Blog Post #6

#1
The Networked Student is a video about the twenty first century student who is learning about network learning. This type of learning is different from traditional education which is obtained through lecture and text books.  Network learning encourages students to learn from networks such as Google Scholar. In the video the question is asked, "Why does the networked student even need a teacher?" This question is asked because it seems as though teachers are not needed in the classroom. Teachers are needed now more than ever, and this is because students should be taught about credible networks and how to use resources in the classroom.

I think students should learn for themselves in order to be successful. Teachers who feed their students information are actually hindering them more than helping them.  Students have the capability to learn about technology and its resources without a teacher, but they will need guidance on how to handle this unlimited amount of resources. I also think teachers in the twenty first century should teach students how to be responsible while using networks. The twenty first century student has the ability to directly discuss information with an author or professional over the internet.  I like this method of teaching because it will ultimately make an impact on students in the twenty first century.


#2
The video, A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment (or PLN), was very informative and enlightening! Watching this video taught me new ways to use the familiar resources. In the video a student was correct when stating that technology helps keep information organized. I personally do not like having to keep up with papers that can be transferred to a document online. I really enjoyed watching this video and learning  ways to use resources efficiently in the classroom!

Project #10

When I begin teaching I will be an elementary teacher.  A tool I would use in my classroom would a Document Camera, sometimes known as an Elmo.  This tool is used to show students visual aids and other three dimensional objects on a SmartBoard.  I would use this tool in all subjects because it is a very resourceful tool.  

For example, the Document Camera would be a great tool in a science lesson. This tool could be used to look through a microscope at a plants cells and such. Some benefits from using this tool is that anyone can operate it! It is extremely easy to use and very helpful when having to do visual aids! Another factor to having this resource in the classroom if the teacher is handicapped for a short time.
Some links for this amazing tools is Smart-schools.com and Smarttech.com.

Blog Post #5

#1
Krissy Venosdale is an educator with many wonderful ideas! She created a blog titled Venspired in order to help educators make their classroom a fun learning experience. Vensodale's post,  If I Build A School, is about a dream to build the perfect school.  This dream involved many wonderful ideas about teaching creativity and capturing a students interest. Krissy wrote about abolishing grade levels in the school system which would create a focus on student preparedness and academic ability.  Another idea worth mentioning is that she is in support of using technology in the classroom because, as she put it, "it’d just be part of the day." In other words, she saw such a benefit in using technology in education that it should be a regular part of the day. I would love to be apart of the school Krissy Venosdale wrote about because it wasn't focused on meeting state standards. The school that she wrote about focused on the student’s appetite to learn.  I would build a school like Vendosale's because of the creativity and opportunities which are given to students. If I were to create a school the students would go on many field trips because I feel that teaching students outside of the classroom will increase student curiosity and creativity.

#2
Music has been entertaining people for many years with its diversity and emotional elements.  Technology has helped to advance and improve music, and this improvement is made evident in Eric Whitacre's video, Virtual Choir-'Lux Aurumque'.  This video astonished me because the individuals who sang in it have never performed together nor have they met one another. Through technology this diverse group of people was given the opportunity to sing together in perfect harmony. Jennifer Chamber, through a comment on the YouTube video, explained how this choir was able to perform together without having met one another, and she basically wrote that each performer uploaded a YouTube video of his or her self singing in one specific key. The editor put all of these singing videos together in a specific order which resulted in a finished product that is absolutely stunning.

#4
In Kevin Roberts video, Teaching In The 21st Century, he explained that teaching in the 21st century involves teaching students skills and life decisions by using media. Roberts also presented the idea of teachers being the filter for their students. He believes that it is the teacher's job to examine social media and search engines.  He feels that educators should teach students reliability, responsibility, and integrity by using technology. Students are capable of learning not to plagiarize nor pirate media in the classroom, and this would result in not doing so outside of the classroom.  I think Kevin Roberts is correct in his video because students can attain useful knowledge through the internet.  It is my responsibility, as a teacher, to teach students to wisely choose and use the internet as a tool.

#5
Quality teachers are known to use multiple techniques in order to teach their students.  The videos: Why I Flipped My Classroom, Dr. Lodge McCammon's FIZZ - Flipping the Classroom, and Flipping The Classroom-4th Grade STEM showed unique ways to present and teach math lessons. I think this program is a great way to get the students ready for the next math lesson.  The reason I really like this program is because it allows a struggling student to review an assigned video multiple times until he or she understands.  As an elementary teacher I could use Flipping the Classroom in any grade that I might teach because it would give the student more time to ask questions in class.  If used in an elementary classroom it will be essential to review any video that might be assigned for the next day before handing out the math problems.  Flipping the Classroom is a great program and can be used in any school at any grade level.

My Sentence Video

Special Blog Post #1

2.
On the website WolframAlpha I typed into the search engine, “Compare Populations of India, China and the United States.”   The results revealed that the population of India is 1.21 billion, and the population of China is 1.25 billion.  The United States, which is comprised of the smallest population, has 309 million people.

3.
On the WolframAlpha website I searched the phrase, “Compare the population of Mississippi and Alabama.”  The amount of people who live in Mississippi is 2.979 million, but the population of Alabama is 4.803 million.  On the website I also searched the Distance between California and New York,  which is 2444 miles.

4.
The website, WolframAlpha, is a wonderful resource to use in the classroom.  As a teacher I can use this website because it seems to be more beneficial than Google in certain ways. Google provides multiple websites to choose from, and many of these websites have little relevance to the original search topic; however, when conducting a search on WolframAlpha the search engine instructs the researcher to “enter what you want to calculate or know about.”  This instruction gives me the impression that the question asked will be answered directly, therefore the researcher will be directed to the exact answer that will be relevant to the question asked. The answers provided by WolframAlpha has an example tab that provides the researcher with examples to ensures comprehension of the content.  The website also provides pictures, and when you click on an icon a name, question, or some information about the topic will appear underneath. I consider this website to be a great resource because it provides students with a safe way to search facts about content such as history, science, music, art, and math among others.

6.
The Gary Hayes Social Media Count was created to inform the public about the amount of change which occurs in social media every second.  The site has listed many different modes of social activity with the number of usage per second.  Through viewing these statistics I realize the significant amount of people who visit social media  in a moments time, and even the amount of people who are  reading a newspaper.
For my professional career as a teacher it is important for me to learn about and be aware of new resources which are being created.  Teachers should be capable of using technology, and  should be aware of websites that are acceptable to be used  in the classroom.  Students will only learn from a teacher if the teacher is confident using and teaching with the technology he or she chooses. Before teaching students how to succeed in a technology driven world, it is important to be informed about new resources, websites and statistics.  

Blog Post 4

After reading three different blog posts, which include 1st Graders Create Their Own Read-Along Audiobook, Listening-Comprehension-Podcasting, and Flat Stanley Podcast, I have learned many ways to use podcast in my classroom.  The first post I read was about using podcast to help teach students to read fluently.  This process had students' eager to record themselves in order to improve their reading skills.  The second post had students reading a story and afterward each student would be recorded reading a sentence from that story. Once the story was completely recorded the students worked together to arrange the sentences in the correct order.  So far podcasting has taught the students skills such as listening, comprehension, collaboration, speaking skills and fluency.  The post Flat Stanley Podcast, is a wonderful activity to use in classroom.  The teacher read a storybook about a character named Flat Stanley, and the students then created and sent their version of Flat Stanley off to friends and family. Finally the students were to portray themselves as a Flat Stanley and discuss what they had experienced while traveling to and from their destination.  I loved reading all three posts because the students were taught skills they could use with or without technology.  For my podcast I would like to use the tool GarageBand because it seems to be a very useful tool and easy to operate.

Google Presentation

Blog Post 3

#1
Page Ellis's blog on peer editing was very informative and provided other resources to help understand how to properly peer edit. The first resource was a video titled What is Peer Editing. This video provided steps to take when editing another classmate's writing. The three steps to complete when peer editing is provide compliments, suggestions, and corrections. I enjoyed the slideshow, Peer Edit With Perfection Tutorial, because it discussed each of the steps and offers examples of paragraphs that need editing.
The video, Writing Peer Review Top 10 Mistakes, is very creative and humorous. The students gave examples on what not to do when editing another classmate's paper. Throughout the video they played different characters, and in doing so they relieved their poor editing techniques. Some of these characters were picky, bored, mean, loud, pushy, off topic, speedy, and defensive. I learned a lot from these resources on how to edit a peer's work properly. I also learned that when peer editing it is important to stay positive.

#2
The Mountbatten Braille Writer is an amazing tool to use in a classroom because it was created for students who are blind. This tool is a modern day type writer with the ability to save files, transfer files to a computer, and receive files from a computer. The Mountbatten is a great tool to learn from because it produces braille, and it can be used to teach students braille. As a teacher it is important to introduce new technology to the classroom and I believe the Mountbatten Braille Writer would be a great tool to introduce.

#3
In the video, Teaching Math To The Blind, Professor Art Karshmer spoke on the issue blind individuals have when given a math problem. For an example, he used a two dimensional math problem. When a blind student is given this type of math problem they would see it on one line instead of two lines. The device was brilliantly created to help the blind student understand the math problem like the other students. This device was built with grids to help place the small, numbered blocks in the right location for the math problem.
An iPad is a touch screen device that is very helpful with almost anything. As an iPad owner, I am very impressed with the numerous tasks you can accomplish without having to use the computer. Since I have gotten the iPad it has been a learning experience, especially after watching iPad Usage For The Blind. The iPad would need to be equipped with Voice Over, which is build into the iPad, to be accessible for a blind individual. This tool can open the door for so many possibilities when dealing with disabilities like blindness. When addressing this in my classroom, I would show the students the many possibilities technology has to offer.

#4
Vicki Davis helped to reinvent the way students look at computers. In the video, Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts, the students would learn how to use different techniques on the computer and make discoveries. Vicki introduced her students and other educators to many computer programs with learning tools. She showed the students in her classroom ways to be creative with avatars and encouraged them to figure out something new they can do with the avatars.
She also introduced the rural students to people around the world by using blogs and other internet cites. The students were able to accomplish projects by the aid of another student they have never met in a different country. Technology has opened a door of communication throughout the world.