C4T Summary

For my final C4T I commented on Joe Bower’s blog. He updates his blog almost everyday, so I’ve had several different posts to choose from. The first week I read his blog entitled Redford’s Broken Promise? This post was about Alison Redford who was running in the 2011 Progressive Conservative Leadership Race. Joe voted for her because she promised to eliminate the 3rd and 6th grade Provincial Achievement Tests. This election was over six months ago and the tests are still there. He mentions holding up his end of the bargain by voting for her, but she has yet to abolish these tests. He makes a good point at the end of his post: “And if she doesn't and this is indeed a broken promise, what good are Alison Redford's promises in this new election?” I replied back with agreeing with what Redford said about these tests. They are too stressful on these students and they are not the best tools for determining these children’s performance. I was apologetic towards him for the lack of progress. I also agreed with him about her being filled with broken promises going into this new election.

This week Joe wrote a post about social networking. This post was called The Denial of Social Networking. This post is about blocking YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter from schools. People are under the impression that children come out of the womb knowing how to use all the different social sites. That is ignorant. Children have to learn how to use them just like everyone else. He makes a valid point about the repercussions of banning these sites: “If a school blocks YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, how are teachers suppose to learn about social networking? If a school blocks YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, how are teachers suppose to teach students how to use social networking appropriately? If a school blocks YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, how are teachers suppose to teach students how to NOT use social networking inappropriately?” Teachers can educate their kids on how to navigate these sites properly and responsibly. I responded with getting rid of these sites is going to do more harm than good. When children are told not to do something, they’re going to find a way to do it. They’re rebellious and curious. As teachers we should take advantage of the opportunity to teach them how to use these sites in a responsible manner.

Final PLN

For my PLN I used Symbaloo. I really liked how organized it was! It was convenient to just click on the website I wanted to go to. Safari already has a window that has all of your latest wesites that you have viewed, but not as the homepage. I made Symbaloo my homepage, so I was one click away from my desired website. It's nice to not have the hassle of typing the website into the browser. Another characteristic I have enjoyed about Symbaloo has been the fact that I can arrange my icons any way I please. All of my popular sites are on the right, and the ones I don't use as much are on my left. I will definitely encourage my students to use Symbaloo, or a website like it, when we are using the computers for projects, blogs, or podcasts. The great thing about it is that they can use it at home or at school!

Blog Assignment 13

E-Media Fast:
I started my 24-hour electronic restriction Friday night around 10 o’clock. The reason I started this late was because I went to the Shinedown concert and I knew I would need my phone/camera. It wasn’t as bad as I thought because I went to sleep when I got home and I was pretty busy all day Saturday with family events. However, it was rough not getting on FaceBook or taking pictures. Lucky for me, my mom is an amateur paparazzi and managed to take lots of photos. Another struggle for me was no television. I can’t go to sleep without the T.V. I wasn’t sure if this was cheating, but my boyfriend turned on his audio book of “The Hunger Games” and that’s how I fell asleep. Technically, it wasn’t me using the electronic device, just mooching off of someone else’s. Those were my only struggles. I kept my phone upstairs in my room while I spent the day with my family out on the boat, and I went to sleep around 9 o’clock on Saturday since we woke up at 5 o’clock in the morning to go fishing. I didn’t realize how dependent I was on electronic devices, until I couldn’t use them.

When I was in elementary school, I remember doing a no television challenge for a week. Your parents had to initial next to each day their child did not watch television. I completed the challenge, but mainly because parents wouldn’t let me watch T.V. If it were up to me, I would have given in the moment I got home from school. I hate to be a pessimist, but if I were to give my students this task today they would, more than likely, fail. I don’t know how children survive without their video games, cell phones, television, or MP3 players. Often times, parents encourage these electronics to keep their kids from acting up. Whatever happened to good ole fresh air and hard copy books? I would challenge my students to restrict themselves from a certain electronic device a week. Once they have successfully completed each task, I would have an optional assignment to restrict themselves from all electronics for 5 school days. Whoever completes this task would be rewarded with no homework for a week, or something along those lines. It’s not a bad idea to get them to resort to other forms of entertainments.

Project 15-- SMARTboard Presentation Part II

Creativity and Curiosity: My Thoughts-- Special Post #12A

     Dr. Strange asked us to come up with questions related to creativity, curiosity, and education. He got lots of great questions back, and I want to address them. I will be answering questions dealing with curiosity with students and how teachers can maintain that curiosity in the classroom, can a curriculum be developed to increase the creativity of students, and can other educators help out with getting children more curious.
     When asked the question: Do schools in the United States systematically destroy (or inhibit) the development of curiosity and/or creativity in students? If yes, why does that happen? If no, how do you counter the argument of Sir Ken Robinson that schools do undermine the development of creativity in students? No, I don’t think the schools prevent the children from being creative. Sure, there are rules they must follow that may not allow them to achieve their most creative ideas, but they can use their creativity to modify it and make it acceptable. Some kids don’t necessarily lack creativity; they’re just lazy. I struggle with this, myself. Almost all children are curious, and I don’t think the schools cripple them from wondering or prying.
     Can a curriculum be developed that increases the curiosity of students? If so, what would be the key components of such a curriculum? Teachers do everything they can to spark interest in their students. It takes a very creative educator to be able to target the interests of all their students and make them interested. Children would rather do anything than sit in a classroom. When I was in high school, my English teacher would take us outside and we would read. Sometimes that’s all students need—a little fresh air. As I’ve mentioned before, I think using games to get children involved is a great way to hold their interest and ignite their curiosity.
     Can a teacher's actions increase the curiosity of students? If so, what would be those actions? Absolutely! If I was to walk into my classroom with a box in my arms and I was be very protective of it, my students would definitely be curious. Inside that box could be their favorite math game, or a movie that could relate to our history lesson. It’s not so much what is in enclosed in the box, but the fact that I have a “surprise”. I could also “bribe” them with a surprise at the end of class if they behaved. That surprise could be 5 extra minutes of recess or homework passes. Children need incentives every now and then to hold their attention and keep them interested.
     What would help you become more creative? What role would teachers and/or schools have in that process? I think creativity is a gift and not everyone is blessed enough to have it. However, there are ways to apply new, creative ideas in the classroom. I also believe it is a group effort. There is always going to be a teacher that goes the extra mile and does have the creative juices flowing constantly. They can use this to their advantage and inform other teachers so they can get involved as well.
   These responses are my opinion, of course, but I appreciate the questions because it really got me thinking. I think teachers get too wrapped up in teaching the material, and don’t pay attention at whether or not the children understand it. We need to mix it up a bit and try new things. I’ve learned several different ways to hold the attention of my students. I just hope they wont be the only methods and I will continue to learn and/or create new ways to educate.

Progress Report for Final Project

Brooke, Jeanette, Shaun, and myself skyped Saturday morning at 11:30 and we'll be getting together on Thursday, April 26th, to finish everything up. We decided that we are going to teach a math lesson for kindergarten students. I have learned several different games in my HS class, and how to modify them for all ages. We are going incorporate the use of beanbags and hula hoops to help keep their interest. There are two different games we are going to play that will help the children with their math skills. You will have to stay tuned to see what the mystery games are!

C4K Summary

For the month of April we were assigned to the same child for three weeks. The little girl I was assigned to was Hailee. Hailee didn’t have many posts, but the ones she did have were awesome. She had a Prezi as one post, a Voki for another, and her first post was her name and her interests.

Her Prezi included different activities she enjoyed doing, some interesting facts about her and her appearance, and some of her favorite hobbies. I was very impressed with her Prezi, especially because I had the option to do one, but opted out because it seemed complicated. After seeing hers, I wish I had chose to do it! It was very informative, and organized. I complemented her Prezi and told her that I wished I had tried it.

Her Voki was an avatar and it said: “My name is Hailee and I like basketball.” There wasn’t much to it, but I did tell her it was neat and that her avatar was very pretty. It looked a lot like the person she described in her Prezi. I also asked her if she played basketball for her school and who her favorite team was.

Her first post only said “Hi my name is Hailee. I like sports and running. :)” She had a penguin game on the side of her blog that I played for about 3 minutes. I have a strange obsession with pengies, which is what I call them, and I told her that I LOVED her game. I also asked her what other sports she played besides running and I also mentioned that I wish I enjoyed it; I’d be in a lot better shape!

My last C4K post was today and I was assigned to a little boy named Tom. Tom made a video and talked about what he did over the weekend. Apparently, his dad bought him a PSP and he played with it all weekend. He also got some new games to go along with it. I told him that I bet it was exciting to get such a cool gift, and I talked about how the gaming world has changed since I was his age. I also asked him what games he got. He had a paint drawing that he uploaded and I complemented that, as well.

Blog Assignment 12

For this weeks blog post, we were supposed to come up with our own assignment and complete it. This is the assignment I chose to do:

Watch Room for Improvement. Discuss ways to get America back on top in the educational world.

Room for Improvement:
The Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, discusses how we need to get back to being the America we used to be. We need to take charge and push our citizens and test their potential. He mentions that he wants America to be the number one country that has college graduates, again. He also mentions that technology is another area where America has been passed up. Schools in other countries have implemented technology in their ways of teachings, and it has amazing results. Sure, there are schools in the United States that use different forms of technology, but we are nowhere close to the schools overseas. We are extremely capable of getting computers in every school and really taking advantage of all the different forms of technology.

We have watched several different videos and read numerous blog posts on how technology is becoming a necessity in schools. Sure, there are teachers who rather teach the way they've been teaching for years, and they don't do well with change. Unfortunately, times are changing and we have to get up to date with the different forms of technology and how we can benefit from them. Blogging helps students learn about different cultures, improves their grammar, and gives them the opportunity to interact with other students from other schools. Podcasts allow the students to get their ideas out there. The upside to podcasting is that it can be uploaded automatically and you don't have to tune in weekly. There are different forms of technology that intrigue different types of students and their interests. I've learned so much about technology and how to properly use it in the school setting, and I have every intention of implementing them in my classroom.


Watch School? There’s an app for That! Discuss the advantages that come with cell phones and how we can use them in the classroom.

School? There's an app for That!
Arne Duncan was dead on when he said students lose lots of things, but never their cell phones. We are growing up in a generation where we are dependent on cell phones. It’s hard to imagine how people survived without them. Children of all ages own a cell phone. Since they are going to use them anyways, why not make them beneficial in the classroom? This goes along with the iSchool video we had to watch a few weeks back. We can set up applications students can use at home and in the classroom. They can upload their homework assignments, view classroom lectures when they’re absent, view study guides, and so many other things. Instead of trying to find a way to keep cell phones out of the school, let’s try and find a way to use them!

Blog Assignment 11

I thought it was neat and thoughtful for Ms. Cassidy to take the time to Skype with EDM 310. The first topic I want to address is how to make this experience safe for the kids. I like that they give out waivers for the parents to sign at the beginning of the year. She took all the necessary safety precautions, and I appreciated that. I like that she doesn’t match a face with a name or provide the last names of any of her students. As far as how the parents feel about it, they enjoy seeing their children working and the fact their kids are having fun while doing it. She is spot on when she says technology isn’t going anywhere. We can’t teach children the same way we used to. We have all the tools and we just need to use them.

I have really enjoyed my blogging in this course. Ms. Cassidy mentions that she likes the audience that comes along with blogging. Children enjoy seeing their work being read. I would like to also use a blog site that shows their page reads. I think that it will be encouraging for my students. Also, I like the interaction between the two schools. Even though they are required to comment on each other’s blog, they are getting to know each other and helping each other at the same time.

I agree with Ms. Cassidy when she says that teachers need to be technology literate. Technology will be forever changing and we need to be acclimated with all the new types of technology that are coming out. It’s a learning experience for everyone. There are some things the children may know more about, and they can teach us. We don’t always have to be the ones educating. She makes a good point about where to start with technology. It’s always good to start with what you’re interested in.

Ms. Cassidy had such great answers to all of the questions. I wish I could have been around to be able to interact with her and take part in this process. A question I would have liked to ask would be is there a bigger involvement with students wanting to learn since she started implementing technology in her teaching? I really enjoyed this assignment and hearing her thoughts on technology in schools and how we need to get more involved with it.

Blog Assignment 10

Do You Teach or Do You Educate:
What’s the difference between teaching and educating? Some think they are one in the same. Boy, are they wrong. As it was mentioned in the video , to teach means to show or explain how to do something, encourage someone to accept as a fact or principle, give information about or instruction in, cause someone to learn or understand something, and/or induce by example or punishment to do or not to do something. But to educate someone means to illuminate, inspire, and empower them, be their mentor, advisor, and counselor, show them guidance, morals, and practice integrity. So what would you rather be— A teacher or an educator?

Based off this video, being a teacher doesn’t sound half bad, but why would you want to settle? As aspiring teachers we should strive to be educators! I believe being an educator is being a teacher, but also being like a parent. Most children see their teachers more during the day than their parents. As educators we need to demonstrate integrity, trustworthiness, good morals, and guidance. We need to inspire, encourage, and motivate these children everyday. I like the quote at the end of this video : Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filing of a vessel. Yes, I want to be a teacher, but I, also, want to be more than that. I want to be an educator.


Tim Johnson's Don't Let Them Take The Pencils Home:
I liked the creativity Mr. Johnson used with this post. At first when I read our blog post assignment, I thought to myself: “Don’t let them take the pencils home? Who cares if they take pencils home?” However, the message Mr. Johnson was trying to get across had nothing to do with taking home pencils, but everything to do with having a problem and being able to overcome it with patience, solutions, and a level head. Far too often teachers hold their students back due to negativity, rules, or sometimes laziness. We need more teachers that will go the extra mile to help these children reach their maximum potential.

I understand that teachers stress over test outcomes, and I understand how important tests are. But on the other hand, not all tests show how smart a child is, or how well they understand the material. Many children, and people in general, have a test anxiety. I used to get so nervous before a test and forget everything I studied. But that didn’t mean I didn’t understand what I was being taught. Overcoming obstacles like that come with getting older and learning how to adjust to it. For the most part, tests are a great way to determine how the children are doing in certain subjects, but it’ not the only option.

Another thing I liked about this post was how positive and encouraging "Mr. Spencer" was. Teaching can be frustrating, and even discouraging, at times. But the important thing to remember is these kids need all the motivation and kind words they can get. Some children only hear positive things from their teacher, and some hear it at home, too—Not all kids are that lucky. Just like with our blogs, I think we should point out the positive first, and then give some constructive criticism. I think some of the students and workers forget that. Coming at someone with only ways to fix their work, but no encouragement or positive notes can discourage anyone.

Finally, I liked that "Mr. Spencer" tried to incorporate games to help these kids learn. Learning can be fun, and I think some educators lose sight of that. He mentioned the use of hangman. Well, I think hangman can definitely be used in the classroom to help test children’s knowledge without having to give them a piece of paper with 25 questions on it. Teachers can ask a history question on the board, draw the hanging stand, and call upon children who raise their hand to answer the question. There are so many different ways to help these children, and most of them are fun and will hold their interest. We just have to be the educators who want to help these kids, no matter what it takes!

C4K Summary

Since we’re only required to comment about last weeks C4K assignment, that’s the only one I’m going to include. Last week I was assigned to Class 12’s Blog by Louie and Klaudia. Their class was writing a story and each group had to feed off of the previous post to make the story and challenged to hit 100 words. They were blogging about the titanic spider. The spider was a butler and overheard a little girl saying they were going to sink. I complimented them on their imagination and how well the story flowed. I also congratulated them on achieving the 100-word goal. I enjoyed reading the different stories and how well they flowed together.

C4T Summary

I was assigned to Joe Bower for my C4T this month. He is a teacher from Alberta, Canada. He prefers the “old school” teaching, with a hint of the new, technological stuff. His first post was Test the Students, Punish the Teachers. He was writing about an article that fired teachers whose students failed standardized tests. It doesn’t matter how well the teachers do on all the other aspects of teaching. They are considered ineffective overall if they do not raise their students test scores. I responded to his post by saying the pressure is already too much for a new, young teacher, but the possibility of be fired because the students test scores aren’t have enough is unbearable. I also mentioned that it’s a good thing a teacher’s ability to teach isn’t based solely on test results.

Joe’s second post was Death by Wikipedia. This post was about the extinction of encyclopedias, and the up rise of Wikipedia. It was a very short post, but I responded with the pros and cons of Wikipedia. One of the pros being that Wikipedia is free, but a con was it not being 100% accurate, since anyone can post on it.

Blog Assignment 9

My first selection of Mr. McClung’s was the one written after his first year of teaching entitled What I’ve Learned This Year (2008-09). In this post Mr. McClung discusses the great difference in his expectations and the real world. I believe this exists in all professions but most especially in teaching where I expect the expected to change every year and still be wrong. The clear message in this post was the disconnect between what is learned during school and internships and actual teaching. As we go through school we look to meet the grading systems of those evaluating us and as educators our evaluations change quite a lot. There is no more set presentation that we must get through and show our use of certain teaching skills, it is simply to educate however that may be best achieved. Mr. McClung also discusses the necessity of communication with other teachers and the students themselves to truly grow from the experiences. He also discusses the valuable role of technology in the classroom and the fears that many have of approaching this unknown land. Through all of this he continues to reiterate on the failure of your expectations and how little they must affect you. As a teacher each and every student will be different in what they bring to the table and how best they learn. This presentation of experiences from someone who just experienced their first year as a teacher shed a lot of light on what I can expect. Experiences of others help us not to think we are the freak in the crown and I hope that I can recount this blog during my early failures I am sure to face.

The second reading of Mr. McClung’s blog I selected was his second year What I Learned This Year (2009-10) which I selected because I was anxious to see his transition from first year teacher to second year teacher. Mr. McClung was unable to remain in his comfort of experiences in the first year and transitioned to older students and teaching multiple subjects. He reiterates the need for flexibility as his students entire set of mind had changed as the group was more mature. The flexibility was also needed on his part due the complete change of scene. Not only changing schools and grades Mr. McClung was forced to change subjects from the hands on science to the classical memorization and note taking classes of history and social studies. His attitude towards flexibility was needed as he tried to make the subject more involved only to discover that few of the students had actually been thought to think independently as current events were discussed. With some coaxing some results were found but he also found a wall in having to leave his personal opinions behind and direct discussion instead of lead it. Through all of the new experiences Mr. McClung gives a valuable tip in befriending a teacher with experience in the school to help guide you through the early days. Another point made is that during his change Mr. McClung entered the world of “too cool to care” attitudes found in young adults. Leaving the ego at the door and showing passion about the subject are valuable skills he found in making the students show interest as well. Many of daily duties of teachers like handing out papers waste time and lose attention of the class that must be regained. Simple things like letting students get their own papers and other small tasks save time and effort as Mr. McClung pointed out in his blog. Another point of view addressed is that of the management of the job itself. Mr. McClung mentions bad administration hurting the quality of his teaching and the priority that must be made for the students not to allow this to affect the quality they receive. They in fact are the customers and only ones hurt by teachers who allow other issues into the classroom.

All of these experiences continue to awaken me to the world outside of learning to be a teacher. I guess we all have this grand idea of walking into a classroom of students ready to hear what we have to say and learn from the way we mean them to. We don’t think about the attitudes we are going to face and the challenges that are going to arise when we fail or are challenged in ways we did not expect. Mr. McClung has given me great insight into this and a heads up for what is to come. Who thinks about a bad boss as a teacher? I know that I surely never thought about having to deal with the rest of the faculty in a negative way. In the end I can clearly see that I will have to be flexible and very self assessing to be a successful teacher. For the students to learn I must in fact learn myself.