Blog Post # 7

I took away a lot of useful information after watching the videos assigned for blog post #7.  I gained information  on using technology effectively to encourage participation and learning. The first video,Using iMovie and the Alabama Virtual Library in Kindergarten, Mrs. Michelle Bennett from Gulf Shores Elementary School explains how  kindergartners in Alabama public schools are using iMovie in class.  Yes that’s right, I said kindergartners.   This just shows how technology is advancing, especially with younger people.  I just recently, like literally a month ago, started using iMovie and I had to play around with it for a while to get use to it.  I love that I will be able to incorporate iMovies into my lessons and know that the children will be familiar with it.  From this video, I learned that when teaching technology, start teaching students the mechanics of the program, do a few examples, and then let the students make a project of their own.  The video,Using iMovie and the Alabama Virtual Library in Kindergarten, also discusses and describes the Alabama Virtual Library (AVL).  AVL is a very useful tool and resource for students and teachers in the state of Alabama.  Elizabeth Davis from Daphne Elementary, describes it as “A great way to teach your students basic research.”  As an educator, I would assign my students certain topics  each week to research on AVL to teach them a great way to complete research.  

In We All Become Learners, the main thing I took from the video was that teachers are continuing to learn everyday. Mrs. Bennett discusses how technology and the use of devices changes the dynamic of the classroom.  She explains this as, “Teachers teaching students, students teaching students, and it’s students teaching us.”  I hope to teach my students all the knowledge I can , but I really do look forward to all of the things I will learn from my students.  Before watching this video, I was unaware of the apps, Padlet or Popplet. Here is a list of a few things Padlet will allow you to do: Personal note taking, give and receive feedback, make to-do lists, create party invitations, etc. Popplet  is an app used for capturing and organizing notes and ideas.  Mrs. Bennett, goes on to tell us about a time when one of her students taught her how to do something on a tablet and how great it was for the student to have the opportunity to teach a teacher something.  

The third video, IPads in the Classroom, discusses the benefits of incorporating iPads or tablets in the classroom.  After using iPads in a classroom for over a year, one teacher,Kristen Ziemke-Fastabend, had this to say, “The iPad allows us to take a virtual field trip everyday by searching web content that is user friendly for early childhood students.”  

The last video provided,Top 10 Reasons to Use Technology in Education ,  was very helpful and informative on reasons technology should be used in the classroom.  I agree that teachers that do not use technology in the classroom, will soon be replaced with teachers who do.  I learned ten reasons why I will use technology in my future classrooms.  Here are those reasons: 1.)  Students love it, so anything that will keep my students having fun and learning is okay in my book.  2.)  Technology engages the four key components to learning. 3.)  Technology provides professional development to help kids become tech leaders of the future.  4.) Technology makes life easier for teachers.  5.)  Technology has proven to show higher test scores. 6.)  Technology helps students with lower attention span, which I believe is a growing issue.  7.) Technology allows you to learn from experts.  8.) Technology can encourage homework. 9.)  Technology saves money overall.  10.)  The final reason technology should be used in the classroom is that technology can remove obstacles.  This can help teachers focus more on the lesson and not managing the behavior of their students.  

My Movies as a Teacher

Message to Parents

Message to Students

C4K Summary for February

C4K#1:

I was assigned Gabby D. in Mrs. Weil’s forth grade class at Kansas Elementary, for my C4K #1.  In Gabby’s post, “When I am Writing Fiction………..,” she is discussing her thoughts on writing fictional stories.  Gabby also tells us how she doesn’t like writing about things that are too ridiculous because it starts to distract her.  She talks about how she loves reading because it helps her realize when words are misspelled.  She used great detail in her writing and had great spelling.  

Below is my comment for Gabby D.’s post, “When I am Writing Fiction………..”:

Gabby, 

I enjoyed reading your thoughts on fictional writing. That’s great that you love reading. Reading also expands your vocabulary, which can help you become a better writer. Your use of complete sentences and detail is excellent! 

-Erika Owen

C4K#2: 

I was assigned Daquan in Mrs. Leatherford’s 8th grade Language Arts class 8-3, for my C4K#2.  In Daquan’s post, “Largest Rodent,” he is describing beavers!  Daquan included so many facts about beavers in his post and even provided a picture of an actual beaver.  He used great grammar and detail in his writing.  

Below is my comment for Daquan’s post,“Largest Rodent.” 

Hi Daquan! 

I’m a student at the University of South Alabama. I must say, I have learned so much about beavers by reading only two paragraphs! You presented excellent facts in your post, as well as a nice picture. Good job.  :)

C4K#3:

My third C4K assignment was Kailey from Mrs. Hartman's 4th grade class in Pennsylvania.  Kailey titled her post, “Diary Of A Wimpy Kid Rodrick Rules.”  In this post, Kailey is telling her readers how she has just started reading the second book of the “Diary of a wimpy Kid,” series.  She is describing Greg’s first day back at school and how he has “cheese touch,” so no one wants to be near him.  She talk about a character from the book who is debating on cheating off of the smartest kid in class.  Kailey then asks her readers if they would cheat off the smartest kid in class, if given the chance.  

Below is my comment Kailey’s post, “Diary Of A Wimpy Kid Rodrick Rules.’’

Hi Kailey!

I'm a student at the University of South Alabama.  You did an awesome job explaining the story so far.  "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books are so fun and entertaining to read.  I loved your use of detail in your writing.  I don't know what "cheese touch," is and I don't think I would want to find out!  I don't think it is a very good idea to cheat off someone, even if they're  the smartest kid in class.  Anyone that studies and tries hard will do just fine on their own and feel better about it! Great post! :)

-Erika Owen

C4K#4:

For my fourth C4K assignment for the month of February, I was assigned Lily from Mrs. Maslowski's 3rd period class at Joliet West High School in Illinois.  Lily’s post was titled, “Valentines Day Vs. Friday the 13th.”  In this post, she is choosing whether she likes Valentines Day or Friday the 13th.  Lily points out that she likes scaring others and also likes superstitions, so she decides that she enjoys Friday the 13th over Valentines Day.  Lily also briefly talks about “karma,”  is a superstition and how she does not agree with it.  

Below is my comment to Lily:

Hi Lily!

My name is Erika Owen and I’m a junior at the University of South Alabama.  This was an interesting post.  I never thought to compare both Valentines Day and Friday the 13th.  I can see why Friday the 13th is more enjoyable for you, since you like scaring people and scary movies! I bet you really enjoy Halloween time!  Karma is believed by a great deal of people and religions, such as Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism.

Great post!

Blog Post #6

After watching the the first video, Project Based Learning Part 1: Experiences of a 3rd Grade Teacher , I attained a much better understanding of what Project Based Learning (PBL) actually means.  Project Based Learning is an approach taken in a classroom to engage students and help them attain knowledge.  Anthony Capps and Dr. Strange discuss how beneficial PBL can be in a classroom.  As Anthony Capps says in the First Video,“The goal of a good project is one that has an authentic audience, has student interests, involves the community, and has driven content.”  I agree that it is so important to involve the community into the project so that children can relate it to the real world. I enjoyed hearing about Mr.Capp’s examples of projects he has done, such as getting his third graders to write to a congressman.  

 In the second video between Dr. Strange and Mr. Capps,”Project Based Learning Part 2: Experiences of a 3rd Grade Teacher,” I learned that when you are approaching a classroom with the style of PBL, never limit your students.  Always keep them searching for as many answers as they can so that they can learn as much as possible.  I believe PBL will get kids excited about learning and can be a big confidence booster. Especially, because the students can look back at what they have accomplished and feel proud with a better understanding of information.  Before watching the third video, “iCurio,” I had no idea what iCurio was.  I now know it is an online tool that can be used for a few different things. One, it serves as a safe and effective search engine for not only web information, but also audio and video. It offers a storage system for students and teachers to store valuable information they come across.  I learned that iCurio is a great way to start teaching students to organize information virtually at a young age, which will be helpful throughout life.  ICurio is a great way for students to gather and organize information in a safe way. It also has the option of text reading.  I would like to continue to learn about iCurio so that I could possibly use it n my future classrooms. 

In the video, “Discovery Education,” Mr. Capps and Dr.Strange continue to talk about PBL and Discovery Education.  Discovery Education is a very useful tool, mainly focused on visual learning.  Just like iCurio, I have just been introduced to Discovery Ed after watching this video.  It offers information on every subject and can be used by teachers as well as students to help bring text alive with pictures,audio, and video.  

In, The Anthony - Strange list of Tips for Teachers Part 1, The conversations between Dr. Strange and Anthony Capps continues, as they discuss how to prepare future elementary school teachers.  Dr. Strange makes it clear that as educators, we must be able to continue and love to learn ourselves.  I liked how Anthony went on to say that with teaching, work and play can go hand in hand.  This is one of the reasons I chose to seek a degree in elementary education.  As future teachers, we must be flexible and alert.  I also learned that to be a successful teacher, we must realize that teaching and learning never stops.  There is always more knowledge to be obtained.  

Don't Teach Tech - Use It is a great video explaining how technology is emerging and should be used in the classroom.  You should teach technology, as well as use it in your curriculum.  Another thing I took from this video is as teachers, we need to get technology into our students hands.  

Additional Thought About Lessons, is the last video provided that discusses thoughts on lesson plans. Anthony believes a lesson is “at least four layers thick.” Mr. Capps tells us to think about lessons in terms of how it fits in with our year. The next layer is the unit size on how to make it meaningful and connected.  next is the weekly plan, and lastly we have the daily plan.  The daily plan helps measure what your students learned that day and helps you as a teacher, to prepare on what to focus on the next day.  

I learned excellent tips on how to be a successful teacher from all of these videos.  

Blog Post #5

PLN means personal learning network.  This is pretty much a gather of tools and people to help and consult you on gaining information, or as Dr. Strange puts it, “It is those people, places, organizations and activities which enable you to learn.” Twitter, Youtube, Facebook, and blogger are a few examples of a PLN.  Personal Learning Networks can be extremely useful for educators.  A PLN can help you gain knowledge each and every day.  As a teacher, you can follow other educators on networks such as Twitter, to connect and share concepts and ideas. Michael Fawcett shared how making a PLN has impacted his educational life, in the video “Michael Fawcett Discusses his PLN.” Thanks to his PLN, NASA actually answered one of his questions via Twitter! By reaching out with other educators, you can exchange new sites, blogs web tools, youtube videos,and other useful tools and resources to expand classroom opportunities.  Thanks to EDM310, I have already began to create my PLN.  I now am a frequent blogger and I recently created a twitter.  Although I have not really gotten into twitter very much, I plan to so that I can follow people that can share interesting and helpful ideas.  PLNs allow you to learn constantly as long as you are willing to.  I am also building my PLN by leaving comments for teachers on blogs, as well as students.  I still have a tremendous amount to add to my PLN, but I agree with Dr. Strange that Twitter is the most useful.  I look forward to see how much my PLN has expanded a year from now.  

Search Engine Project

#1.) WolframAlpha:  WolframAlpha is an excellent search engine for finding calculations.  Not only is this site useful for solving algebraic equations, it can also find nutritional information, probabilities, gas prices, weather, and so much more! You can find movie times and tickets in your area or even find the answer to a calculus equation. I typed in “Alabama,” just for the heck of it to see what would show up. It immediately provided me with the capital, the state’s full name, and the year it joined the Union. Unlike a lot of search engines, WolframAlpha supplies you with direct information instead of showing you 20 other sites to use as resources.  This is an excellent search engine to obtain just about any kind of knowledge.  

WolframAlpha

#2.)  Bing:  Second, I chose the search engine Bing.  Bing is used to search all kinds of things on the internet.  It also allows you to use key words to help you find specific information. You can shop, as well as find local information, weather, and all other things of that nature.  Bing is somewhat similar to Google, but not as useful in my personal opinion. 

Bing

#3.)  DuckDuckGo:  duckduckgo.com, provides you with instant information on music, recipes, weather, and other things of that sort.  I like how you can customize as you go.  Duckduckgo allows you to personalize your search engine experience by picking your own theme and layout for your visual pleasure.The best thing about this search engine is that it does not track you whatsoever.  It doesn't collect personal data or keep any record of your searches so you can be clutter free! The spam rate is lower than Googles and it’s family friendly.

Duckduckgo

#4.)  Care:  care.com is an excellent search engines for parents or guardians in search for caregivers.  This is also very useful for caregivers looking to build their resume and find work. This search engine is not only for child care, but for senior, pet, and home care as well.  It  allows you to view possible candidates for your future caregiver, as well as background checks to ensure your loved ones safety.  You can also create a profile and look for work as a caregiver.  You can find a caregiver in your area and easily provide the information needed, such as what days and times they would be requested, and any other accommodations that may be needed.

Care

#5) Yahoo!:  Yahoo! has so much incorporated into one search engine. It offers some of the following: weather, horoscope, local news, world news, shopping center, email, game center, health, beauty,finance, and so much more! Yahoo also is very easy to navigate around.  I use Yahoo! almost everyday.  

Yahoo!

#6.)  WebMD:  If you want health information, then WebMD is your go to search engine.  You can find information on managing your health and also remedies for treating illnesses.  WebMd also matches your symptoms with what could possibly be wrong with you, so if you can’t go to the doctor then this would be a good tool to use to help diagnose your illness as long as it’s not serious.  All of the information has been approved by certified doctors, so you are receiving expert information and advice.  WebMd also shares top health news and stories.  

WebMD

#7.)  eHow:  eHow.com is the perfect search engine for “how to” questions.  It offers over two million articles and videos to help you find exactly what you are looking for ,and teaches you how to do things.  The videos are great for visual step by step instructions.  When I visited the site, I learned how to transfer ink onto wood and make chocolate covered strawberries on one page.  The site has a good number of categories, so you are sure to find something that interests you.  

eHow

#8.)  Kayak: I chose Kayak because I believe it is a very useful travel search engine.  Kayak lets you compare over 100 travel sites at once,so that you can make the best bookings to accommodate your needs. You can compare prices and find the best deals on flights and hotels.  Kayak allows you to book your flight, hotel, rental car, and more on one website.  

Kayak

My Sentence Videos:

link to my sentence video

Link to my passion video

C4T Post #1 & #2

I was assigned “The Electric Educator,” for my C4T#1 and C4T#2.  The writer of this blog is John Sowash.  John is a strong believer in teaching with technology and using it in the classroom.  John, “inspires educators to use technology to foster creative opportunities and to connect with others.” He does an exceptional job of sharing new technology information for the benefit of schools and teachers.  

The first post I commented on was, “#FETC 2015 Recap.”  In this post, John talks about attending the Future of Educational Technology Conference(FETC) in Orlando Florida.  He explains his biggest take aways from the conference which included, increase in maker movement such as 3-D printers.  Sowash then shares some new tech products that could be incorporated into the classroom.  One new product is the Swivl.  This is pretty much a small robot that follows you around while videoing and recording audio.  He then explains how this could be useful for flipping the classroom.  

Here is my comment on “#FETC 2015 Recap” :

Mr. Sowash, 

My name is Erika Owen and I’m a student studying elementary education at the University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed reading this post. I am currently in EDM310, which is a micro computing systems course. It has helped open my eyes on how technology has evolved and is being used in the classroom today. It must have been a great experience to attend the FETC. I love the idea of bringing in 3D printers for learning purposes! I agree, that could be useful for teaching science. It could also be used for an art classroom as well. I just recently became familiar with “flipping the classroom,” and I would be interested in trying it out with using the Swivl. Plus the fact that it moves like a robot makes it even more fun. Thanks for sharing!

-Erika Owen

For my C4T# 2, I commented on John Sowash’s  post, “Big Screen vs. Small Screens.”  In this post, he is mainly talking about how companies from EdTech want him to feature their products on his blog for money.  He denies the offers, but then goes on to discus the debate of large screened display devices over small screens.  InFocus wanted John to write a post about one of their new products, JTouch.  This is a 65” touchscreen display device for classrooms, costing $1,999 for schools.  John then asks the company, “Why should educators invest in a teacher-focused device rather than putting technology into the hands of students? “ 

Here is my comment for“Big Screen vs. Small Screens:

I would like to start off and say that I think its so great that you decided not accept paid content insertions for promoting products. I also liked how you fired back questions to InFocus. I believe both products with big and small screens could be beneficial in a classroom. Yes, one large screen might be easier and ideal for some educators, but it's not the only way to get students engaged and learning with technology. Great read! Thank you

Blog Post #4

What do we need to know about asking questions to be an effective teacher?  In the article, “The Right Way to Ask Questions in the Classroom,” author Ben Johnson, makes an excellent point that teachers should not assume that they know everything or that the students know nothing.  We learn so many new things everyday, and we can learn even more by asking the right questions.  This article really brought to my attention how students can identify the “smart kids,” in the class, and fall into a routine of just letting them always answer the questions without even trying or raising his or her hand.  As teachers, we can pick different students  to answer questions so that everyone gets a chance.  In the classroom I am currently sitting in for my field experience, the teacher pulls sticks with the students’ names on them to see who will answer the next question. You must ask the question before pulling the stick so that all students will be thinking of the answer.  This would be a fun method I would use as a future teacher.  

I learned important tips for asking effective questions after reading “Three Ways to Ask Better Questions in the Classroom,” by Dr.  Maryellen Weimer.  First, teachers should plan their questions.  Yes it is important to plan your lessons, assignments, and examples, but what about your questions?  Preparing effective questions and knowing when to ask them can be very effective.  Ask questions that you know will be stimulating, clear,  and improve your students understanding of the content. Next, we should play with the questions by leaving a little time before supplying the students with answer of the question being asked.  Allow your students time to write down ideas or have more time to think on the question for a more sufficient answer.    Lastly, once you have effective and solid questions, keep them!  You can even save questions that students ask and use them in all of your classrooms you will have. Doing this will be beneficial for all of your classes you will teach.   

I found so much useful information about asking questions on “Asking Questions To Improve Learning,”  For teachers to be effective in asking questions, they must not ask leading questions because this decreases the amount you are making the students think.  You want to ask questions to get their minds active.  It is also important to not go over board with “yes or no,” questions.  I really liked how this article also showed us great tips on how to not only ask questions, but also how we should appropriately respond to questions. It is important to remember that if a student answers a question wrong, ask them to follow up with a different answer instead of asking another student immediately.  Teachers should ask a variety of types of questions. Ask questions about cause and effect, outcomes, ideas, and also ask students to interpret certain information. Most importantly,whatever questions are being asked, be sure that they are clearly stated and understandable.  

All of these sites that I explored were incredibly helpful on how to ask effective questions.  Remembering all of these important tips and information on asking questions can help teachers be more successful with their students grasping the information.  Not only will you become a better teacher by asking questions, your students will also benefit tremendously.  

Group Project #2

                                                 Click here to view Team Glue's Rubrics

Blog Post #3

Looking over your peer’s work can be very helpful. It can also be a confidence builder and help improve writing.  Peer editing is reviewing someone’s work while giving positive, but also instructive suggestions and corrections.   You must always be positive when giving criticism.  Start out with complimenting his or her work and point out the things you enjoyed most.  No one likes to have their mistakes pointed out to them, especially if they worked really hard on it.  Give suggestions on things they could do differently.  Then lastly, give corrections.  Correct the writer on grammar, word choice, organization, and other things of that sort.  Remember to give specific criticism.  Don’t just tell a peer, “You have so many spelling mistakes all over your paper and a lot of run-on sentences.”  This is not specifying what he or she must correct or improve on.  The most important thing to remember while editing peers work, is to stay positive and polite.  

When I am peer editing someones work, I am going to give constructive criticism on their work while still giving positive feedback on what the writer’s high points are.  I want to be able to make suggestions on what my peer could improve on if need be.  My number one thing to remember is to never be rude or make the writer feel insecure about his or her work.  Doing so takes away from the whole purpose of peer editing.  Peer editing is important for many reasons.  Editing a peers work can help improve his or her use of organization, staying on topic, use of word choice, correct use of grammar, and most importantly it can improve a writers confidence.  The video,”Writing Peer Review TOP 10 Mistakes,”  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBuq4qgRhCc&feature=player_detailpage), is a great entertaining video that shows exactly how not to edit a peer’s work.  Don't be like Picky Patty,  Whatever William,  or Jean the Generalizer.  Being to picky,  not caring about the editing process, or not being specific are terrible ways to peer edit.  Just remember to follow the steps of giving compliments, making suggestions, and finally making corrections.