Andrew Carnegie

Final Project

My group worked together with the idea of TED. This is our video:


For my wallwisher I explained the World of Warcraft Economy. This is my video:


View MY wallwisher at: www.wallwisher.com/wall/WoWEconomy

All of our wallwisher videos can be accessed on the video wall: http://playboy251.glogster.com/finalproject/
You can view our individual wallwisher videos by clicking on our picture here: http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/finalproject

PLN

I have added and removed different connections throughout the semester. I try to only keep what I actually use on a fairly normal basis on here. I have my workplace connections, previous employers, entertainment, and social life connected to the PLN. Take a look by clicking here: http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/reginaspln

C4T #4

In my first C4T #4 post I read about the ways technology has changed. Things that were incredibly useful 10-15 years ago are now obsolete. In this post she spoke about VCRs and cell phones, how landlines are barely used and questioned why the school systems do not reflect the changes on the scale that they should.
This teacher had not posted again so I went back to a post from the past. She spoke about how technology had helped her personally and how amazing it was. While living in Bangkok she was able to buy a house in Seattle, Washington, simply by using the internet. They were able to sign the papers while she was half a world away and even when her husband was in Belguim. After buying the house, they  completely remodeled it by using trusted people, internet and phone with picture texts.

C4K November and 12/05

This week I commented on Melissa’s blog post. Melissa loves cat and her family has many cats and/or kittens. She talked about remembering the first time her parents brought one home-its name was Fluffy. She also spoke about how the cats had gotten their names. When she posted she was looking for a name for the new member of the family. Since then she has named this new kitten Star.

For the week of 11/21 I commented on a blog belonging to “wdona”. In their class they were learning how to use mnemonics to help them remember the planet order. Wdona had a very interesting mnemonic and picture to match. The picture included both winter and summer all in one.

During the week of Veterans Day (11/14) I commented on a post from Tyrell in Canada. His post reminded us to take a moment of silence and remember. In Canada they have Remembrance Day in the place of our Veteran’s Day. Tyrell had two videos from youtube posted as well as and pro-Canada propaganda poster.

The first week of Novemeber (11/7) I commented on a student of Ms. Cassidy. This student name was Daulton who had been a skeleton for Halloween. His post was a picture that he had created using a computer program such as paint.

Project #15

Tom Johnson's Pencil Integration

     I enjoy reading Tom Johnson's post about using our brains rather than depending on pencils, papers, and other technology. He gives his students the freedom to use their creativity to teach themselves and show their perspectives to others. My favorite of these posts were about the math class metaphors. I have a feeling that these students were much happier and understood the meaning of "x" much quicker than students in other classes that were simply taught that the alphabet has now become a part of math and that it was a variable. Students that are allowed to express their opinions will open up and become more involved in discussions and take more away from the class.

Blog Post #13

     ALEX is a very interesting website available to teachers. I had heard of ALEX before but had never used it or looked into what it actually was. I am glad that we had an assignment to look into ALEX because I probably would have never done it on my own. The website has many different areas that teachers can uses such as Personal Workspace, Web Links, Podcast Treasury and many others. I mainly looked into the area with Lesson Plans. Lesson Plans allows teachers to look through previously developed lesson plans by picking a subject or through picking a teacher, grade level or other key words. I found this very interesting as I looked into my subject area (social science). I was able to find lesson plans from certain time periods of history as well as full subject lesson plans.

I will definitely be using this when I become a teacher. I found this site very useful but I have not had time to go through the entire of site yet but hope too soon.

Form - Dining Out

     For my form I asked about peoples opinions on going out to eat and how they expect to be treated by a server. Many people seem to be easy to please but notice the little things when it comes to leaving a tip. When asked about what would make someone not want to come back most responded with things about bugs, dirtiness or objects in food more than service issues. I think my results were somewhat biased because many people that had responded had previously worked in the food industry.
      I work in a local restaurant as a server and since I started I have learned many things. Servers are not paid minimum wage by the restaurant and rely on tips to earn anything. A few people did not realize this in my form but many did acknowledge this fact and it reflected on the amount they said they would tip.

Actual results will be posted soon.

Final Project Update

     I have emailed with Trung Nguyen about wallwisher. He has started a wallwisher for people to post on for collaboration. I like the wallwisher idea and will be making my own page soon.

Blog Post #12

Watch this video about Facebook Applications that can be used in education. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRhvnTHAqek&feature=related

Write a comment about this video.

     This video talks about different applications that Facebook provides that allows students to learn while networking. As stated in this video Facebook is here, we don’t need to fight it, we just need to use it to our advantage. Applications such as math formulas, flashcards and mind games are just a few that can help students. Many students can use the language applications when learning foreign languages. They also speak about the applications that would be considered more for electives but still help with making students use their minds to figure out problems.

Teach Somebody

For my teach somebody I am sharing instructions for a recipe that I created. I like to mix different things and see how they turn out. This became a household favorite for my family. Click here to learn how to make Chicken and Veggie Pasta.

C4T Teacher #3 Summary

     Over the last few weeks I have read and commented on the blog posts of Mrs. Hadley. She is a teacher in Philadelphia at an all-girls school. She has four children of her own that she homeschooled until the high school years. In her posts she spoke about convincing the children that it’s not all just about a grade but how they learn the information. This was the primary focus of the first post I read. She wanted the point to be made that for some assignments there is no “right way” to get to the answer. A vocabulary lesson was turned into a group activity as an example of this. Children learn more when they have to search for or create an answer. The second post that I comment on was a follow up to a post that came between these two. The middle post mentioned the importance of exercise and how it can be used between or during activities as a way to clear the minds of the students and help them get back on task. The post that I commented on however was called “Following My Own Advice”. In this post she spoke about work that she had to do but wasn’t very excited about. She went out and raked leaves to get the energy to do her work. When she took a break she went back outside and regained the motivation to finish the task she had started. This takes discipline to stop the task you enjoy and go back but is also good for the individual. Exercise as a way of motivation is healthier than coffee and energy drinks.

Blog Post #11

     I enjoyed these two videos about Ms. Cassidy’s classroom and the way she uses technology. The children in her class seem to enjoy being able to use the computers and other technology in their classroom. The interview that was done with Ms. Cassidy was something that I could get something out of. She makes several good points about technology’s use and the way that teachers should look at it. Blogs seem to be a favorite among young children because of the audience that it provides. While many principals and other faculty may not be interested in technology the parents liked being able to keep up with their children’s progress. The comments from the entire world keep the children motivated to keep their work up.

     Ms. Cassidy makes the point clear that a lot of protection is used to keep the children safe. Parents must approve of their child using the internet and even so their pictures are never matched to the child. First names only are used and the children make this point known. In the question and answer session she also mentions that they educate the children of where they can and cannot go. Ms. Cassidy uses her blog as a hub for the children so she knows the links are safe for them.

     Finally I like the point that she makes about how the use of classroom technology has become a part of her personal life. She mentions that she normally does not use technology for personal reasons but because of her PLN it is becoming a bigger part of her everyday life through connections she has made.

Skype Interview

Additional Assignment #3

     I really like and agree with this clip by Ken Robinson. Education today is not what it was years ago and therefore it doesn’t need to follow the same rules. I saw connections between this clip and his previous lecture about creativity that we watched and also connections with Dan Brown’s video from last week. Education used to be for the elite class but now it is fairly normal to go to college. Robinson is right that a college degree doesn’t guarantee a job anymore and it’s true that some students are discouraged by that fact. I personally liked the animation in this video because I get bored listening to lectures but the words and pictures kept my attention. I especially liked the part about ADHD and I completely agree that there are way too many children on medication that isn’t necessary. I sit through classes just like many of these children do on a daily basis and I am bored out of my mind. When I leave class I may have a page of notes that I could have found online in seconds but more than likely I have a ton of texts, emails and Facebook messages about how bored I was and plans for what to do after class. Does this mean I wasn’t paying attention? No, it means I was multitasking and I learned the information but it just didn’t keep my attention.

SMART Board

Blog Post #10

        I found Morgan Bayda’s post to be very true. While she is not as drastic as Dan Brown was in his video I completely get the point. The video was my favorite part of her post because he is very enthusiastic about having his voice heard. What Dan talks about is also very true. We pay thousands of dollars for an education but much of the information we learn can be found online without a price. I go to class on a daily basis not because I want to sit through an hour long lecture but because it is required to get me the degree I need. What I get out of the hour long lecture PLUS more I could find online in a matter of seconds (same is true with expensive textbooks). While I do not plan to drop out of school I understand his perspective and reasoning.

        When I read the title of “Don’t Let the Take Pencils Home” I assumed it was going to mean to let them do work through technology rather than pencil and paper. I was wrong but I like the message in this post. A positive teacher can change the world for a child. So many children are discouraged by a negative teacher that sometimes they feel as if they can’t do anything right. When children are encourage their imagination and creativity shines through and often greater work is completed. If a smile can change someone’s day a positive teacher can change the world.

        My sentence: I will make myself a better person through positively impacting the life of others through leadership, service and encouragement.

Short Movie Project

Blog Post #9

     In Mr. McClung’s post he talks about things he learned in his first year of teaching. It is obvious through this post that he is a very dedicated teacher who truly cares about his students and their success. Even though he teaches at a young grade level he recognizes the importance that the skills and life lessons that he teaches. In his post he talks about many different things he has learned: read the crowd, be flexible, communicate, be reasonable, don’t be afraid of technology, listen to your students, and never stop learning (all of which are his titles).
     To read the crowd means to actually pay attention to the students needs. This is something that many teachers tend to forget because of all the requirements that they must meet. They must get to a certain point in the curriculum, pass certain tests, and be ready for assessments. While all of these goals are great it makes many people lose sight of what is truly important in a classroom-learning. Students are missing out on important information because of the mandatory testing and simple memorization of answers for those tests, they cram these answers then when the test is over they forget all the information.
     Being flexible is something that many of us forget. Life changes on a day to day basis, especially when you are dealing with multiple people (students). This is true in any workplace. To walk in with an expectation of what is going to happen that day is a good idea, but if you get disappointed when something goes wrong it can screw up your whole day. Currently I work in a restaurant; it’s an environment where you cannot let people know what really gets to you. If one table bothers you or is disrespectful, etc it can ruin your whole day if you let it bother you. Sometimes you just have to take a breath, clear your mind and choose a new route.
     Communication is key for success in life in general-inside and outside the classroom. One can never be afraid to ask for help or advice. A new teacher may not know everything they need to make it through but there are teachers who have been around the block that can help out. Venting is also part of communication; if you share your problems with someone else you often feel better and may even find a solution to the problem.
     Being reasonable is another thing that is needed in life as a whole. If we expect everyone to be perfect then we will be disappointed every time. As a teacher the last thing we should want is to see our students fail and be discouraged. Everyone has their day when stuff doesn’t go their way, everyone will fail a test, forget their homework, or break a rule but if we call the student out on it and bring them down they may get discouraged and feel like they are worthless. Everyone has to fall at some point but we must be ready to pick them back up, not kick them when they are down. The same rules apply for us, when we miss a goal we cannot beat our self up but instead we need to move on and not make the same mistake.
     Technology, technology, technology….it’s a major part of the world around us, and it’s still growing. Mr. McClung makes a good point when he says many adults are terrified of technology-my mother for example. Without technology in today’s world we will never survive in the classroom and our students will quickly pass us up. We cannot be afraid to press a button, to search what we don’t know and to implement technology into the modern classroom.
     Listening to our students, we all do this right? How many times do we overlook what a student says to us because it seems unimportant? To ignore our students is to fail them. I like that the student in Mr. McClung’s class pointed this out. As a young student they already realized that if they are listened to they feel important. Students tell us so many things that could be important. They may be struggling with the lessons, they may be having problems at home, they may be trying to warn us of danger, or they may simply just need someone to care about them.
     Finally the last thing that Mr. McClung writes about is to never stop learning. We cannot afford to stop learning. If we are teaching the children of tomorrow we must continue to learn throughout the course of our life. We need to teach our children this also. School and life is not about what you can learn out of a book but about the necessities to survive In society, to be informed. Technology is constantly changing (we need to know how to use it), science is constantly in motion (new medical advances and changes in structure will change in textbooks), politics and world events change (our leadership and success as a country). When we walk across the stage and get our diplomas we still have a lot of learning left to do.

     I liked Mr. McClung’s and I have written a lot of it combined with my experiences and thoughts above. What he learned in his first year of teaching is a lot of things that are helpful inside and outside of the classroom. Also much of what Mr. McClung learned applies to both students and teachers (and in other work environments this is still applicable). Mr. McClung’s dedication to teaching and learning is inspiring to me and I believe it will be inspiring to many others who read his post. I would love to be a student in Mr. McClung's class.