Project #8 Book Trailer

I hope you enjoy my first book trailer.

C4T Summary #2

Both my first post in Breaking Education Barriers and my second post Kathleen Morris's Blog: Integrating Technology In the Primary Classroom shared the same central theme. Both posts identify that we are living in a changing time. Technology continues to progress very quickly. Teachers and students are able to make global connections using their fingertips. Even maternity leave did not take Mrs. Morris out of her personal learning network. Due to technology, she was able to stay plugged in.

Blog Post #6 - PLNs What Are They?

Personal learning networks are the systems an individual uses to impart and attain knowledge. Children are learning how to use new technology as toddlers. My grandson is 4 year old and his android tablet is his favorite toy. He already knows how to down load a game from the Google Play Store without assistance.

Using new gadgets and online programs did not come quite as easy to me. My daughter Dragged me onto Facebook less than a year ago. Thanks to EDM 310 I am now on Twitter, You Tube, and Blogging!!! I am able to reach out to other educators for advice and encouragement. I also am able to learn various teaching techniques that I hope to use in my classroom one day. One of my favorite lessons has been observing how teachers are using blogs as assignments to students at the elementary level. That is just amazing to me.I too would love to be a part of helping young children leap into the future.

Personal learning networks are formed as an individual learns to reach beyond the restrictions of those they can contact physically. The virtual world allows each of us to take learning globally. The pearls of experience are at our fingertips. To create my own PLN I am using Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, Email, and Blogging. I look forward to working with Symbaloo. My personal learning network has already started to grow. My first additions will be my EDM 310 classmates.

My sentence Video

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Blog Post # 5: What did you learn from these conversations with Anthony Capps?

In the video, Project Based Learning Part 1: Experiences of a 3rd Grade Teacher, I learned that projects can be a means for learning. Projects are not just a measurement of material retained. Mt. Capps emphasized the importance of an authentic audience, relevant subjects, incorporating communities, and content driven assignments when selecting projects. Mr. Capps also pointed out that peers can offer valid points for revisions. He also emphasized democracy in the review, revision, and grading processes.
In the video, Project Based Learning Part 2: Experiences of a 3rd Grade Teacher, I learned that Mr. Capps is not only willing to share his experiences with successful projects, but he is also open about unsuccessful projects. He used the project in which he assigned Narrative scripts and videos as a child from Afghanistan. One of the parents of a student of Mr. Capps was opposed to the assignment. The parent had served time in the military and was stationed in Afghanistan. The parent chose to protect his child from the culture of Afghanistan. Mr. Capps also talks about giving the children choices, and how they are enjoying learning.

In the video, iCurio, Mr. Capps talks about the online resource. It is a search engine that searches text, audio, and video that meets the Alabama College and Career Standards. This technology is currently being used by Baldwin County Public School System. This tool assists students with filtering useless information. Students also lean to create folders online with this resource.

In the video, Discovery Education, I learned that this resource has numerous images to accompany student's textbooks. Discovery Education allows experts into the classroom via video. The videos on various subjects enrich student's educational experiences. In the video, The Anthony-Strange list of Tips for Teachers Part 1, I learned that teaching is hard work. Despite the hard work, teaching is also fun. Teachers learn the art of teaching in their spare time as well as during instructional time. Teaching is rewarding and never ends. Educators are always learning from their own mistakes and refining the education process.

In the video, Don't Teach Tech-Use It, I learned that technology should not be a rigid part of the curriculum. Technology should be incorporated into lessons in a meaningful way. Students should be instructed on new technology as it is used through out the lesson. In the video, Additional Thought About Lessons, I learned that lessons are 4 layers thick. When planning a lesson it is important to consider: how the lesson fits into the year, how the units will be stretched over 6-8 weeks, how the weeks will be devised to ensure goals are getting accomplished, and daily lessons that will keep the students engaged. I found all the videos engaging and useful.

C4T Summary of Post #1 & Post # 2

Annie Palmer is a very skilled blogger. In blog Post # 1 Annie's subject was, "The Power of Fluency Instruction." In the post she emphasized the importance of students' ability to decode words, automatically process materials while reading, and to read with prosody (smoothness). I commented that I agree with her assertion that fluency instruction is extremely important to laying a solid foundation for future lessons and reading comprehension. In her second post the subject was, "Step Up Comprehension Instructions." In this blog she offers strategies to improve comprehension. I commented that comprehension is so important that parents must reinforce lessons at home.

Blog Post #4 Asking Questions: What questions do we ask? How do we ask?

When an education embarks upon the journey to teach there is the need to evaluate students. Evaluation requires the usage of questions. When attempting to assess the contents of a specific lesson teachers must be skilled in the art of questioning. Questions should clearly and concisely request specific information. When choosing questions for students, teachers aim to stimulate the student to come to truths naturally. The idea of using questions to have students analyze their ideas and come to valid conclusions is not a new one. Socrates used questions to stimulate critical thinking and promote illumination in the 5th century. As a molder of minds it is important to consider the answer one is soliciting when creating questions. As educators we are helping to instill the tools needed to critically think for the student's lifetime. Educators bring students from darkness into illumination.

Blog Post #3: How Can You Provide Meaningful Feedback to YHour Peers?

I feel that peer editing is important because it is an arena where students can learn without the pressure of disappointing their professor. It is great to have the ability to receive another’s perceptions of the materials you all are learning in class. One student may pay closer attention to an important detail that another overlooked. By having a dialogue we can learn what one another though was most important about each assignment. I learned that peer editing involves giving compliments, suggestions, and corrections to a peer’s blog. There was a great emphasis on remaining positive when editing a peer’s writings. It is suggested that peers should start with a compliment of the work they are editing. I love this idea. It allows us to avoid fixating on errors. Clarity and specificity are needed when providing suggestions. The final step in editing seems to be the easiest. Correcting errors in grammar and punctuation do not require creativity. This step requires leaning on the comfortable rule of grammar we have been drilled to remember since grade school. The problem is that according to input method and the computer program used, some text can be changed without the author’s immediate knowledge. There is an emphasis on providing a quality peer review to ensure universal growth for peers.