1

When you post your work to a blog, a potential employer, a fellow colleague, or even the president of the United states could be following your blog. Posting your work to a blog can give everyone who reads it more ideas. If you are a second grade teacher and you post a blog about how to deal with tattlers, this would be a blog that I feel that I could benefit from as a 1st year teacher. You can post a resume for future employers and this not only tells them that you are competent but also technology literate. Being technology literate in 2009 is what most employers are looking for.

Reason 2

I was listening to WABB about 2 week ago and a mother had called-in wanting to know what should she tell her 13 year old daughter about boys. The Morning Guys set up a bog letting their listeners give this mother ideas. I feel that parenting blog are good because there is bound to be one parent that has went through what you are going through now. And parenting is one of the hardest jobs on earth, because there is no right or wrong way. Check out this parenting blog. Talking to Teens about Marriage

Michael Wesch

Toward a New Future of Whatever

Personal Democracy
Do we let media predict our out come? I understand the different between being “How I should be” and being me. We get so caught up in materialistic things that we lose ourselves and our values. How communication through media affects the way people perceive things is the study of media ecology. The video bar to the right has clips of media ecology. One of my favorite clips is the Wizard of Media Ecology. It made wonder what would happen if we “turned it (media) off.”

Media has a big impact on student because it does shape our culture.In high school I searched for identity and recognition, but it was not my own identity. I want to be “tall and beautiful,” just the way society shows it. The media is not all bad; sometime it can help us come out of our shell. Like Wesch was saying about Youtube we will do thing that we normal would not do because there is no one staring at us. There in no one there to say we are doing it wrong, this space on Youtube seems so private but we know that it is one of the most public places on earth.


I feel that one of the best aspects of new media is that it gives us a chance to get to know about other people and their culture. The new media such as Twitter, Skype, and Facebook offer was to communicate with anyone around the world.

State Initiatives and Programs

Alabama Department of Education

ALEX

Alabama’s new educational web portal where teachers and administrators can find courses of study lesson plans, and web resources aligned to Alabama Course of Study content standards. ALEX is designed to share many types of educational material and information through a simple resource for parents, students, and teachers. Many of these resources or connected to ACOS. ALEX has links related to course of study, web, lesson plans, searches, personal work space, professional learning, podcast treasury, and a help link.

ACCESS
ACCESS (Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educator and Students Statewide)is a distance learning program. It provides opportunities and options for Alabama public high school students to engage in Advanced Placement, elective, and other courses to which they may otherwise have access to. If you have any questions about the who, what, and when of ACCESS check out FAQ



I feel that both ALEX and ACCESS are very good programs. ALEX is a one stop resource with basically any material, ideal, or link to help with planning an activity, helping with homework, or tutoring. And I feel that ACCESS is a great college prep program. It teaches student how to manage time as if they are taking an online college class. It is a great way to teach self discipline.

Dear Kaia

Dear Kaia

This is a very interesting blog. Kaia has made learning even more inspiring. Kaia and her father has helped me to see object in different views. The book Last Child in the woods, which is the book that inspired Jabiz Raisdana (Kaia's father) to take her outside, is based on research that found that nature is vital for a healthy development in childhood and for the physical and emotional health of children and adults. Although Mr. Raisdana thought that this was a regular outing, he was not only teaching her about the outdoors and how to stay fit but also about technology.

Mr. C's Class Blog

Jabiz responded to Mr. C’s class blog by asking if they could do a video or audio because Kaia did not know how to read. And the class did just that.
Great technology links on this blog page are:
Vozme
Google Translate

There are other technology that I could not figure out how to put on my blog page. So , if anyone know how to put double click any world for its definition on a web page please let me know. This is a great web site to visit, I really learn a lot. I also found a lot of links that are useful for my 3rd grader.

The Intrepid Teacher

I glad to see father and daughter enjoying the outdoors. It is scary sharing information over the net because of all the things that goes on. But I am glad that Mr. Jabiz decide to share his experience. My daughter is an outside child but I know a lot of people who don't let their kid out due to time and most of them have computer but not the Internet. This has been one of the the blog we have had in this class.

The Networked Student

Wendy Drexier

I think that students that network on projects have better learning experience compared to a student that listen to lectures. Networking teaches student how to find reliable sources and it also gives them the opportunity to network with other students, and people around the world. I know for me when I figure things out on my owns I can always go back and reference to it compared thing that I memorize for test.

Why does a network student even need a teacher? A teacher is a learning architect that gives guidance. She teaches how to communicate properly by being a modeler. She teaches him how to ask for help and how to differentiate between good information and misinformation. By the time he leaves her class she hopes that he knows how to combine ideas to come up with a new concept.

Although letting students network to learn about a subject is a great idea, I do feel that teacher need to lecture. Student learn in different ways. During a lecture a student can ask questions and they can make sure they have a clear understanding. When teaching student you need to make sure you cover all the learning styles.

Check out this website
An Overview of Learning Styles

This Is How We Dream

Richard Miller

Dr. Alice Christie conducts workshops on how to enhance teaching and learning through technology. One of the links that interested me the most was Digital Media and Photography This site teaches you how to incorporate digital cameras and camcorders, iMovie, pod casts, or digital photography into the classroom. Reading over the information about digital cameras made me realize cameras were not just for field trips. My major is elementary education and I when I stated to read over the information the first thing that came to mind was any one under the age of 15 will not have a chance to handle my $400 camera. This web site shows you what to look for in a camera and how to pick a good reliable cheap camera. Using a digital camera in the classroom teaches the students more about technology ( they have to learn how to use the camera) and how to be responsible( they learn how not to break the camera).

Wikipedia

Wikipedia I feel that wikipedia is a source that can not be trusted because anyone can change the content of the posts in it. Although Virgil Griffith has created a wikipedia scanner, a search tool that traces the comments and edits back to their sources IP address, I’m not convince that it is reliable. I do feel that Wikipedia is a great place to get information as long as you check the information in a different source.

horse

I don't have a clue

Randy Pausch

Randy Pausch Last LectureI love that he didn't let his cancer effect his teaching. He has an awesome attitude toward life. And it's great that he had a chance to accomplish his childhood dreams. My childhood dream was to be a nurse. I am not pursing a nurses degree because it is not for me. I have an associate degree in Medical Assisting and I have worked in the field and I do not like it. I do have a passion for kids and one day I will own my own daycare. Randy Pausch help me understand that, even if you try and don't complete your dreams, you can still find a valuable lesson. "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted." He also made me realize that if you want something bad enough a brick wall will only slow you down, not stop you.

After fore filling my dreams I hope that I can enable others to fore fill theirs. With my students I will raise that bar and push them to their highest limit. Even with my daughter I have very high standards. My daughter is in 3rd grade and over the summer I taught her multiplication facts. Not only did she learn them but she also learn (by herself) the concept of division. Mr. Pausch says the student should learn something hard by having fun and that is exactly how I taught Shaneva her multiplication.

I think that being "self reflexed" is a great way to realize and make change of your attitude. It is a great way to build character and build friendships. Attitude make all the difference. Being trust worthy , loyal, and admitting when you are wrong will help you become an outstanding friend.
One of the most important fact about education is have fun. We as adults learn more when we are interested and having fun in any situation. So if we take that same concept and apply it to our students, just think of how much more they will get out of the lesson. I learn from this lecture to just keep moving and eventually you will get there. Randy Pausch was very motivation and inspiring.
"Are you a Tigger or an Eeyore" Randy Pausch

Remembering Randy Pausch

Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

"How long does it take for someone to wake up to the fact that technology is part of life, not an add-on?" I agree with Karl Fisch, technology is not an add-on. Technology is a part of every day life. If we can not participate in every day how to we teach our student. Their is a smart board in every class room at Griggs Elementary, if the teachers don't use them what will the principal think?

We do not have the right to not prepare our students for the future. As a teacher we should have the passion to teach, which means that we should have the passion to learn. I use to think that a power-point presentation was consider be technologically literate, but being in this class has taught me so much more. Being literate in technology is an easy way to teach kids more hands on.

More ways to be a technologically literate teacher are:
Discovery Education
Technology-Illiteracy-is-a-Sin

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today

Stress Cartoons

Watch this

This video is exactly how I feel (26 hours, 7 days a week). For the past two week I have had a major headache and cold. So, Friday night I took a Tylenol PM, took off work Saturday, and skip church Sunday and I still don't have energy. Can someone tell me how to add hours to a day? I hate to procrastinate, but I always have to put something off. Teacher assign assignments but never check to see if you comprehend them. Most teacher just lecture with out hands on activity. That is one reason I enjoy EDM310, every thing is hands on.


I see so many students who do not take college serious until they are forced out into the real world. They don't come to school or open their text books. Is it because the professors don't try to keep their attention? Even in high school I could tell which teacher were teaching for the pay check.

"What I've Learned This Year" by Mr. McClung

At the Teacher's Desk

Understanding your audience is very important. If you don't keep their attention, they will not comprehend what you are saying. I agree that your student will get more out of the lesson if it is a student center lesson. While reading the crowd you have be flexible because everyone make mistakes. We must KEEP LEARNING. And in our process of learning, we must respect our fellow co-workers and our students. Communication is the key to success. Knowing how and when to correspond with a student can make all the difference in their life. I know when I entered the 9th grade their was a teacher name Ms. Greene that kept me under control. She was the only teacher I would listen to and I really feel she is the reason I finish school with an advance diploma. Ms. Greene set high expectation but was always there when I needed someone. She is one of those teachers that, I can truly say, listens to her students.

"Jump in head first...the water feels fine." This is a great statement. When I started this course I felt like I was going to drown but the more I practice the easier it is and I am glad I did not drop the course.

In Mr. McClung's World he uses videocast, podcast,power points, and he integrates youtube in his presentations. My favorite is Death by PowerPoint. This power-point has 61 interesting slides on what and what not to do in a power-point presentation. I feel that power-points should slides should be short and to the point.

Videocast

Langwitches
I am going to use the langwitches blog as my resource for my podcast.There is a wonder, easy to read, article about digital storytelling. Just as the discripition says, "This guide was written especially for educators, who want to teach 21st century skills, such as collaborating, communicating, and connecting, through digital storytelling." The Langwitches portfolio has great links that can give you ideas on how to keep learning fun for elementary students.

This web site was very fun. I played around the site like a kid in a candy store. One of my favorite links is Photos Effects. Kids like to see crazy photos of them. This actually gave me a good idea for a bulletin board in my classroom management class. This is one of those web site that you don't mind searching for hours.




Videocast

This videocast did not have an attention getter. I really lost interest after the first few minutes. I think with my videocast I will start with an example. If the subject is Tech Literate Teacher I will start with grade-books and show an example with two teacher averaging grade and the question would be "Who will finish averaging grades first?" Although spreadsheet is one of the simple technology strategies it is very useful. This will make the view wonder what else will be in the videocast that will help them manage time.

I also notice that they did not have very much eye contact with the camera when they were introducing themselves. They did not seem excited about the subject which made me think that they were "winging it". I feel in order to talk about a subject you have to be very knowledgeable about it. I would also include hyper-links, about the subject, at the end of the videocast.

Podcasts

SmartBoard Lessons Podcast
One of the most interesting things about the podcasts is how it allows you to explore web sites while listening to a discussion about the topic. Ben Hazzard and Joan Badger discussed how to integrate videos into math lesson. Mathematics in Movies is a series of movie clips related to math. There are also links such as Teaching SmartBoard that gives step by step instructions how to use the Smart Board. This was my first time experimenting with podcasts. These podcasts were very insightfull. I really enjoyed the video podcast in the Kidcast. The Kidcast talked about how to go to different formats (audio to video). One of the main reasons to use video podcasts is to catch nonverbal interaction or to demonstrate something.

If you visit iTunes you can find numerous of podcasts on almost any subject you can think of. For the most part they all have the same format. They put me in the mind set of a radio station. At the beginning they have an attention getter.


More Podcasts
KidCast
EdTechtalk
MacBreak Weekly
This Week in Photography

Next Generation Learning

ICT seem to be a great program to get schools involved in technology. Having technology in the class allows students to explore all the possibilities of a topic. However, I still feel that student need as much hand on as possible. If you are teaching your student about plants, I feel they will enjoy planting a seed and watching it grow more than watching a video.

I do enjoy technology. It allows you to be creative with topic that you can not explore hand on, such as the solar system. My daughter's school has a Smart Board which is an interactive white board. Her teacher let the students take turns at the smart board. And for the most part all the student know how to use it. The students also go the computer lab once a week. I would like for them to learn how to include technology such as digital cameras.

Technology is not all bad!

Media Rich

Micheal Jackson

(CNN) -- The Los Angeles coroner has concluded preliminarily that singer Michael Jackson died of an overdose of propofol, a powerful sedative he was given to help him sleep, according to court documents released Monday.

Los Angeles' coroner Dr. Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran reached that preliminary conclusion after reviewing toxicology results carried out on Jackson's blood, according to a search warrant and affidavit unsealed in Houston, Texas.

The affidavit outlines probable cause for search warrants of the offices of doctors who are believed to have treated Jackson.

The Associated Press is quoting a single law enforcement official, who says the L.A. County Coroner has ruled Michael Jackson's death a homicide. The Los Angeles County Coroner's office told CNN they had "no comment" on the report. An LAPD spokesman says the story did not come from their department.

The 32-page warrant said Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson's personal physician, told a detective that he had been treating Jackson for insomnia for six weeks. Murray said each night he gave Jackson 50 mg of propofol, also known as Diprivan, diluted with the anesthetic lidocaine via an intravenous drip.

Worried that Jackson may have been becoming addicted to the drug, the Houston cardiologist said he attempted to wean him from it, putting together combinations of other drugs that succeeded in helping Jackson sleep during the two nights prior to his death.

But on June 25, other drugs failed to do the job, as he recounted to detectives in an hour-by-hour account that was detailed by detective Orlando Martinez of the Los Angeles Police Department:

Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

The video said it best, ''If you have only paper and pencils only certain types of students will succeed." As a mother I have found out that my daughter stays interested in things longer when she discovers information on her own. Exploration in the classroom is vital. Make your student put their thinking caps on, before you teach ask them what you think will happen next. I think this strategy helps build their critical thinking skill. I believe that giving them the software and letting them explore it and then letting them teach what they have learn to you is an awesome way to teach.

Teaching your student how to connect to the world is important. Technology is growing everyday and staying up-to-date is a very important commodity. In the next ten years will we use paper and pencils in the class? When my daughter was in kindergarten she learned how to get on the PBS Kids network. In the future I think that digital smart will be just as important as reading and math.

. Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity

I feel the same as Mr. Robinson, creativity is as important as any other subject. It is imperative that kids are not ashamed of their mistakes. As a child we are taught that "if at first you don't succeed, try, try, and try again." The very first time I made a pecan pie I used whipping cream instead of condense milk. I didn't write the recipe down; I tried to remember what I need. Well, the pie came out better than my grandmother's (whom I got the recipe from) and now she use whipping cream. Mistakes can be remarkable breakthroughs.

In the video he talks about being highly intelligent but not being able to express your talent because it's not politically correct. My brother who is now twenty three, took advance honors class, makes a living as an artist. As teachers I feel that we need to allocate the talents of our students in some part of the lesson. I feel that this will allow you as the teacher to keep the students attention. It is important to remember that kids learn better if they are include, meaning they like the way you are teaching. Students who like to draw will understand that 2+2=4 if he can draw 2 star plus 2 more stars instead of counting on his fingers.

Did You Know? 3.0

Technology is awesome! You can send an instant picture, pay bills, or take a class on-line. But, is it safe. If the information in this video is true are you surprised that the United States is falling behind? I'm not against all technology just not that fund of the Internet. I feel that too much information is shared over the net. Seriously, how hard is it to find information about making a destructive weapon or how to use or make a drug? And for the people that are more advanced, how hard is it to still someones identity? Most countries make it mandatory that their students learn English before they graduate from high school, but the U.S. make it optional to learn a second language. So its not surprising that China will soon be the #1 English speaking country in the world. Guess what's on the net: Web sites that teach you to speak a second language.

Since this video focus on how much people use the Internet, let's talk about how much you don't learn when you choose to use the net. Think about, if you have a report on rocks, will you learn more if you go to the library to check out books, go to the rock museum, and actually examine a rock or will you remember the report that someone else has already written? For me begin hands on help me learn, not just memorize.

I feel that we create problems. I love when time was simple. I love when people grew their own food and we did not have an obesity crisis. But I also love the discovery of radiation. It saved my Aunt's life. Can some one tell me where you find common ground?

1st Post

My name is Shukelia Mitchell. I have a daughter (Shaneva) that is eight. I work at Upscale Braid Shop. I have been working their for the past four years. I also attend the University of South Alabama. My major is elementary education. I am the cheerleader coach for Tiny-mite B at Municipal Park. I am the oldest out of six siblings. I am 27 and the youngest is 4 (smile). I have a very close family. What I enjoy most about my family is Sunday dinner at Granny Jean's house.

In my spare time I enjoy reading drama books. One of my favorite is The Coldest Winter Ever by Sista Soujah. I also enjoy teaching my daughter how to cook. We will try any recipe and sometime we have to try it more than once.

My birthday is today and I am enjoying every moment of it. I went to New Orleans over the weekend and my daughter to me to Waffle House this morning. My mother took me to Zea's. My boyfriend brought me to a coach purse. I have awesome family and friends!