Gooddbye For Now!

I would like to take the time to say goodbye to all of my fellow classmates, Ms.Averitt, and Dr. Strange. Ms. Averitt I really appreciate all of your help and guidance this semester. I appreciate you being understanding with the less technology advanced students in the class :)! To my classmates good luck in the future! I know that each and everyone of you will make wonderful teachers! I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

GOODLUCK & GOODBYE!

Kim Langham

Summary of EDM 310

I had a great time in EDM 310. I have to admit that on the first day of class I left there with a migraine. I had taken the same class about 9 years ago when I graduated. Oh how the times have changed. I was very overwhelmed at first and was not sure what to expect. I thought since I never heard of blogging that I was going to be in trouble. To my surprise I have done fine in the class and I have really learned a lot about the advancements in technology and how to incorporate them into my own classroom.

I have really come to enjoy blogging. I have had a great time with it in this class and have gained a lot of valuable knowledge through the use of blogging. I like how blogs connect you with other people and it can keep me current on teaching topics. I also enjoyed reading other people's blog post. I found a lot of the post to be very inspiring. Ms. Averitt showed our class how to use html tag modifiers on our pictures in our blogs. I was glad to learn how to do this so that a blind person using the computer will be able to receive the image information. All the presentations, vidoecast, and podcast for EDM were great. I am not one for public speaking, but Ms. Averitt made it really down to earth. The podcast assignment was the presentation that I enjoyed the most. My group was able to provide great websites to elementary school teachers. A lot of great topics were discussed during the presentations. Everyone did a great job and hopefully can now use podcast with their own students.

I am glad that Ms. Averitt went over Google Docs and Google spreadsheets. It had been a while since I have used these programs and I am glad I got a refresher course on these programs. I was able to learn different shortcuts and formulas for this software. During this semester in EDM I have learned a great deal about different resources available to teachers. Some examples of these resources are ACCESS, ALEX, iTunes, Google Earth and iTunes U. Before this class I never knew these things existed. ACCESS and ALEX offer a wide variety of information for educators. ALEX even has lesson plans grouped by grade level and subject along with the Alabama Course of Study. I have never been introduced to iTunes until this class. I am amazed at the educational material available on it and iTunesU. College students have a wonderful tool of iTunesU available to them. Google Earth is another amazing tool to use to incorporate technology into the classroom. Not only is google earth fun and excited it gets the students eager to learn!

Personal Learning Network was an assignment where we had to develop 5 people who we share similar interest in a subject. My topic of interest was how to incorporate technology into the classroom. I researched this topic with five individuals and developed my PLN. These five individuals were teachers of different grade levels and they shared different ways they use technology with their students. I learned so much from these teachers that I was excited to return to the classroom and try their suggestions. My personal learning network is something that I will definitely use again in the future.

Comments4Kids was another one of my favorite assignments. This assignment really touched my heart. As a parent and a teacher I was inspired by the works of the children. I love to give the students positive feedback on their hard work. I know as a teacher that a little encouragement goes a long way. In class I also developed a professional resume on my blog. This was really neat to have this available for employers to view. By doing this professional resume I was able to provide teaching tools that I thought were important in education. This assignment was a great way to present myself and teaching strategies as an educator.

I am very glad that I had the opportunity to take this class. I have learned so much from blogs to technological literacy that I feel that I am able to return to the teaching field with a better respect and understanding of current technology. I feel this class has helped me to become a better teacher and parent. What I have learned in this class I am now able to share with my own children at home and with students in the classroom. My confidence in technology has definitely grown over the semester. I feel Ms. Averitt did a great job in covering all the topics in class. She was very open and understanding to all the students. She was willing to learn along side of us with some of the topics, like twittering. That was a great example of how teachers must always continue to learn.

I can leave this class knowing that I am technologically literate. I am current on technology and I take what I have learned and adapt it into the classroom. I am confident that my students will be able to use technology incorporation with their studies. I appreciate the help and guidance that Ms. Averitt gave me. Like Randy Pausch I chose to be a TIGER". I hope to let this spirit shine through me to all of my students so that they will learn to enjoy their life and have fun doing it, especially with their education.

7 Stupid Mistakes & 7 Brillant Things Teachers Do!

In this weeks blog assignment I am suppose to view two list by Doug Johnson and a list of New Classroom Rules by Education Innovation. The list consist of 7 stupid mistakes and 7 brilliant things teachers do with technology. After viewing the lists I picked two from each list that I feel are important. On the list of 7 stupid mistakes teachers make I choose not supervising computer using students and believing that ones teaching styles need not change to take full advantage of technology. I feel that as a parent and teacher these are two important valid remarks. As teachers it is our job to protect our students at all times especially while they are on the computer. Someone should always oversee a students work on the computer. S econd teachers need to realize that they need to keep current on technology. I agree with Mr. Johnson about the changing roles of both teacher and student. He stated that students need to become the content expert and the role of the teacher needs to be the process expert. He or she needs to be the one asking questions and directing the students. I feel by doing this we are making students become more responsible for their learning. Let them be the explores with the aid of the teacher and technology.

In the next list of 7 brilliant things teachers do I chose Empowering kids with technology and to make conference real time. I feel these are two very important topics. Anything that helps children to learn and builds their confidence is great. I believe that technology does that for students, it empowers them and makes learning fun. I also feel that technology helps children excel in areas that they are good at. Making conference real time is an important topic for me as a parent. As a parent I want to know what is going on with my child at all times. Teachers are now able to have this instant communication through email, websites, blogs, telephone calls, and wikis. The use of these technology tools connect parents and teachers together as partners in their child's education.

The New Classroom Rules are a variety of list that are quite different than the previous two list. To me these rules are geared more towards high school and college students. These rules incorporate more technology like laptops, mobile phones, texting, twittering, and instant messaging. I choose bring required materials, including your laptop and cell phone everyday as one of my topics. Again I feel this is for older students. In today's universities a laptop is a must. It is used in a majority of courses. Having all your material ready for class is showing that you are a responsible student. My next choice was to use polite speech when speaking, blogging, texting, twittering, and instant messaging. This is very important because students do not realize what they put out there on facebook or blogs that can one day come back to haunt them. You never really know who your audience may be so you need to be very careful with your words.

At The Teachers Desk

I really enjoyed exploring this the website A The Teachers Desk. This is a great website to use as a resource for teachers. I found a lot of great information and blog post on this site. It is important to have collaborative professional blogs such as this one because you have a place to share and gain valuable information. It can be used as a sounding board to share ideas. I found some very interesting post while looking over this site. The first blog post I came across was Using Technology for Effective Communication. This post shared some great examples of how to use facebook, twitter feed, and Mobile phones to communicate with parents. In this post the writer expresses that teachers need to continue their learning. They need to be aware of current technology and use it as a learning tool.

I never thought of using facebook as a form of communication with parents, but this was a suggestion in this blog. The writer uses facebook solely for communication with parents. I thought that was a great idea. In another post titled It Is Imperative We Help Our Students Create a Positive Digital Portfolio we learn that not only do good actions show up on facebook or other tools of technology, but inappropriate behavior makes its way in also. Students do not even understand the consequences of their behavior until it is to late. I explained this to my own nephew who is in high school to be very careful about what he puts out on facebook. Universities are looking back over facebook to check student's out before admissions. Students need to be warned of this. As educators I believe that we need to help students create a personal work space that reflects what they have learned, but at the same time show their personality.

How Do I Know I Am Not Just Being Selfish is another blog post I read. I found this very interesting. I agree with the writer that sometimes it seems technology is being shoved down our throats all the time. As I have stated in other post I believe that technology is important, but it is not the answer for everything. Using Skype to Connect ESOL Students with Foreign Language Students was a very exciting post. I really enjoyed this post. I thought it was great to see Skype being used in schools. I thought the skype conference between Mrs. Baker's ESOL class and Mrs. Whitter's Spanish class was a great example of how far we have come with technology. It seemed like the students were having a great time. To me that is the goal, to get students interested and eager to learn with this use of technology. It is important for students to have fun while they learn. I feel that students get more out of their education if they have an active role in it.

Pencils and Crayons to be Banned in Schools was a funny post. It really made you think of the place of technology in the classroom. It seems like their will never be an easy resolution to this topic. Everyone has a different opinion on this subject. Technology bridges the gap between more traditional ways of teaching.

Dr. Wesch's Video

I thought the video by Dr. Wesch was very interesting. He made some valid points on where is our culture going with media. I did not grow up in the age of technology. When I first went to college in 1994 we were just being introduced and teachers were still using chalk boards. My senior year in high school I was taking a typing class. It is amazing how times have changed and how far we have come with technology. In his video Dr. Wesch gives a brief history of "whatever". I found this very amusing. He discusses how the phrase whatever has changed over the years. In the late 60's the phrase whatever holds an I don't care attitude. As we move in time to the early 1990's the MTV and Bart Simpson generation the phrase whatever became "meh". As time and meaning of phrases change so does technology. Like the history of "whatever" changes our views of technology differs compared to the generation we grew up in. We have to adapt to the changes and grow or stay stagment in the past.

The video discusses the attraction to you tube. This is something else that I am not familiar with. My 9 year old daughter probably knows more about it then myself. I personally do not know what all the hip is all about. I do not have the time to surf you tube for entertainment. I grew up in the times when you actually have to commicate with a person face to face. I agree with the video that when you use a web camera it is not very personal. You are not actually talking to a real person. In today's society it is easier for people to responded to others on facebook, blogs, or twitter. To me this is very impersonable and how can you connect with others on this level. I like to handle things face to face that was the way I grew up. Technology is a wonderful tool, but I do not feel it is a fix all solution. I personally will use technology as a learning tool, but also incoprate traditional teachings into my classroom. Technology in the classroom is a must. I think as educators we have to find a happy medium that will benefit everyone, student and teacher. Dr. Wesch's video can be found at the following link if you would like to view it.http://is.gd/3WVVZ

Comments4Kids #3

I commented on Jack G.'s blog post. Jack's blog post was for football fans and players. In his post he discussed different aspects of football. He explains how football is fun, but it is very challenging. Jack talks about how you have to work hard and do your best in the game. He explains what a play is. For those of you who are not familiar with football a play is where the running back goes and if he gets the ball or not. Jack finishes his blog by describing the different positions of football.

I thought Jack G. did a great job on his blog post. He went into great detail to describe the game of football. His respect for the sport shined through in his post. I commented to Jack that I loved his positive attitude. I also expressed at how great I thought it was that he talked about the challenges of the game and that you had to do your best. I told him that I admired that quality and to continue the great job he is doing! If you would like to read some of the student's blog posts you can find it at the following link Comments4Kids.

BLOGGING

I loved the video. I thought that it was very creative. I loved how the children got into the song. It looked like they were having a great time! This was a great example of using a blog to share students talents. I hope other students are encouraged by this video. This leads me to my assignment for this week. Why is it important for students to post their work on blogs? I have several reasons that I have learned about this semester to why it is important to post students work on blogs.

This semester was my first attempt at blogging. As the time has gone by and I have learned more about how it works, it has become very beneficial to me. The first reason that I think students should post their work on blogs is that it connects them with people like themselves. Since I am renewing my teaching certification by posting my work on my blog I am able to stay current/knowledgeable in my field of education. Through sharing my work with other educators I have gained some new information regarding teaching. Through my blog I have received great websites that can be used as teaching resources. An example of this would be my blog post on ALEX . After sharing what I learned about ALEX it is out there for all to see and use as a resource. By posting on my blogs I have learned to share my work, ask questions, locate instructions, and get resources. Through blogging I am able to stay current with events in the area of teaching. In my blog post I have also shared podcast on education topics. Again this is another example of using blog post to gain valuable information or resources.

Also by posting my work on my blog I am able to share what I think is important. I can share information, thoughts, or my achievements with others. I can express myself to others. A good example of this is with my Personal Learning Network. After I developed my PLN I shared it on my blog in hopes that anyone needing some information regarding teaching would find it helpful. Blogging is a wonderful way to share and receive information.

A third reason to post your work on blogs is to influence others. Another post I made was regarding Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture. I commented on his book in hopes to encourage others to live life to the fullest and to have fun while you are doing it. Life is so hectic now a days and I feel that any words on encouragement are inspiring. I felt that the purpose of Randy's book was for everyone to stop and relieve how precious life is. No matter your age, it is OK to dream. Dream and dream big! Live life to the fullest and make the most out of it. If sharing your thoughts on a blog post influences one person then it is well worth the effort. Another example of using my blog post to influence others would be my assignment for Comments 4kids. This is a great way to bring children's work to life. To encourage others to read their stories and respond. By sharing my work, hopefully I am able to encourage others to see the magic in our student's work. You can find some creative post at the following link http://woodtech.edublogs.org/. I hope you find them inspiring and are able to give them words of encouragement!