Blog Post #7

After watching Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams, I enjoyed how he intertwined philosophy with humor while he engages his audience in his past experiences in his life and how it shaped him into the person he has become. This lecture was such an inspiration to have faith to achieve my own career and personal goals. Some of the key factors that stood out in the lecture are when Randy stated, "When you screw up and nobody's saying anything to you anymore, that means they gave up." This is a reminder that criticism may not be intended to hurt but another way of showing that they love you. Mr. Pausch gave important details on how to achieve your childhood dreams and the rules of life to accomplish these goals. What drove Mr. Pausch is the passions for helping other people achieve their dreams too.

His speech is all about "self," specific instructions for yourself and no other people. "The bricks walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out; the brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something." Overall it is a very touching lecture which has transformed many lives worldwide. This is one of the most moving speeches I've ever had a pleasure of watching, I believe this made me a better person and I regret not one minute spent.

Project #6 (C4K Summary for February)

For project #6 I'll be summarizing my interactions with other younger students through their blog! This will be my first interaction with younger students from around the world. The project that Dr. Strange has assigned to our EDM 310 class is called C4K, which simply means Comments for Kids! I think the goal of this project is to utilize technology to reach out to teachers and students to get a better insight on how they interact in their classrooms and submit their thoughts to their blogs. Encouraging comments for kids will introduce students to the power of communication all over the world through blogs. It teaches kids to take pride in their work by creatively jotting down their thoughts and giving ideas to their peers for feedback. I'll be posting some interesting comments shared with my C4K students to my blog. I'm very excited to share the student’s reactions to my comments on their blog posts!

C4K #1- "All About Me" By: Jamie O. a student from Ms. Toal's 4th/5th grade class.

Summary of Comment:

Hey Jamie,

My name is Ryan Knight, I'm 28 years old. I'm a student at the University of South Alabama. I'm studying to become an Elementary School teacher, like your teacher Ms. Toal in the future. I'm a student in a class called EDM 310, we have a class blog were you can read about many projects the class is creating. Your blog was really fun to read because you provided good details on your favorite sport. I like how you demonstrate being a team player by not being greedy with the football. I never played football before but I enjoy watching my younger brother play basketball. He plays for the Sacramento Kings in the NBA. What's the highest amount of points have you scored in one game? I encourage you to keep practicing your football skills; you'll become a great player! Keep up the good work!

C4K #2- "What would you do if you were locked inside your favorite department store overnight?" By: Mary a student in Mrs. Caddy's 5th grade class.

Summary of Comment:

Hey Mary!

My name is Ryan Knight; I'm a student in a class called EDM 310. I attend the University of South Alabama, studying to become a future Elementary School teacher. In our class we are studying numerous of ways to utilize technology and to communicate with other individuals from around the world! My instructor, Dr. Strange, assigned me to your blog to get an insight of the fun and creative assignments you’re engaging in within your blog. I really enjoyed reading your post on being locked in a department store overnight. My favorite part is when you stated that you would shake up soda pops and put Mentos in them to make rockets. That would be pretty awesome to see how high it would shoot into the air! If I was locked in my favorite department store I would try so many clothes and shoes! I love fashion, so I would use my imagination to create a runway as I try on different clothes. I will definitely take pictures too to show my friends once I go home! Do you enjoy using your blog? This will be my first year creating a blog, so far I love it! Technology is so awesome, a great source of communication. Keep up the good work!

C4K #3- "Kamo had a Dream" By: Kyree a student from Ms. Ruiz's 3rd period.

Summary of Comment

Hey Kyree,

My name is Ryan Knight. I’m a student at the University of South Alabama. I’m studying to become an Elementary School teacher, like your teacher Ms. Ruiz's in the future. I’m a student in a class called EDM 310, we have a class blog were you can read about many projects the class is creating. Your blog was really fun to read because you provided good details on what your ideal dream would be if it were to become realistic. I like how you provided a distinctive description of how you would like your exotic house to look inside and outside. I also noticed your statement on being rich instead of famous. I totally agree with you on this statement. I think being famous is a lot of responsibility. Always being in the public eye can sometimes be a hassle. To live comfortably and not have to worry about what others think of you would be my idea dream. Keep up the good work!

C4K #4- "Mixtape" By: Gullie a student from Mrs. Long's 10th grade class.

Hey Gullie,

My name is Ryan Knight. I’m a student at the University of South Alabama. I’m studying to become an Elementary School teacher in the near future. I’m a student in a class called EDM 310, we have a class blog were you can read about many projects the class is creating. Your blog was really interesting to read especially when you distinguished your interests in mix tapes. I think there are varieties of different artists that have very meaningful songs that are out now. My favorite genres to listen to are R&B, Pop, and Rap. I also enjoy listening to a mixture of music in my spare time. I think you’re very interested in the music industry, I think if you stay focused there are numerous of opportunities that are out there for you in the future. Keep up the good work!

Overview

I was thrilled to be able to read the various students blogs that I was assigned to. I noticed how each of the students was able to share their thoughts and interests in some of their posts which made them stand out compared to the other students. I think this method is a creative way to interact with other students from around the world and learn other interesting ideas that students are learning within the classroom.

Project #8 Book Trailer

Blog Post #6

What is PLN? This information was vague to me until I was intrigued by the video of a 7th grade student who knows how to accurately maneuver through the internet with the help of useful tools. She stated how it was important to allow students to have freedom to explore technology, providing students with the responsibility of how and when they will gather information on projects. I think this process will allow students to become engaged with the learning process and gather information that interests them. Another amazing fact she pointed out was her ability to create scientific project using her PLE and connect with scientist from around the world using email and Skype to retrieve knowledge on how to improve her project. Steven Anderson’s interview was another great source of information on PLN. He discusses how students already utilize their PLN through Skype, Facebook, Twitter etc. but we need to extend our thinking. Networking is a key aspect in gathering information; we don't have to know everything. AS future educators we can network to ask questions and reflect on material covered in class. Information can be gathered from across the world, utilizing technology to gather sources is as simple as leaving the classroom. It's important to be an active learner and thinker, being able to collaborate with fellow educators increases the knowledge you can provide to your future students.

As future educators we have to prepare for the 21st century, technology is constantly growing. Personal learning networks provide great resources for individuals to extend their teaching and learning experiences. In Michael Fawcett discussion video I was able to obtain valuable information on how to connect with fellow educators and share common interests. Mr. Fawcett advises individuals to seek new ideas by connecting with others and share inspiring information. I was very astonished by Mr. Fawcett utilizing twitter for a question and receiving a response within thirty minutes! Being able to use virtual environments in education has definitely been an eye opener. In my future classroom I plan on allowing students to voice their opinions through their own personal learning network. Being able to surround students with other ideas from around the world would be a great way to help them engage in the lessons being taught. There are numerous of resources and tools to help extend knowledge, the key is to get connected. I think as future educators we must always remember to be a student and never stop learning.

Blog Post #5

To become an effective teacher in the future Dr. Strange and Anthony Capps summarized some great points in various videos. These videos gave a great insight on what future teachers should consider while perusing their dream of becoming an educator. The sources I gathered my information on were from: Project Based Learning Part 1, iCurio, and Additional Thought about Lessons.

iCurio is a digital search engine for students and teachers. The usage of this tool is to provide teachers with the ability to help their students with their work. It allows teachers to become more flexible with creating easy lesson plans that fits the education standards; producing higher ordered learning for students. iCurio is a creative way to get students motivated in the subjects their learning. It provides students with the opportunity to become independent learners and learn how to sort information in folders, teaching them how to become organized. Students are able to become more hands on with technology. This is a great resource for all grade levels if students are familiar with the internet. This method allows students to gain knowledge to prepare themselves for the 21st century. As a teacher you will have to learn to "always be a student and never stop learning." There is always something to learn as a teacher. There are many components to education, to improve lessons the teacher has to be willing to collect research on and off the clock. Never limit students to one thing, create an opportunity for them to analyze and critique. Providing students with an opportunity to expand their knowledge and respond to certain situations allows them to creatively expand their thinking habits. Don't expect perfection, allow the students to become familiar with technology. The students may be able to demonstrate new features that the teacher hasn't been introduced to! As a future teacher I've learned that there is no ending process for gathering materials to keep my students engaged in lessons being taught. I have to learn to become flexible when certain situations arise and respond accordingly. Always work hard with anything I do, being open to criticism helping me to make things better. The goal of project based learning is to get students engaged while meeting all Common Core Standards and presenting the material that is relevant to student's everyday living. Being an effective teacher takes a lot of work and planning to get positive results.

Project #7

My Sentence is...

My Passion is...

Project #3 Presentation

Blog Post #4

What do we need to know about asking questions to be an effective teacher?

After reviewing sources: The Right Way to Ask Questions in the Classroom and Asking Questions to Improve Learning , I was able to gather some great insights on how teachers can become more effective when asking students questions. Asking questions is a key aspect of a teacher's interaction with their students. This way it provides teachers with the ability to check for students understanding of the material being taught. Teachers mainly benefit from this method. To indulge in students performance teachers should ask deeper effective questions.

By asking specific questions teachers are able to access what the students know based on past experiences or on the material being discussed. Ways to deepen the students thinking skills is to encourage higher order thinking. Students that don't grasp the material usually don't participate; to keep those students involved try to rarely use the method of total physical response. When asking questions randomly select students, this creates an atmosphere where all students will be forced to think. Also, make sure questions are clear and specific for the appropriate grade level. Allowing students to answer a variety of questions will avoid open ended answers. When students respond to question require them to state the reasoning behind their answer. I think teachers should enforce students to use hand gestures when they're in agreement or disagreement with their peers. This technique will show the teacher which students are engaged. Utilizing Bloom's Taxonomy will be a great factor within the classroom to help teachers become more effective in asking questions. Being consistent and open to new changes will help teachers in the near future to keep a positive environment in the classroom.

C4T #1

For my first C4T, I'll be featuring Steve Wheeler blog: Learning with ‘e’s. I'll be sharing some interesting facts and sharing our interaction through comments.

C4T Comment

"Backchannels, hashtags and learning," discusses how the usage of technology has enhanced learning. Mr. Wheeler allows former college students to embrace how technology has impacted their lives. The students were able to provide how technology has progressed in their lives and how social networks provide useful links to retrieve important information. One student describes how he uses a laptop software called "dragon" to verbally speak his thoughts to the computer and it translates it to text. This blog post helps you to understand how technology is used through various sources to expand the thoughts of other individuals.

My Response

In response to Mr. Wheeler blog post I introduced myself and shared links to my blog as well as the class blog with him. I provided information about the EDM course and how it was mandatory to gain knowledge that we have to become independent learners. Mr. Wheeler was also informed that I'll be featuring some of our comment interactions on my blog. I also let him know that I enjoyed reading his post and I plan on utilizing social networking to my advantage and explore the use of blogging my thought in the future.

C4T Comment/Response

The second post I had to opportunity to check out Mr. Wheeler blog post, "Memory Full". He discusses how the human memory works in different modalities, through auditing and visual coding. Mr. Wheeler provide a great example of how learners can be given content on a screen and based upon how effective the material presented to the student results in how easy it is for the student to learn the material. This post provided some great facts on how to help learners understand and remember materials in the future.

For my comment, I informed Mr. Wheeler that his blog provided a great insight on how the Cognitive Load Theory can create such an impact on students learning. It was a great way to provide learners with the appropriate media for higher order learning. I also let Mr. Wheeler know that I think the student should be encouraged to use their limited working memory efficiently, especially when learning a difficult task. Upon thanking Mr. Wheeler for providing ways to reduce over thinking, I informed him that I finally finished his post for my class blog and I'll be featuring his blog posts in my blog.