Report on Final Project

EDM 310 has been a very fun, exciting, adventure for me. In my final project my group members have decided that we are going to give the Pros and Cons of EDM 310. This will hopefully give the future students a guide to look at in terms of what to expect in this class. Even though the semester has come to an end, and I did a lot of stressing. I have learned new things that I plan to take with me in the education field. GOOD LUCK in EDM 310! :)

Final Project # 16

Blog assignment # 14

In this Blog
I really had to realize that there is so much more to the internet and all the free things that are available to current and future educators. The fact that the information added is all in alphabetical order. This is such a great way to make sure that the information that is entered is not repeated.

There are a huge number of sites I had no clue existed, and some that I did not know where free. This is a great tool to come back to in the future when I am placed in a classroom with little faces that are waiting for me to spark that inner creativity. I must say EDM 310 has introduced me to a whole new world of knowledge.

C4T 4

Teachernz
In the blog post People, people, people
Mr. Fawcett talks about his trip to a seminar and how he was excited to be there. He also mentioned that no one there was forced to be there that they were there on their own will. This made me happy because there are some teachers out in the education field to day that have no desire whatsoever to be going to seminars.
He filled the blog with the exciting thing that they talked about and the one thing was how Twitter can be used. (sound familiar?)

I once agian made a comment on yet a different post by Mr.Fawcett this one talks about the Education Reset. How the education system is so "messed up" and the things that are need to make it better is only making it worse. Mr. Fawcett believes (I agree) that education needs to crash, and there be a complete new build up. That the education system would be so much better.

Additional Post #1

1. Why did I miss the Metaphor?
To be honest I missed the metaphor because I was too busy trying to have the assignment done on time. There has even been times where I was having a bad day and once the assignment is thirty minutes from being due, I have an anxiety attack and its all about getting the assignment done. I then worry if what I have submitted will be Dr. Strange worthy.
2. Metaphors I have encountered
Birds of a feather flock together. Men are a dime a dozen. Practice what you preach. I will slap you into next week. We are in the last days. You aint nothing but a hound dog. Find you somebody to play with. It was love at first sight. I could see the fire in your eye. You light my soul on fire. love hurts. You made my heart skip a beat. I am the bomb. It was so quiet you could hear a mouse piss on cotton. I was on cloud nine. If I'm lying I'm flying. My car is hanging on by a thread.
3.Other things we can do as educators to help our students
One thing that we can do as educators is to always challenge our students to think outside the box. To be explores and not just little puppets that do as they are told. We have to give them the opportunity to mess up and then find ways to make the situation better.
4.Why do we use metaphors?
As Dr.strange said, We use metaphors to help us see things in a better light. Instead of saying you can get 12 men for ten cent. You make it more animated by saying, "men are a dime a dozen". It makes the saying that more comical. We also use metaphors to show emotions to show how good or bad we feel about someone or something.

Blog Post #13 E-media FAST!

media fast

First things first. I am sooo happy to finally be able to talk on the phone it is ridiculous. I first started this assignment with the mind set that I can do this with no problems... I was wrong. Within the first hour, I had ten missed calls, and my cell phone would not stop vibrating. I then decided that I would tell everyone that I communicate with on a regular that I would not be available for 24 hours. My moms response was "HAVE YOU LOST YOUR BLEEP MIND?" I could only laugh, because I talk to my mother everyday and she was not hearing that. My husband was another one that could not take the news. He has a very demanding job that keeps him from home a lot of hours and he calls and checks on us regularly. The fact of not knowing whether something is wrong or not would drive him insane. So I had to think of ways to have everyone satisfied. I thought I would go to my grandmothers house and stay so my husband would know we were okay, and let my grandmother tell my mother what I had to say to her. This plan also failed because I experienced an extreme headache. This was good for the assignment because there was no way I was talking to anybody, and no way I was watching television, nor listening to a radio.
I literally stayed in my bed and cried with my silent tears. Yes, the pain was that serious. I even considered going to the emergency room. When it was all said and done I slept for ten hours. When I woke up it was two in the morning. I then got something to eat, and got back in bed. Once morning light hit my bedroom, I felt a whole lot better,and only had a few hours to go. I cleaned my carpets, and did a little dusting.( I almost messed up because I normally listen to the radio while cleaning) As soon as three o'clock hit I was dialing everybody in my contact list.
I must say this was both a challenging assignment as well as a fun one. I do not want to ever have to do that again. I had e-mail messages galore. Missed calls like you wouldn't believe, and I am still checking my messages. :) To the future students of EDM310. Can you survive the fast?

SmartBoard Lesson Project #15

C4K summary (NOV)

MR.McClungs World
This site tell how Mr.McClung shows how his children were asked to create their very own Country with a style of government as well as economy. I especially enjoyed this because there was a map of the country Carollelea that has a place called Peanut Butter Fields. How I would love to visit there. :)

Mrs. Yollis class blog
In Mrs Yollis' class there was a student named Beverly who did not follow directions when the teacher said that the students could wear Halloween colors, but no costumes. Beverly was not paying attention and came to school as a PIRATE!

In this blog Mrs. Yollis asks that the reader gives a story on what really happened, and why Beverly was a pirate.

Pt England 6th Year
Turuhira a year 6 student in Pt England school talks about how it was really cold outside while she watched fireworks light up the sky.I only replied that she did a great job,and told her to keep up the good work. At first I was reading too fast and thought she was 6 years old. Either way it was a great descriptive post. :)

Blog Post #12

Watch the video Whole Brain Teaching Look at the different ways that Chris teaches this middle school class the basics. How could this work in your classroom? Give your perspective on The Whole Brain Teaching. Write using a quality blog post.

Chris Biffle gives this classroom a chance to learn how to use there entire brain. This technique is very interesting. I actually will use this to teach my daughter,a first grader, some of the activities that are required for homework. This should be used in all classrooms, just as Twitter. I really enjoyed this video and actually watched many more. You can teach the class the classroom rules and many math skills as well. One teacher on YouTube taught her class the way to learn how to do math by using "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally" P=parentheses, E=exponent, M=multiply, D=divide, A=add, S=subtract. This is a great way to learn as well. *claps hands* TEACH!

C4K Summary (Oct)

Oct 9th
Student Angelo tells how you must be as fast as a race horse and eat health in order to be a great rugby player. Sorry i forgot to add the links here but there are some very great illustrations among these students.

Oct 16th
Khia made 2 animations about rugby players.She also used great sound effects of the crowd cheering. I must say that creativity with children really makes them stand out.

Oct 23rd
Kelsi's blog showed a picture of a beautiful snow white house. The picture was absolutely amazing. She also stated that the temperature there was -4 degrees. BRR I can feel the frost.

Oct 30th
Room 17 year 6 Pt. England School Australian football coaching
A student in Room 17 had some difficulties trying to learn a new skill, about how to play a sport. I just encouraged her to continue to work hard and she could achieve anything.

Blog assignment # 11

Ms. Cassidy

In this assignment Ms.Cassidy had a Skype interview with our very own Dr.Strange. She describes how she took 5 computers that had no programming, yet her class was blogging and learning new things, because she took the initiative to bring to the children the importance of being on line and what they can benefit from this use. I also appreciated the fact that the children's identity is being protected by using their first name only and not placing names with the actual student pictures.Some people had a serious issue with this type of information sharing via the internet due to them not having knowledge of how this is productive. Ms. Cassidy expresses that technology is not going anywhere and the world is constantly changing, and if the most modern technology is not being used we can be handicapping both the students of the next generation as well as ourselves.
Some of the techniques that Ms.Cassidy uses with her class is more than just blogging. She allows her class to use a tool that most, if not all have. The Nintendo DS. With this tool the children are learning to share information as well as have fun, which the children can appreciate because after all learning is suppose to be fun.
I have learned that there are numerous ways in which I can engage my class in the learning process.One is the SMART board, and blogging. I will most definitely remember that the Nintendo DS game system can be a tool for learning also.I now realize that being an educator is not just a job it is a lifestyle. HAPPY EDUCATING! :)

C4T-3 Summary Post

twitterlogo

For this assignment I had the pleasure of visiting Mr Ferriter's blog http://teacherleaders.typepad.com/the_tempered_radical/ In this blog I made comments on two different posts. The first was Twitter in the classroom This blog post basically explains about the many ways that twitter can and should be used in the classroom for education. This new form of social media and the world will be left behind if we do not approach and use this wisely.

The next post was about Innovation Interview Questions.

animated question mark

There are some questions that Mr. Ferriter suggest should be asked in the interviews that are conducted for individuals that are aspiring to be teachers/educators. Things that really are more important than the basic questions that are asked like "Can you work under pressure?" Of course the answer is YES!, but if more questions that are suggested in this blog were asked the interviewee would have to actually "FEEL" a certain way about that topic. I loved this post. There were some very great questions that should be asked in order to ensure a great candidate for teaching our next generation.

B log assignment #10

Do You Teach? or Do You Educate?

What does it mean to teach? Teach is a verb and the definition is to explain how to do something, give instructions, cause one to learn or understand. There are many people in the education field that are just teachers and are not even interested in being an educator. Some are there just for the pay checks and this to me is the most horrible thing to imagine, especially when you have children in the school system.
Educators on the other hand are people who have passion about what they are doing. People who want to inspire, empower, give instructions in order to have the student be motivated to perform any task, whether it be mathematics, science or social skills. I am taking the initiative to say that I will be an EDUCATOR! WILL YOU?

Don't let them take the Pencil Home
http://pencilintegration.blogspot.com/2010/07/dont-let-them-take-pencils-home.html

pencils

I actually chuckled at this blog. Don't get me wrong, I genuinely enjoyed it, yet it was too funny how the belief that not taking home pencils would increase standardized test scores. Okay first things first. There are pencils everywhere and trust me when I say if there's a will there is a way. I also believe that pencils are not the problem. Children need to be stimulated and encouraged to do new and exciting things. One solution would be to make it fun to learn. Reading is great but is it enough to get those creative juices flowing in order to perform at the best possible level. Breakfast is important , Parenting is important, and self image is also important. Parents as well as educators should tell the students that they can be whatever they aspire to be that they are smart and can one day be the President of the United States. Call it reverse psychiatry, but if it works use it. I also would like to piggy back on one of the comments made on the post. So what if the student uses the pencil to play hang man, you have to be thinking of Words/Letters in order to get the puzzle. I know that is such a bad name for a game but, at least there is an education strategy. Now excuse me while I sharpen my pencils. :)

Blog assignment #9

At the Teacher’s Desk
http://attheteachersdesk.blogspot.com/2010/06/what-i-learned-this-year_15.html

The blog offered lots of information that I can use as an educator. Mr McClung gave his experience from his first year of teaching to his third. There were times when he expressed that he had fallen into the traditional aspects of teaching and would teach about things and give an assessment on things that had absolutely nothing to do with what he taught about or the information would not be to the depths that the tests were in.

He also talked about CONTROL. How educators have to be in control of everything that goes on in the classroom. He states that control is good, but there is a such thing as too much. In other words you have to be able to adapt to changes as they occur. There will be times that we as educators will have to put the “standards” down and teach freestyle. NEVER GET COMFORTABLE.

McClung says that we as educators need to teach our students how to perform tasks in the classroom rather than depend on the instructor to do it for them. This way they can take the full experience of the classroom. Much like Dr.Strange’s class. I totally agree with this, If there is ever a situation where I am not comfortable with an assignment, I can ask a lab assistant and they will help me with the issue, and not “Touch the Keyboard” as McClung puts it. This way the next time I come across the issue I will know how to resolve it on my own. If the assistant would have just “fixed” the problem I would have no idea on how to make it work, and in turn would have learned nothing. We cannot afford to be passive in teaching we have to be movers and shakers. We will have to be willing to make complete fools of ourselves if that’s what it takes to get the point across to the students. After all we are THE TEACHERS AT THE DESK!

teacher's desk

Project# 13 SMART board

Blog Assignment #8

how we dream picture

This is how we Dream Pt 1&2

In this video an educator by the name of Richard Miller talks about how technology will and have changed. He shows how efficient the Mac computer is as well as gives reasons why the world needs inspiring spaces. Mr. Miller says that if we as educators are put in a space that is inspiring then more creativity can come from us as individuals. Basically saying that boring four walls are not appealing enough for the creative juices that we all have to start flowing. He also makes the statement that ideas should not just be for self but should be shared collectively. So if there is something that one knows or wants to know, It should be shared so that that information can be researched and passed on to others.
This video was very informative about how the mac works and how you can have access to all kinds of information and documents with just a single click. How there are people working on ways to even see where people are the most happiest through blogs and information that is being shared on the internet.
This information should and will not stay a dream. It is only a matter of time before the classroom as we know it will be literally at the fingertips. This will be both scary and exciting. How will we as educators adjust when we are being taught to be traditional teachers with pen and paper? Education as we know it is changing as we speak. Looks like we better WAKE UP!

Carly's post

In Carly's Post about the six questions one should ask everyday was a very greatly detailed informative post. I enjoyed this and I can tell that she was truly inspired in this post. I love that fact that the information portion of the post was full of fun, yet still gave great points. The actual six questions were some truly deep questions. It actually made me sit back and think. "Am I ready for this task, Do I have the skills?" She made very valid points and this is something that all educators should look at and really look themselves in the mirror and say " Am I crazy enough to change the world?" People who are crazy enough to say this and act on it, probably WILL!

Chipper & EDM for Dummies
First let me say. POOR CHIPPER. This lady had the hardest time trying to get herself together. The funniest thing was the stuff about the future. Too FUNNY!
It seem to me that chipper's life wasn't so CHIPPER, but who am I to judge. In the end chipper realized that her ideas were not so solid without an educational background. In the end she went back to school and made an oath to do what is right. What she should have done in the beginning.
Edm for Dummies was very good as well the students came up with a book to help others learn how to navigate through the course.To be honest the book needs to be invented. HINT HINT!!
All in all the videos were very creative and actually gave me some ideas on how I could use these techniques in my very own movies in the course. I give it Two Thumbs Up.

Learn to Change/Change to Learn

Learning is suppose to be fun and engaging. In today's classroom there are so many rules that restrict the learning process. Today adults and children alike are blogging and emailing and instant messaging as ways of interacting and communicating with each other, yet the education programs punish children and in some cases teacher from using them in the classroom. We should be encouraging these forms of media to be used properly in schools. There is so much to be learned, but how can we find out new things if there is fear about how it will be used.
One comment that really stuck with me was that every turned off device is a turned off child. This is beyond true. If a child is not enjoying what they are doing then most likely they are not trying there very best at the task at hand but is merely finishing just be done with it. The material is only being BURPED back as Dr.Strange says.
Was as educators have to be willing to Learn as we teach and Change as we Learn.

Project # 10 MY PLN

Blog Assignment #7

Randy Pauschs Last Lecture : Achieving your childhood dreams

In this video Randy talked about ways to help achieve your childhood dreams. Before we get into that I wanted to talk about the fact that Randy showed the CT scans of his ten tumors and still wanted everyone to know that he was still having fun, that he did not want anyone to feel sorry for him, that in itself makes you look at the simple things we as students call hard and realize that this is just a test to get us where we need to be


Randy gave a lot of great ways or techniques if you will on how to achieve your dreams. One that I particularly like is "Don't complain just work HARDER",and when someone makes you mad or upset just give them some time and they will surprise you". These two mean so much to be because I have on many occasions always had a rebuttal when I am told that something I did was not standard. Instead of trying to get a word in, next time I will just make the next thing I have to do even better than before.

Randy helped students with Edutainment which is helping the first responders, This ETC that he was working with was so great that there were companies who had written letters saying that they were guaranteeing that they would hire students that were in the program. Randy's whole focus was always on others, he gave gratitude to people that helped him along the way as well as the many students that he taught as well. Randy states that you cannot get success alone, you have to have others to help you, that is why you must show dedication to something and people will see that you are passionate about it and be willing to learn and help you as well.
I have come to realize that teaching is not to better yourself, but to help others learn what you know. There will be times where we come to a brick wall, just remember what Dr. Pausch said "Brick wall as there to prove how badly we want something, and to stop those who don't want it". If you want it GO GET IT. Live life in a good way and karma will take care of the rest. I absolutely loved this lecture. VERY INSPIRING!!

C4T-2

This week I had the pleasure of looking into Becky Goerend's blog. http://mrsbmg.blogspot.com/

confused child

Mrs Goerend has a blog that focuses on the Common Core of the classroom and how it is not in a kid friendly text. The words are a bit much for fifth graders as well as parents. Children need to know exactly what is expected of them so that they can respond accordingly. The parents also need to know what is expected so that they can help prepare their child for the task at hand. Mrs Goerend came up with a way to help the children understand what the core expects the child to do by taking the words they knew the meaning of and writing it in their own words, then they were able to apply the concepts.
More teachers should look at what they expect of children and make sure it is in a language that can be understood.

Blog Assignment # 6

The Networked Student

networking

First I would like to say that the animation used in this video was great.
My reaction to this video: I like the fact that the classromm is not about sitting in a desk for an hour and fifteen minutes. It actually allows the student to use creativity and social media to achieve a goal. Just as EDM310 does. Dr. Strange is not lecturing and there are no books, yet he is still fully involved in the learning process, as long as the student is eager to learn new and exciting things.
The fact that Wendy says that she may use this with her middle school students is great. Students will have access to some of the most educated people in the world. Like the video states, "You won't know unless you ask". My personal note is " No question is a dumb question, The question is only dumb when it remains unasked."

A 2nd graders LPE!

Now I thought that this project would be hard,Yet this second grader did this project and it is AMAZING! I am really going to take this information and work ten times harder to make my PLN just as good. There is a television show called " Are You Smarter than a Fifth grader?" Well I am going to start a show " Is Your PLN/PLE Better than a Second Grader?"

podcast Project 8

TimeToast Project 9a

Blog assignment #5

Don't teach your kids this stuff, Please

My take on this poem was very uneasy. I read this poem against the grain. I tried to accept the fact that it was sarcasm, but it was truly hard. After reading I could see exactly what he was saying as far as how negative the Internet and cell phones can be, yet they can also be positive. Take C4K's for example. I not only read the ones that I am assigned to I also read others and have noticed that there are some very smart and creative souls in the world. Not teaching with multi-media tools will only hinder our children's education instead of boosting it.

Who id Scott McLeod? 

Scott McLeod, J.D., Ph.D., is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading academic experts on K-12 school technology leadership issues. Dr. McLeod is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Kentucky. He also is the Founding Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE), the nation’s only academic center dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators, and was a co-creator of the wildly popular video series, Did You Know? (Shift Happens).

Travis Allen 

In one word. Brilliant! This could change education as we know it. New things are constantly being brought to the table about education.For example, The Smart Board. I love this and it should be in every classroom. If we had access to the iSchool things would and could be so much better.

 Imagine being able to AFFORD$$$ College. Having the iSchool would absolutely cut the cost  because there would be no need to spend $200-#300 on books. They would be in the palms of our hands. I like this idea alot. That IPhone is something serious. I must buy one now, I do not want to be left in the dark.

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir

 The entire 185 people in this video have never met, yet they are in a choir. This was the most creative thing I have seen with a choir. I honestly had a tear in my eye. I knew I had to watch a virtual choir but was not expecting this. Great Choir Eric, and very well done!

Teaching in the 21st Century

 Kevin Roberts basically makes you think about all the ways that influence children in the classroom. Yes, there are pens, pencils, and paper, but that should not be all. He states that there will be temptations with using multi-media tools, but if the information is engaging you can for the most part capture the many abilities that are stored in children's heads.They need to focused on the subject at hand therefore the subject needs to be challenging and stimulating. Some will argue that multi-media technology should not be used in the classroom, but with technology changing as we speak there won't be " No child left behind" it will be THIS WORLD LEFT BEHIND!

Project #6 My sentnce Movie

Blog assignment #4

Eagle Nest Radio & Class Blog
Everyone needs to check this blog page.http://blog.woodward.edu/ps_edmison/?cat=103. The children on this page are so talented.The tone, and passion of the children are amazing.The fluctuation in their voice makes you really imagine and see what they were saying in your mind. In one word, Perfect! I will definitely use some of their techniques in my podcast. From Eagles Nest Radio, "keep reading and learning".

microphone

Langwitches
pod-casting with 1st grade
This article basically tells the techniques used to help some 1st graders how they can be involved in a podcast.I believe that the children really enjoyed doing this activity.Being able to hear themselves on multimedia forms was exciting to them. The author also used music and sound effects in the background. I will try and play around with some extra graphics in my podcast as well.

Pod-casting in the classroom
Harry Dell gives the benefits of pod-casting in the classroom. He gives some really good tips on why it is important, as well as the easy access the children have to pod-casting. Children in today's generation can relate to technologies like video games, computers, and cell phones (sad but true)so pod-casting will be an adventure you both can take in the classroom.

C4T #2

Bill Genereux's blog posts. http://billgx.edublogs.org/

Rocking the First Day
This blog talks about the "traditional" reading of the syllabus on the first day of class.It seems that this is what most teachers are programmed to do. Mr. Genereux took a different approach with his photography class. Even though most students only had I-phones instaed of actual cameras, he challenged his students to take pictures of each other as sort of an icebreaker.The students actually came up with some very creative ideas and the pictures came out awesome. This technique gave the students a jump start on other assignments to come, as well as gives them a reason to come up with more creative ideas before the next class meeting.I enjoyed this post. It was a great way to ROCK ON THE FIRST DAY!

First Day Report

school house

Bill Genereux's daughter who is in the fourth grade, reported to her father that she now loves school again.It seems as now schools are so focused on the scores that they receives from standardized test, that their is no time for fun.This must surely be a frustrating matter for both students and staff. I know of some schools who call it positive P's: Preparing Performing,and Passing. I say it's putting pressure on peers. I believe if more focus were to be put on the creativity of the child then the school test score would be through the roof.
I gave congratulations to Mr. Bill on his good news.I know I would be smiling from ear to ear if I heard that from my daughter.I hope my daughter will enjoy her school education from Pre-K to college.

Project #5

Blog Assignment # 3

computer picture

It's not about the Technology
The blog Kelly submitted was quite interesting to me.The four steps that were mentioned in the post can really make a person evaluate the way they have or will teach.The 1st thing was that Teachers must be learners This is so true, because there are teachers who are "stuck in their ways" and there is nothing that anyone can tell them. The 2nd concept is learning and teaching are NOT the same just because an instructor has learned something does not mean that they can teach it to where someone can learn and understand.The next step that stood out to me was that Technology is useless without good teaching WOW! How many times have you been in a classroom and the teacher had no clue on how to operate a computer? We as teachers have to be technology literate. This will not only change how we teach, but everyone should be up to date with technology for it is forever changing.

Is it okay to be a Technologically illiterate teacher
Karl hit the nail right on the head with this blog. Technology is forever changing and new things are being developred everyday. It really makes you think when Karl mentioned that not being technologically literate is equavalent to being 30 and not being able to read or write. The children are our future and how can they advance and be successful if they are not prepared for what the world has to offer? Every educator needs to have the basics of technology, and be willing to learn more. Let's have the next generations ready and getTECHNIFIED.

Social media counts
Wait! Slow down! Really?! These were the things I shouted as I clicked to the link.What this says about my career is that every second that I am not learning something new, something I thought I knew is being replaced by something new.I now have a greater understanding of the saying " TIME waits for no man".In the few minutes it took me to type these words about 10,000 or more tweets have been sent on twitter. Wow! I have some catching up to do.

vision glasses

A Vision of Students Today
This video made me feel sad. Mostly because everything that flashed before me is true.Known facts are that the textbooks are expensive and are rarely used in the classroom.The cost to even get an education is so high, by the time you graduate the money you make the first year wil go to student loans. Another thing that made me extremely worried is that we are being taught about things that will not even exist in the future.
I know for a fact that if more classes were multi-media based there would be a better attendance rate. Most people I know who don't come to class say that the class is boring. When they do come to class they are on facebook or twitter and not paying the teacher any attention. If the walls at the University of South Alabama could talk what do you think They would say?

Blog Assignment# 2

Did You Know? 3.0
The information was very interesting. The facts that were flashed across my face made me look at the video over, and over again. The United States needs to speed up a bit on education. It's crazy how China has more honor students than we have people. I never knew the first commercial text message was sent in 2002.Its really scary that in the year 2049 a computer will have more knowledge than a human. I guess it's true that computers will take over the world.

Mr. Winkle Wakes
Now this video basically shows how even after a 100 year slumber, Mr.Winkle could only find comfort in a school. The office building, and hospital had evolved with technology. The school was just as he remembered it. The so called tradition of teaching. Computers are a very important part of education. Technology is forever changing and we should encourage our children to learn new things. We should surely use computers and other multi-media devices in our classroom lectures.Not only for the students, but for ourselves also to keep up with the ever changing world.

Cecelia Gault
Wow! Looks like I need to move to Finland. As children we are taught that reading, science, and math are the three most important subjects. It's now hard to believe that when the dropout rate is twenty five percent. Seems we are not as educated as we think.I really would love to get a lesson plan from some teachers, and some techniques to use so that my classroom will have the upperhand. Maybe that way my peers can see this and want to do it also. It would start a trend and before long the U.S will be right there with Finland. ON TOP!

Vicki Davis
I absolutely love this video. The rural part of Georgia is connected to the world!I love the fact that the classroom is not just standard desk with blackboard.Every student has access to a computer. I believe that children of the next generation will learn so much more using digiteen, and other computer literate techniques.I appreciate how Mrs. Davis states that you don't have to know everything to teach, because in some cases the children will have something to teach you.The education system needs to jump on this and Harness the Students Digital Smarts.

Sir Ken Robinson
First let me say that Sir Ken Robinson made those 19 minutes very interesting.It states that we as educators are educating others on things we know nothing about.Teachers tend to place the academics as the important subjets, and Art, Music, and Dance are just electives.People are so programmed to believe that you develop creativity. This is not true. Creativity is a trait that yyou are born with, and everybody has a creative background. Some people will not step up and do what they love in fear that what they believe is wrong.All subjects are important as a whole. We as eucators need to teach whole body not just literacy. Dance, music, and art should all be at the top of the education hieracy.

Randy Pausch on Time Management

WOW!!! I know for a fact that Randy Pausch was speaking of me in the video. STRESS and PROCRASTINATION should be my middle name. I sometimes will have so much to do that I stress out, then in turn say "Hey I'll do that TOMORROW"! Then when "tomorrow" comes I have too much to do for TODAY! I will from this day forward PLAN. I'm going to start with baby steps and plan for the DAY. and as I get better, plan for the WEEK. Mr Pausch Said it best when he said, "failing to plan is planning to fail". I was always told that the word CAN"T should never part from your lips. Sorry, but I CAN"T FAIL.

Blog Assignment #1

My legal name is Roshawnda Thompson, but I prefer to be called Renee since most people have a hard time pronouncing my first name.I am a life time resident of Mobile Alabama, and graduate of John L Leflore High School class of 2002. I am a current sophomore at the University of South Alabama in the field of education. My fiance and I have a six year old daughter together and plan on having many more. (boys my fiance hopes).  I spend most of my Saturday mornings screaming on the sidelines with the cheerleaders from my daughters squad at Municipal Park. GOOO RAIDERS!!!!  I enjoy family movie night, spending girl time with my daughter, and shopping, did I mention shopping!?

My initial interest in education was when I realized that I had a little person who had to rely on me to teach her the basics of life. From that point on I knew I wanted to be an educator. I have a family background of teachers. Some encourage me to continue my endeavour, while others say NOOOO!!! I believe that the generations to come need a STRONG individual to come along and help them succeed. I don't want to just teach a subject and then send the child packing. I want them to understand what they are being taught and how they will use it in the future.

practice post

Hello all this is my practice post! Looks successful. YAAAAY MEEE!