C4T #4

For this series, I commented on Lee Kolbert’s blog, A Geeky Momma's Blog. The first post that I commented on was Why I Deleted Foursquare, and Why You Should, Too! This post was about the networking website, FourSquare (4sq). FourSquare is also nicknamed by Lee as FourScare. This website allows its users to check-in to different locations by using a GPS system. Depending on where you check-in, you earn point and discounts or freebees.

In the past, FourSquare allowed its users to change the website settings to private. Changing this allowed for only your friends to view where you checked-in. In early December, 4sq changed its policy to remove the option of private check-ins. This is why Lee deleted her account. Lee did some investigating after she learned about this. Lee found out that 4sq is connected to Facebook. This fact can lead to more personal information being released. Lee makes the point that any social media tools can be used as a stalking avenue. The rest of the post is showing how to set your Facebook page and Twitter to private.

After introducing myself, I commented saying that after reading her post, I will never create a FourSquare account. I also wrote that I keep all my social media account private. It is essential to remember that although social media is a wonderful tool, it is dangerous at the same time. As a future teacher who plans to use technology in my classroom, I will be sure to teach my student of these dangers.

C4K Summary for April

For my first comment for kids in this series, I commented on Francis's blog. Francis is a student in Ms. Squires class at the PT England School in Auckland, New Zealand. Francis has been blogging since year 4 and is now in year 7. I commented on his post titled My Math Strategy. This post was a recording of a smart board notepad showing Francis actively working out a math problem. There was also a voice over to compute the problem 7.9 + ___ = 12.5. Francis uses his strategy, called jumping number, to compute the problem. I commented on the post saying that I had never heard of the jumping number strategy but that I liked how easy it is to do! I complimented him on his advanced technological skills that he used to create his blog post. I also wrote a reminder for him to hold the microphone a little further away from his mouth so that his voice will sound clearer in the recording.

For my second blog post in this series, I commented on Omari’s blog. Omari is a student in Miss Ouano’s class. Omari has been blogging since year 4, and is now in year 5 at the PT England School in Auckland, New Zealand. I commented on his post titled Omari's Key Competencies. Omari wrote that his five key competencies are “managing self, participating and contributing, relating to others, thinking and using language symbols and texts.” He wrote that he is good at participating and contributing because he helps his fellow students with their Chromebooks. I commented on his post saying that I enjoyed reading about his capabilities because it sounds like he has high values. I also wrote that if I had a Chromebook I would need his help!

For my final comment for kids in this series, I commented on Tavake’s blog. Tavake is a year 5 student who has been blogging since year 4. He is in Miss Lavakula’s class. Tavake’s blog post, Life Cycle of a Butterfly was a Vimeo video of a butterfly's life cycle. This video was a moving picture (I assume the pictures were drawn by him) of a butterfly with a voice over by Tavake. In my comment, I first introduced myself saying that I was in a technology course at the University of South Alabama in the United States. I commented on his post saying that I enjoyed watching the video. I asked if he was the illustrator of the butterfly pictures and that the picture was beautifully drawn. I also suggested that he do his next voice recording in a quiet room to prevent background noise.

Blog Assignment #13

What did I (Dr. Strange) leave out?

If I was the professor of EDM 310, I would have my students write a blog post about the negative effects of using technology in the classroom. I would have my students write about this topic because it is something that all teachers, no matter what the subject or age group, need to be aware of. With the frequent use of technology in the classroom, it is easy to acknowledge the benefits that technology provides for students. On the same note, it is also easy to forget that there are negative effects of using technology in the classroom as well.

According to Negative Effects of Using Technology in Today's Classroom, technology can be a disuse of service to students if it is misused. Technology can take away learning time. If students, and teachers for that matter, have not had previous exposure to certain programs or technologies, valuable time in the classroom is spent learning these skills. Technology use may be appropriate in certain higher income schools where students are more likely to have previous exposure, opposed to schools in impoverished areas. While it is valuable time spent teaching children and teachers how to use technology, it is not adequate use of time when time is limited. Overuse of technology in the classroom is another negative consequence of using technology in the classroom. Sometimes, teachers, as well as students, get caught up in the use of technology and it is easily forgotten that technology is a supplement to the curriculum, not the source. A final negative consequence of using technology in the classroom is that students have a game mentality when using the computer. This is especially true for elementary school students. This fact can easily distract students from their assignments when using the computer or iPad.

According to an article from Opposing Views, expenses and diversion of resources are two other negative effects of using technology in the classroom. Equipping classroom with computers, iPads, ebooks, or any other devices are costly. Not only is the initial price of buying devices expensive, maintenance work and software is costly as well. "Bring your own device" has helped with this cost, but it is still a concern for individual families who have to purchase software specific to what their school requires. Diversion of resources ties into the topic of technology being costly. When schools budget for new technology, they take money out of other programs. These programs include music and arts. If teachers are aware of these negative effects of technology in the classroom, teachers can avoid certain consequences. Teachers can spend extra time outside of school hours learning new programs. Teachers can keep children focused and disciplined to lessen distractions. Also, school systems can budget for technology and make integrating devices into the classroom a gradual process.

Blog Assignment #12

What assistive technologies are available to you as a teacher?

At one point or another in an educator's career, all teachers will encounter students with disabilities. Thanks to advancements in technology, there are now programs to benefit students with disabilities. These programs include benefits for the vision and hearing impaired as well as those with special needs.

According to Assistive Technologies for Vision and Hearing Impaired Children,, the benefits of using assistive technologies include: enhance learning, remove barriers, push boundaries, give hope, and challenge the way we think.

An example of assitive technology for the blind is the Mountbatten Braille Writer. The Mountbatten gives audio and tactile feedback. It can save, transfer, and receive files from a computer. This brailler is good for mainstream classrooms because it converts the braille text into print and displays it onto a screen for classmates and the teacher to read.

Ipad usage for the blind is another example of an assistive technology. All iPads have voice over. Voice over allows a blind iPad user to navigate the iPad programs by dragging their finger around the screen to hear the text read out loud. Also, iBooks on the iPad can be read aloud to the iPad user.





This information and these resources will be beneficial to me in the future as either an elementary or special needs teacher! There is also a video titled Teaching Mom What Her Deaf/Blind Child is Learning on the iPad for parents to learn how to use these assistive technologies!

Project 12B

For Project 12 B, group Castleberry taught a third grade lesson on fractions. We used ideas from a lesson plan found on Smartboard Exchange. The lesson plan addresses the ACCR standard 13. Understand a fraction 1/b as the quantity formed by 1 part when a whole is partitioned into b equal parts; understand a fraction a/b as the quantity formed by a parts and size 1/b. [3-NF1]

Blog Assignment #11

What can we learn about teaching and learning from these teachers?

What can we learn from Brian Crosby's Back to the Future TED Talk? Mr. Crosby teaches 4th, 5th, and 6th grade at Agnes Risley Elementary School in Sparks, Nevada. We can learn so much from a teacher who inspires children to learn through methods that are not representative of modern-day education. The typical model for education would include traditional teaching and learning in order to meet the standards set forth by the state. Mr. Crosby goes above and beyond the standards and challenges his students, who are also English Language Learners and low socioeconomic status, to think outside of the box. Instruction is real world based through experiments and cooperative learning, not only with in the classroom but across the globe. I think if a teacher is allowed to have creative control over the learning process, anything is possible. There are many school districts that are focused on test scores and data that can be quickly measured by a standardized test. The class population in Mr. Crosby’s class is learning in a meaningful way, one they will never forget. It is inherently visible the passion this teacher has for teaching and learning. The experiments prove to excite the teacher and individuals in his class as well as children elsewhere who learn from their blog posts. This is powerful learning that every kid deserves.

What can we learn from Paul Anderson and the Blended Learning Cycle? Mr. Anderson is a high school AP Biology teacher in Bozeman, Montana who knows the value of asking good questions. The model for learning is a mix of Blended Learning and the Learning Cycle. Blended Learning is a combination of models which includes classroom learning mobile learning and online learning. The Learning Cycle is a model that uses a central goal to evaluate surrounded by the ways in which a person comes to that point using explore, explain, expand, and engage. While Mr. Anderson implements this Blended Learning Cycle, he uses an acronym he created called Quivers: questions, investigations, video, elaboration, review, and finally summary. The summary will be a quiz but the student must demonstrate mastery of the topic or else there should be remediation and further investigations conducted. The cycle of learning continues until mastery is achieved and the answer to the question posed has been evaluated, which is the ultimate goal of science teachers.

There are many things we can learn from Sam Pane in his video, Sam Pane 4th grade. I love the idea that he based a project on how to be safe while using the internet. He let his students make a comic on how to use the internet safely. I have never even thought about making a comic in my classroom, so this is something new that I would love to do! Sam teaches us (the viewers) how important it is to address online personal information, as well as, informing us that we can do so many activities that allow students to learn to use safety online. Most importantly, Sam teaches his students to become a Super Digital Citizen. He wants his students to be able to go to a website and evaluate the information they’re after. The way he approached this is by stating this quote from Spiderman, “With great power, comes great responsibility.” Then he brings it into his lesson by asking, “What kind of power does the internet give us?” From this, we, as future teachers, should learn to introduce a subject in a way that catches the students attention. Reel them in by the things they are familiar with and love.

In the video Project Based Learning, three teachers (an English teacher, a history teacher, and a technology teacher) combined their one hour class, to make a 3 hour hour class that included all three subjects. With this they have more time and flexibility. One thing I feel I learned from this video is, when we give our students the time, the dedication, and the feedback needed, they can go above and beyond what they ever expected and want to take ownership for what they did. With more time, they are able to do more projects (in this video that includes all three subjects) and be satisfied with their project. We, as future teachers, want to be able to teach more than just the curriculum, we want our students to enjoy what they do in the classroom. The English teacher in this video, Melanie, stated at the end of the video, that before they combined the classes all the students used was paper and pencil and they hated it. With the extra time, they are able to do different projects on the computer and enjoy it. Project based learning is what kids are all about now, and this video has taught me to shower my students in project based learning, and they will be more satisfied, and willing to take ownership of the work they did.

After watching the video about Roosevelt Elementary's PBL Program I learned about the benefits of implementing project based learning from a young age. Roosevelt Elementary School is located in Redwood City, California. Project based learning begins in the kindergarten level at this school. PBL emphasizes real world problem solving in the classroom. Teachers, as well as students, collaborate in creating projects that meet state standards. Not only do students receive quality knowledge from PBL, but they are introduced to public speaking at a young age. Practicing this skill from a young age is beneficial because the students receive feedback from not only their teacher, but their peers as well. This feedback can increase confidence among students and make students proud of what they learned. This helps build social skills. The community is also involved in the PBL movement. Community residents speak to classes at Roosevelt Elementary to tell students real life stories. PBL is self motivating and encourages students to learn!

Project #10

C4K Summary for March

For my first C4K in March I commented on Arthur’s blog. Arthur is a student in Mrs. Jenny She’s second grade class at the Pt England School in Auckland, New Zealand. Mrs. She has a class blog for her students called Little Voices, Little Scholars. Before commenting on Arthur’s blog post, I watched a video about his class, Room 7. The video Room 7 Really Rocks! shows all the values that the students have learning including using their manners, following the rules, and doing their homework. I also viewed the Literacy Cycle from Mrs. She’s class blog. This literacy cycle describes the process of eLearning merging with the teaching of English. I commented on Arthur's blog post Arthur's Weekend Story by saying that I loved the story about his weekend trip to the beach and that I love going to the beach and playing in the sand as well. I also complimented him on his artwork for his story.

For my second C4K for March, I commented on Sione’s blog. Sione is a student in Mr. Banks and Mrs. Nua’s class at the PT England School in Auckland, New Zealand. He has been blogging since year 4 and he is now in year 7/8. I commented on his blog post Sione's Empathy Movie. This post was a Vimeo video by Sione created using pictures he drew his self with audio narration. The video what about Sione cheering up one of his friends so that they could go back to class and complete their math work and rotations. I commented on his blog post saying that I enjoyed his video because it was creative using pictures he created himself. I also suggested that he record his narration in a quiet room so that there is no background noise and therefore easier for the viewer to understand.

C4T #3

For this comment for teachers series, I comment on Jenny Luca's blog, Lucacept Intersecting the Web. The title of the first blog post that I commented on was Is Your School Missing the Future? This post included a link to a TED Talk video. The post begins by asking the reader to apply this quote from Larry Page to schools, "The main thing that has caused companies to fail, in my view, is that they missed the future." Jenny elaborates on this thought by stating that schools should expose their students to technology in the classroom instead of leaving that for the students’ personal lives. Jenny ended her post with this statement, "We can't afford to let our students find the future outside of the school experience. There's a fair bit of guidance necessary to help them navigate this future and our schools should be leading the way, not impeding the process." I believe this statement is very true. This closing statement made me think of using technology in schools as a necessity for students, not just in the classroom, but for excellence in their future.

The second post that I commented on was Moving to the Cloud? What Should you Consider? written by Jenny Luca. This blog post discusses the use of Google Apps for Education. Jenny’s school recently transitioned to this program. The program is beneficial because of the collaborative docs and the 30 GB of storage per user. Also, Google Apps prevents school staff from putting school documents on a program not censored by the school domain such as Dropbox. In her post, Jenny also described in detail the research she did on Cloud Computing before the decision to switch to it was made for her school. Although there are security considerations, Jenny and the executive board for her school believed this switch was appropriate. Jenny makes the point that it is necessary to take the time to thoroughly review all of the pros and cons of Google Apps for Education before adopting it as a part of your schools educational program.