Blog Post #10

I'm a Papermate. I"m a Ticonderoga


After viewing this cartoon "Im a Papermate. I'm a Ticonderoga", I thought of several possibilities he was trying to send to his viewers. The main point I think this cartoon is trying to get across is that we are sick of the old pencil and paper ways. We no longer need just pencil and paper to learn because our world is becoming more advanced. I think that by saying the Ticonderoga is more money, they are stating the fact of wether we should spend more money on technology. Although paper and pencils are cheaper, it is no longer allowing students to engage in the real world. Students would not know what is truly happening in the world, if they were not able to use the internet. I believe the idea of just paper and pencils is gone and we need to start incorporating more technology in our students lives.

Mr. Spencer's Blog Post


I read his blog, "Why Were your kids playing games?", I really enjoyed reading it. It talked about how a teacher was interacting his students by playing games with them instead of memorizing material. The pricipal was throughly upset with this process, but what he did not realize is the children were actually learning the material. I think that it is way better to interact the kids because they actually learn the material rather than just memorize it. I feel as though the principal did not understand the concept of teaching. The teacher needs to get the kids involved and let them enjoy learning. When teachers tend to stick a worksheet in front of you and say memorize the material, my brain shuts down. I would much rather be interacting and enjoy learning the material.

Another blog post I read was, "Remember pencil Quests?", I thought this post was different and exciting. I wish I was in that class and could take exciting pencil quests. I enjoyed that fact that with a simple pencil he was interacting the students and getting them excited. Students were asking questions about where their going or how many pages they will explore. I think this reminds me of the internet because no matter what, you never know where you may end up. There are so many pages to explore and so much information. I cannot wait until one day, I will incoorate fun quests into my learning and get the students excited about this adventure. I feel as though he is saying that there should be no limit to learning. Even with a simple pencil, a student can go on a quest to reach their destination. Learning should be fun and should interact the students rather than just writing and memorizing with no purpose at all.

Dr. Scott McLeod


After reading, "About me", I found out a lot of useful information about Dr. McLeod. He is serving as the Director of Innovation for Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency 8 in Iowa. He was an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Kentucky. Dr. McLeod also is the Founding Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education. Most of all, he is recognized as one of the nation’s leading academic experts on K-12 school technology leadership issues. I found him as a very interesting man.

After reading his post, "Don't teach your kids this stuff, Please?", I enjoyed this post. I thought it was humorous and different. I can understand his point to an extent. I think that it was interesting how he told people to not teach their kids this stuff because he wants his kids to have a leg up. I feel as though if you do not let your children explore the internet they will never know what is going on in the world. The internet is a useful tool to learning and there is harm everywhere not just on the internet. I feel like teachers should explain the importance of using the web and show how you can use it for learning. He shows the negatives and explains how you should not show you kids the useful tools of the web due to the harmfulness of it. At the end, he states that he does use it with his students, which makes you think he does not want others to do it with their students so his will be ahead. Overall, I believe there will be issues with the web along with everything else. I think that our world is centered around technology and if you do not integrate it in your classrooms, they will be behind.

Project #12 Book Trailer

My PLN Progress Project #10

My PLN Progress


I believe that a person's PLN is very important in learning. I think that everyone should be familiar with the internet and be able to use it for useful reasons. I have found that throughout EDM 310 my PLN has improved dramatically. I am learning new and improved ways to search the web for helpful ideas and learning tools. I have become very familiar with Symbaloo. I registered and began using this site awhile ago and I am just now getting into it and using it almost daily. Another major source I use is twitter. I find interesting facts on my twitter home and also great comments by Dr. Strange and staff. Through being a student in EDM 310, I have learned that when I am on the road with tennis I have found it difficult to keep up with school. Whenever I leave, I get behind in school, but I am now being able to look at the internet and find different learning website that explain the assignments to me. I am also finding new and improved ways of chatting with friends from a distance and they are able to give me feedback on my work. For example, I have become a major user of Google docs which allows you and a peer to work on an assignment together. With this source, your peer can edit your paper without you ever having to go to her doorstep. Overall, I will continue to work on my PLN because you are always trying to figure out more ways to learn. I really enjoy how much EDM310 has improved my use of the internet. .

Blog Post 9

What I Learned this Year, Volume 4


In the first part of his blog post called, You gotta dance with who you brought to dance, he talks about his image as an educator to his peers. He is extremely worried about what his peers think of him as an educator, instead of his superiors and students. Overall, he understands how his relationship stands with his current students but not his peers. He begins to worry which causes him to have anxiety from not truly knowing his peers opinions. He began to let this worry and anxiety affect his mood in the classroom. He starts to realize that he cannot worry about what his peers think of him as an educator and just worry about his students. He starts to remember that worrying about what his peers think about him has never helped him, but worrying about the students has made him the educator his is today.

The second part of his post called "challenge yourself", it is about how he became a routine educator. Mr. McClung found himself losing his creativity as a teacher. This is every educator’s nightmare and I would never want this to happen to me. He had taught Social Studies and AR history for years and was becoming bored with it. He started using old lesson plans and becoming less creative. Next year, Mr. McClung is going to teacher two new subjects called Pre- AP civics and American Government. He is very enthused over this change and feels it will increase his creativity because it is new material. He learned that you can never get to comfortable because your lessons will become boring and you will lose your students interest. He feels that losing the interest of your students is one of the worst things that can happen and he never wants that to happen again in the future. He wants to make sure his students will not resent learning as he did during childhood.

I loved this blog post because it was very easy for me to relate to as a student and a person. I feel in the first part of his post that he made a great point. Never change who you are to satisfy your peers. I have found myself as a victim of this and want it to never happen again. I feel as though if you change the person you are then you will end up disappointing more people in the future along with yourself. I loved the fact that he overcame his anxiety and worry and started to understand what was best for the students. I felt that Mr. McClung is a great educator because he realizes the wrong he is doing and tries to fix it out of the best interest for his students. One should never doubt themselves, always do your best and try to satisfy the people that matter most like students and superiors.

In the second part, I loved the fact that when his lecture became boring, he changed it. I can completely understand the fact of becoming comfortable with something and no longer giving it your full interest. I think that when he realized that it was affecting the students and realized he must change it was inspiring. I feel as though several teachers do not realize this problem they are having. If more teachers would fix the problem and teach something else, learning could be more entertaining. Overall, I loved reading this post because it opened up a new image of teaching and problems I never knew were out there.

What I have Learned this Year (2008-2009)


In the first part of his post, What I have learned this year, he talks about worrying about what he needs to show superiors rather than the student comprehension. He talks about how many teachers make the mistake (including himself) of trying to plan your lesson and know your path before you have even taught it. He feels as though teachers sometimes can be so concerned with the delivery of the content rather than the comprehension of the student. Also, he states how teachers should be flexible rather than trying to control everything. He feels as though teachers start to worry about themselves and their goals and forget about the importance of their students. He starts to talk about the importance of communication. He interprets how students must learn communication because that is how they can get behind and not understand the material.

Another great piece of advice that he talks about in his blog is being reasonable. Mr. McClung talks about how teachers tend to set high expectations for their students, but sometimes their expectations are too high. If these expectations are too high, then students will be set up for disappointment when they do not reach these goals. He states that their role for teachers is to pick them up when they fall and encourage them to keep trying. He also covers the topic about listening to your students. He tells how important it is to listen to what your students have to say because you may be the only one listening to them. It is always important to take interest in your student’s lives because it will show them that you truly care. Also, he tells us how teachers should never stop learning. He says how some teachers refuse to learn and grow as teachers, but you should never let this happen because if your students are learning then you should too.

I really enjoyed reading this blog post about Mr. McClung's first year as an educator. I thought he talked about some great topics. One that I really enjoyed was the communication topic. I think this one is very important because as an athlete, I have to make sure I communicate well with my teachers. Also, I loved how instead of trying to make lesson plans that satisfy your superiors, he makes them to satisfy his students which is very important. I enjoyed how he talked about being reasonable with your students because I can remember when I did not reach goals and it was very discouraging. Teachers should always encourage and boast their students because it gives confidence and that is what they need most. I really learned a lot from Mr. McClung's blog post and thought that he hit several familiar points that I can relate to. This really opened my mind about teaching and made me realize some important aspects

C4T #2 Summary

Principal Vincentsen's Blog

I had to comment on Principal Vincentsen's blog over the past month. I commented on two blog post by Principal’s Vincentsen’s blog. I thought these were great blogs to read because they helped me understand what I had sort of already known. The first post I commented on was about audio books. It showed how for students who could not comprehend well by reading could order books on tape. I thought this idea was excellent because I also had this issue with my reading skills. When I was younger, I could never read a book and understand what it was trying to say so this was a great tool for me.

The next post I had to comment on was the post about Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. This posts talks about the exceptional speech that was given on that incredible day. It talks about how still to this day how surprising that speech was and the inspiration within it. I enjoyed this post because I did not really know much about his speech until reading about it in this blog. I enjoy this assignment because it gives me another perspective on how other people blog.

Blog Post 8

This is How We Dream


In the videos This is How We Dream Part One and Part Two, Dr. Richard Miller gave a presentation at Rutger’s University titled “The way we teach now.” After reading and completing the assignments assigned by Dr. Strange, I have enjoyed exploring technology more and using it. Throughout my years of schooling, I grew up writing with pencils and pens and doing manual research. Schools in the future will eventually just have laptops in front of their desk and doing all their work through the web. I think that this method is great but I do not think that students should no longer use their pencils. I believe the pencil is an essential tool to learning and writing.

Teachers play a major role in student’s success and have affected every accomplished person in some way. No matter what tool students use to learn, it is always important that they get the correct amount of information to lead them in the right direction. Wether students are using pencils or the internet, learning is just as important and always has been. The difference has and always will be how much effort the student is willing to put into the assignments and how helpful the teachers can be. Mr. Miller talks about the increasing popularity of ebooks. I completely agree with him in the state that one day all books will be on ebooks and there will be no need to go to books a million.

I completely agree with the use of technology in order to enhance education. Without technology, I would be lost and would lose a major source for information. Without blogging, you tube, google crome, facebook, or twitter I do not know where I would be. I use the internet to help me catch up from class I have missed from tennis. It has helped me look up information to get me through the school year. I cannot imagine if my students did not have this same opportunity.

Carly Pugh Blog Post #12

In Carly Pugh's blog post, I was not surprised to see so many wonderful suggestion’s in Carly’s Blog Post #12. Carly has given me so many wonderful tips this year in her blog comments and lab sessions. I really appreciate her belief and use in technology in all the suggestions she shares with out class. After reading her post, I came to think a little bit different of technology and a greater appreciation for it. It makes me seem to be a bit more open about technology in general. I hope that one day I can be as excited and enthusiastic as Carly is with technology and her students. I cannot wait to use this advice Carly has given me with my students to improve my classroom.

EDM 310 Is not for Dummies or Chipper Procrastinators

The Is not for Dummies and Chipper Procrastinators were two great videos. The Chipper series started out with a girl who could not stop procrastinating. She drops out of school and begins to have job trouble which makes her become a student who can work hard. This video shows students how important it is to work hard and how procrastination gets you nowhere in life. EDM 310 for Dummies is a book that students are trying to sell. It is a book that gives students tips on how to get an A in EDM 310. All the tips have to do with is using tools that are provided for us. If we use what is provided for us, rather than getting overwhelmed and panicking then we will do just fine in this class. Also, we must always get our work done in a timely manner and not last minute.
These were not only informative videos but were very interesting and helpful. I hope to make my videos interesting and fun with I am trying to teach my classes in the future.

Learn to Change, Change to Learn

I found this video very interesting but not new information. Children are growing up using technology daily for social networks. Almost all kids grow up with cell phones or ipods or some sort of electronic device. Technology is something that kids grow up with but are using them for non-educational reasons. All these electronic devices are banned in a classroom, so it automatically gives off the negative vibe. Kids need to learn to use their electronic devices for education purposes and they would gain a lot of useful learning tools. As the video mentioned, all the technology and social networks that kids use it is a great environment for them to learn.
As a future teacher, I want to be able to incorporate as much technology as possible in my classroom. Children grow up using technology anyways and I want to teach them how it can be beneficial to them through learning. By using tools that children are already interested in can be very beneficial in the classroom. When students enjoy learning and listening then it is much more efficient. Overall, I found this video very interesting to watch.

Scavenger Hunt

I really loved this idea of the scavenger hunt. It was not only fun, but a useful assignment. I found several helpful tools that will be very useful when I’m an educator.

I found a social network that both teachers and students can use called google docs. I find this network very helpful because the teacher can add something to your writing and you can view it through your own account. I have created myself an account and have gotten very familiar with it and cannot wait to eventually incorporate it into my classroom and work on my student’s paper at the same time they are doing it their selves.

I made my own comic by going to Make Belief Comix website. I think this could be a fun activity for my students in the future.
My comic can be viewed through Mary Angela's Comic


Animoto is a video tool that I have never used before. After looking at it I have seen some very cool features. It has a spotlight that allows you to spotlight a specific image. It also is very easy to share and download your videos. A really helpful feature of Animoto is that it automatically analyzes music and video clips. I cannot wait to use this is my classroom soon.

Project 8

Blog Post 7

The Networked Student


The video The Networked Student is very interesting and gives me a completely different view of students using the internet. It reminds me a lot of the class EDM 310 that I am taking now. Although, I feel like sometimes it is difficult to constantly use the web to search for different materials, it can also be easier. I feel like different educators decide to teach in different ways. Although some want to incorporate technology into their teaching where as others would rather just lecture. I feel as an educator, I will eventually have to make the decision of what I would rather do. Although, it is nice not having to come and sit in a classroom, be able to do the work on your own, and your own time; it can be difficult to not have someone in front of you telling you what to do.

Throughout the video, the student is taught by a teacher entirely through the web. They will meet on certain days and the teacher will teach him how to find answers on his own. She gives him a lee way by giving him tools and resources, but he spends most of his time networking and finding the information himself. The purpose the student is trying to do is to network around the world to find teachers or connections that can give him valuable information. The teacher never actually spends time in the classroom lecturing, but the student is still learning valuable information.

The questioned asked is, “Why does a networked student need a teacher?” I feel that a teacher is there for guidance and support. Without the teacher, the student would not have the resources or tools he or she needs to find the valuable information. For example, in EDM 310 if we were just given the checklist and no guidance, no idea where to find the information, or how to complete the projects, I would be lost. Without the teacher, there is no one there if you have questions or feel as though you are not on the right tract. Although there is a tremendous amount of information on the web, it is hard to know the right place to look if there is no one there to guide you.

A 7th Grader's PLE

After watching, A 7th Grader's PLE, I have seen many similarities to my PLN and the 7th graders PLE. I was stunned to see how useful she is with the internet. I have also started getting familiar with Symbaloo because I have recently been trying to get used to it. I am trying to organize my personal stuff from my school stuff. I think that EDM 310 has improved my PLN because I am becoming very familiar with the internet and learning several tools that can be very useful to me. I am also trying to find several links on the web that will help me with learning. When I am gone for tennis, I have to find different resources because I am no longer in the classroom to learn. I have found different websites and links that have helped me get through school so far. I am very lucky that my PLN has improved so much and I hope that I can eventually get to be as organized as the PLE by a 7th grader.

C4K Summary

C4K Summary of September


My first blog I commented the second post on Mr. Capp’s class blog, it was about children learning math. I felt like this was a great blog for me to be able to post because I love math myself and enjoy being in the classroom. The class was learning subtraction and different ways you could complete this process. It started off giving a math story and how they want to buy a popsicle, they needed to know how much money it cost to buy them and the change they would receive. I gave the class many suggestions on what helped me learn math and enjoy it. I asked them questions about their class and what they enjoyed most. They had an interesting blog and I enjoyed reading it because it looked like they were having a lot of fun.




The next post I commented on was Broneq’s blog which was called Olympic. This post talked about the Olympic games in London. It talked about how the athletes must be dedicated and run to their fullest in order to achieve one. I told her that I thought it was a great topic to write about because it is a fabulous event. I told her how I was also a tennis player and would love to work hard to one day achieve a gold medal. I told her about the different competitions that I enjoy watching and asked her which ones she likes to watch. Overall, I enjoyed reading her blog post and found it very interesting.

Project #9a Timetoast

Blog Post 6

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture


After watching, Randy Pausch's Last Lecture, I was very inspired. I felt like the hour flew by because he was filling my head with wonderful thoughts and ideas. He was very encouraging and there was never a dull moment. I think it is incredible that one man can be this upbeat while going through a life changing experience. Even though this is a long video, everyone needs to take the time to watch it. He gives exceptional points that will allow us as teachers to strive in the classroom. He showed us that no matter what the circumstances may be we must never give up on our dreams.

His first argument is about achieving your dreams. He talks about how he has ten tumors in his liver with six months to live. During this lecture, Mr. Pausch does not let this information bring him or his audience down which is very inspiring. He gives all of his personal dreams as examples. Although some of them are crazy and seem ridiculous, he does whatever it takes to achieve them and never gives up. I enjoyed his story about joining the NFL. When he was discussing this story, he talked about the importance of hard work and fundamentals. I really liked the point he was trying to get across about no matter if your dream is achieved you always can learn a great lesson. Although Mr. Pausch did not achieve this dream, he believed it allowed him to become one step to where he is now and achieving other dreams. His argument about overcoming the” brick walls” was exceptional. I feel that many teachers or students when faced with a challenge back down. Instead of not giving up and leaving your dream behind, I feel like everyone should overcome the “brick walls” and achieve their dreams. There will always be “brick walls” that will want to tear you down in life but they are just there to prove how badly you want something. Although he had several brick walls along the way, he never gave up and achieved his dreams. He should inspire everyone to overcome their fear and achieve their dreams.

Although Randy Pausch achieved some amazing dreams, he also had some incredible teaching methods. I really like his point to find someone like you to utilize your goals. For example, there was this girl in my classroom named Sarah, she was one of the smartest students I knew and I strived to be just like her. I would ask her help on writing notes and study strategies. She helped me reach my goals because I always wanted to be a good student and she taught me methods that have helped me become one. I loved his idea of never setting a bar on what you expect from your students because no matter what you always want them to achieve above and beyond. Another important strategy I enjoyed was always having fun in the classroom. I think this is one of the most important ones because learning should be fun. If the lesson is boring, then no one will pay attention and understand the message the teacher is giving. I always enjoyed the classes where the teacher would get the students involved and allow us to have a good time while still understanding the material. Lastly, the one thing that allows a student to excel in a classroom is the support of the people surrounding them. I was very fortunate to have good parents, tutors, and teachers always there for me. I feel like everyone should encourage students to always ask for help from their parents, mentors, or teachers. I hope as a teacher one day I can provide this help and support each student needs.

Overall, I enjoyed watching Randy Pausch’s last lecture. I feel like every student who wants to become a teacher should watch this video. It is very important for teachers to learn and understand these strategies. I know I will use them in my classroom one day. I enjoyed all of the lessons he was giving to his audience and how everyone should try and reach their dreams. I feel that if I use his lecture as a guide it will make me become a better educator.

CAT Summary

John Spencer's Blog

In reading John Spencer's Blog, I learned about different ways students can interact in the classroom and learn more. I enjoyed the way that John explained things by giving stories and examples. Although, the posts were confusing at first the more I read them the more I started to enjoy them. In his posts, he talked about the quest of the pencil in which his teacher told them they would go on a journey, but instead they were viewing the internet and looking for pen pals. This was a great experience they had and he felt that learning just got a lot better at that moment. He felt like the more the students interact with the internet and letting them teach themselves the more they get out of learning.
John also had another post which was explaining the Con Academy. This post explained how instead of students’ always writing essays and filling out worksheets they need to get involved with their learning and start becoming the teacher. It was a whole new method of teaching and it allowed the students to understand the material and work of figuring out and telling the class. In the post, he gave a story of the teacher proposing this idea to the principal and gave him his ideas. I really enjoyed that story because he used the classroom as an academy and asked are you really able to help all these kids? His answer was no but if you think about it there is enough children to help each other and that’s the whole point of the Con Academy. The point is that instead of making the teacher help all the students, the students can now help each other and learn in a whole new way. Overall, I have enjoyed reading the post by John Spencer and learning about different ways students can learn in the classroom.