Blog Post 6

The Networked Student
Wendy Drexler: The Networked Student was a very interesting video. The video was prepared by Wendy Drexler's high school students and was inspired by connectivism. Connectivism is based on learning thorough social networks of many diverse networks and ties. I love that students are learning from the internet because they can find more up to date information. Textbooks can very quickly become out of date and with the cost of textbooks I feel that most children are learning from material that is obsolete.
Learning in the 21st century is not the same as it used to be and teaching in the 21st century cannot stay the same either. The video mentioned that the tools are not as important as the connections made possible by them. You can have a classroom full of computers, but if no one knows how to use them properly they are useless. Sure, every child in the 21st century knows how to get online, but they need a teacher to show them how to use the web to research and take advantage of every opportunity available.
Furthermore, students need to be taught how to distinguish facts from idiocy when they are online. There are so many sites that appear to be fact, but often they are merrily an opinion and not always an educated one. The teacher's role is also to help the students when they get stuck. Learning in the 21st century allows the students more freedom to work on their own, but it is important for them to know the teacher is still there to help them and guide them when necessary.

A 7th Grader Personal Learning Environment
While watching A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment (or PLN) I thought a lot about what we are doing in EDM310. It is very similar in the fact that we have a list of assignments and while we do not have the option not to do them, we choose when we do them (as long as it's before the due date). It was exciting to see how well organized and engaged this 7th grade student was. It was interesting to hear her say that even though she has the freedom to choose when and how to do her work she also feels the responsibility to get it done. I would presume that because she actually enjoys what she is doing, she is more inclined to do her work and take pride in what she has accomplished. However, I do think it takes a self-motivated individual to work and succeed in this type of environment.

My Sentence Video

Special Blog Assignment # 1

Did You Know?

Though the rhetoric of the video, Did You Know?, is deceiving, I did not misinterpret the information as meaning that the US was behind the other countries mentioned. Such a determination cannot be made with one sided figures. Numbers, like all rhetoric, can be manipulative and used to show one side of the table. We can gather nothing with percentages alone. Percentage of what? According to WolframAlpha the population of China is 1.35 billion, the population of India is 1.21 billion, and the population of the United States is 309 million.
Also 318 million people in China either know English or are learning to speak English. Assuming they all learn to do so 23.56% of China’s population would speak English. While the amount of English speakers in China may be more than the entire population of the United States, the percentage of English speaking Americans is higher than the percentage of English speakers in China. And while India may have more honors students than the United States, it is expected as they have three times the population.

Two WolframAlpha Searches

Compare Georgia to Alabama enrollment
Graduate or Professional School- GA:116740 AL:47758
Undergraduate School- GA:538310 AL:257789
Pre-k to 12th Grade- GA:1.962 Million AL:901184
TOTAL enrollment- GA:2.617 Millon AL:1.207 Million

Compare Georgia and Alabama Test Scores
These test scores pertain to SAT in math, writing, reading. GA:74% AL:7%
These test scores pertain to ACT in math, english, reading, science. GA:47% AL:81%

WolframAlpha offers students a resource of information regardning statistics, geography, media, genealogy, chemistry, and so on. The spectrum of information offered on this site seems to be endless. This site would be helpful to English students in gathering research for a variety of different types of papers. WolframAlpha can help students not only locate information and data but the site can also help students interpret and compare data.

Social Media:

Gary Hayes Social Media Chart is amazing to watch. It is astonishing that the numbers increase continuingly. It is incredible that Hayes has put all this information together into a chart that continuously updates the data. I was surprised to see that the amount of new android phones activated is more that the amount of iPhones sold. I would have guessed the numbers would be fairly close. According to this site, there are about 7 times as many new android phone activations as there are new iPhones sold in one minute. This chart proves that technology is steadily increasing. Not only is technology enhancing but it is also spreading throughout society at a steady rate. More and more people are using social networking sites and tools such as Blogger and Google. As a teacher, I will need to stay up-to-date on the resources available to me both inside and outside the classroom. Twitter, Pinterest, blogs and maybe facebook are a great way to stay informed of technology that is enhancing the classroom.

Blog Post 4

1. Langwitches 1st Graders Create Own Read Along Book

After reading Langwithes blog post about how her 1st graders created a read along book, I thought about how time consuming it must have been to get the students to say their lines and then edit it all together. Once I listened to the audio file, I was amazed at what a wonderful job these 1st graders did! I think it was a great way to get all the children involved in reading the book.
This could be a great way to do a podcast for our group project. I like the idea of having an interviewer ask the rest of the group their opinions about the book and the script could be on slides for the listener / reader to follow along.

2. The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom by Joe Dale

I enjoyed reading and watching Joe Dale's post about podcasting. I found it to be very informative. I like the idea of using podcasting in the classroom because, not only does it give children who miss class the opportunity to go back and hear the lecture but, it also gives parents the opportunity to hear what goes on in the classroom. As a parent, my children often come home wanting help with homework; when I try to explain what they need to do I hear, "that's not the way the teacher said do it!" If a pod cast of the lecture was available, it would be easy for them to go back and listen to their teachers instructions again. Often times, the way I would do it, is not the way the teacher wants it done. Not that my way is wrong, it is just different. Joe Dale's video, Podcasting In The Classroom did a great job of explaining podcasting and why it is important.

3. Judy Scharf Collection

This was the most informative site for me. This post contained tips for a successful podcast and there were also downloadable handouts on creating and uploading a podcast. The YouTube video link How To Create A Podcast, using Audacity was also very informative. After everything I have read and watched, I think Audacity will be the best choice for me to use to make my podcast.

Presentation Project 5

Blog Post #3

Peer Editing
The videos gave me a different outlook on how to properly peer edit another classmate's blog. I was unaware that I should be leaving a detailed comment; including everything the peer did correctly and incorrectly. It is a great feeling to be praised on what you did right or what another person enjoyed about your post. In saying that, it is very important that you are positive throughout the entire post and assist the person on the correct help necessary.
The videos and slideshow provided for EDM 310 to watch are as followed: What is Peer Editing?, Peer Edit with Perfection Tutorial and Writing Peer Review Top 10 Mistakes. Each one was extremely helpful in its own way. In all of the videos, each referred to editing on paper, not in a blog. So it makes it difficult to follow some of the tips like signs and signals for certain mistakes. My favorite video was Writing Peer Review Top 10 Mistakes. I thought it was very original and super cute; of course everything is cuter with children, though!

Assistive Technologies
Even though I knew that there are those who cannot see or hear in everyday classroom and there is a certain way to teach them, I never really knew how to teach them. I am very grateful for these videos because not only have they stated the issues that are present in today's classroom, from them not being able to participate in group projects to understanding the concept of numbers, but also what we are future teachers can use and do to help. With the Mountbatten video, they showcased a machine, think of it as an intelligent type writer, that creates each letter in braille as it is telling the student what they have typed. It addressed the issue that many blind students face in that they cannot write an essay, make list or notes in the classroom.
If a teacher cannot read braille, then they do not know where the child stands academically. This remarkable technology will allow blind students to be more included into the class by being able to write essays and be a part of "peer group projects." The machine also translates the braille into written words on another computer screen so that the teacher can see their performance on paper and have proof of what they know and what they need to work on. While this machine helps for a child to spell and write for language, there is another in San Francisco that is hard at work with the most difficult subject for the blind which is math.

Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

Vicki Davis discusses in her video, Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts, that students need to be self-taught and explore the virtual world for themselves. That way they get a sense of empowerment when they accomplish something or figure it out. They are most likely to remember that, versus when a teacher is just lecturing about it. I found it to be a pleasant surprise that I just began following Vicki's twitter today! I cannot wait to see what other great advice she has to give.
I personally wish I grew up in a classroom like Vicki Davis demonstrated in her video. It is so important for students to stay up-to-date with the increases in technology, and it is vital they learn to use it in the classroom. I would have especially loved creating the Avatar world she explained in her video. Allowing her students to have fun while learning was extremely important to her. As a future middle or high school special; education teacher, I want to do my best to capture the attention of students each day in my classroom. By standing at the front of the room lecturing with them taking notes with a pencil and paper on what I say is not the type of classroom environment I want to establish especially with SPED children.