Blog Post 15: Final Reflection

Blog Post 14

Jose Picardo's blog was fun to explore through. I liked how he organized everything and had a list of resources for the alphabet. The "Top Ten Tips for Using Technology in the Classroom" was also interesting to view. I liked the ideas of using videos and music more in the classroom. I listen to music all the time, including while I study and I most younger kids do also so why not use that to help them learn.
Using video and music are great but there are many more ways to incorporate technology in the classroom like Skype which I really like using. I had fun doing our Skype video and I believe other kids would also. Elementary kids would be so amazed if they could talk to someone they know are famous like an author or someone that may have been in a war. It would make learning a lot more interesting. I can't wait to start doing these things with technology in my future class!

Project 16 Progress Report

Final PLN Report

I am happy with my PLN for now. I have items on there that are helping me now and I believe will continue to help me while I am a teacher. At first I thought this was a useless assignment and really did not get how we were supposed to do it but after a while I got interested in it. I did not know there was anything like that on the web where you can combine a lot of useful resources into one place. I think this is a great assignment for students, even if they don't like it at first. I have put a lot of items on symbaloo but I don't believe I will ever be through adding resources for me to use now and in the future.

C4T 4

My teacher blog I commented on was Primary Preoccupation. The first post that I commented on was about connecting the students with others. It discussed joining an online project, using Skype, and twitter. This will all be good for the student to use to connect with others so they can learn how to use resources to find out information.
I told them that it all sounds very interesting to be apart of. I just recently started a twitter account and am still getting use to it. I have skyped and I loved it but I have also never been apart of an online project. That sounds like something I would like to do with my future students and I thanked them for the great ideas.
The second blog I commented on was about her students connecting to the internet through blogs and the parents concerns. She discussed how she approaches the new parents each year by sending a letter home and then having a parent information meeting. This lets all parents ask any questions and comment any concerns they have.
I said that I would love for my son to be in a classroom like this when he gets into school. Yes, I want to protect him but with everything that was explained I would fully trust it. I hope the school district I hire into will let teachers do blogs also.

Assignment Post 1

I do not know why I missed the use of the metaphor. I am usually pretty good at catching on to things like that. I guess I am better at catching sarcasm than I am metaphors. The other people may have missed the metaphor if they do not use or hear them often. I have heard quite a few metaphors. Some are: The love for the Lord should be on fire, It's as cold as ice, cool, feeling blue, and she's so sweet. We can educate our students more about them by having multiple tests on them in segments. We can also throw them into our lectures and have them see if they can spot them while we are talking. That will have them learning and paying more attention to what you are teaching. People mainly use metaphors to compare things. It is a good way to say things in multiple ways and explain to people how severe or fun something is.

Blog Post 13

For this week we were given the opportunity to choose out of four options and I chose Option 3 "The E-media Fast." This was one of the hardest things I had to do. I never realized how much my life has to do with electronics for communication. For this challenge I tried it for three days and failed each time, unfortunately.
The first day, without thinking, I immediately turned on the radio when I got into my car. I do not like silence in the car because it makes the ride seem twice as long no matter where I am going. I did not fail at doing without electronics until after 12:00 pm, so I feel that it was a good first attempt.
The second day, I was doing okay until my son wanted to watch television. Again, I let the assignment slip from my memory when I got busy tending to my son and sat to watch television with him after a while. Being a mom, I always take the opportunity when my son wants to sit down and relax to do the same. I should have reminded myself and done something other than that.
The third day, I went to watch a movie to get away from other electronics. I reframed from using my phone or the radio all day. The assignment said we could watch a movie at the theatre so I used it as an opportunity to go see a new movie I have been wanting to see. The bad part of it was after I got out my fiance called to see where I was at. I couldn't just not answer since he had my son. Since I did answer that made me fail the assignment again for a third time.
I learned that my life revolves more about electronics than what I thought. I cannot go a whole day without using some sort of electronics. In a way I wish I could say I succeeded but that is just how our society is now. We do everything with electronics and internet. I believe my future students will have nothing but electronics in the classroom. All they will know is technology and that is how they will be raised from day one.

Project 14 Skype

C4K 10

Mrs. Yollis' class blog and website is helpful to students, parents, and teachers. It has links to everything for them to look at that they are studying. If the parents or students need to double check anything they can go online and look up spelling lists and recent lessons. It also has educational games if a student needs additional help on a subject or just wants to keep it fresh in their memory. There are also links for other teachers that are interested in learning how to blog or want some tips for their classroom. Dr. Strange showed us in the beginning of the year a map showing where people were looking at our class blogs and Mrs. Yollis has one also to show her class where and how many people were searching them. That is a great visual aid for her class to see how big of a positive effect they to everyone around the world.

Blog Post 12

This was a pretty tuff assignment, but it was fun. When there is so much freedom it is hard to choose what to do. There were many different directions I could have taken in this assignment but I chose to research, compare and contrast items.
I think a good assignment would have been for us to compare the kid toys like the new LeapPad Explorer to our adult gadgets like the Ipad. I got this inspiration from my son. He is almost addicted to my Ipad, he loves to watch Thomas the Train and Tom and Jerry shows on youtube. It is hard to let him though since there is so many bad things on youtube even as Thomas the Train but since Christmas is almost here then we got him a LeapPad.
First I would have the students research some things the Ipad can do, for example all the apps you can get, taking photos, and get on the internet. Then I would have them research the LeapPad to see what it does, for example games you can buy and ability to take photos. Last I would have them discuss how our society is growing with technology for all ages.

1. The Ipad can do multiple things, which is why it is so popular. People are able to get on the internet with wifi, buy books to put into a library, and hold songs like an Ipod. In the app store there are thousands of apps with everything imaginable. It also comes with a few apps to get started with. With the new Ipad 2 it has a camera on it to take photos, videos, and video chat with others. This is very useful for students and teachers since it is smaller and lighter than a computer.
2. The newest, hottest toy of the season the LeapPad Explorer tablet is the kid version of the Ipad. This comes with some preloaded games like the Ipad, has a built in camera for picture and videos, and has an app store to buy other games. Something different it does not have like the Ipad is that you have to first buy the app center from the store before they are able to buy more apps than what is already on there. They also have games that have to be bought from the store that are not available at the app store and they also cannot get on the internet. Like the Ipad, it is very useful in teaching. There are many educational games for the children to play.
3. Technology for our society is constantly growing and updating every day. When I was younger we did not have stuff this high-tech but I like that my children will get the benefit of it. As we go our children are learning stuff in the class younger and younger. By the time they start school they need to be prepared and on the right level. I believe this and the teaching from parents will help. Also as fast as we are constantly going in our society today we have to stay on to of all sorts of things like school and work. Having something like the Ipad fits into a busy life and still gives us the internet at our fingertips whenever it is needed.

Project 16 Progress Report

For Project 15, Devon Weaver, Eric Manheim and I will be making a video about the top five things to be successful in EDM 310. Devon and I will play the role of the responsible and successful students. Eric, on the other hand, will play the role of the irresponsible student that procrastinates. This video will help future EDM 310 students to see the difference between how to conduct yourself in EDM 310 and how not to.

Project 15

Blog Post 11

That was fun to see Mrs. Cassidy's class working on computers at such a young age. I believe her approach to technology is very good since she keeps an open mind to all types in the classroom from blogs and wikis to Nintendo DS. I would definitely use the classroom webpage, blogs, and wikis so parents and administration can keep up with what we are doing and so we can contact others about education.
Some issues I would expect to have are with administration and maybe parents. Mrs.Cassidy said that all the parents she has come in contact with love the idea but you never know how they will react. If I do have an issue with someone not agreeing with us doing the class website, blogs or wikis then I would like to have a conference with them and try to meet each other in the middle with what we are both comfortable with.
Using Mrs. Cassidy's approaches to technology would definitely benefit my class in multiple ways. My students would get to experience learning beyond just books, we could Skype authors or other people that are experts in different areas. They could also learn to look up information using search engines like Wikipedi. I hope to carry all that I have learned and that I will continue to learn about technology into my classroom to better equip my students for the future.

Blog Post 10

DO YOU TEACH OR DO YOU EDUCATE?
The video was enlightening. I never thought about it before but it made me stop and think of how different teaching and educating is. Teaching is not as personal as educating is and that is what I want to do. I decided to become an educator so I could help the future students get an understanding on subjects and not just glide through without really learning.
Our society is not working as hard as we should be to make sure our students understand the curriculum rather than just passing them. I intend to educate my students on the curriculum and anything else needed. I will not be a teacher that only comes to work for a paycheck. I love to see children learning and I love to be the one educating them about different things. I did not decide to get into this profession for anything else except to help children.

DON'T LET THEM TAKE THE PENCILS HOME
This blog post was fun to read. I like how he came up with a solution to the problem of the pencils rather than arguing about it and getting no where. Mr. Johnson discusses how students need to take pencils home to keep the learning process going. Yes, a lot of their parents are poor and they would all rather play games with the pencils but with the parents getting educated also then it will help the students.
The issue was that the SCIIAS believed that taking pencils home lowered their tests scores but the test given was cookie cutter and gave no open freedom for the students. She believed that since the parents did not use pencils in their jobs that they would only play games like hangman and not get any work done. Mr. Johnson simple came up with a plan to educate the parents and decided if they did end up playing games or drawing maybe there was some kind of educational process happening.

C4T 3

For my C4T I commented on the Quantum Progress. The first post was called "Mindset and breaking the cycle of "I'm not good at science."" Dr. John discussed how students think they are just not good enough in a class, particularly math and science, and they carry that through life. Most of students that believe that they "just can't do science" as said in this post, starts when they are in junior high or high school. I believe it starts in elementary but does not show a lot until then. Dr. John says be believes everyone can do science. I agreed with him on this cycle since I always believed I was no good at it until I went to college. Also on my GED,and ACTs, science was my highest score.
The next post I commented on was called "Improving the TUG of War." This was fun to read and learn different ideas for my future students. He had the students do different experiments. Some wore socks while some didn't, then some were on top of a hill while the others were at the bottom, finally some were standing on grass while the others were on concrete. This taught the students force and friction. He also showed them a video of a real National Tug of War competition. I wish we would have had teachers that was that creative with our learning.

Blog Post 9

My first choice of Mr. McClung's blog to summarize and review on was his 2008-2009 post. His first year of teaching was in Noel, Missouri. Mr.McClung grew a lot through the year with more experience behind him now. One of his quotes is " In order to be effective you have to be able to let your audience drive your instruction." He stated that he become more concerned with what his superiors were thinking rather than his students. I agree with him that young teachers tend to do that in their first year or so since they are so nervous.
Another quote of his I liked was"No lesson is ever perfect. The lesson you teach and the one you plan are always different." I have not had experience where I am actually teaching so I can't say I agree but I will find out how true that is soon I hope. I also hope to follow his advice on always communicating with my coworkers.
He learned that year to not scold the kids for not being perfect to his standards but simply help them up if they don't reach that goal. Something we are learning in this class is to not be scared of technology and that all teachers should have enough knowledge about it to help and our students. Mr.McClung reminds us to listen to our students. That sounds so blunt but it is something I believe teachers forget to do. Finally he states that we should never stop learning. Even though we are the educator it does not mean we can't keep learning ourselves.

My second choice for Mr. McClung's blog was his last post for 2010-2011 school year. This year was a lot of first experiences for him. He was a teacher at the same school for two years in a row,a head coach, coaching cross country, and he taught computer applications. Mr. McClung sounds like it was an exciting year for him.
He talked about trying to please everyone but his students which is who he should have been trying to please first. Students should never get only half of us, if something is happening to you it should not affect how you teach. Mr.McClung reminds us to not let others bring down your optimism of something because no one is the same and not everyone has the same interests.
Mr. McClund states "I would much rather be the person that is an outsider because of my focus on my students than someone that seeks approval from other teachers in my building." I inspire to be that type of teacher. I don't want to follow the crowd to fit in, I'd much rather just concentrate on my students. I struggle with not taking over like on the keyboard metaphor he discussed because I feel like it is just easier for me to do the task. If I become a teacher and do all the work for them then they will never fully learn the material.
His last thought was that teachers should never become comfortable. If they do so they will just have a routine and not be passionate about their work. He has joined committees and other organizations to keep things upbeat to where he does not get boring.

Project 13

Blog Post 8

RICHARD MILLER
These were inspiring videos to watch. His dream of integrated technology is something that would bring our learning even more technologically advanced than it is now. People are becoming more comfortable and interested in connecting with other people around the world and sharing ideas. When people discover more, they have dreams of their own for technology and share them for the future.
Learning to write with multimedia is a lot to learn and is growing every day. I believe I am ready to write with multimedia in my classroom. I am not the best at it, nor do I know a whole lot about it. I am willing to learn constantly what I can and apply it now and in my future classrooms. Multimedia is a valuable item of resource in our society and I believe everyone should have an extensive technology background no matter what job they have.
If I constantly try to learn what I can about multimedia and keep my mind fresh on how to use it then yes my students will know how to use it also. Students can only do what they are taught and if I do not teach it to them then I do not expect them to know how. When I become a teacher I plan on teaching my students everything I know and am continuously learning about technology that I can. I want them to have every advantage and resource that I find possible so that they will succeed in all that they do.

CARLY PUGH
Her blog was fun to read and travel through on the links. She used what Mr. Miller was talking about in his "THIS IS HOW WE DREAM" videos. Carly's multimedia use is great in her blog post and is a great example of how to use it. I will look at it often when I need ideas on future work as a student and teacher.

THE CHIPPER SERIES, EDM310 FOR DUMMIES
A video that I would like to maybe create or participate in for EDM310 would be about sarcasm and plagiarism. Sarcasm, as Dr. Strange stated, is usually missed by a few students every semester and I think it would be fun to do a funny sketch about it. I would also like to do a video on plagiarism since that is a serious issue for everyone. There was a lot of messages in The Chipper Series that a person could get out but the main message I got was that we should not procrastinate. When we constantly put things off it starts piling up and becomes overwhelming. The EDM310 for Dummies was funny and very true how I feel some times. It is not as bad as when the class first started and I was trying to figure out how to organize myself. I think everyone feels that way when they first start this class but by the end they are completely different.

LEARN TO CHANGE, CHANGE TO LEARN
I agree with the arguments that were presented in this video. I believe that we do need more resources in the classroom rather than just limiting what the student can use in and outside the class. We are living in a world where students are already using blogs and other networking to get information. Teachers should be required to know some level of networking so they can show students how to use the information properly in their school work. If there is something a teacher does not know how to do yet they should have the freedom to research it in the classroom with the student.

Project 12

Project 11

Blog Post 7

Watching Randy Pausch's teaching methods were great to learn. His lecture had three points: having dreams, helping others with their dreams, and lessons learned. I agreed with him when Dr. Pausch discussed fundamentals and said "Most of what we learn, we learn indirectly." That is a very true statement for everyone I believe. Most of the time we are not "planning" to learn something we just learn it by accident.
He discussed his childhood dreams and how important it is to have your own dreams no matter what it is or what age you are. Dr. Pausch mentioned that he was not great enough to go to the NFL but the most important things he learned was on the football field. People also should help others to achieve their goals. Not everyone can do it alone, they need help.
Dr. Pausch has a program called ETC. It helps students learn without them knowing how much they are actually learning at that moment. For everyone, young and old, that is a great way to learn because some people associate learning with being boring. It does not always have to be that way especially if it is something with technology.
Dr. Keller taught Dr. Pausch something when she brought computer software to middle school. The program was called "Alice". It was not fundamental but she wanted to figure out how she could make it to be. Lessons are learned all the time from all resources we have access too. It could be a friend, student, family, or boss that we learn something from every day. We should all strive to be life long learners.

Project 9b

title="source: Nikita Ladner, Timetoaster"

Project 10

For my PLN I chose to use Symbaloo. I think it is very organized and eye catching for all ages. I plan to constantly expand it. Right now I only have about 20 blocks but I am excited to find other things to add as I learn more about PLN.

C4T 2

The first blog I commented on of Mr. Spencer was talking about student documentaries. He was getting his students to make some with certain criteria like what topic, how long they have to do it, and if it has any work the teacher has to do with it besides grading it. I told him my opinion was that it was a great idea to use in all subjects in school. It gives them a chance to show their passion and creativity for different subjects. I also told him I hope that I will be able to view his students' projects when they are done.
The second blog I commented on was about the top 10 reasons teachers are punching bags. This was an interesting subject to comment on some issues of being a teacher. I have not been out in the field to really experience what they were talking about but I do have a mother that is a teacher and when she discusses her job it sounds a lot these issues. I also believe that if a teacher does not have the passion for this job and their students then in the end they will not be happy. I feel teaching is my calling and I will overcome any issues there are in the school so I can be there for my students and teach them everything I can.

Blog Post 6

THE NETWORKED STUDENT
I was not surprised or anything while watching this video. It is very obvious how our society, in a way, needs social networking in every day life. Having this opportunity to have this limitless information in the class for students to learn with is lucky and should be taken advantage of. So as a teacher I will keep up with all the new networking sites and information so my students will benefit from all resources available.
Yes, I do think I am ready to teach in a classroom of networked students. Even though they can get everything they need in a blink of an eye, they need me and all other teachers to show them how to get and use the information. Not knowing how to get all that is available out there will not benefit them and it will be as if we did not have access to the internet. I believe all teachers, no matter what grade they are teaching, should stay on top of all new networking sites.
I like how the video was presented. It got a person's attention because of the topic being presented and the way it was presented. If a podcast is being made on any subject, it should be interesting to keep the audiences' attention and I believe they did. I feel I am now more ready to enter a classroom with networked students than I was before. I would like to start keeping a record of websites a lot of classrooms and teachers use to network so I can use in my future classroom.

A 7TH GRADERS PLN
This was great to see a student at such a young age making blogs and glogs for school projects. I wish I would have been able to do that in my class when I was in middle and high school. Having students be more responsible for their work than normal is good because they seem more interested in doing the work now that they have more freedom rather than a one way only approach.
I feel her PLE compared to my PLE is very different since she is more experienced with this than I am. I am still learning a lot that other people already know about. I have known about different ways to do things on the internet for projects like her blogs and glogs but have never tried anything until I started this class. I am glad that I am expanding my technology literacy since it will be important in my future classroom.

Project 9a

title="Source: www.timetoast.com"

Blog Post 5

SCOTT MCLEOD
Scott McLeod is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Kentucky. Dr. McLeod is also the Founding Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE) which is the nation’s only academic center dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators. He is also a co-creator of the wildly popular video series, Did You Know? (Shift Happens). He has received numerous national awards for his technology leadership work. Dr. McLeod is a regular blogger for Dangerously Irrelevant, Mind Dump and The Huffington Post about technology leadership.

TRAVIS ALLEN
The ISchool Initiative project is something that could change all students learn. His arguments on the money that would be saved for both the school and the parents is something to consider since the economy has gone down and is constantly going down. It would be more convenient both money wise and for parents to keep up with their child's grades. No student could lie about homework or grades since the parents could check at any time.
My reaction to these videos were positive since I am very much on board with this idea. Our economy is going down but new technology is always being created. By using the ISchool Initiative it would be more eco-friendly and easier to keep track of our students or children in school. I didn't know about all the apps he mentioned and there are a few I am going to put on my ipod, ipad, or phone as soon as I am done with homework.

ERIC WHITACRE
This video is so amazing how someone could organize and create it. For Eric and the people that helped him make this, it must have taken a lot of time and patience to come up with one hundred and eighty-five people that have never met before. The whole song sounded great they were in perfect harmony.
In the beginning of the video I didn't realize they were not all at the same place, I first thought it was just made to look that way for the internet until I looked closely at the different backgrounds behind them. Seeing something this creative shows how much a person can actually do with the internet when they take the time to learn.

KEVIN ROBERTS
I think he believes it means to be up to date on all classroom technology and for the teacher to know how to use them. To let your students have the full benefit of knowing how to find the information and use it, the teacher has to be familiar with it also. Students need to be engaged and create using their own ideas not just viewing what another person has created because it will be more beneficial for them to learn by creating.
I feel his position towards how education is growing and changing is correct. Our future leaders have access to great resources but if they are not guided to use them how will we ever keep growing in knowledge. If he is correct then not too long from now I believe there will be no need for paper or pencils, it will all be internet resources and projects will be presented online. There could be no reason to come to an actual school and just communicate through the web.

PROJECT 8

TITLE=" Nikita Ladner, Eric Manheim, and Devon Weaver"

My Sentence Video

Blog Post 4

THE BENEFITS OF PODCASTING IN THE CLASSROOM
Watching this video I was surprised at what all can be done using podcasts. It is easy to interact with students all over the world and using podcast teaches higher levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. There are also different ways to do school projects in every subject. Creativity is enhanced including using audio files.
When a student is absent one day or a few days they can go online and watch what they have missed and not fall behind. Parents can also watch what their children are learning and listen at anytime. I am planning on using a podcast in my classroom for these reasons because when I was in grade school I did not like missing class and getting behind.

EDUCATION PROGRAMMING NETWORK
Different curriculum is easily found using this network. There are many websites that educators use to share knowledge, insights and talk about their passion of teaching. Stories and ideas are shared with each other from all over the world. Many teachers use these websites to get great ideas to use in their classroom.
I would like to join a few websites when I become a teacher so I could find different fun ideas I may have not thought of before. I would also like to discuss stories and other information with teachers near and far away. Websites are good resources to use for class and in class to show students that when they get in middle or high school if they need ideas for projects they could find great websites to use.

JUDY SCHARF PODCAST COLLECTION
Before reading this article I did not know podcast is a cross between broadcast and ipod. She describes it as a radio-style talk show with music if desired. These could be used on a computer or mp3 player and downloaded from itunes or podcast hosting services. Podcasts can be shared with millions of people through the internet all over the world. It does not cost much and is a fun way to do projects. Any subject can be found on podcasts, it is not just for the basic language, science, history and math. Especially college courses will be found on podcasts.
I thought this was interesting to find out a student could purchase podcasts on their ipod or mp3 player through itunes. That would be very convenient for students of all ages because most students now have a type of music play. It could be an actual ipod of mp3 play or it could be on their cellphones. Using podcasts would be a good idea in class incase my students would like to refresh their memory on a subject while doing homework or other reasons.

Project 5

Blog Post 3

For my C4C assignment to critique their work I chose to contact them by email to make it personal. I thought of what approach I would want someone to take with me if I made any type of errors in my work. Some people will get defensive either way but I believe they will be less likely to get defensive if they see I respected them enough to not publicly critique them.

IT'S NOT ABOUT TECHNOLOGY
I agree with the statement teachers must be learners. There is always something new going to be going on with our future students and we need to know what that it. Whether it be a new social networking website or a new web browser. Teacher's do not need to sit and wait for the school principal to tell them what is going on and what to do. No two people learn the same way nor teach the same way. If a teacher is not getting across to the students maybe they need to try a new approach, with or without technology.
Teachers also need to know how to use this new technology in the classroom. They need to know a little more than the basic information so they could show their students what we can find on the internet pertaining to school. When teachers feel they do not need to learn to use the new technology they are depriving their students of ways they could be learning through the tools. Teachers are to prepare their students for their future and since our world is using technology more and more then it is the teachers' duties to prepare them with the right tools.

IS IT OKAY TO BE A TECHNOLOGICALLY ILLITERATE TEACHER
With how the technology world is constantly changing it is hard for anyone to learn everything there is to know but all teachers should try. Yes, they already have a lot on their plate but in my opinion they knew that when they decided to become a teacher. If the students are expected to learn and know certain technology items for their future then teachers should be expected to do so as well. If a group of teachers decided to research every so often to see what the latest trend was and they all shared what they learned it would be easier.
I agree with Mr. Fisch's statement "If a teacher today is not technologically literate- and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more- it's equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn't know how to read and write." No, I personally do not believe it is too extreme because technology is becoming just as important in our society as reading and writing is. In order for most jobs to run smoothly they have to have some level of knowledge when it comes to technology.

SOCIAL MEDIA COUNT
Sitting and watching as each line changed constantly felt almost unreal. Normal people do not think of how fast the internet is constantly changing and producing items every second. Even just me sitting here it is moving so fast I cannot keep up with it.
The growing of all these different aspects of the internet means that as a teacher I will have to stay on top of the newest and latest stuff out there for my students to learn with. All or most of my students no matter what age group I will have will be technology literate even if it is just with their parents iphone. Each generation of students are learning more and more by using these different tools and it is my job to make sure I have the right resources for them to learn with at all times. If I do not know much about something then that means we can learn about it together.

A VISION OF STUDENTS TODAY
This movie was not what I first thought of when I read the title. It was very informative and well thought out. All of the statements that were wrote down and shown on pieces of paper or on computers were all true. Teachers do not realize or even act like they know how much pressure and stress is being put on a student that they did not ask for. All students, not just college students will get overwhelmed every year with school and home life.
We are becoming more and more technologically literate but it is costing families more money for school supplies and home life. Some families will have money issues and will not get the great resources that other students have. Something that could be done is to allow a certain amount of time spent in the lab for students who need to do online school work but can't because of financial burdens or home life burdens.

Project 3

I was assigned to The Scholastic Scribe which a teacher that has a dance group on America's Got Talent from Washington D.C . Their name is Ghoulish Pleasures, for the dark side of hip hop. I do not watch the show now but I have in the past and I think it is an interesting show. This was neat for me to be able to follow this teacher and her group on their journey of their dreams.
The first comment I wrote on talked about who the group was. It gave background information of when they were just cheerleaders for the high school. They are now winners of a million dollars and now competing for one million dollars and a Las Vegas headliner special. This group is very different and commended on their drama.
I introduced myself to her and told her how interested I was in the group. How they pushed their selves in to being better than just high school cheerleaders. I stated that I do not get to watch the show but I will try to do so and see how well they do and I hope that they win.

This week's post was a poem that was written about the dancers. It did not state if she wrote it or if someone else did for them. The poem was well written and inspiring to young people to never give up on their dreams. Ghoulish Pleasure came a long way and will not give up even if they did not win top prize on the show.
I really liked the poem and to me it captured how they feel and how people feel about them. I hated they did not win but I hope they will never give up. People like them are what younger generations look to. America likes to see people reach their goal and I think they will make it to the top.

Blog Post 2

DID YOU KNOW
This was an informative and interesting video about the advancement of technology and the human race. It shows how far we have come from the past and how fast we are still progressing. It's puzzling how far we have come in technology and so much more we will discover in the future. It could be looked at as being a scary situation with what knowledge we have but hopefully it will be put to good use.

Nothing is instantly popular overnight but when a technology craze finally does catch on it is incredible how big it grows. For instance, Myspace has 200 million subscribers and all the text each day exceeds the number of the world population. I could not imagine that at first but if a survey is done there are people that admit to texting more than 500 text a day.

MR. WINKLE WAKES
In this video it talks about how far we have come since Mr. Winkles fell asleep. The world has even changed a lot compared to a few years ago. Online there is something always new being discovered and becomes the new trend. Our classroom's are becoming more and more technology inclined but the curriculum being taught is still the same as many years ago.

One thing that is proven is that school curriculum will never change. There may be classes added like computers that are more technology advanced but reading, writing, history and math will always be the same. Students are being taught harder curriculum at a younger age since there is more being discovered about it but it still is the same information that has always been used. Technology also could never completely take the place of a teacher.

SCHOOLS KILL CREATIVITY
The most forgotten about class in school is art. Most schools think that this is the least important subject of all. People have been "taught" to do more job friendly activities and curriculum. For some people football and baseball are more reachable goals than an art interest. Ken Robinson states that everyone has the ability to do some sort of art while young but we do not use it as much as we should. If you don't use it, you lose it.

If we were all like kids then we would not be afraid to be wrong and we would use our creative side. He talks about a boy who called frankincense "Frank sent it." In a sense we need to be more like children and never stop using our creative side. As a parent and future teacher, I feel I should try to encourage the schools to put the arts higher on the priority list and it not be the first one to go when there is a budget cut.

CECILIA GAULT INTERVIEWS SIR KEN ROBINSON
In order to have all students getting the proper education the schools need to have a well rounded curriculum. Most schools think that the only important thing is reading, writing, history, science and math but in fact it is not. There are students out there that are very brilliant but are not able to use their ability in the way they know how, in an art class.

For my class, I plan on having a well rounded curriculum to enhance all of my students' abilities. Some teachers only worry about meeting standards, which are important, but then other students are not given full advantage. When there are budget cuts the arts are the first thing to go; when I am a teacher I will try to encourage the schools to find a different way to leave the arts in school. No person, young or old, should be told that they are not good in art. Just because a person does not posses the ability in the beginning does not mean that they could not practice and get better.

HARNESS YOUR STUDENTS' DIGITAL SMARTS
The classroom in this video shows how well technology can be used and how a person can teach their self a lot without having to be a computer wizard. Vicki Davis has her class interacting in all different types of online programs including making videos for other parts of the world. They have talked to different classrooms all over the world using wiki, podcasts, blogs and virtual worlds.

Vicki's class shows her that she does not have to know everything about the computer and internet in order to teach the class. She embraces that her students teach her to. Since there is always something new coming up in the internet world it is hard for any one person to keep up with it and interacting with different people in class and online helps to become more technology literate.

Wordle Project #2

A Little About Me but more fun!
http://www.wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/3949582/Wordle1

Blog Post 1

  My name is Nikita Ladner and I am 21 years old. I grew up in Moss Point Mississippi and I am currently still living there until I get married December 2011. I decided to attend the University of South Alabama because when I get married in December we will be living in Alabama so it will be closer than the University of Southern Mississippi. I want to become an elementary school teacher because I love children. I feel that I can connect with them and I get joy from seeing children learn. I plan on furthering my career by getting my masters degree and maybe my undergraduate in secondary education but I cannot decide what subjects I would want to teach.
  I have a three year old son named Brody. He is the most important person in my life. I hate that I was a teen mom but I would not take it back for anything. I just transferred this June from MGCCC-JC to USA. I met my fiance in class at MGCCC-JC. I still cannot get over us knowing each other's family our whole life but we didn't meet until we were in college. I love to Kayak and ride my horse Rambo. I have not had much time to do either at the moment though since we are busy getting a place to live before December and school will really take up most of my time the further I get into my degree. I don't complain though because I have to thank God that I am lucky enough to get an education even with a toddler, there are not many young mom's that get this opportunity like I have. I will not blow it and end up never getting my degree.

TIME MANAGEMENT
Before this assignment I have never heard of Randy Pausch. I am glad I watched his video on Time Management because it gave me some ideas on how to manage my time more wisely and instead of cramming everything in at the last minute. He talks about an old saying " if you have to eat a frog just do it do not sit there and look at it and if you have to eat three do not eat the smallest one first." To me it makes since even though it is a funny statement because when I make a to do list the first thing I want to do is the smallest and easiest so by the time I get to the one I have been dreading to do I still put it off. I think if I would start with the hardest or the one I'm not wanting to do then in the end it will be less stressful on me and I will have more time for the other things on my list and for my family.

TIME MANAGEMENT EXERCISE
For my personal use I like the Time Management Exercise article. It gets very specific on how to use and schedule every minute of the day. I use a planner for everything but I do not get specific on all assignments like it suggests to do. The Preparing for Final Exams will be useful when it is final time this semester because I always get swamped studying for all my exams but I plan on using this strategy to organize my study time.

Practice

practice