C4T John Mikulski

For the month of November I had the pleasure of following the blog of John Mikulski called Classroom in the Cloud. The first post I read was instructions on how to make a pop screen that would help with hissing and popping noises in podcasts. This screen could be made from common household items and I was blown away by it. In EDM310, we visit all kinds of sites and blogs. This was the first post I have seen of this nature. I commented back letting him know how interesting I thought the post was and how helpful I thought it would be.
The second post I read was about creating a classroom library. He posted his answers to a survey on the topic. I commented back and let him know how much I enjoyed the post because it was something I had never considered before, but I felt that it would be a valuable resource to my students. People think that so much of History is fact based and that is true. However, if you ask 3 different historians "What was the cause of WWI?" You might get 3 different answers. There is a lot in history that can be left up to your own interpretation or evaluation of the material and facts. I want to provide my students with as many opportunities as possible to find those answers themselves and not take everything I say as an absolute. A classroom library is just one way to do that.

Special Assignment

Why We Use Metaphors
Metaphors are used everywhere and are a part of daily life. Whether a person knows that they use them or not, they do. We are constantly using something "familiar" to explain something "unfamiliar". This comparative nature helps us understand concepts and ideas that could otherwise be lost to us. I think they are more commonly introduced and used in Literature/English. Metaphors are used here because the written language needs more depth to be able to really understand what the author is saying. Without facial expressions, body language, dialect, and tone it is a little more difficult to get the whole idea. Irony, personification, and allusion are a few other tools used in Literature. Metaphors can also be used in History in order to get a better grasp of the situation or topic. We use metaphors in EDM310 also to gain a deeper understanding of the topic we are discussing.

Blog Assignment 13

E-Media Fast
This was actually much easier than I thought it would be, but it was still miserable. I work a whole lot and I can't keep my phone on me while at work. This made that piece of the puzzle very easy. I did check my phone from time to time to make sure I didn't miss a call regarding my son. This is the only time I allowed myself to break the rule I also warned people ahead of time not to even bother with calling/texting me. I don't really watch TV anyway, so that wan't an issue. I turned the radio in my car off and put a piece of tape over the power button.
 It made me wonder what my parents did to be constantly available in case of emergencies? What did people do if they broke down in their car and were far away from help? How did people entertain themselves? Like I said earlier, this was an easy assignment for me, but I did NOT like it at all. I felt very out of place and out of touch. This is kind of strange to me because when I was growing up, technology was not available the way it is now. We didn't have cell phones or computers. It's hard for me to even remember what it was like before I became so attached to my technology.
This was an interesting assignment, but I won't be doing it again unless I am forced to do so.

Project 15

Project 14 Skype Interview Part 2

This is Part 2 of a 2 part interview with Shannon West.

Project 14 Skype Interview

This is Part 1 of a 2 part interview with Shannon West. She is a mother of 6 children, 2 of which are still in Elementary School. The interview was designed to get a parental perspective of technology in the classroom.

Final Project Progress Report

My final group is myself, Jonathan Giles, and Isaac Evans. I don't want to give away too much information about our wonderful project, so I will explain as much as I can and leave the rest as a mystery. Basically, we are going to collect data about the current use of technology in schools in our area. How we are going to collect the data and how we will present it will remain a mystery until the final project is due. I think it will be an eye-opening experience and the information will be helpful to future EDMers!

Blog Assignment 12

The assignment that I think Dr. Strange should have created is a 2 part assignment. The first  post would be at the beginning of the semester, maybe even the very first blog post. The second would be at the end of the semester.
Assignment Part 1(first blog post):
Congratulations! You just graduated and got your first REAL job as a teacher. List 3 ways that you plan to implement technology in your classroom.

This is hard for me to complete because I have too much knowledge in my head now. I'm sure that it would have been something ridiculous about having a computer and a smartboard in my class. That might have been as far as I got..... seriously. I had NO idea what was available or being done already. I have constantly asked myself throughout the semester "How will this assignment benefit me?", and "How can I use this in my classroom?". Now onto part 2 where I have many more interesting things to say.

Assignment Part 2 (near the end of the semester):
Congratulations! You just graduated and got your first REAL job as a teacher. List 3-5 ways that you plan to implement technology in your classroom. Before you start tell us what grade and/or subject you are teaching.

BEGIN ASSIGNMENT
I teach  History to 11th graders and this is how I will implement technology in my class.

1. The very first thing that I would do is create a class website that gives students access to all of the information they need: homework assignments, additional resources for help, a way to communicate with me directly, and a section for parent information.

2. I would also create a class blog that will become a portfolio of our work. I also want students to have their own blogs where they have all of their work in one place and the dog can't eat it.

3. My students will have a monthly current events assignment. They will have to find current articles online and blog about their opinions on these topics. They will also be assigned another student blog to follow and leave comments for discussion.

4. Before every test, I will give my student an opportunity to earn extra credit by blogging about a fantastic question that I have posed to them. Examples: You are President Franklin Roosevelt. What would you have changed about the "New Deal"? or Why is the Declaration of Independence so important and what does it mean to you? These are not fact based questions, they are thought based. I want my student to know the information well enough to be able to think for themselves. I would encourage the use of outside resources as long as proper credit is given.

5. I want to have a large scale, year long project that will all be done online and would encourage the participation of other students from other schools, or in other parts of the world. One idea that I have is a mock Presidential election. I also like the idea of creating a children's book or short movie based on one event in History.

6. I think that textbooks serve a purpose, but I also think that there is no problem with outside sources. I will use any information I can find that will enhance the learning experience for my students such as online videos and podcasts.
END ASSIGNMENT


I think that this assignment will be entertaining and full of self-discovery! It also puts EDMers in the mind frame of how to take action and use what we have learned.
ENJOY!!

C4K Mrs. Yollis

Mrs. Yollis' Class Blog
During this semester, we have visited many class blogs. I have honestly been impressed by all of them. Mrs. Yollis' blog is by far my favorite. It took me over an hour to explore the whole thing because it is so in depth. I would get caught reading something and just continue down the page. Across the top there are several different pages to click on. There is a page that introduces Mrs. Yollis and tells you about who she is. There is also a page that talks about the students and what they like to do.There are also a few instructional tabs that will show you how to leave a comment, learning html code, and how to shoot great digital images. There are two tabs that I found very interesting. The first was Educational Blogging Resources for Teachers. This site has a lot of good information for teachers and how to blog. I have added it to my list of goodies (PLN), to help me in the future. The other tab that I liked was a link to Mrs. Yollis' Class Website. Not only is there a blog, but a website as well. They both seem to serve two distinctively different purposes. The blog is to share and interact (and learn of course). The website is for students and parents to keep up with homework, play games, and stay connected and engaged. Mrs. Yollis has got to be the busiest teacher ever!
The main section of the blog page is all about what they are doing in class. I am amazed at how engaged these  students are. They are connecting with students from Australia via Skype and other parts of the world as well. They are learning so much from each other, I'm sure. They also had a family blogging month and they were getting messages from their loved ones from all over the place.
The right hand column shows all of the projects that they are doing or have already done. I love the "Photo a day" project. A picture is posted and information is given, then questions are asked about what is in the picture. This is encouraging learning and asking for involvement. Then there is the map which shows that they have had 75,679 visitors. EDM310 has had 48,860 visitors. HUGE difference. Also, you get to see all of the awards that the blog has won and I counted 4. I can't even begin to imagine the time it takes to keep this going, but Mrs. Yollis has got to have 4 hands and the smartest students in the state of California!

Blog Assignment 11

First Graders in Ms. Cassidy's Class and Skype Interview with Ms. Cassidy
First of all, I have to say that I am amazed at what these 1st graders are doing. Not only are they learning how to use technology in the classroom in an incredible way, but they can also tell they story behind what they are doing. They can articulate very well how to do the specific assignments they have been given.
In Ms. Cassidy's Skype Interview, she explains different techniques she has used in her classroom. I believe that all of them are relevant and useful, but there are three that stick out in my mind. The first is, of course, a class blog. A class blog is probably the first step in bringing technology into a classroom. It shows children basic skills that will stay with them forever. It is also a great way to allow parents to be more involved in their children's learning experience. The second thing is using wikis. I never knew what wikis were before starting EDM, but I love the way Ms. Cassidy uses them. It gets so many people involved and things like the "tradition" wiki her class did can teach valuable lessons. I also loved the online portfolio of work. Students can look back at their work from the entire year and be proud of their accomplishments and growth. Parents can see what their children are doing. It was cute to see all of the misspelled words and incomplete sentences. That might sound silly, but I guarantee that by the end of the year they will not have nearly as many mistakes. It's all a part of the learning process and it can't be thrown in the garbage never to be seen again. I love it!
The only problem that I see with this method of teaching is getting administration to support the effort. Ms. Cassidy said that she has had some principals that have agreed and some that have been indifferent. I know that indifference has still allowed her to continue on her path, but if she doesn't have FULL support, then it will never leak over into other classrooms. She said that there was another teacher at her school that also used technology in different ways and that is great, but how many teachers aren't using it? That leaves so many classrooms and hundreds of students that are not really getting all they can out of their education. It's sad to me.
There are so many benefits to teaching this way that it is hard to see why there isn't 100% or near 100% compliance across the board. Teaching with technology enhances the learning objectives by getting children more involved in their own education. Ms Cassidy said that her students are more than happy to "not power down" when they come to school because it is a part of life for them. Stepping into a classroom without technology is like shedding part of who they are. Collaboration, socialization, feedback, and outside involvement gives them a better sense of who they are and where they fit into the world. This will help them become well-rounded individuals and more adjusted to the world around them. That is priceless at such a young age.