Post One and Comment Summary:
Joe Dale delivered a webinar to teachers around the world about the usefulness and effectiveness of iPads in the classroom. He said that the iPad is ideal for classroom use because it has many creative uses, has a built in camera for pictures, videos and pod casts, books can be easily downloaded and it is mobile. He mentioned a few disadvantaged, such as, Adobe flash, word processor and javascript. It was mentioned in a poll taken before the webinar began that not everyone could afford a 1:1 iPad. He stated that there was nothing wrong with using one iPad for multiple children, but they are more effective when a child can talk one home and use it for educational reasons. He also suggested many apps to explore to help from classroom management to being creative. My favorite app (which I downloaded after the webinar) was My Story. It is an app that lets you make your own books by letting you draw or add pictures of yourself. You can type out the text or you can record your voice. I love it!
I completely agreed with Joe Dale on the usefulness and effectiveness of iPads in the classroom. I work at an after-school program in the afternoons and I use mine with my k-4 class and hope to use it in my future classroom.
Post Two and Comment Summary:
Another post by Joe Dale was about how language teachers are using technology in and outside the classroom in enhance their lessons with their students. He discussed the MFL Twitteria and how it has helps language teachers connect from around the world and get ideas, resources and support from each other. It helps encourage teachers how to tweet and use it for more than just social media. They can use it for resources, to get ideas from each other and how to differentiate professional social media from personal media.
I just thanked Joe Dale on his for writing all that he does in his blog and how it is helping me in my studies now, and how it will help me in my future classroom. By reading and keeping up with his post, I am learning how to not only use technology to my advantage but to my students' advantage as well.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Special Blog Assignment #1
Did You Know Many Of Us Misinterpreted "Did You Know"?
Apparently, many of us misinterpreted the information in Dr. Strange's video, "Did You Know". I know I probably did because when watching, I focused more so on the percentages of honor students in India and English-speaking and English-speaking learner in China, instead of paying attention to the fact that they have more honor students and English-speaking citizens simply because their population trumps our by a lot considering approximately 1 billion people living in India and 1.3 billion people in China verses our 3.1 million. I asked WolframAlpha how many foreign language teachers there are in the USA and according to it, there are only about 27,020 (2009). Then, I asked how many math teachers there were in the USA and according to it, there are 48,100.
I think WoldframAlpha would be a useful resource in the classroom because if a student where to ask a question the teacher is unsure of, she could pull it up on the smart board and the teacher as well as the class could search together and discuss the results. The site could be useful to students when working on homework and projects when they need to look up information or need an answer to a question or problem.
Gary Hayes and Social Media
Social networking and media is almost vital to most young adults in our generation, and many older people are getting involved with it too. So, since many young and older people are on social media websites, why not use it to your advantage as a teacher? Teachers could make a Facebook classroom page to where he or she can post assignments or classroom news on. Students could post question or suggestions on projects and homework. They could also post important items like a syllabus to keep up with assignments or test dates.
Social media can be beneficial to teachers as well. Teachers could set up a separate Facebook page for parents who use social media to keep up with important dates and let them know if they need some volunteers for activities in the classroom. Teachers can use sites like Twitter and Pintrest to follow other teachers, get ideas for the classroom and find free resources.
I love social media. I would be lost without it!
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Blog Post #4
Podcasting With 1st Grade
"Believe it or not, but having an audience matters...even to six year olds." - Langwitches Blog
I think creating podcast with any age group is a wonderful idea. After reading the blog and actually getting to listen to the first grade class's podcast, I think podcasting would be a fabulous idea to incorporate into lesson plans involving story telling. The first grade class did an interview still podcast where students posed as the main characters, Jack and Annie, from the book Vacation Under the Volcano from the Magic Tree House series and explained the culture in ancient Roman times and, of course, the catastrophic event of Pompeii. They talked about gladiators, the Greek and Roman gods, the clothing of the time and volcanoes and earthquakes. It incorporated history, mythology, science and even fashion. It was very informative and quite adorable!
Making a podcast with the kids is an amazing idea because it helps with comprehending the material, public speaking, presenting information, storytelling, performing and technology. It helps shy and quiet students come out of their comfort zones and the outgoing students to perform and feel like the center of attention. I also like how the entire class was involved with speaking parts and editing. And I'm sure it made them very very special when other classes and teachers from around the world listened to your podcast and commented on it.
Here's the link to the blog and podcast. If you're looking for something to put a smile on your face, I recommend listening to their story. It's pretty nifty!
Listening-Comprehension-Podcast
Studies have shown that in order to completely comprehend a new word (especially in different languages), we have to hear it in its context and place in sentence structure at 70 times. Podcasting a class learning a new language can be very helpful. By taking the class and recording them saying the words, what they mean and how they are used, the teacher can come back with a podcast of the students and let them listen to what they are learning, and let others from around the world listen and even help critique the class.
The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom
Joe Dale did a podcast on how using podcasts are very beneficial in classroom settings. Podcasting is an interactive way of teaching your students because it requires them to get up and be engaged in the activity whether they are learning scripts or learning how to edit and save files to the computer/Smartboard. It helps students venture into the world of technology and helps them find their inner creativity and cultivate their imaginations. It's also beneficial in that the parents can come in and not only see, but listen to what their kids are doing and learning in class.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Blog Post #3
Blog Critique
The student I was assigned to comment on did not post their blog on time, so I chose to comment on Ashley Showels' blog. Her post was amazing! It was so organized and well thought out and I truly enjoyed reading it. It is obvious to me that she took the time and put a lot of effort into making her post. I did not notice any grammatical or punctuation mistakes. I told her by commenting on her second blog assignment.
Great job, Ashley!
Peer Editing
When peer editing a blog, there are three things that should be remembered to be an efficient editor. First, compliment the writer on their blog. Find something that you like or agree with and let them know. Second, make suggestions to help improve their blog, like possible word choices and details that may make it better. Always be specific when making suggestions. Lastly, if needed, make corrections on grammar, sentence structure and punctuation. Always remember to stay positive when peer editing. Like the golden rule, critique how you would want to be critiqued. Being hateful, mean or forceful is never the approach one should take when making corrections or suggestions. It is very discouraging and can be embarrassing if one is tearing apart another's work.
The video about the top ten peer review mistakes was adorable!I learned that there is no need to be overly picky, pushy or rude. The point of editing your peer's work is to help improve their writing skills so they can perform better. It's also best to be positive and encouraging when making suggestions and corrections. Being specific is key when making corrections because generalizing will not help peer's be more successful. When peer editing, it's best you use an "inside voice" instead of loudly
Assistive Technologies
The Mountbatten is an amazing tool! It allows blind students to have immediate feed back both audibly and tactically As they braille on the machine, it tells them what is being typed out as well are writing it in braille. The machine saves data and can send information to computers where it can be translated into written language and then passed off to students for peer editing. I think the Mountbatten would be a great tool to have in my future classroom, especially if I were to have a blind student in my class. It would help them feel more involved with the activities going on in the class and make them feel included instead of giving them a different assignment.
As a future educator, I'm sure that at some point in my career I will cross paths with a student that is visually or hearing impaired. As pointed out in Teaching Math to the Blind, blind students are very limited to scientific careers because of not being able to have a stable foundation in math. With that being said, I'm sure not every blind child is incapable of math. I would say it is just more difficult for them because they are not able to see how problems are set up, and braille does not set up math problems properly. The grid shown in the video was absolutely fascinating to me. The blocks had visual and braille numbers on them, so a teacher could watch and help, if needed, and as the student would place the block on the grid, the computer would read the number aloud and tell the student which column it was in, so the student could set the problem up in column formation and proceed with steps to complete the problem. How brilliant is that?! The professor in the video said that the grid could help a student through at least basic Algebra, but even still, it's making innovations that blind students have not had before now and opening doors for them and ideas for new technologies to take them further. I would love to get my hands on a device like that for my future classroom.
iPad usage for the blind was an interesting video. I didn't know Apple had set up in iPads to help the blind. The iPad spoke aloud and as the person dragged their finger across the screen, it would read out what they were touching. My favorite part on the presentation was when the man opened up the books on his iPad and it began reading them aloud to him. I loved the idea of having these technologies available for future students who are impaired. My only concern would be if the devices reading everything aloud would be disruptive to the other students in the classroom.
Google Images
Vicki Davis
"I believe every child can learn, but where children have trouble is when they only have paper and only have pencils and only certian children will succeed." - Vicki Davis
I think Vicki Davis is brilliant in her methods of teaching. I love how she gives her students the opportunity to help teach the material and exposes her students to the world of technology and the educational world. She is opening their minds to a whole new world of opportunity.
The student I was assigned to comment on did not post their blog on time, so I chose to comment on Ashley Showels' blog. Her post was amazing! It was so organized and well thought out and I truly enjoyed reading it. It is obvious to me that she took the time and put a lot of effort into making her post. I did not notice any grammatical or punctuation mistakes. I told her by commenting on her second blog assignment.
Great job, Ashley!
Peer Editing
When peer editing a blog, there are three things that should be remembered to be an efficient editor. First, compliment the writer on their blog. Find something that you like or agree with and let them know. Second, make suggestions to help improve their blog, like possible word choices and details that may make it better. Always be specific when making suggestions. Lastly, if needed, make corrections on grammar, sentence structure and punctuation. Always remember to stay positive when peer editing. Like the golden rule, critique how you would want to be critiqued. Being hateful, mean or forceful is never the approach one should take when making corrections or suggestions. It is very discouraging and can be embarrassing if one is tearing apart another's work.
The video about the top ten peer review mistakes was adorable!I learned that there is no need to be overly picky, pushy or rude. The point of editing your peer's work is to help improve their writing skills so they can perform better. It's also best to be positive and encouraging when making suggestions and corrections. Being specific is key when making corrections because generalizing will not help peer's be more successful. When peer editing, it's best you use an "inside voice" instead of loudly
Assistive Technologies
The Mountbatten is an amazing tool! It allows blind students to have immediate feed back both audibly and tactically As they braille on the machine, it tells them what is being typed out as well are writing it in braille. The machine saves data and can send information to computers where it can be translated into written language and then passed off to students for peer editing. I think the Mountbatten would be a great tool to have in my future classroom, especially if I were to have a blind student in my class. It would help them feel more involved with the activities going on in the class and make them feel included instead of giving them a different assignment.
As a future educator, I'm sure that at some point in my career I will cross paths with a student that is visually or hearing impaired. As pointed out in Teaching Math to the Blind, blind students are very limited to scientific careers because of not being able to have a stable foundation in math. With that being said, I'm sure not every blind child is incapable of math. I would say it is just more difficult for them because they are not able to see how problems are set up, and braille does not set up math problems properly. The grid shown in the video was absolutely fascinating to me. The blocks had visual and braille numbers on them, so a teacher could watch and help, if needed, and as the student would place the block on the grid, the computer would read the number aloud and tell the student which column it was in, so the student could set the problem up in column formation and proceed with steps to complete the problem. How brilliant is that?! The professor in the video said that the grid could help a student through at least basic Algebra, but even still, it's making innovations that blind students have not had before now and opening doors for them and ideas for new technologies to take them further. I would love to get my hands on a device like that for my future classroom.
iPad usage for the blind was an interesting video. I didn't know Apple had set up in iPads to help the blind. The iPad spoke aloud and as the person dragged their finger across the screen, it would read out what they were touching. My favorite part on the presentation was when the man opened up the books on his iPad and it began reading them aloud to him. I loved the idea of having these technologies available for future students who are impaired. My only concern would be if the devices reading everything aloud would be disruptive to the other students in the classroom.
Google Images
Vicki Davis
"I believe every child can learn, but where children have trouble is when they only have paper and only have pencils and only certian children will succeed." - Vicki Davis
I think Vicki Davis is brilliant in her methods of teaching. I love how she gives her students the opportunity to help teach the material and exposes her students to the world of technology and the educational world. She is opening their minds to a whole new world of opportunity.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Blog Post #2
Did You Know?
After watching Dr. Strange's version of the "Did You Know" video, I was not entirely surprised by the facts that were presented. China's level and emphasis on education surpasses the United States by far and many countries other than China have schools that require students to learn a second language, usually English, in order to graduate. There is approximately 18 million English-speaking Chinese with an additional 300 million who are learning to speak English.
The fact about the 25% of India's population with the highest IQ scores outnumbering the entire population of the United States was fascinating, but at the same time, their 25% is like our entire population considering there are approximately 1 billion people living in India verses our 313,914,040 (2012 census). It's frightening how far behind the United Sates appears to be educationally compared the countries like China and India.
What does that say about our educators in America? Why aren't our students achieving the same educational level as students over seas? I hope to find the answers as I continue my journey to be an educator.
Mr. Winkle Wakes
I find it very sad that our schools are not being updated as often as they should be. Offices all around the country are updates regularly and school systems around the country are lacking sufficient funding to operate properly. People constantly want to push for better resources for our kids, but no one really seems to want to fork out the cash to do so. I know there are many organization dedicated to help with school funding, but it doesn't seem to be enough.
Students need to be engaged in learning instead of just sitting and listening to a teacher talk all day. That's boring. If they were engaged in an activity on a smart board, iPad or computer, I believe they would retain the information more efficiently.
Importance of Creativity
"All children have talents, but we squander them. Ruthlessly." - Sir Ken Robinson
Creativity is vital to the education of children. Our society is so concerned with either being right or wrong that we trample over the idea that maybe sometimes there is no right or wrong answer. Naturally, children are not afraid of being wrong but as they grow up through the educational systems, they are constantly being fed that being wrong or making a mistake is the worst possible thing to do. But, how will a child ever learn if they do not make mistakes?
Intelligence comes in all shapes and sizes. Just because one does not excel in math or science doesn't mean that they are not intelligent. Our society makes the arts seem unimportant or unnecessary to our children being successful, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Children need to be able to creatively express themselves, but instead, they are told to leave the arts alone because it won't get them anywhere in life. I was told that when I was in elementary and secondary school. I was terrible at math, but I excelled in singing and theatre and my dream was to be on Broadway or be a music educator. However, I was heavily discouraged by people who told me I would never be able to have a well paying job or go very far in life.
Creativity is not only useful in the arts. Creativity should be incorporated into the main subjects in school. Let the children make up a song about addition. Draw or paint the life cycle of a flower. . Act out different event in history. The possibilities are endless!
Instead of stifling creativity, it needs to be encouraged in our educational systems.
Pintrest
I. Love. Pintrest.
I had a pintrest account before this class and even had an education board. I recently started dividing up the board into specific subjects like math, science, social studies and grammar. I found an awesome board by TearchVision and they had TONS of amazing ideas from printables, to lesson plan ideas and much more.
I think pintrest is an amazing site that will be extrmemly helpful in education. There's access to teacher blogs, free resources and an infinite amount of ideas to use in a classroom. I definitely plan on using pintrest once I become a teacher
After watching Dr. Strange's version of the "Did You Know" video, I was not entirely surprised by the facts that were presented. China's level and emphasis on education surpasses the United States by far and many countries other than China have schools that require students to learn a second language, usually English, in order to graduate. There is approximately 18 million English-speaking Chinese with an additional 300 million who are learning to speak English.
The fact about the 25% of India's population with the highest IQ scores outnumbering the entire population of the United States was fascinating, but at the same time, their 25% is like our entire population considering there are approximately 1 billion people living in India verses our 313,914,040 (2012 census). It's frightening how far behind the United Sates appears to be educationally compared the countries like China and India.
What does that say about our educators in America? Why aren't our students achieving the same educational level as students over seas? I hope to find the answers as I continue my journey to be an educator.
Mr. Winkle Wakes
I find it very sad that our schools are not being updated as often as they should be. Offices all around the country are updates regularly and school systems around the country are lacking sufficient funding to operate properly. People constantly want to push for better resources for our kids, but no one really seems to want to fork out the cash to do so. I know there are many organization dedicated to help with school funding, but it doesn't seem to be enough.
Students need to be engaged in learning instead of just sitting and listening to a teacher talk all day. That's boring. If they were engaged in an activity on a smart board, iPad or computer, I believe they would retain the information more efficiently.
Importance of Creativity
"All children have talents, but we squander them. Ruthlessly." - Sir Ken Robinson
Creativity is vital to the education of children. Our society is so concerned with either being right or wrong that we trample over the idea that maybe sometimes there is no right or wrong answer. Naturally, children are not afraid of being wrong but as they grow up through the educational systems, they are constantly being fed that being wrong or making a mistake is the worst possible thing to do. But, how will a child ever learn if they do not make mistakes?
Intelligence comes in all shapes and sizes. Just because one does not excel in math or science doesn't mean that they are not intelligent. Our society makes the arts seem unimportant or unnecessary to our children being successful, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Children need to be able to creatively express themselves, but instead, they are told to leave the arts alone because it won't get them anywhere in life. I was told that when I was in elementary and secondary school. I was terrible at math, but I excelled in singing and theatre and my dream was to be on Broadway or be a music educator. However, I was heavily discouraged by people who told me I would never be able to have a well paying job or go very far in life.
Creativity is not only useful in the arts. Creativity should be incorporated into the main subjects in school. Let the children make up a song about addition. Draw or paint the life cycle of a flower. . Act out different event in history. The possibilities are endless!
Instead of stifling creativity, it needs to be encouraged in our educational systems.
Pintrest
I. Love. Pintrest.
I had a pintrest account before this class and even had an education board. I recently started dividing up the board into specific subjects like math, science, social studies and grammar. I found an awesome board by TearchVision and they had TONS of amazing ideas from printables, to lesson plan ideas and much more.
I think pintrest is an amazing site that will be extrmemly helpful in education. There's access to teacher blogs, free resources and an infinite amount of ideas to use in a classroom. I definitely plan on using pintrest once I become a teacher
Friday, January 18, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Blog Post #1
About Me
Hello! My name is Brittney Patrick, I was born and raised in the boondocks of Eight Mile, Alabama, and I am future elementary teacher. I have been attending the University of South Alabama since the summer of 2009, three days after I graduated high school. I am still a sophomore because I have changed my major five times. Yep, you read right. Five times. I originally started out in pharmacology because my daddy wanted me too. From there, I went from general bio-medical studies, to nursing, then secondary education, and finally, elementary education. Huge difference, right? Not completely. I've always known that I want to work with children since I was a child. I just didn't know exactly how I wanted to go about it, but after working at my church's child development center for four years (and the fact that I hate needles), it just made sense to me to become a teacher.
So then, a little more about me. I am the youngest of three girls. I was the "uh-oh baby". Both of my sisters are in their 40's and I am 22 years old. I have two older nephews, a younger niece and five great-nieces and nephews. I still live with my parents since I'm attending classes at South. I originally wanted to attend Auburn University (war eagle), but was too scared to leave home. I am engaged to the most amazing man, Jon Gers ( pronounced "Grrz"), and will be getting married this May. My hobbies include photography, collecting wine glasses and music boxes, exercising and music. Fishing has always been a big part of my life as well.
My first true passion is to live like and tell the world of Jesus Christ. I am a sinner saved by grace and there is nothing that could ever change my belief that God is absolutely real. He has done too much in my life for me to ever deny His presence. If it was not for Him finding me in the mess I was in, I would be six feet under somewhere. My second passion is children. I could have to worst day in the world, but the moment I walk into my classroom in the afternoons all my problems vanish. I want to adopt in the future and have a big family. I want to impact and help mold the next generations positively.
My Future Classroom:
As far as what methods I would use and emphasize in my future classroom, I'm not entirely sure. I plan on learning and applying different techniques as I learn and work to be come an educator. I think I would like to use a lot of hands-on and interactive learning because getting up in front of a bunch of kids and just lecturing doesn't cut it in my opinion. I want to make learning fun and I want my future students to truly enjoy their time in my classroom. I love colorful, lively classrooms, but not over stimulating. I would love to be able to use a smart board while lecturing and have a separate white or chalk board to write daily assignments on. I want my students to feel like they are safe and secure in the classroom environment to express themselves and be curious and learn. If I had the choice, I would like to teach k-4, second or third grade.
Paul Paush on Time Management:
I love how he talked about different ways to manage stress and procrastination. As Americans, we are terrible at time management. What stuck out the most to me is when Dr. Paul said, "people are more worried about doing something 'right' instead of doing the right thing. It's better to do the right things adequately than do the wrong things beautifully ". I found this video extremely helpful, considering I had a problem with time management.
Hello! My name is Brittney Patrick, I was born and raised in the boondocks of Eight Mile, Alabama, and I am future elementary teacher. I have been attending the University of South Alabama since the summer of 2009, three days after I graduated high school. I am still a sophomore because I have changed my major five times. Yep, you read right. Five times. I originally started out in pharmacology because my daddy wanted me too. From there, I went from general bio-medical studies, to nursing, then secondary education, and finally, elementary education. Huge difference, right? Not completely. I've always known that I want to work with children since I was a child. I just didn't know exactly how I wanted to go about it, but after working at my church's child development center for four years (and the fact that I hate needles), it just made sense to me to become a teacher.
So then, a little more about me. I am the youngest of three girls. I was the "uh-oh baby". Both of my sisters are in their 40's and I am 22 years old. I have two older nephews, a younger niece and five great-nieces and nephews. I still live with my parents since I'm attending classes at South. I originally wanted to attend Auburn University (war eagle), but was too scared to leave home. I am engaged to the most amazing man, Jon Gers ( pronounced "Grrz"), and will be getting married this May. My hobbies include photography, collecting wine glasses and music boxes, exercising and music. Fishing has always been a big part of my life as well.
My first true passion is to live like and tell the world of Jesus Christ. I am a sinner saved by grace and there is nothing that could ever change my belief that God is absolutely real. He has done too much in my life for me to ever deny His presence. If it was not for Him finding me in the mess I was in, I would be six feet under somewhere. My second passion is children. I could have to worst day in the world, but the moment I walk into my classroom in the afternoons all my problems vanish. I want to adopt in the future and have a big family. I want to impact and help mold the next generations positively.
My Future Classroom:
As far as what methods I would use and emphasize in my future classroom, I'm not entirely sure. I plan on learning and applying different techniques as I learn and work to be come an educator. I think I would like to use a lot of hands-on and interactive learning because getting up in front of a bunch of kids and just lecturing doesn't cut it in my opinion. I want to make learning fun and I want my future students to truly enjoy their time in my classroom. I love colorful, lively classrooms, but not over stimulating. I would love to be able to use a smart board while lecturing and have a separate white or chalk board to write daily assignments on. I want my students to feel like they are safe and secure in the classroom environment to express themselves and be curious and learn. If I had the choice, I would like to teach k-4, second or third grade.
Paul Paush on Time Management:
I love how he talked about different ways to manage stress and procrastination. As Americans, we are terrible at time management. What stuck out the most to me is when Dr. Paul said, "people are more worried about doing something 'right' instead of doing the right thing. It's better to do the right things adequately than do the wrong things beautifully ". I found this video extremely helpful, considering I had a problem with time management.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
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