My EDM 310 Blog Assignments are Now Complete

I'm sure some of our paths will cross again and I look forward to seeing all of you. I have enjoyed taking this class with everyone and I wish you all the very best in life. God Bless to each of you!

Things I Learned in EDM 310

Have I learned anything from this class? First off, I need to say that I am not very computer savvy and I have to fight my two teenage daughters for a little time on our home computer. With that said, I think I have come a long way in EDM 310. I do not have Facebook or MySpace. I do check my daughter's MySpace every now and then, yet I have no desire to put all my feelings out there on a daily basis for everyone in the world to read. I'm just not interested in the computer for those reasons. But back on the subject of this blog, I actually learned a great deal from this class.
I learned to post blogs and that is pretty cool. I have had an electronic conversation with a teacher in Indonesia. That was very interesting to be able to share ideas with someone so far away. I also created my first PowerPoint presentation and even though I didn't do it very well, I enjoyed it and can't wait to do another one. I never knew podcasts and video podcasts existed on certain subjects. Those will be a great teaching tool for a variety of lessons. I figured out that video podcasts kept my attention better than just listening to a podcast and I am assuming most of my classmates will agree. Making a podcast was an experience that I would like to do again, with more time and practice.
I wish I could afford to purchase Word2007 , but at the moment I am stuck with a much older version that is nothing like the newer version. That worries me when it comes to the final exam.
This class has been a great learning experience and I am sure I will take this knowledge and put it to good use in my future classroom.

Edutopia Podcasts

I listened to "The Edible Schoolyard" and "A Night in the Global Village" on the Edutopia iTunes site. They were both extremely interesting and very insightful. The first podcast I watched was "The Edible Schoolyard". It was about sixth grade students at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Berkeley, California. These students have an edible schoolyard where they spend a hour each morning planting, harvesting and eating their organic delights. They have a garden and kitchen classroom where they use recipes for math lessons and outdoor activities for hands-on science lessons. The students used a pumpkin they grew to make pumpkin pies. Their teachers are trained for specifically for this particular class. The Founding Director, Fritjof Capra explains that the students are very excited and this program has taught the students to do projects together, cooperate with each other and it builds community. I enjoyed watching this podcast.

The second podcast was "A Night in the Global Village". This podcast was about Heifer Ranch in Arkansas. Several children from the Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning attended this ranch as a valuable lesson taught by the instructors. The main objectives of this camp were hunger and poverty in other areas of the world through educational programs. The students, combined with an adult, drew numbers(which represented a country) and each group was given a bucket of resources. The refugee group received nothing. Some of the countries represented were Thailand, Zimbabwe, and Guatemala. During the night, conflicts arose and alliances were formed. The students said it was hard, but it made them think about how harsh some of the living conditions are for these people.

Both of these podcasts were probably the most interesting video podcasts so far this semester. I wish I would have had time to watch more of them. In the event I start teaching , I will definitely look through the various video podcasts available to teachers and students. It is a great teaching tool to be able to show students what other children are learning and experiencing across the globe. I am not sure that a teacher can pull up the website at school, because the Board of Education blocks many sites from our classroom computers. I wish we could grow an edible schoolyard at my school.

Incorporating some of these ideas into lesson plans would keep excitement in the curriculum. Sometimes children learn more from hands-on experiences and both of the pocasts proved that to be true. Sometimes textbooks aren't always the answer to learning. All teachers need to keep up with the various podcasts available to them and their students.

Electronic Conversation

For this blog, I contacted the teacher from the school that I used on an earlier blog. Her name is Mrs. T and she teaches fifth grade at the Sinarmus World Academy in Jakarta, Indonesia. She responded to my first blog and showed her students the blog I posted about their school. I thought it was such a cool looking place and after talking to Jane(Mrs. T), I would love to be one of her students. We had a wonder conversation and I have learned how truly poor our schools are.

When I contacted Jane about this blog, she was more than happy to give me some background on her school and share with me their tools of technology. First, she told me her students each have their own personal Macbook and every grade from fifth on up gets one. Her school views using computers as a tool, therefore there are not any computer classes. Using the computer is an every day lesson for her students. I informed her that with budget cuts and employee reductions, our schools could't possibly afford to do that. She also said that they use mobile phones for taking pictures and I told her a student and teacher caught with a phone recieved a free pass to the principal's office. Her school has a full wifi environment (I have no clue what that is and I did ask her, with no response), a podcast server and a LMS. Jane said they have Interactive Whiteboards and of course blogs and websites. I asked her how this is all used in the classroom. She responded saying they use a cashless system called Smartcards. These are used as ID, library card and can be swiped at the cafes or computer stores which sell accessories.

After reading her comment, I asked her how the students academic achievement was affected. She said, "Our student's enthusiasm and creativity is very, very high". I explained to her that her school was much more advanced technologically than any school I have worked in. We are just getting around to using Smartboards in our school, with little success. She wrote back saying that her school is currently talking about using iPhones with the ninth and tenth grade students and she is currently podcasting student digital stories. Wow! I really want to attend that school, those student are so blessed.

I really enjoyed communicating with Jane. She seems like a super teacher and I'm sure her students think so. I never thought in the U.S. that we would be so behind in technology in our schools. It was very interesting to see how teachers in another country use technological tools for a great learning experience. Hopefully, someday soon we will catch up with other parts of the world.

ACCESS Lab

I visited the ACCESS Lab at Robertsdale High School. We, (Kandis, Karen and I) received a tour from the Technology Instructor, Mr McCrady. He graciously showed us the curriculum, his lab and the high school technology lab. The teachers at Robertsdale High School teach ACCESS one time a day to multiple classrooms and get paid very well. This is Mr. McCrady's second term to teach ACCESS.

Mr. McCrady gets his curriculum on the ACCESS website. He looks at his calendar and chooses lesson plans for the week. The students can find their assignments on the website and after completing each one, they put it in the dropbox for the teacher to grade. There is a feedback section with the posted grades. The student then completes the next assignment. The teacher is available for questions and comments during the ACCESS instruction.

The ACCESS Lab consists of two large screens on opposite walls. This allows the students to see the teacher and other students, while the other screen allows viewing from across the state. An Elmo is in the classroom which is used for transferring books and documents. There is a copy, scanner fax machine also in the room. A telephone is near the screen in case a call needs to be made to a teacher or student.

The ACCESS lab is an interesting concept and I hate it that none of this technology was around when I was in high school. This groundbreaking teaching method could possibly save a few students from repeating grades or dropping out of school. When I receive my teaching certificate, I just may look into teaching in the ACCESS Lab for some extra money and to learn about all the wonderful technological advances we have made.

Week 14 Pros and Cons of Blogs

Our assignment for this week is to read a classmate's entire blog site and gives the pluses and minuses of blogs in the classroom. I read Kimberbna Griggs blogs and she took great time and gave in depth information on her subjects. At the beginning of this class, I thought that when I became a teacher I would not have time for blogs. After reading several of my classmates blogs, I see the views that other people have on different subjects and how it can affects my thinking and comprehending. I enjoyed reading Kimberna's blogs and looking at her thoughts about podcasts, blogs, math & technology, ACCESS, Alex and International School Teachers.

The pros for blogs in the classroom are that many students can converse with other students all over the world. They can look up blogs about different subjects and most schools provide students with a homework blog. Students can create their own blogspots and check them daily at school. Blogs are a great way to communicate with anyone and anywhere. Technology blogs are useful in the classroom and provide information on the many technological resources for students and teachers. Teachers can create a blogspot for parents to comment and check on the lessons being taught in the classroom. Pictures on blogspots give parents a feeling of watching their children learn and grow in school.

The minuses of blogs are maybe that blogs may contain material not appropriate for the classroom. Blogs are a great way to communicate, but maybe not for the younger children in the classroom. It's hard to think of anything that would be negative about blogs. So far, I have found nothing inappropriate and hopefully never will. Teachers using blogs in the classroom need to keep the information up to date and I'm sure it can be time consuming. I just really don't see a lot of minuses with sharing information.

I may have complained every now and then about having to post a blog every week, but I have learned a great deal from doing my home work. Before this class, I had never blogged and now I feel like an old pro. Okay, not really!!! I'm still learning and by the looks of it, I have a lot to learn. I now have the knowledge to introduce blogs into the classroom and teach my students what I have learned. Blogs are pretty cool when you want to share your thoughts with the world!

EDM310 Podcasts

I listened to four EDM310 podcasts for this assignment. Two of the podcasts were from Dr. Strange's class and two were from Ms. Averitt's class. Because my podcast was one of the first to be uploaded to the site, I listened to the podcast I did with Jennifer about Randy Pausch's "Last Lecture". I also listened to Anne and Kim discuss four websites for technology sources for teachers. The two other podcasts I listened to were "Technology Used in the Classroom" with Nicholas, Gretta and Sarah and "ACCESS Distance Learning" with Henryetta, April and Ashley.

As I listened to these I remembered how nervous I was about sounding stupid, scripted and uninteresting. We all spoke clearly and there weren't too many ums. All of the podcasts had great insight and were well worth listening to, although most of us sounded nervous and scripted. I imagine if we had a few weeks to get together and chat about our topics maybe it wouldn't have been so nerve-wracking. This was for a grade and we all wanted to do well, obviously none of us are going into the radio business anytime soon. I did enjoy hearing about the many different websites and the technology available to teachers and students. The information was detailed and given clearly, just too scripted. The podcast I participated in sounded pretty decent, just scripted as well. We should have had more of a discussion than just reading the written words. Dr. Strange's class was equally as good, but I liked how Nicholas kind of took over and seemed relaxed with his part. The ACCESS podcast was insightful with the three ladies giving a section of information. They all were read by people who want to do their best and teach our future podcasters!

I believe podcasts can be useful in the classroom with some material. Although, video podcasts keep my attention. I need to see someone speak to keep me tuned into what they are saying. Some children need a visual speaker and video podcasts are a better way to keep the students mind on the information presented. Podcasts can be an exciting way for students to connect with each other and learn certain curriculum. Some of the podcasts I have listened to(not EDM310) could put a person to sleep in minutes. So, if you are putting information out there for students to hear, make it so they can visualize what you are saying. Humor in some situations can make a podcast much more enjoyable. Even educational podcasts can be funny and intellectual at the same time.

Mathematics with Technology Podcasts

The podcasts I listened to were the Maine Learning Technology Initiative: Mathematics with Technology and Thinking Mathematical with Judy Chandler. Ms. Chandler is a Technology Integration Specialist and Math Mentor and Trainer for the Maine Dept. of Education. She claims that some math teachers are reluctant to embrace technology as a resource in their classroom. Teachers feel as though they have no time to learn technology and that standardized testing will cover the material needed to finish the math textbook. According to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, technology influences and enhances student's learning. Technology provides powerful tools to facilitate examples, provide visual representation, represent data analysis and provide alternative ways to demonstrate learning. Technology integrated with pedagogy and content knowledge engages students in a multi-sensory authentic and collaborative math learning environment.Chandler states that one well-designed learning activity can cover material from 4 or 5 textbook lessons.

Traditionally the math learning environment consists of students moving lesson to lesson and example by example. Frustrated students fall behind and in math we need to engage our students to "Think Mathematically". Questioning guides our thinking and questions also direct classroom discussions and guide critical thinking experiences. Chandler states that as teachers we should ask, "Why?" and challenge our students to think. Questions provide opportunities for thinking mathematically and with meaningful technology integration we provide valuable critical thinking experiences that prepare our students for lifelong learning. These podcasts also provided websites to enable your students to "Think Mathematically".

I am a bigger fan of the video podcasts because I could not understand a few things Judy Chandler was saying. It was an interesting podcast and I will definitely incorporate "thinking mathematical" tools in my lesson plans. I am a Para in an elementary school and use the computer to help visualize certain math problems. I believe questioning students at all times keeps their brains stronger. It prepares them for the long road ahead. Watching and listening to podcasts gives teachers a valuable guide to the many tools available to teach our students to the best of our ability.

Stanford Video Podcast

After searching endlessly for this podcast, I finally found it.I found this podcast on the Stanford link under the Stanford Challenge: Seeking Solutions, Educating Leaders and then click on "Growth" vs "Fixed" Minds. The video podcast was the conversation of Carol Dweck, a Professor of Psychology and author of the book, "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success", with an unknown woman. She is discussing her book and the effects it has had on students and even race car drivers.

Dweck states that some students have a fixed mindset that their basic intelligence is a fixed trait. They are always wondering if they are going to look smart or not so smart. Some students believe it is something they can develop with studying, passion or education. Dweck developed an eight session workshop to study the "Growth" vs "Fixed" mindset.Half of the students used study skills and growth mindset and the other just used study skills. The latter group didn't do as well as the growth mindset students. The study skills group lacked motivation. The growth mindset students were told that the brain is a muscle and it gets stronger with use and they read articles on the subject with energetic discussions. Dweck claims that even a race car driver can benefit from growth mindset by using the winning and losing mistakes to his advantage. She also says that for business, flexibility of growth is essential for success. You can't keep up with the changing world if you don't allow yourself to change and grow.

All teachers need to understand the motivation most students need to succeed. Growth mindset is essential to keep children interested and keep their brains stronger. Not all students struggle, but even the smartest students need to be challenged and motivated. Every child has some level of intelligence and we need to encourage them with study skills and a growth mindset that works for them. Quite a few students struggle with the way they are perceived intellectually when they are in the classroom and it is our responsibility to create that growth mindset and keep it going. I would like to get Carol Dweck's book and read it before I enter my own classroom.

Video Podcast

I watched the video podcast "Energy Flow in the Coral Reef Ecosystem" from Teacher's Domain. It had incredible underwater footage and it talked about all the living organisms around the coral reefs. First, coral reefs are usually found in tropical waters near the surface. Plants and animals turn the light energy into chemical energy. Coral needs energy from the sun to survive. The reef could not survive without coral. This colorful video showed sea cucumbers eating the sand because they keep the sea floor clean.
This was a very interesting video podcast and I know it would be very informative to students in the fifth grade. It would be a great teaching tool to use such beautifully shot video of fish and other sea creatures in the water surrounding coral reefs. Many children would never get the chance to see nature in action. Video podcasts are a brilliant teaching tool. I can't wait to check out a few more for my future students.

EDM310Fall Podcasts

I listened to two podcasts from the EDM310 Fall class. Since I have yet to do my podcast, I don't want to be too critical about these ladies doing their assignments. I listened to Ashley, Brooke and Kimberly talk about "Blogs Used in Classrooms". I am sure these are wonderful ladies and I am sure they were nervous, but it sounded like they were reading something that they didn't write. It was a little boring and monotonous. I am aware that we barely know the person we are speaking with and it is difficult to have a fun upbeat conversation about blogs, but I needed some feeling in their voices. I was ready for it to be over. Sorry!
The next podcast I listened to was "Distant Learning in Alabama: Alex and ACCESS with Susan, Bridget and Angela. Maybe this topic was more interesting to me, but this podcast was short, to the point and not so boring. The first woman who spoke did have a difficult time pronouncing words. (At one point, she almost said a naughty word. Which was funny!)They had some important information that made me excited about going to a high school and checking ACCESS out. All three ladies seemed to make different points about these websites.
I hope when I do my podcast, I will sound a little more excited about my topic and I wish we could have some music. The professional podcasts were more entertaining because they just said what was on their minds, it didn't seem so scripted. And of course they are professionals! I will try to keep you awake during my podcast!!

Podcasts

I listened to all six of the podcasts in our assignment and I enjoyed most of them. They were informative and some were quite funny. The music added to the beginning gets you in the mood to hear what the podcasters have to say. The SmartBoard Lesson podcast was the most entertaining to me. The Kidcast and Connect Learning Podcasts had great feedback from experienced teachers. MacBreak Weekly and This Week in Photography had some of the same gentlemen and they had interesting conversations about their topics.
I really enjoyed the SmartBoard Lesson #147 with Ben and Joan. They are from different areas in Canada and they were not only funny, but interesting as well. The music in the beginning of their podcast was energetic. Their topic was, "Classrooms Collaborating in Literature, Writing, and Reading Strategies. The SmartBoard is used to allow the entire class to view a screen projected from the computer. The teachers can use the SmartBoard to teach new strategies and interact with the entire class.
The Kidcast #59 podcast Dan discussed pulling ipods into the classroom. After the students have listened to an activity, they can pause, turn to a neighbor and summarize what they have learned. This can give the students a chance to interact with each other in a postive, helpful way. This interaction gives the students an engaging activity that provides communitive lessons.
In Connect Learning with David Warick Episode 104:Conversations About the Purpose of Education, Warlick was at the Technology and Learning Diversity Conference. Warlick walked around the room and asked the teachers about the purpose of education. The majority of the teachers' answers were " learn to want to read". This was an interesting podcast to listen to. The audience was teachers from all over the United States.
After listening to the required podcasts, I am excited about using the technology available to teachers. In the school I currently work at, we are incorporating the SmartBoard in lessons. In one of the podcasts, social media is described as a media sharing site that has a sense of community and interpersonal action built around it. Teachers can use this media and bring a variety of knowledge to a classroom otherwise staring at a chalkboard. I enjoyed the podcasts and I look forward to podcasting myself.

Randy Pausch Last Lecture

I have watched Randy Pausch Last Lecture many times and it inspires and motivates me more each time. Randy was a wonderful, brilliant man who gave so much to others in numerous ways. He taught at MIT and Carnegie Mellon and challenged his students to be the best that they could be. He went beyond achieving his childhood dreams and even enabled others in fulfilling their dreams.
Having worked hard to achieve his childhood dreams, Randy used his experiences in motivating his students to work just as hard. He believed in his students and their dreams. His pioneer course, Building Virtual Worlds, gave his students the opportunity to show Pausch how gifted and excited they were about their projects. He was "blown away" by their work and challenged them to go farther. Putting his students into groups, Pausch's course was all about bonding.
When Pausch moved to Carnegie Mellon he was part of The Dream Fulfillment Factory. This course consisted of artists and technologists working together making things. Through the hard work of Pausch and his colleague, ETC became a global phenomenon. They invented a novel way of teaching computer programming called "Alice". Pausch used peer feedback to help his students take critism and use it to their advantage.
Randy Pausch was an inspiration. His thought on life and education was, "Brick walls are there for a reason; they let us prove how badly we want things". He ran into many walls and still fulfilled his childhood dreams. His respect for his family, friends and students inspired him to enable the dreams of others. My favorite bit of knowledge he shared was," Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted". What a awesome thought and man!

The next classroom blog I visited was the Jakarta, Indonesia class that corresponds with the fifth graders from New Zealand. Mrs. Jane's fifth grade class blog has an unusually, modern campus. Sinarmas World Academy is extraordinary. Each student has an inquiry site and their own blog site. The curriculum is outlined with helpful information. The teacher has very detailed assignments posted. The students even added a video game to their blog. They have words of wisdom and Bible verses like their peers in New Zealand. It was extremely interesting to view both classrooms' blogs.http://www.gr5swa.blogspot.com/

International Classroom Blogs

The first blog I found was a group of fifth grade students from Tauranga, New Zealand. These Kiwi students have posted books they have written and poems they have composed. They have pictures of field trips they have taken. The students post a word of the day and a verse. One of the classrooms they correspond with is in Indonesia. The teacher has a link with information for parents. They offer a list of useful site for help in all subjects. What an interesting site, to see what students are doing on the other side of the world!http://e3eclat.blogspot.com/

Class of Ambrose

The fifth grade classes of Ambrose http://classofambrose.blogspot.com in Detroit , Michigan have an incredibly informational blog for students and parents. This blog has a detailed class calendar, public pictures and a class podcast. It contains many recommended links for parents and students. The Class Wiki link is a shared online whiteboard so students can do group research. The Wiki notebooks are; Math, Social Studies, Science, and Writing. Students have the availability of free typing games and help with studying for tests. Students can communicate with other students and share information that can be used in discussions in the classroom.

Mrs. Veldman's Classroom Blog

Mrs. Veldman's First Grade Classroom Blog, bveldman.edublogs.org, has day to day information for parents to be more involved in their childrens' education. Mrs. Veldman has an indepth weekly news blog that includes, Language Arts, Math, Science, a Writer's Workshop, an Events Calendar, and a Happy Birthday section. The teacher has included many pictures of the children and their work. Parents may leave comments for the teacher and other parents to read. This is an excellent way to communicate to the families and share daily experiences.

ACCESS - A Powerful Tool

Access (Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators and Students Statewide) is a very powerful tool initiated by Governor Bob Riley and Dr. Joseph B. Morton, State Superintendent of Education. The vision of ACCESS for Alabama is to provide access to high quality instruction to improve student achievement through distance learning. ACCESS provides options and opportunities for Alabama high school students to engage in Advanced Placement, electives and other courses they may not have access to in their schools. Students have an array of online courses to chose from such as; English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Foreign Languages, Electives, Health and Art. Within each of the courses are a variety of choices to enhance the learning of every student. Highly qualified, Alabama certified teachers are online supporting the students with high quality instruction. ACCESS also allows students to interact with students from other schools. Besides expanding the reach of education, ACCESS has increased student responsibility for learning.
From a parent and paraprofessional's point of view, I am so excited to have all of these wonderful opportunities at reach. Sometimes, all a student needs is that extra bit of visual help and being able to access all of the information available on ACCESS could be the perfect solution. I will suggest ACCESS to every high school student I know, including my own children. Learning at their own pace and interacting with students from other schools through distance learning may be instrumental in a student's future. Technology has given learning a whole new meaning. I wish this would have been an option in my high school days.

Plagiarism and Copyright

Plagiarism is the practice of using another person's words and ideas without acknowledging the source of the information. These words and ideas may be presented in a magazine, newspaper, song, book, movie and advertisement. Copying the exact words of someone through conversing is also plagiarism. When reprinting charts, pictures, diagrams or illustrations without citing the source is another example. The use of paraphrasing is not excepted when the words are merely rearranged or some are replaced. It is not considered plagiarism when writing about your own thoughts, observations, conclusions and experiences. Using generally-accepted facts is acceptable without credit. Putting everything in quotations that comes directly from text when taking notes can possibly save you from committing plagiarism.
Copyright is a form of protection in the U.S. Constitution and granted by law for original works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression. It protects original works of musical, dramatic, literary, and dramatic artistic works. It doesn't protect ideas, facts and systems or methods of operation. The moment your work is created and fixed in a tangible form that is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device, it is under copyright protection. Unlike copyrights, patents are used to protect inventions and discoveries. Copyright can be used in lawsuits proving ownership of original works.

The Advantages of ALEX

ALEX (Alabama Learning Exchange) is the perfect tool for all teachers and students . Once you enter the world of ALEX, you can access an amazing amount of tools for teaching a large majority of subjects. The courses of study available are; Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Physical Education, Drivers Education, Technology, Foreign Language and Careers. There are lesson plans written on each COS for grades K- 12. There is a link for Professional Development Opportunities and Grant opportunities for teachers. There is a link for Library Media and Technology Initiatives. Within all of the links are various websights that link you with more information than you could ever imagine. It is a very user-friendly websight.
ALEX will be extemely helpful to me as I enter teaching. I am always looking for interesting ways to challenge myself and the students I now work with. The way the links correspond with one another will be a great help in locating information quickly. The opportunities it provides to students as well as teachers is timeserving to the overworked educator. I will definitely use ALEX when I am lucky enough to have my own classroom. Many computers in classrooms today are very restricted on content. Hopefully, ALEX will allow teachers to view critical teaching information and share it with the students.

Mr. Sullivan's Powerpoint Presentation

I am aware of some of the laws and acts that Mr. Sullivan mentioned. Working in a school has given me lots of insight on what is available to everyone on the computer. I have heard of computers programmed for the blind and others with disabilities. It is an eye-opening experience when you use the internet to explore the world. There is so much to see and the computer is the perfect way to sit in a classroom and experience our universe.

My Wonderful Life

My name is Lynda Rigsby and I am a paraprofessional at Magnolia School. I have decided to go back to school and get my teaching certificate because I want to make a better life for my children and myself. I have been a para for eight years and although I enjoy my job, the pay is not near enough to survive. I feel as though I have learned a great deal from the wonderful teachers I have had the privilege to work with.
I am a single parent with two beautiful daughters and I lead a very hectic life. My oldest daughter, Alexa is a senior at Robertsdale High School and she has Prader-Willi Syndrome. My youngest, Shelby is a junior at RHS and is a varsity cheerleader. We try to attend all of the her games, so that keeps us pretty busy. We enjoy going out to eat and spending time with relatives and friends.