Final Reflection

Final Reflection of EDM310

Blog Assignment #5 Part 2

My PLN


PLN's are a very important tool used in todays world. A PLN is a personal learning network that contains people, websites, and information you can go to when needed. It is very handy because you can add anything you want to it, at any point. They are not just used to help teachers stay organized, they are used to help everyone stay organized. I used Symbaloo to create my PLN. I have added so many new things to my PLN since the beginning of the semester when I first created it. I have added different teachers that were assigned to me as C4T's, and also lots of websites we have used during the semester. I believe my PLN will always be helpful to me during my career and lifetime in general.

C4T#4

My Teacher

This week I chose to comment on Lana Gerin's blog. Lana made a fairly small blog post for this week, but it was great because she added lots of pictures. She included pictures of her kids on crazy sock day, and her son dressed as a ninja turtle about to go trick or treating. Lana makes a point that she has a very busy, but fun schedule. You can tell by Lana's blog that she loves being a teacher, and a mom.

My Comment

Hi Lana,
My name is Amanda Vaughan, and I am also in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I am majoring in elementary education and wish to become a kindergarten teacher in the future. I enjoyed reading your blog post and especially loved all the pictures. It sounds like you have a lot on your plate, but that can be a good thing! It means that you are very determined, and have an ambition to do great things. Overall, great post! Good luck in all you do. If you would like to visit my Personal Blog please do so. You can also visit our Class Blog.

My Teacher

I commented on Lana's blog once again this week. She created a post that was short and sweet. She included pictures of the animal reports her students were doing and also a picture of a sweet and encouraging card that one of her students gave her.

My Comment

Hi Lana,
I know sometimes when you are very busy, it seems like time will never slow down to give you a break. I completely understand! Just keep pushing forward, and living life to the fullest. Animal reports sound like a very fun idea for your students. Also, the card your student gave you was very sweet. Even though you made a shorter post for the week, I think it was still great because it kept us tuned into your life. Great post! Please check out my Personal Blog, and our Class Blog.

Blog Assignment #14

For our blog post this week we were required to read Teaching our Children can be a Profession. This article contained some very good ideas on how the school systems can be changed for the better. It also provided some ideas that I was unsure about. I couldn't decide whether they would be useful, or destructive to school systems. Here are a few examples.

Picking from the Best

This is a topic that suggests a new and improved approach on recruiting teachers in schools. There has been a study that says most graduates chosen to become teachers are not advanced in certain areas of teaching reading, or math procedures. Mr. Klein suggests that instead of just randomly picking new teachers from a graduating class, they need to pick the students who graduated at the top of their class.

I agree with this. I think that schools who want to make a difference in the way their students learn need to go the extra mile, and choose the top graduates. Working hard in college to become the best possible teacher always pays off in the long run. Because the students are so advanced in todays society, only teachers who are serious about their jobs should be hired into the school system.

Seniority Distraction

Seniority distraction, is a point that was made about how teachers are all treated the same, and are given the same rules no matter what the consequences are. For example, when there comes a time for a teacher to be layed off, the teacher who was most recently hired takes the plunge, even though that teacher may be the most well educated for the job. This also means that all teachers are paid the same in a school system. It doesn't matter if one teacher out shines the other, they still get paid the same.

I agree and disagree with this topic. I agree that all teachers should be paid the same. There will always be critics who want to put certain teachers down who don't deserve it. There is also no completely fair judge on how much more or less a teacher should be paid. However, when it is time to lay off a teacher, I don't believe the teacher layed off should be the most recent hired. The teacher who was most recently hired is often times the teacher who can bring the latest teaching methods and technology to the classroom. It is unfair for that teacher to be the first one chosen to leave the school system.

Radical Change

Mr. Shanker made an overview of all his ambitious ideas for a new and improved school system. He included new standards that teachers have to follow, and promoting teachers based on exams they take. He states that our schools won't get anywhere is teachers continue to work using their old ways.

I agree that schools today need to alter their teaching methods to improve. However, I don't believe that teachers should be advanced on how they answer an exam questionnaire. I think if their had to be something that would qualify teachers on advanced pay, it would be their in class teaching skills. If a teacher is able to teacher his or her students in the most affective ways then they should be able to qualify for an advance.

C4K Posts for November

C4K #8

This week I was assigned to comment on Saffronl's blog post. He is in Mr. Akerson's fifth grade class from St. Louis. This week Saffronl made a blog post rephrasing the Declaration of Independence by adding in how he dislikes art, and thinks schools should not have it. He was very creative. He provided different reasons why he and his fellow classmates did not like to do art projects, such as the fact that they are worthless. At the end of his post he provided a list of students who agree that schools don't need art. He then told his audience to comment if they agree.

My Comment

Hi Saffronl,
My name is Amanda Vaughan, and I attend the University of South Alabama located in Mobile, Alabama. Although I love art, I enjoyed reading your blog post. You did a great job of rephrasing the Declaration of Independence. You were very creative! Please check out My Personal Blog, and also Our Class Blog. Great blog post!

C4K #9

This week I was assigned to comment on Ayleen's blogpost. She is in Mrs. Mena's 5th grade class. She wrote her blog post on what she would do if she left her homework folder at school. She wrote about Edmodo, which she described as a Facebook for kids. She wrote that she could contact her classmates through Edmodo to get her homework. I thought Edmodo was something that was very interesting because I had never heard of it before.

My Comment

HI Ayleen,
My name is Amanda Vaughan, and I am in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. It sounds like Edmodo is a great website for students to contact each other. You could use it in so many ways such as; homework help, finding out details about homework if you forget your folder, or even just to talk to your classmates. I think you did a great job with your blog post this week! Please check out my Personal Blog, and Our Class Blog.

No C4K #10

C4K #11

This week I was assigned to comment on Sean M's blog. He is in Mrs. Mena's 5th grade class at Camarena Elementary School in Chula Vista, Ca. This week for Sean's blog post he typed a few quotes from Dead Yet Alive chapter 2.

My Comment

Hi Sean,
My name is Amanda, and I go to the University of South Alabama, located in Mobile, Al. I am learning how to blog for the first time in my EM310 class. I think you did a great job on your blog post this week! Please take a look at My Personal Blog, and Our Class Blog.

Blog Assignment #13

Blog Post #
What Can We Learn From Mr. Wright? How is he different from other teachers?

Truly Amazing Teacher

After Watching this video, write a quality blog post about what you have learned.



My Blog Post

First of all, let me start off by saying that A Truly Amazing Teacher, was one of the most inspirational videos I have ever watched. Mr. Wright is an amazing teacher and man in general. He makes class fun for his students, and gets them thinking. Mr.Wright stated, "If you can only get your students asking how? and why? then you have them intrigued." Mr. Wright makes his kids wonder how things work and why certain things happen. Someone only truly learns something if they truly care. In this video of Mr. Wrights class, you can really by the students faces that they are very focused on Mr. Wright and what he is teaching.

Mr. Wright states that the key is to reach out to your students. Just letting them know that they have someone to talk to can really make a difference. He knows there are lots of kids who have bad home lives, or have no one to turn to at all. He shares a few of these instances with us in the video. He then goes on to talk about his own home life. He tells his class that he has a son at home who was born with a disease that does not allow him to control his own body. His son is very intelligent, but his brain can't send messages to his body telling it what he wants it to do. Mr. Wright says he gets through this through love. Love makes everything work out in the long run.

From this video, I learned that it is important to keep my students wanting more. That will be when they learn the most. Also, make sure my students know they can reach out to me if they ever need help, or simply just want to talk. As Mr. Wright said, everything can work because of love. If I truly care about my class and students, then I will find ways to make things work in my classroom.

SmartBoard Project PartB

Fractions Lesson

C4T#3

C4T Post#1

This week I was assigned to comment on Julie Reuter's blog. She told a very inspiring story about how she built up the courage to get back on her bike. She always thought riding a bike was terrifying. She then saw her friend/role model get on a bike, so she asked her for some inspiration. She then went on a bike ride with all her family, and overcame her fear. At the end of her ride she suddenly took a fall, and her son asked if she was okay. She told him she was and got back up on to her bike. She wrote that she did not want to let her son down. She wanted to show him that his mother could do anything. Julie had a very inspirational post. She wrote that ,"I tell my students all the time to take risks and not to worry if you fall."

My comment #1

Hi Julie,
My name is Amanda Vaughan, and I am in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. Your blog post was very inspirational. You should feel wonderful that you were able to accomplish your fears and take the bike ride. I liked when you stated that you tell your students to take risks and not to worry if they fall. Telling your students this story would give them inspiration to do anything if they set there mind to it. Overall, great blog post! Please check out My Personal Blog, and Our Class Blog.

C4T Post#2

The week I read Ms. Julie Reuter's blog once again. She created a post that was about looping her students during two years of class. She writes that she enjoyed keeping the same students for two years because she was able to built a strong relationship with those students. She writes that she incorporated blogging into her students work. She says her class has enjoyed having blogging buddies from across the world. She always incorporates the three C's into her class which are: communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. She added pictures of her students to her blog post which were great! Her students look as if they are having lots of fun, and Ms. Reuter seems to be a great teacher.

My Comment

Hi Julie,
I think the fact that you are able to have the same students in your class for two years of school in a row is amazing. That gives you time to really connect with your students and know their strengths and weaknesses. It is almost as if you get to pick up where you left off in class after the students return from summer break. Although it is always hard to let a group of students go, the time you spent with them will always be treasured. I enjoyed seeing pictures of your students, it looks like everyone had lots of fun! Overall, I very much enjoyed reading your post. Great job! If you would like to check out My Personal Blog, or Our Class Blog please do so!

Blog Assignment #12

Group #3

The Mountbatten By:Amanda Vaughan

The The Mountbatten, is an amazing tool that is used to type braille. This tool provides feedback to the individual as they are typing. It says each letter out loud as each button is pushed. This makes it very easy for someone who is blind to avoid making mistakes while typing. The mountbatten is a handy tool that allows files to be sent and received from a computer. It can also save files for next time when a student needs a break, and wants to return to their work later. It is great for someone who is just starting to learn braille. By using this tool, students who are blind will not feel as left out during group projects in class.

The next video, Russel Hinderman using the Mountbatten, is a video I found on my own. In this video Russel is shown learning how to use the Mountbatten. He seems very eager to use the tool. This video shows that the Mountbatten can indeed be used by young students. I think this tool could be handy for anyone! The Mountbatten allows teachers to guide their students in the right direction as the tool does the talking. I think this brailler is something that is very easy to use, and can be very helpful even if students don't have a teacher sitting next to them as they type. Blind children could also use the Mountbatten for independent learning exercises.

The iPad for the Blind By: Kayla Cooper

In the article How The Blind Use A IPad it explains how a blind person uses the iPad. Apple has many programs an apps for the blind. Apple has a built in screen reader and this helps the blind because a screen reader reads the screen for you. For example: when you click over an app, the screen reader will read the app to you. Apple also has a Braille Display. According to this article, "a refreshable Braille display is an electronic device that displays visual information (text) as Braille (text) on a Braille display." For a blind person the Braille display can help them type and use ke
ys. The iPad and other apple products are great tools for not only the blind but for anyone.

This video iPad usage for the blind shows a blind man explaining how he uses the iPad. This video is amazing to me because not only did I just explain that a blind person can use the iPad but the video actually shows a blind person using the iPad. He seems to not have any trouble with it. I believe apple products are great for everyone. They make them easy to use for anyone.



Assistive Technologies By: Lindsey Donald

In the video Assistive Technologies for Vision and Hearing Impaired Children , we learn facts about children in Australia who have hearing and vision impairment. This video shows many images of children using different forms of assistive technology in the classroom. From this video we learn that on average, one Australian child is identified with impaired hearing every day! One in every 2500 children have vision impairment. We see these students participating in class and activities just as everyone without disabilities would do. This is a very inspirational video that proves to us that all children can interact with one another in and out of the classroom.

The video chose was Assistive Technology Rocks My Classroom! This video is about a girl named Elina, who has a physical disability called athetoid cerebral palsy. This disability makes it hard for Elina to use her muscles for everyday activities such as: eating, walking and even talking. She started using assistive technology when she was just nine years old. Using assistive tech Elina is able to do things like: draw, paint, write in cursive and speak! She has accomplished so many things by using this technology. Elina and her classmates even taught others how to use this technology at an international conference! Elina is a perfect example of how assistive technology can help students with disabilities accomplish long term goals and overcome so many obstacles.


Teaching Math to the Blind By:Raven Williams

Teaching Math to the blind

Teaching math to the blind is very difficult. Braille is the language that a blind person uses to read or write. The problem with braille is that it is very linear. Blind students are not able to how even the most simple math problems are two dimensional. When given an addition problem, a hearing student would normally line up the numbers to solve the problem. A student that is blind would see the problem on the same line.

                                                         Deaf Student            Hearing Student

1234+4567      VS.           123

                                     +4567

Art Karshmer is a professor at the University of San Francisco School of Management and Chairman of the Department of Technology. He developed a system that translates the 2-dimensional concepts of mathematical problems into a single dimensionality of braille to allow a blind student to understand those concepts into their visual cortex through touch and electronic feedback. He believes that students that are blind are barred from the study of all of the core or "stem " sciences that rely on math as their root language. His system uses small blacks with braille numbers that can be placed on a grid and can be read to the student. The block itself can also be scanned and read aloud by a computer. With this system, a braille student is able to lay out a math problem that same way a sighted student would see it on paper. Using this device with blind students can help build a foundation that will help them in their future studies.

Teacher Interview

Blog Assignment #11

In the video, Back to the Future, there were so many fun things that Brian Crosby allowed his students to do. They did so many fun, hands on projects that really allowed the students to learn something new and have fun at the same time. Brian said time and time again that the students were completely blown away with the projects. The balloon project was my favorite. It was such a creative idea to attach a camera to the balloon and watch the footage as the ballon floated higher and higher. This taught the students how pressure works. Overall, this video was very inspirational.

The next video was Blended Learning Cycle. This video actual broke down what blended learning was all about, and also what the learning cycle was. Paul Anderson explains that in a blended learning cycle there are a few steps to take. It is important to start class with a question, something that really hooks your students.You then let your students investigate the topic and experiment. Next, you show them a video that explains the topic a little more. You then move on to elaborations, reviewing, and finally a summary quiz. One thing I noticed by watching this video was that the blended learning cycle is a very organized way of teaching. I think I would definitely use this cycle, because I like to be very organized.

A video I really enjoyed was, Teaching Digital Citizenship. I think it is a great idea to teach students the responsibilities of going online, and becoming involved digitally. Students should know what types of precautions to take when online, and things they should avoid. I absolutely loved the fun project they did when they created their own super hero character. This allowed the kids to have fun while learning. They then gave their characters a real life situation, and created a story. The students were told to add in pictures of themselves, which allowed them to be more involved in the project and feel ownership. This activity was very fun and educational at the same time for the students. I would definitely do something like this in my future classroom.

The classroom in, Project Based Learning, was no or ordinary classroom. This classroom blended different subjects together, and had not one teacher, but three. This class inspires me in so many ways. I never thought blending different subjects together like this could be possible! Instead of getting feedback from one teacher, they get feedback from three. This allows the students to broaden their thinking skills, and get better and better at what they are doing. By blending these subjects together, time is opened up to perfect their work, and make it the best possible. I was completely amazed with this classroom. I was such a different, yet productive idea to blend subjects.

I have learned so many wonderful things about project based learning. A good example of a school who uses PBL is Roosevelt Elementary. This school truly strives to help their students learn as much as possible through project based learning. The teachers in this video pointed out lots of things such as the fact PBL helps with public speaking skills. If the students start presenting their projects to the class at a young age then they will be less afraid to speak in public as they get older. Students are also extremely excited to present their project to the class and show what they have created. PBL helps students apply real world situations in the classroom. The teachers in this video sound as if their main priority is to teach the students in the best possible way. Overall, I think PBL is great, and should definitely be used in the classroom form kindergarden on up.

Project #12 Part A

How to Use a Smartboard.

Blog Assignment #10

While watching the first one of Ms. Cassidy's videos, I was simply amazed with how much she used technology in her classroom. She teaches such an ambitious group of students who seem to want to learn more, and do more with technology in the classroom. This video was such an amazing way to show how affective technology can be for students. I gained many ideas from this video that I would be able to use in my future classroom such as; using blogs, Nintendo DS's, and Wiki's.

While watching interview one, and interview two with Ms. Cassidy, I gained a deeper understanding of how her classroom works. She talked about how affective blogging was for her students. Her students are excited to write on their blogs because of how many people across the web will be able to see what they write. The blogging site that her students use, allow them to see how many people have looked at their blogs. The students get extremely excited when they see someone comment on their blog post, whether it is a family member, or someone from a different state. They also practice their writing and grammar skills when making a post. One thing I could see that would interrupt the blogging process would be if a student made a rude comment on another students blog that could possibly bring up an argument or dispute. To prevent this from happening I would check my students blog pages periodically. Blogging is something I would definitely love to use in my future classroom. A benefit of using blogging in the classroom would be having students practice writing, and also practice commenting on other students work. Something else that I would love to use in my future classroom are Wiki's. I love the idea of students being able to see other students work, and being able to interact with them too. Using Wiki is a great way to get ideas from other teachers that you could use in your own classroom. I can definitely see the use of Wiki becoming something fun and useful at the same time for teachers and students.

The last video was interview three. In this video, students from EDM310 got a chance to ask Ms. Cassidy some questions they had about teaching with technology. They had some very good questions. One student asked how often Ms. Cassidy's students get on their blog. She replied that it depends on the year and the class size of her students. Sometimes her students blog more to practice their writing and grammar skills, but if they are assigned to do something with another teacher that day, then they may not get around to blogging. Overall, she replied that her students blog once or twice a week. Another EDM310 student asked about the use of networking in Ms. Cassidy's personal life vs. in the classroom. She stated that she used to never use it for personal reasons, but now she is using it more than ever. She says that she is now using Facebook, and Twitter. She finds them to be very affective ways for gaining information from other teachers and educators.

Overall, watching the interviews with Ms. Cassidy has completely inspired me! I have learned so many new things to do with my students using technology. As Ms. Cassidy said, technology will never slow down. So I should not be inclined to believe that I won't use it in my future classroom, because I will. My students will want to use it more than ever. It is so nice to be able to receive advice form an educator, knowing I will be in their shoes soon.

C4K Posts for October

Summary C4K #4

I commented on Victoria's blog post this week. She is a 6th grader in Ms. Rivera's class. Victoria made a post about a book that she was reading. She predicted what was going to happen in the next chapter before she read it. She provided lots of detail about the book, and the characters in it. You could tell that she was very interested in the book. She made a great blog post!

My Comment

Hi Victoria,
I am in a class called EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. In this class we are learning how to be a blogger. I think your blog post this week was great! You gave lots of great detail. It sounds like you are really interested in this book, which is also great. I encourage you to keep reading so you can find out what happens next. Overall, great post! If you would like to visit our class blog Take a look. You can also visit My Personal Blog.

Summary C4K #5

This week I commented on Brody's blog post. He is a seventh grader in Mrs. Ripp's class. This week he made a post about how students should be able to do more fun things during school.He started his post off by asking the question, "What do you think school should let us do?" He thought students should be able to jump out of swings, and climb trees at school.He ended his post by telling his audience bye, and posting a picture of two deer.

My Comment

Hi Brody!
I attend the University of South Alabama which is located in Mobile, Alabama. I am a sophomore in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class. I enjoyed your ambitious attitude in this post! It sounds like you are very adventurous and outgoing. However, I don't know if jumping out of swings is the best idea. I think schools could allow you to do lots of other fun things that are a lot safer. Overall, I think you did a great job with this post. Great job! Visit our Class Blog. You can also visit My Personal Blog.

Summary C4K #6

This week I commented on Zachary's blog post. He is a first grader in Mrs. Philipenko's class. His blog post was short, as I imagined a first graders would be. He wrote" At School I like play Jacob." He got his point across that he likes to play with Jacob at school.

My Comment

Hi Zachary! My name is Amanda Vaughan. You did great with your blog post this week! Please visit My Blog, or Our Class Blog.

Summary C4K #7

This week I was assigned to comment on Kyan's blog post. He goes to Pt England School in Auckland, NZ, and is a 6th grader in Mr. Somerville's class. He based his blog post on the "Kete of Knowledge." He used google presentation for his blog post to keep his information organized. He did a great job!

My Comment

Hi Kyan,
My name is Amanda Vaughan, and I am a student at the University of South Alabama located in Mobile, Alabama. I liked your blog post this week. It was a great idea to use google presentation to keep your information organized. However, your header was a little hard to read because of the yellow font color, maybe try a darker one next time! :) Overall, great job! You can also check out my Personal Blog, and our Class Blog.

Blog Assignment #9

After reading Seven Essentials for Project Based Learning, I have discovered many new facts about making projects for students. It's important to keep your students attention when introducing a project. Make the introduction something fun that will intrigue students. This will be your driving question. Next, it's important to let your students have a voice in their project. Let them decide how they will present it, and how they will make it creative. After the students make their presentations, the teacher should allow the students to critique each other using a rubric. This will give the students who are presenting a drive to do the best they can. Making the students do a presentation helps them to have more of a meaning to learn the materials.

As I watched Project-Based Learning for Teachers, I gained a total and complete understanding of what project based learning was in a nutshell. I like the fact that the video started off asking the audience if they want more in the classroom. Project Based Learning is a new way for teachers to allow students to investigate a driving question on their own, and do research about it themselves. Students learn so much more than they would doing a normal boring project. This video provided so many facts about PBL, it was truly a great resource.

The next video I watched was PBL:What Motivates students today. I found it very interesting that most young students answered that getting a good job, and keeping their grades up is what motivates them. These kids made really thoughtful observations in their videos. They state that they needed good grades to succeed, and that succeeding was extremely important to them. The students then talked about getting rewarded for good grades and behavior during class. One boy said that his teacher gave them pretend money if they were good, and then the students could spend their money on a treat at school. I thought this was such a smart and fun idea for the students. Lots of the students said that their teachers do a different activity for each day of the week. I think that could be something very fun for the students to look forward to. Overall, it was very interesting to hear the student's opinions for what motivates them, and different rewards they receive.

Two students solve the case of the watery ketchup by designing a new cap, was very interesting. It showed two senior boys who created a new cap for a ketchup bottle that does not allow water to come out with the ketchup. They showed their sketches and brainstorm ideas in a book that the boys had recorded. They then designed a new cap using a computer program. The two boys used project based learning for this assignment. They learned something new and also created something very useful.

Project Based Learning in PE is an article that shows that project based learning activities can be done in PE as well as in the classroom. Its's actually a great idea because everyone needs physical fitness in their lives, and everyone can benefit from the project. In this project, high school students were assigned to find ways of fitness that would be beneficial for middle school kids. Through this project students not only learn new ways of fitness, but also team work skills,strategies, and how it is to be a role model. This shows that PBL is something that everyone can use no matter what the subject is!

Project #14

Lesson Plan 2




GoogleSiteProject#14

Implications and Teaching Opportunities for Camera Use in Teaching and Learning

Part A

The information given by Dr. Strange in the Class Blog was very interesting, but also very true. Almost everyone I know has a smartphone and 90% of those people have an iPhone. Most of my friends never let their phone out of their sight. Individuals are starting to get phones at a younger age than ever before. Most elementary school students know how to work a smartphone and even have their own. I think it is important that teachers start to incorporate using a smart phone or iPhone in their classrooms.

Most teachers shun the idea of students using their phone in the classroom, while they allow computers and laptops. It's very interesting to me that "68% say they would prefer to use their smartphone instead of their laptop or personal computer for personal use." This could be a sign for teachers that things need to change. Teachers should be open to students using their smartphone in the classroom. Whether it be to look up information, take pictures for class, or even to FaceTime another student. There are so many ways that teachers could incorporate using a smartphone into their lesson plans.

Part B

Here are a few ways students could use their smartphones,and tablet with camera during class.

1. FaceTime another student in their class, or even across the world.

2. Take pictures of objects for a project or class lesson.

3. Check the class blog if they have one.

4. Text their teacher and/or other students in their class for questions or information.

5. Email teachers and other students.

6. Visit the Alabama Virtual Library.

7. Use photos taken on their tablet to create an iMovie trailer.

8. Have students take pictures of certain objects at home and share during class.

Project #9

Video Book Conversation

Blog Assignment #8

In Randy Pausch's Last Lecture, there were a few points about teaching and learning that stood out to me. I thought Randy made a great point when he was talking about his football career as a boy. He stated that people who care about you are the ones who critique you the most. If your coach or teacher stops critiquing you then they have stopped caring about whether you succeed or not. This is something I should keep in mind when learning new things. When a teacher or coach critiques me I should know that they are doing it because they care. Randy also states that if you get angry with someone, don't stay mad, give them time. I realize when I become a teacher, I will have many days when my students and work may frustrate or overwhelm me. It will be important for me to remember Randy's lecture during those times. I will step back, take a breath, and give things time instead of getting upset.

Randy talks about when he gave his students a two week assignment, and they came back with amazing projects that blew him away. He then was unsure what to do because the student's work was so good, so he called his mentor and got advice. He was told to challenge his students even more than before. As a teacher I can learn from this. I will always know that my students are capable of more than I think, so it is important to keep challenging them. This way my students will not be restrained to only learn certain materials, they will go above and beyond to learn more and more. Throughout Randy's lecture he greatly refers to how his students impressed him through his teaching career. He used project based learning and gave his students lots of freedom when working on projects. I think that is what being a teacher is all about. Teachers are suppose to be impressed by their students and their work. It is so important as a teacher, to be proud of your students.Randy used project based learning and gave his students lots of freedom when working on projects. He explained that students learn the most when they are doing something fun. They can learn the most difficult things when they are unaware that they are actually learning.

Randy gives great advice during his lecture about not only teaching and learning, but life advice also. He says that its important to always have fun. Also, to always help others. I think that Randy did a wonderful job during his lecture. He kept the audience interested, and was a joy to watch.

C4T #2

C4T#1

My teacher this week was Jabiz Raisdana. In his blog Jabiz talks about reading programs. The first topic he explains is book talk. Book talk is when Jabiz takes a few minutes out of his class time to talk to his students about different books that he recommends. During this talk Jabiz explains to the students the strengths of the book. For example he talks about how the book is well written, and has the potential to be exciting for his students to read. He stays that his students get a lot out of these book talks. They come up to him and thank him for recommending the books. Jabiz then goes to his next topic when he states that he allows fifteen minutes at the beginning of each class time for his students to read their own book. He says that he makes no exemptions to this rule, the kids read no matter what. Some kids enjoy reading from the start. On the other hand, those who don't enjoy it from the start eventually learn to like reading. His next topic is Goodreads.Goodreads is a web site that allows students to log in what times they are reading their books and for how long they are reading. This website is very beneficial for teachers because it allow them to see when their students are reading. Jabiz very much encourages his students to read as much as possible. Reading is great because you always learn new things when you are reading.

Comment #1

In my comment to Mr. Raisdana I first introduced myself. I let him know that I was in EDM310 and that I attended the University of South Alabama. I stated that I thought his blog post was great because I learned many things from it. I learned about book talks. Book talks in my opinion, are absolutely fantastic for students because the teacher can give suggestions for books. This would make the students excited to read the book because they know a little background information about it. Next, I thought Goodreads was great. By using this website I could see how engaged my students were with their books at home. I could see if students were really enjoying their books enough to read while a teacher was not watching. Overall, I thanked Mr. Raisdana for creating his post on reading. It was really great!

C4T#2

In Mr. Raisdana's post for this week, he talks about reading more young american literature to better understand your students. Jabiz states that at first he couldn't bare the thought of reading books that his students were reading. He would be straying away from his favorite authors and books. Then he realized that if he read more YA literature that he could even recommend books to his students. He started emailing certain books to students in his class because he figured they would enjoy reading them. This came off as very beneficial to students. He could talk about books with his them that they were actually reading. His students even started recommending books to Jabiz too.


Comment #2

Hi Jabiz,
I found your blog post very interesting when you stated that teachers need to read some of the same books as their students. I think you make a very good point with this. It's a bonus for students to be able to talk about the books they are reading with their teacher. I like when you talked about how you were even emailing students that they should read certain books. That seems like it would be extremely helpful for them. Overall, I think you make a great point in this blog post! Please visit our Class Blog. Also, you can visit my Personal Blog.

Project #13

TheBiographyProjectLessonPlan

Project #7 Part B Videos

Movie For Student's Parents



Movie For My Students

Blog Assignment #7

The first video was, How to make an audio QR Code. In this video I was taken through step by step on how to create my very own QR audio code. I think being able to make a QR audio code will be very beneficial to me as I start teaching. After I graduate, I hope to become an kindergarden or first grade teacher. Making an audio QR code will allow me to read stories to the children from a recording. I could also even teach lessons this way if I were to have a substitute teacher one day. I think the kids would love this.

The next video was, IPad Reading Center. In this video I learned that children in kindergarden record themselves reading on their iPads. This is a very effective way for kids to learn about any mistakes they make while reading. It is also a great idea for the teacher to be able to watch the videos of the students reading. The teacher would be able to see if he or she needs to review anything to the children, if they were having trouble in a certain area. This method is also very fun for the students. They seem to enjoy watching their videos of themselves while they read. Overall, I think the IPad reading center is a great idea, especially for younger students learning to read.

In the video Poplet with Ginger Tuck, Ginger talks about what poplets are and how to use them. She says that her kindergarden class is using poplets. It is great way for students to understand the material,practice their typing skills, and even their picture taking skills. As Ginger makes the poppet, it looks just like a web would look. She added the topic she was focusing on in the middle, and different information about the topic around it in boxes.I think using poplets in the classroom would be an effective way for students to learn.

The next video is, AVL and Kindergarden Students. This was one of my favorite videos, because I can see the potential in using the Alabama Virtual Library for students in elementary school and beyond. I liked the fact that students in kindergarden were able to log onto the AVL and research different topics all by there selves. Then, after they listened to the material on the AVL website, they drew pictures, and wrote sentences about what they learned. Having the students draw and write about the material they learned is a great idea, because the teacher can truly see if the students learned something new.

Next, the video that we had to watch was called, Tammy Shirley Discovery Education Board Builder Moon Project. In this video Ms. Tammy Shirley and her student Carley demonstrated how to use Discovery Education Board Builder. It was amazing to me that Carley was only in the first grade, and fully knew how to work this website, and create new things on her board. This program was used on the iPad. Carley showed us how to search for new information on the Discovery Education website. She then showed us that there were videos to watch and images to see. Discovery Education Board Builder is a great site to use for students. They can find lots of information on their assignment topic, and then write about the material learned.

Mrs. Tassin 2nd Grade students share Board Building Project was a video of Mrs. Tassin and two of her students who were talking about their Board Building Project on Whales. The students went on a virtual tour of a National Park in Alaska. They explained how they got the images off of Safari, and uploaded them to their project. The kids seem to know what they were doing as they worked on the project.

Mrs.Tassin's students share Board Builder Project was a video in which some of the students from Mrs. Tassin's class shared a project they created. The students used project based learning in this video. The girls showed what they had created about The Haven. They started their project off with a question for the audience. Then began showing images and information about The Haven, and what it was. The girls told us that they got their images off of Safari and Google. They also googled certain words to find synonyms,so they could replace the smaller word with a bigger vocabulary word. Mrs. Tassin's 2nd grade students definitely know how to do a board building project using PBL.

The next video was, Using iMovie and the Alabama Virtual Library in Kindergarden. Dr. Strange, Michele Bennett, and Elizabeth Davis talked about how kindergardeners use both iMovie and the Alabama Virtual Library. Ms. Bennett starts off talking about how her kindergardeners use iMovie, and use it very well. She says that they love editing their movies again and again. She even talked about another teacher who could not get her kids to stop using iMovie when it was time to move on to a different lesson in class. Ms. Bennett says that her kindergartens took to learning this program very easily. She demonstrated it a few times in class, and after that the students could do it on their own. Then, Ms. Davis moves on to talk about how her kindergardeners use the Alabama virtual library. She says it is very easy for students to look up even the most basic words to find information about. She thinks it is amazing that kindergartens can look up this information on their own. Dr. Strange makes a point that even his students in college have trouble using iMovie at times. Therefore, I think it is absolutely amazing that kindergardeners can do it on their own.

The final video was, We All Become Learners. Ms. Bennett starts off by stating that everyone learns from each other. In other word we are all teachers and learners. She talks about how one of her kindergarden students actually showed her how to use Padlet. She says that she is always learning from her students. Dr. Strange makes a point that Gulf Shores Elementary School is always allowing visitors to come and see what the students are doing and learning. He says the students are always eager to learn. Ms. Bennett adds that some of the teachers even rely on the students to teach them new things, and even programs on the iPad. She says that this is a new dynamic of learning, when the students actually come up and teach the teachers. Everyone learns new things at all times.

Project #8 Book Trailer

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

C4K Summary for September

Summary C4K #1


This week I was assigned to comment on Nathaniel's blog post. He is in Ms. Squire's 7th/8th grade class. His blog post this week was on President Barack Obama's trip to see the stonehenge. He included two pictures in his post. One picture taken of the president walking among the huge rocks ,and the other just taken of the stonehenge itself. Nathaniel included that the president was on his way home from Nato Summit ,and couldn't resist not stopping at the stonehenge. Nathaniel's grammar was good, and overall he created a good blog post for the week.

My Comment


In my comment on Nathaniel's post, I introduced myself. I included that I was a sophomore here at USA, and I was working to become an elementary school teacher in the future. Also, that I was in a class called EDM310 , and I was learning how to make weekly posts on my very first blog. I then complimented Nathaniel on his post. I mentioned that I enjoyed his use of pictures, and I enjoyed learning something new about President Obama. I told Nathaniel that I thought the only thing missing in his post was a little background information. I would have liked to know things such as, when the president visited the stonehenge, and also if anyone was with him. Overall, I told him that his blog post was done very well and I enjoyed reading it.


Summary C4K #2


This week I commented on Kelson's blog. He is in the fifth grade in Mrs. Schraml's class. In this post, Kelson explains what he is creating in Minecraft. Minecraft is a program that is used on xbox, PC's, and also smartphones. Kelson states that he is using this program to create a computer and also a chair. He tells how big each item is an also what color everything is. He says that he is building these objects using blocks that are included in Minecraft. He explains things very well in his post, but has a few grammatical errors. Kelson says that he does not know what he would like these objects to do, so he ends his post with a question to his fellow bloggers to let him know what they think.


My Comment


When I commented on Kelson's post, I stated that I attended USA, and gave a little bit of background information. I described how I was in college to become an elementary education teacher, and teach kids like himself one day. I gave him a link to our class blog and also my personal blog so he could really see what our class was doing, and how it worked. I then complimented Kelson on his work. I stated that I felt like I could actual see a picture of his computer and matching chair in my mind as I read the post. I told him that it was a great idea to end his post with a question. My answer would be that I would also create a person to work the computer. I would then used his person to look up information on the computer that he wanted to find out about. I assured Kelson that I enjoyed reading his post.

Summary C4K #3


This week I commented on Madeline E's blog post. This week she made a blog post about talent vs. hard work. She was assigned to state which was more important to have. Madeline said that hard work was better that talent. She started off by giving a dictionary deffiniton of both talent and hard work. She used lots of quotes in her post as well. Madeline states that if you have talent, then you don't work as hard as the people who do not. As she added in quotes she gives a translation of each one after. Madeline's post this week was well done.


My Comment


I started off my comment to Madeline by introducing myself. I told her that I was a student at USA, and I wished to become an elementary school teacher in the future. I complimented Madeline on her post for the week. I agreed that I too thought hard work was more important than talent. Being talented at something is great, but if you aren't talented at that special something, then you can always make up for it with hard work. Everyone has the ability to work hard, but not everyone has the ability to be talented at something. I told Madeline that I enjoyed her use of quotes inside her post. I ended by telling her that I enjoyed reading her post for the week, and that I hope she kept up the good work.

Blog Assignment #6

Conversations with Anthony Capps

In this video Project Based Learning Part 1, Dr. Strange and Anthony Capps had an engaging conversation about project based learning, and how it works. Dr. Strange asked Mr. Capps lots of great questions such as; How does it work, and is it effective? Mr. Capps stated that it is definitely effective. He says that students love doing it, it really helps them learn and become engaged in their work at the same time. Mr. Capps stated how his students critiqued each others work and did a very good job doing so. I liked the story that Mr. Capps talked about at the end of the video. This story was about the girl in his class named Gabrielle who proved that her answer was indeed correct when the students were going over their answers during class. She referred back to the text they were reading and clearly her answer was in the passage. This story was a great example of how students and teachers both are still learning.

The next video was Project Based Learning Part 2. In this video Anthony Capps starts off by talking about one of his favorite group projects he had his students do. This was a project on different types of cultures. Mr. Capps says that he had never been more proud of his students work before. He let his third graders explore different websites, and find their own information. He points out that a teacher should never limit their students to what type of work they should do in their projects. It is important for them to do their own thing, and learn from it. Mr. Capps states that students love doing group projects. The students give lots of feedback by talking about which idea they like best, or which idea they do not like. Mr. Capps states that one of his main goals is to give his students work that is meaningful. In other words, they can get something out of what they are working on. Also, he likes to give students assignments that let them choose the topic on their own. This lets students be more proud of their work. This interview definitely teaches me that project based learning is rewarding to students. They enjoy doing it, and also enjoy the outcome at the end.

In the video iCurio, Mr. Capps and Dr. Strange talk about what iCurio is. Until now I had never heard of iCurio. It is a search engine that is filtered for students to use to look up factual information including videos and audio. It also contains a storage folder for students and teachers to keep their work in. ICurio is a kid friendly site. The storage folder can be very beneficial if a student has to leave the room unexpectedly, or even just to take a break for researching. Overall, I think iCurio would be great for students to use in the classroom.

The next video is called Discovery Education. Discovery Education is a tool that students can use to help them understand a topic, even if their teacher doesn't know a whole lot about it. I previews videos of other professionals and educators that do know about the topic the child is interested in. Discovery Education is a great tool for students because it can help them learn beyond only what their teacher knows. Dr. Strange comments saying that students are too, "learner watchers." They learn from what they see, and take advantage of that.

The Anthony-Strange Tips for Teachers Part 1, was another video I watched. In this video Dr. Strange and Mr. Capps gave tips for teachers. Dr. Strange starts off the video by saying that as a teacher, one of the key factors is to be interested in learning also. Mr. Capps states that when you are teaching, the work you do should also be fun for yourself. You should learn new ways to teach, and be interested in learning those ways. One of my favorite tips given by Dr. Strange was that teachers have to be spontaneous, and ready for the unexpected. It is very true that something unexpected could happen and throw your whole lesson plan off while teaching. Therefore, teachers should be ready for anything. Another key tip was reflection. It's a good idea for a student to reflect over his or her work, and make corrections. Having a good audience can help with reflection. Overall, Mr. Capps and Dr. Strange gave some great points that I had never given much thought to until I watched this video.

In the video Use Tech Don't Teach It, Mr. Capps talks about how technology should not be taught in a classroom, it should be used by the students to learn on their own. He says that technology is no factor for his third graders. They are using iMovie with no problem, and he didn't have to teach them at all. The students find out how to use these technical programs on their own. Mr. Capps allows his students to use the program again and again to get the hang of how it works. He likes to allow them to use a tool one week and use a different one the next. The kids get very excited about using technology. Kids also make lots of mistakes. That's just what they do. It's a good thing as a teacher to go back and review those mistakes so they don't happen again. Overall, I can definitely see Mr. Capps's point on allowing kids to be involved with technology.

The last video was, Additional Thoughts About Lessons. Mr. Capps talks about how a lesson should be broken up into four key parts. The first part is the year. You should focus on the year you are teaching the lesson, and if it will work during that year. Next, he says that you should stretch a lesson out. You should not teach it all in one day, but stretch it over days or weeks. Then, you have to look at lessons by weeks. Are you going to get all you want done during that one week? Finally, you have to look at a lesson by day. How are you going to engage your students in your lesson for today? Do you have something to get them interested? You should do as much as you can to get your students engaged during your daily lesson. Mr. Capps states some great information about getting a lesson planed out.

Watching these videos of Anthony Capps's and Dr.Strange's conversations has been very beneficial to me. I have learned great tips for my future teaching skills. I have learned that project based learning is great for students. They learn so much more while doing these group projects. Also, technology is a key factor in the classroom today. Students are adapting more and more to using a computer everyday for learning. It's great that they are learning about this technology at such a young age. Mr. Capps also stated great ways to make out a lesson plan. Thank you Dr. Strange and Anthony Capps for making these great videos!

Blog Assignment #5

PLN's What are they? How can they help me as a teacher?


PLN stands for personal learning network. PLN's can be great a source for most everyone, but especially for teachers. A PLN is a group things and people that someone can rely on for genuine, and interesting information. You can rely on the people and tools in your PLN for new information on a certain topic or even different view points on something. I believe it is a great idea to create a PLN if you do not have one already. You can use Symbaloo to create a PLN. They can be very helpful in your times of need. As a teacher,I could use my PLN to find new ideas for lesson plans from different teachers around the world. I could also use it to store a link for my class blog.

This week I was assignment to make my very own PLN. I used Symbaloo to create my PLN. I was amazed about how easy it was to access things such as twitter, blogger, and even just todays weather. I never knew that there was a program I could use to see all of my sources,websites, and friends at once. I also have started adding in reliable people that I can look to for help, or new ideas. I have added in the EDM staff, and a few people from twitter so far. Having a PLN will make life so much easier just by having everything I need at my fingertips. Having a PLN, will change how I look at teaching in the future.

My Sentence Videos

My Passion is helping others learn.





My Sentence is, "She didn't give up, because she knew the beginning was always the hardest.

Project #3 Presentation

C4T #1

C4T #1 Comment 1

Teachers Post


The teacher I have been assigned to is Mr. Tony Baldastro. In the blog post that I commented on this week, he talked about when his CEO mentioned 9 words that completely opened his eyes. Those nine words were "If we are really going to change the world." Baldastro stated how life changing those words were to him, and his mission in life. The words were very powerful in his eyes, and changed his outlook on what needs to be done in his world. He knew that he was doing the right thing at the right moment in life after listening to his CEO. He believes that if you find nine words to say about your mission in life that you should be able to start various conversations with those few words.


My Comment


I found that my words were; "If I am going to help my students learn." I think I could come up with many things to say starting with those words. Since I am planning to be a kindergarden teacher in the future, I will be most concerned with how I can teach students new learning methods, and show them how to work computer programs. I informed Mr. Baldastro that I was in EDM310, and told him a few things that we were learning such as new computer programs. I explained how I have recently become aware that most first graders are ahead of me in the learning race. My mission in life will be to use the most effective ways to teach my students and help them learn. Overall, I told Mr. Baldastro that his blog post was very inspiring to me and it made me want to discover new ways to teach my future students.

C4T #1 Comment 2

Teachers Post

This week Mr. Tony Baldastro made a blog post called "My Most Impostant Images of 2013." He posted seven different pictures with descriptions. He states that he had a dream to become a great photographer, so he practiced to achieve that goal. His pictures were mostly landscape imagines of boats, landscapes, and one of his daughter doing the breast stroke. He states that he focused of learning the shutter timings of the pictures, and all the different modes and filters his camera provided. The pictures are very well taken, and beautiful.


My Comment


In my comment I stated that I loved that he had a dream and went after it. He took the time to practice so he could perfect his photos. I wrote that I believed he had accomplished his dream of becoming a great photographer. On his photo of Mount Washington he even stated that he waited all day to get the shot. I told Mr. Baldastro that I believe he is very talented and dedicated to becoming better and better at photography. Once again I left a link to my personal blog and our EDM310 class blog. Overall, I highly complimented Mr. Baldastro on his blog post for the week.

Search Engines

Search Engines

1. The first search engine I have discovered is WolframAlpha. This search engine is mostly used to answer scientific and mathematical questions, and also provide explanations. It provides others with knowledge and helps individuals understand different methods. However, it is not only used for math and science, WolframAlpha will provide vocabulary definitions and even charts. This is my first time learning about this search engine ,and I have found it to be very effective and useful.

2. The second search engine I found is Bing. This search engine is a little different than WolframAlpha. It helps you keep up with the latest social media, and can also help you find the best hotel rates for vacationing. You can search for maps, media, news and more with this search engine. Its title screen looks very clean and modern. You just type what you'd like to know in the search bar and click the search button to the right. I don't usually use Bing so I tested it out ,and it does provide lots of great information.

3. My third search engine is Yahoo. Yahoo is a search engine that I particularly am not wild about. It is very similar to google in my opinion. You are able to set up and email account using this website, and mainly just type any wide range of topics in the search bar. On the left side of yahoo you can can check the weather, go shopping online, and even check your dating websites. Overall, yahoo has the potential to be effective.

4. The next search engine is called Galaxy. Galaxy was the first internet directory that was searchable. Galaxy gives you a selection of topics to choose from ,and also a search bar that you can just type a word into if you prefer to search that way. This engine is useful for finding factual information. I had never heard of galaxy until i did some research on my own. You can search topics such as medicine, politics, and references. If you type something into the search bar such as "dog", you are given the latest news and factual information on dogs, unlike google where you'd be given specific breeds of dogs. I have found that Galaxy would be a good search engine for school research projects and finding facts.

5. The fifth search engine is IceRocket. This search engine was very interesting to me. You are able to search topics on blogs, Facebook, and Twitter pages with this website. When you type a topic in the search bar you can search for peoples blogs that include your topic. This could be an interesting way to read blogs and find out other peoples opinions on different subjects. I believe this search engine would be very effective if it was used in EDM310.

6. The next search engine is Kayak. This search engine is mainly for travel. You can find accurate maps,top hotels, and even package deals on vacationing. There are lots of pictures that show you what you are searching for along the way. This engine would be great for information on a vacation, or traveling to a foreign country for the first time. You can also find flight times and information. If you are a traveler this search engine is definitely for you.

7. The seventh search engine is TheFind. TheFind is an engine that is wonderful for shoppers like myself. Type any brand or item name into the search bar and hundreds of results pop up. This makes it incredibly easy to shop online and find the best prices available. This search engine is useful for people who prefer online shopping over actually driving to the store. Overall, this search engine is very useable.

8. My last search engine is Infotopia. Infotopia is a great search engine for students and teachers. It provided quality information that is referenced. Students would easily be able to find information for a research paper or just for their own knowledge. Topics such as history, literature, and geography are covered with this search engine. I believe this would be a good search engine for me to refer my students to in the future.