Comments for Teachers #3

Tom Schimmer's post, Nothing Fails Like Success, is great! He discusses why it is important to think about the results of success as well as the methods we implement in order to achieve it. His example is very clever. People who have the flu generally lose weight, so if you wanted to lose weight you could just contract the flu and viola! Obviously, this is not an ideal way to lose a few pounds. As for an educator, we must realize our students' learning abilities and strategies will be different. Some methods will be more successful than others. We also need to reflect upon our successes and failures in order to grow as educators. His message was great and by far my favorite blog this semester!

His other post, The System, is very inspirational and a great wake up call. He talks about how people will blame the "district" or the "system" like they are some kind of foreign entity unlike ourselves. However, we are the system! It is up to us to make a difference regardless of our social or work station. Even if we consider ourselves to be at the bottom of the social ladder or not have the highest ranking job title, we can still have an influence on people we know. It only takes a tiny little spark to ignite a great ravenous fire. In my comment I talked about how people just feel downtrodden and really just depressed. They feel like nothing they can do will change anything. History has proven them wrong and it will continue to do so.

Blog Assignment 10

Are you a Teacher or an Educator?" is a thought provoking video. I hadn't really thought of the difference between a teacher and an educator. Educator always sounded more sophisticated than teacher, but I knew they were synonymous. In all honesty, I'm struggling to see how they are different. I have been looking in dictionaries to try and find a distinct difference between the two and I cannot. Krissy's blog from the summer 2011 laid it out for me a little better. According to the video an educator inspires and enlightens, whereas a teacher is made out like they just hand out facts and expect students to believe it. I don't agree with this negative connotation of the word "teacher". And if it is going to be viewed negatively then shouldn't we all be saying "I am going to become an educator," versus saying, "I am going to become a teacher"? Maybe I'm taking this way out of context, but I don't see how two words can be synonymous and yet mean something very different. Please! Give me some criticism to help me see what I am missing.
I am an education major because I want to be an educator. Now, just to be clear, I want to inspire my students to learn for themselves and to come forth with new observations and ideas. I want to lead my students by my example. I want to show them that even though something may be hard to accomplish, it doesn't mean you can't have fun while attempting it. I want to guide them through their young stages of their educational journey and give them the tools they will need to continue growing their wealth of information and knowledge. I want to be positive with any and every subject so that my students will take on the same attitude as well. They are the future and I want a part in making it a bright one. This is why I want to be an educator.



Tom Johnson's post, Don't Let Them Take Pencils Home, made me laugh while making me feel like I shouldn't be laughing at all. I was even a tad aggravated after I read it because of Gertrude.
The post starts off with Gertrude, a fellow teacher of Tom's, who exclaims that he cannot let his students take their pencils home for the love of standardized tests. Apparently, studies haven found that children in low income areas that take pencils home score lower on standardized tests. This is absolutely bonkers to me and the point in which I stop laughing with the post. How do pencils have anything to do with scoring lower on tests?! But Gerturde doesn't stop there. She continues to say that kids aren't going to be accountable with their pencils at home and will just play "sick and twisted" games like hangman. At this point I go through comments and reread the post to make sure this isn't another sarcastic poem or something. Unfortunately, it's not. However, I found solace in a comment that was left by Lisa. She basically says that the same "pencil" argument could be made by substituting pencils with books. She is absolutely right.
Another excellent point Lisa makes is the similarities between what Ken Robinson says about killing creativity and Gertrude's attitude. Teachers should allow creativity to blossom within their classrooms. I believe that with creativity comes curiosity and the eagerness to learn. Why would teachers want to destroy that over a bubble test that doesn't truly reflect what a student has truly learned? Seriously, if all we cared about was a test score then wouldn't we teach our children how to take a test, how to fill in these bubbles, and how to watch the clock to see how much time you have left to bubble in how much you know about random facts you are supposed to regurgitate? Teaching is not about the tests, but about the students! And if students want to play games like hangman, write a fictional story, or draw fun little doodles with pencils or pens allow them to express themselves. They may not be learning about algebra or how to read music notes, but at least they are learning about themselves and each other.

Blog Assignment 9

Mr. McClung's post is a great journey. Once you read it, there is no wonder how he got the most influential edublog of the year award. At the Teacher's Desk is his summation of his first year of teaching. I can only imagine, for now, what it's like to be "thrown to the wolves". Not that the kids tried eating anyone, but I bet it was intimidating to stand and teach in front of them; especially by yourself and for the first time. You also have your own ideas about how things are going to go. You rush in thinking you're going to find the cure to cancer in a week until the first month flies by and your nose is still in the books figuring out what it is. Lesson plans are tough to keep on track, but I think it's even tougher to realize this is going to take longer than you thought. But that is only part of it. If your kids don't understand the material I think it's pretty obvious more time needs to be spent on that lesson. However, I can see how a novice teacher would begin to doubt themselves and their teaching ability. But Mr. McClung gives great advice, "Listen to your students." I believe this realization comes to many teachers, if not all, who are passionate about their kids' educational journey. When you do this the students truly have a sense that the teacher cares. This makes the extra time on lesson plans and everything worth it.

The second post I read was a well of knowledge. This post gave a more inside look at the inner workings and the foundation of the educational system as we know it; teachers and administration. I love his find your school mom tip. I think that is very good advice, especially when you are dealing with young adults who might be going through some really big emotional changes or if you are just going through a rut and need someone to talk to.  I can also imagine that fellow "grown ups" will have the maturity level of a sassy three year old. I believe it's something we all go through, but it's important to know what your real purpose at that school is. To teach and be there for the kids.
I really enjoyed Mr. McClung's post and I am sure he must have felt great writing them. I think this final reflection project will be fun and in a sense therapeutic. I know I have a great deal to consider and talk about in my reflection. Mr. McClung's posts have helped me to see that.

Tech Fancy Teacher's vs. Smartboard

Blog Assignment 8

Dr. Richard Miller is, in my opinion, a revolutionist in the realm of media, education, and technology. His ideas about sharing are exciting and also breaks a boundary that I had never thought of. I had always defined 'library' as a place where books, ideas, and messages were shared. I also knew that going to the library was like playing a game of chance; you didn't know if you're book was there or not. Books are mistakenly put in the wrong aisles and are basically lost forever within a text jungle. I have heard of people go so far as to steal them and burn them to hide ideas and sources for whatever reason. This isn't sharing and it's not efficient.
    However, I think more people are beginning to realize this and they are using the web to gain, search, and share ideas. I am not trying to bash libraries ( I love South's library) but I am questioning its effectiveness, as far as printed text goes, in this modern day. Dr. Miller's videos constantly made me think of wikis. Wikipedia has its faults, but it somewhat defines what he was talking about.
    His video isn't selling the next thing...it's foretelling us of the next best thing. This project cannot be accomplished by just one person. It will be a joint effort, a collaboration of students, teachers, and everyday people to make this dream reality. Will I be able to do this with my students? I certainly hope so. Will they be able to do it? Without a doubt, I know they will. Using the web to create audio and video reports and documents will be exciting. It will be a challenge, but none the less, a great way for the students to take something they already know and put it to educational purposes to teach not only themselves, but me, other teachers, their parents, and people all over the world.

Well Carly Pugh is definitely a leader behind writing with multi-media. Her post was exquisite and insightful. I am really excited about creating my own lesson plans and I have a few ideas already blossoming in my head (maybe that explains the big frizz). I love her idea for the class blog. It is a great way to show and tell others why we want to be an educator, but also a reminder and reaffirmation to ourselves of why this means so much.

I really lol'd the first time I saw EDM 310 for Dummies. I have felt that way only once from this class, but it didn't last long and I realized I needed to step back and approach the issue differently. I would love to be in a video like this and let loose my frustrations of the day. This video made me feel better about EDM 310 because I realized that I am not the first nor the last person to go through this class. It even showed me this class can be fun (even if you do go crazy in the process). The Chipper series is best described by walking around the elephant in the room. The elephant being EDM 310...or rather challenging ourselves to do the work for EDM 310. Anyway, Chipper can't handle the class so she goes through jobs, classes, and ideas that do not work out at all. The message behind these two videos is that EDM 310 is tough, but we've got to challenge ourselves and grow as educators. This class isn't something to get mad about and drop. It's here to help us prepare for our futures and the futures of our students.

Learn to Change, Change to Learn throws away almost the entire structure of school as we know it. One of the big arguments is including technology, i.e. cell phones, computers, and various websites, in the classroom. Obviously tools like twitter and blogs are helping teachers collaborate throughout the world. This would help the students to diversify and to learn about people and countries on a more personal level. I believe it would also give the students something fun to do at home and in class. And there are so many interesting videos on youtube that would bring a subject like science or history to life! I recently read a sixth grade student's blog and re researched the science behind a brain freeze. It was interesting, funny, and was something that he could easily recognize because of personal experience.
Another topic was getting out of the classroom. The classroom isn't seen as a fun, creative place for students. They are exposed to enriched environments out of school like at home or at the museum. I have to disagree with this argument. Elementary classrooms are some of the most exciting and enriching places I have seen. Museums are great too, but I remember feeling rushed and crowded. I know a lot of my peers felt bored because they couldn't find a connection with everything. You can't touch this or that and basically dilly dally along with the rest of the crowd. In classrooms, you can touch and feel.  I think going outside and taking field trips is great, but it's not enough. Teachers should create connections from subject to student and make the experience special. The classroom should be the place for learning and collaboration. It should reflect the kids and should inspire them as well. But most importantly, the kids and teacher should inspire each other. It shouldn't matter too much on the building but the people in it should matter most.

Movie Trailer Project 12

Progress Report Project #11

I started freaking out about this when I realized our report was due this week. I thought 'I need to have a cite setup with all of this info and I have to have a million things on it' until I realized that I don't need a cite with a lists of things I use to gather information. All of the videos helped me to realize this. Thank you PLN video makers!

I have a symbaloo but I don't use it. Instead I use my ipad as my PLN tool. It has everything I need to stay in contact with vital information pertaining to whatever subject I am dealing with. I always have quick access to twitter, facebook, dropbox, delicious, EDM 310 blog, my blog, skype, safari, WebMD, youtube, and if I don't have something then I can easily get from the app store. I actually just used my ipad to check my twitter feed and discovered an app called Algebra Touch thanks to William Chamberlain. I downloaded the free version in no time from the app store and viola! I now have a new educational and fun app thanks to my  PLN's.

I also use my bookmark bar A LOT. Without it I wouldn't be surfing the web; I would be knocked down by the waves.

Blog Assignment 7

Randy Pausch and his family .

   This time watching Randy Pausch's Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams made me laugh and cry and reflect on why I want to become a teacher. I have reflected on why I want to become a teacher (and why I use to not want to) in the past. I use to not want to be a teacher because I thought that I didn't have what it takes to make kids want to learn. I would think about my teachers in the past and realize all of the insanity they went through with kids and parents, creating lesson plans, grading mountains of scribble scrabble, and having to go to school for the rest of their career! All of this detracted me from teaching until I realized teaching was more than that. It's inspiration, motivation, caring for, leading and guiding our future. Being a teacher is more than a lot of work. It's not like any other job where you don't have to connect with the people you work with, do a bunch of desk work and then play on the computer for four hours, or decide to call in sick a couple of mornings just because it's not a good day for you. I would even go so far as to say teaching is not a job; it is a lifestyle.
Randy talked about many traits that I believe teachers should possess. One that really sticks to me is having faith in kids. So many schools, teachers, and even parents do not have faith in their kids. They don't give them freedom. They give them schedules, routines, and busy work which doesn't breed creativity; they suffocate it. Randy's parents allowed him to paint his room when he was younger. Any parent that I know would have thought they were crazy. However, Randy's room looked really fun and neat! In the video Randy looked really satisfied with his room and I could tell he must have been really proud of it especially as a kid. As a professor, he gave his students freedom to create their own world (with only two restrictions). His students blew him away every time a project was due. Freedom enables people to become, create, and believe in something beautiful. It unleashes their full potential and takes everyone, including themselves, by surprise. Kids need freedom in the classroom. I don't mean leave them unsupervised. Just let them branch out and discover their creative side. In return you always be surprised.
Speaking of potential, Randy received some really profound and wise advice. After he was blown away by the results of the first assignment Randy was at a lost of what to do next. His mentor, Andy Van Dam told him at the beginning of the next class to say to his students, "I know you can do better." Randy realized that he really didn't know his students' potential and neither did they. So instead of placing a "bar" for what he was expecting, he just let his students keep on advancing in their skills. What this means to me is don't ever expect less of your students. Even if they blow you away every time keep telling them to do better. Even if an athlete is the best at their sport do they stop training and practicing what they do? No, because they know and their coaches know they can do better. Teachers and their students should have this same mentality. Teachers are coaches and students are academic athletes.
The last thing I'm going to point out from Randy's lecture is probably one of the most important pieces of advice for me to remember when I am teaching. Brick walls are there for a reason which I feel ties beautiful to his quote "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted." If we always had our way growing up, what would we have really gained? I know that I wouldn't be where I am today had there not have been a brick wall or two in my way. I wouldn't have the skills, the knowledge, or the appreciation for those who helped me overcome those hurdles. I would definitely not be a strong, persistent, and self confident person without those experiences from running into those brick walls in my life. My students are going to have the brick walls when learning. Some may not read as well or understand math as quickly as other students. But, those walls can be useful to have them and I experience trying new methods, having them assist their fellow classmates, receiving and giving positive criticism, and establishing a friendly environment where it is perfectly ok to ask questions. There will be brick walls in everyone's future, but they aren't going to keep me and my classes from achieving our goals in learning.

Thank you Randy Pausch. 

A history of our history Project 9b

Blog Assignment 6

Connectivism is extremely interesting. I never thought about learning through social networks until I enrolled in 310. Slowly, I am learning that valuable information gets "tweeted" nearly every minute. I am realizing that tweeting and blogging is helping me to increase my teaching skills and knowledge. One day I will use it to prepare my students to dive into learning. However, this connectivism gives me a new perspective on technology and students.
I know that when I become a teacher, it will be necessary to introduce my students to computers, the internet, different interesting sites, and hopefully fun and educational apps! The thought that my job as a teacher might become obsolete didn't really phase me until viewing this video. My thoughts were "I'm going to be an elementary teacher. They will always need people like me to perform those jobs." However, if students are self motivated enough to learn on their own and create things mentioned in the video the possibility of my thought just being wishful thinking is very high.
Although these fears are realistic to some teachers, and with good reason, I know that technologically literate teachers will be in high demand. I plan on being one of those most wanted teachers. Even as an elementary school teacher, it is vital for me to prepare my students to know how to learn on their own.

Wendy Drexler seems super passionate about connectivism. I could not find any recent blogs about it on her site so I do not know how it went. On the flip side of that comment, I know that several, maybe thousands, of people have heard of this fascinating and futuristic idea of learning and teaching. I also love the fact that she knits!

PLEs was such a cool video. I loved the different programs she used. I have already added the link to this video to delicious and will be scouting out programs like the student used for her PLE. The PLN thing was really starting to scare me, but now I feel encouraged . It also helps A LOT seeing it being easily used by a very smart seventh grader. I am very glad to have watched this video!