What I've Learned This Year

I read the blog by Mr. McClung and really enjoyed it. The part that seemed most important to me was when he wrote about listening to your students. I think that this is so important. If we listen and learn about our students we will be able to meet them where they are and bring them to where we want them to go. Also, like he stated, if they don't reach our expectations, that's ok too. It is important to pick them up, dust them off, and keep encouraging them.

Mr. McClung's Blogspot:
http://is.gd/2c012

Wikipedia

Wow, I was shocked to find out the truth or should I say "not so true" facts about Wikipedia. I had no idea that Wikipedia could be altered by someone not associated with the website. I really thought that it was like any other textbook encyclopedia. I have even used it's information in many of my own papers for school. I had no idea that I could be using false and misleading information. I have always loved Wikipedia because I have thought of it as the truth at my fingertips. I guess I didn't realize how unsafe it is to use it. I think that the only way that this could be changed is if they revamp the system to be changed and updated by specialist within their company. They should be the only one's able to alter the information on the website. This is the only way that the information obtained could be trusted as truth.

Comments 4 Kids 1st Graders

This week I commented on the blog post of a first grader named Evan. His blog was about his Grandfathers dog. He is learning to read and write. His teacher is doing such a good job by letting him type first and then going back and typing his words for him. I think that this a great way for him to learn technology and feel comfortable using a computer and blogging from an early age. I am sure that these kids are very excited to read their blogs from college students every week.

Class Presentation

The Last Lecture

I did not find it hard at all to sit through this lecture. It was very inspirational and educational at the same time. The most inspiring aspect is that he is teaching life lessons along with teaching how to teach and inspire others. It is so important to realize how his life lessons can be applied to my journey in life as an educator.
I think that Randy was very driven and determined to make his mark on the world. In doing this he left behind ALICE and I am sure many more lessons learned. His story will go down in history as one of the most influential and biggest examples of how to achieve your goals by doing what is right.
Some of the "one liners" that he shared from his mentor and peers were priceless. I think that they certainly will be used in classrooms around the world. His started so many new ideas and had the drive to follow through with his dreams by turning them into realities. I can honestly say that I will appreciate Disney Quest so much more next time I am there with my children.
The programs that were started and the people that he influenced to push their abilities to the next level will forever influence technology and the way that we see things today and tomorrow.
He reiterated at the end how much fun his life had been and how he had always had fun doing what he loved. This is a lesson that so many people need. For starters, he realized his goals and dreams from a young age. He persevered did his time climbing the ladder to achieve the goals and dreams set by himself. I was again re inspired by him throughout this lecture. I have seen and heard his lectures on several occasions and he never ceases to inspire me. I know that the way children are learning about technology today and tomorrow would not be the same if it weren't for the hard work of Randy Pausch.

Karl Fisch and the Fischbowl

I got really tickled when I was reading his blog on being a technically literate teacher. He is really passionate about it and it shows. Although, some of his thoughts could be thought of as being a little extreme, he makes very valid points. How can we expect our students to learn what we don't know. I really related with his thoughts on being computer illiterate and how society thinks that this is ok. Well it is not ok, people who don't know how to maneuver around in the world of technology are going to be really lost very soon. They really should already be lost, but they are somehow getting by. I know so many people who refuse to learn how to make their lives so much easier by using technology. I think that the world will just eventually force them to learn otherwise they will not be able to function in our society.

A Vision of Students Today

This video was pretty accurate for my college experience. Even when I went to a smaller college 13 years ago, most of my instructors did not know my name. I can say that I tend to give more effort to a class when the instructor calls on me by name and acknowledges my work. Everyone likes to be recognized for their effort.
I also think that we have to multitask in today's society because their are simply not enough hours in the day. For students like myself, it is certainly a challenge. I am not only a student, but a wife, and mom of 4. This makes keeping up with school work a challenge. I can't say that I always get 7 hours of sleep. I have to work late in the evenings to get my studying and school work done. This is a reality for many students at South.

Podcast Feeds and Information

I had no idea that there was so much teaching information on iTunes. I use iTunes on a regular basis. I did not realize how much information is out there for educators. It is great to have all of this information and resources right at my fingertips. It is so easy to access.
I am really beginning to contemplate the material that I want to present as part of my Podcast. I want in to be relevant to other students and educators. I want to bring information that will help other educators who have the same ideas and outlook as I do.

Comments on Last Year's Podcast

I was really surprised to be listening to a Podcast on iTunes from South Alabama. It was a great introduction to what I need to be thinking about and working on. I am going to have to do more research to have enough factual information. I want my Podcast to be interesting and relevant.
I am thinking about doing a Podcast on how to integrate classroom studies and technology. This would be all of the required subjects and how to implement teaching strategies along with technology. This would follow along with the comments4kids that we watched. I would love for my own children to be introduced to blogger and be comfortable talking via video. I know myself that it will be a challenge for me to feel comfortable and confident while doing my Podcast.

Comments4Kids

I really enjoyed watching the videos of the kids and their accounts of the characters from the stories. I think that it is so great that they are experiencing technology at such a young age. I really wished that my kids did this kind of thing at their schools here in Mobile.

Video In the Classroom

I can't see the classroom in any other way in the future. Even here at South we observe other classrooms via live feed. This is a great way to reach the students and keep them interested. I think that we are a visual society and people love to see and hear what they are learning. Students who may not ever pick up a book to read will most certainly tune into a video. Even if they don't watch it they are still hearing it. This is a great way to reach all of the students in the classroom.

Podcast

I enjoy listening to podcast. I download sermons from my church and listen to them very frequently. I can honestly say that I had no idea that I could access teaching tools via podcast. I really had not ever put a ton of research into it.
I can certainly see where this would be helpful in the classroom. As an teacher there is so much information and helpful classroom tips right at my fingertips. It would be helpful to get ideas on a particular subject or how to present a lesson to students. If appropriate it would be great to let someone else teach the lesson via podcast. There again we are moving to a listening and seeing and not reading and memorizing society.
The podcast that we were required to listen to were sometimes interesting and sometimes a little slow. I did enjoy the personalities of Ben and Joan on Smart board Lessons.
I am very excited about learning how to do my own podcast and being able to bring this technology into my classroom for my students. This is the kind of thing that students will be eager to learn because they all love their ipod's.

Harness Your Students Digital Smarts

Vicki Davis is a pioneer in education. As we know many students do not have access to computers at home. It is crucial for students to know so many skills in order to succeed academically. She is exposing her students to so many new ideas and technology that they will certainly need in the future.
The only thing that concerns me is that not all public schools have the equipment and tools necessary to educate children. Many budgets are being cut and the funds are just not there. This really saddens me for the students. They are the one's that are really suffering.

The Importance of Creativity

I could not agree with Mr. Robinson any more. He has a brilliant outlook on educating our children through their own talents and creativity and not closing their doors. I have not had creativity in schools presented to me in this manner. We expect our children to be creative with the material placed in front of them. We don't let our children create with the material and tools they have been naturally given. Educators expect children to learn what is thought to be important and of value. This stress and requirement is placed on educators by society and what is thought to what is "good and true".
When he spoke about children with ADD and ADHD, I was completely taken back. Society tells us to medicate those children so that they can sit still in class and we can teach them what we want them to learn and that we can remove their natural creativity. I have a different outlook in trying to educate and foster creativity in my classroom.

Did You Know? 3.0 and Mr. Winkle Wakes

The video posted on U Tube entitled, "Did You Know? 3.0 was very interesting to me. It listed so many facts that I was completely unaware of. Some of the information was not surprising to me and some was very surprising. I knew that India was well ahead of the United States when it came to education. I had no I idea in the rate of growth on the Internet. Google is certainly dominating much of that growth.
It is astonishing that as an educator today, I will be training and teaching children to do jobs that don't even exist. This puzzles me a bit. How are we to be prepared as educators? I really think this shows the importance of technology in the classroom and how imperative it is for educators to be educated themselves. With this being said, I was taken back to know that most computer majors will not need the information that they learned the first year of school by their third year because it will be outdated. This is a great example to show how important it is for educators to keep up with the exponential growth of technology.
Mr. Winkle Wakes, was a silly but meaningful description of how far the world has come over the past 100 years. It was very blatant in showing that we are surrounded by technology everywhere we go. Where would we be without it? Our population/ generation depends on it completely. I can hardly remember life without it.
On the other hand, this video also makes a huge statement about how technology fits into the school classroom. We as a society are very behind in filling our classrooms with technology. American children do not have the resources that they need to keep up with the growth of the Internet and technology in their classrooms. This must change. How can we train them for the future without the proper tools?

A Little About Me

Hello. I am a junior at the University of South Alabama. My major is Elementary Education. I have been in college this time around for 2 years. I attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham from 96-00. I have been married for ten years and have four children. I am a part time student and full time Mom.

I love to spend time with my family, read, and travel with my family. Our favorite destinations are Walt Disney World and Gatlinburg, TN. My husband and I are foster parents. Three of our children are birth children and we currently have one foster child that we are in the process of adopting. I am a member of Cottage Hill Baptist Church. I have lived in Mobile for almost 4 years and am originally from Birmingham. I love living close to the beach.

Welcome Aboard!

Hello All! Welcome to my blogspot. I am really excited about learning how to set up a blogspot. I want to do one for my family once I get the hang of things.