C4T Summary #2

C4T #2 Vicki Davis
Blog
Mrs. Davis’s most recent blog post was a post about her switching from Blogger to Wordpress. I thought this was a really cool post because I got to read the pro’s and con’s of each blogging system. This was also appropriate for the class and myself because of the fact that our class is based on blogging and new technology.
This is my first response. Hey Ms. Davis, my name is Alexandria Grow and I am a student at the University of South Alabama in class EDM310. I really enjoyed reading your post. As a new blogger, I am just now beginning to get in the swing of using Blog Spot and I really enjoy it. We are required to use Blogger in class but I am interested in exploring Wordpress in the future. Great post and cute cat! 

You can check out my blog at Here as well as our class blog Here I would love to hear back from you. Thanks!
The second post I read was about, different tools that include technology that you can use in the classroom for research. It gives the students tools to learn with.
My response to this was, Hey Mrs. Davis! I am a student at the University of South Alabama in class EDM310. This is a great post. Going thorough my resent class, I am learning about technology and about all of the different ways I can use it in the classroom. The links at the end really enable the reader to visit the site. Thanks for posting!

Project #13

In our project, we decided to make a lesson plan in the Drama field for the 9th grade. The lesson is on Hamlet and Lion King. In this lesson the students, in groups, will conduct research to compare the two pieces of work and present what they have learned to the class. The students will start off with a pre-quiz to test their previous knowledge about the two. After, they will conduct research and compare Hamlet to Lion King. The students will then write a screenplay of a scene in each movie that the group thinks is like the other. They will create the plays in iMovie and then present the final product to the class. After the presentations are finished, the students will take a post-quiz to recognize what they have learned. I think this is a fun and interesting lesson for group work in the 9th grade.

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Project #7 Part B (Post 1)

Blog Post #7

Strengths: Note Taking ,Directions ,Attentiveness

Weakness: Technology ,Busy Schedule ,Creativeness

What I need to do In order to give myself more time to learn I need to motivate myself to be the best I can be when learning to do something new. I also need to explore the web and become more technology savvy so that I am up to date on my learning.

How To Make A QR Code is a Youtube video that teaches you how to make a QR code on a computer like you would use in an MP3 player. This is very helpful when reading books in a classroom where a student needs the book read to him/her. The teacher can pre-record the reading of the book. Classroom Learning is a Youtube video that shows the students recording themselves read. The students record themselves reading books and then go back and watch themselves to see if he or she has made and mistakes. They are doing it on an ipad. This seems very useful in the classrooms for this purpose. Ipads could be used in every classroom for these kinds of activities. Alabama Virtual Library is about Alabama Virtual Library. The students have learned how to log in AVL on an ipad. They know how to use search engines. They chose topics to search and a bunch of things come up about the topic. Such as pictures, and introduction, and a video or audio recording. The students can listen or watch the clip and fill out a worksheet assigned for that activity. The students research, watch, and record everything by themselves from this center. Discovery Education is a video on Discovery Education in the classroom. The students log in using a password and their own information. They know how to create boards on this site. They are able to add images and videos. This video actually has a student in the video that teaches me how to use Discovery Education for making a board. After this activity the students wrote narratives. This wraps in a bunch of different activities for one lesson. I find this very useful for a classroom. The student is being a teacher in the video and I am the learner. Board Builder is about two students that used Board Builder. This video shows me that students are using more technology in classrooms than we are in college. The students have used great images and did well on research. What a fun project! Gulf Shores Board Builder Project is also about students using Board Builder. This is by far my favorite source used in the whole semester. The students use many great resources and images. I think the students passion for helping the community is amazing. I am very impressed by the girls abilities to search, build, and work the camera. I would like to sit in on one of these types of lessons soon. Imovie and AVL is a Youtube video with Elizabeth and Daphne. They are the media specialists in Daphne and Gulf Shores. Michelle talks about iMovie. The kindergarten students write scripts and use images on Trailers in iMovie at ages 5 and 6. Teachers are teaching things in more technology in today’s classrooms. Elizabeth talks about AVL. She explains that you can log on and teach students basic research. It will pull up many things the students can learn from. It is FREE. Everyone is a Learner is a Youtube video with Elizabeth and Michelle from the last video. This video is talking about learning. Michelle says that everyone becomes a learner and a teacher in the classroom, which I agree to. Michelle also mentions Padlet, which we use in class. A student teaching the teacher is encouraged.

Project #8 Book Trailer

C4K #3 September Summary

Kefu Auckland, NZ 7th grade Kefu wrote a post about how cool cows are and what different things they can do. My response to the first bog was: Hi, Kefu! Cows are really cool animals. I like the fact that each cow has different spots. Cows provide us with a lot of nutrients such as cheese. Cheese is my favorite food. Great post! Kefu wrote another post about a story. The post was very elaborate and had a great supporting picture. My response to the second post was: Hi Kefu! This is such an interesting story. I have never heard this story before. I like to fish and hunt like Maui in the story. This story was very exciting. I really like the picture that you included. The picture ties the story together well. Another great post!

Grayson, Virginia, High School Grayson's blog post said, "To make my mark on the world I would pick up more trash that I see on the ground. I will continue to work with the GSM program im in and donate food for the homeless and help people." My response was, "What a great way to make your mark on the world. I currently foster dogs from my local animal shelter so they will have a place to stay until someone adopts them. What you are doing is amazing. Keep making an influence. Great job! Keep up the good work!" These were very good ideas from Grayson about the mark he wants to make on the world.

Parker, Iowa, ELA 4th 14-15 Parker's Blog Parker wrote a post about how he/she wishes students could go to school later. He/she gave great reasons as to why this would improve the school day. My response was, "Hey Parker! My name is Alex and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am not a morning person, myself. I would have loved to get an extra hour of sleep in the morning before school started when I was your age. I agree that kids do not get the right amount of sleep. As you get older, you will want to be in bed by 9:00pm. College students do not get enough sleep either. I enjoyed reading your post. Keep up the good work!"

Blog Post #6

Project Based Learning Part 1. Project based learning has an authentic audience; it should involve the community, and should be driven by content. In order for the student to complete the project, the student should learn along the way. Anthony actually used a national headline to help his students learn things from social studies, as well as writing to the congressman. This is an amazing strategy. The children were excited about this project because it was content driven and it was directed towards the community.

Project Based Learning Part 2. Children used culture such as Haiti and Afghanistan in a project. This lesson stemmed from a Science article. They found facts and different things about Afghanistan by practicing tools. Anthony made the children give a narrative script from a childs view that lives in Afghanistan. The children used Imovie to do this. Pulling pictures from search engines they completed the project. The students had many different ideas such as, Food, Religion, Fashion, Warfare, in their projects. A students father didn’t want him to learn about Afghanistan because he served and reality is harsh. The student did an alternate science project that the class also benefitted from. Through this video I learned to never limit your students. They will always give you more than you expect. I also learned that every project isn't going to always go as planned.

iCuroio. Baldwin County uses this. It is an online tool that allows students to save online research that can be pulled and filtered for educational use. Audio and Video content can be saved as well. The students have their own log in, like a search engine. It has a storage capacity so the students can store many things. The teachers and students can both store content that is valuable. This engine gives students practice to organize things online.

Discovery Ed. “Picture is worth a thousands words”, is a very important quote Anthony gave us in this video.Discovery Ed gives the students visual pictures. The visual pictures help children retain more. This source is good for research. The students can also look at videos. The source also brings experts into the classroom via video for students to learn different things they are interested in that the teacher is not familiar with.

Strange Tips For Teachers.A good tip Dr. Strange gave is to be interested in learning yourself, which he says many times throughout the semester. Dr. Strange and Anthony both agree that teachers learn the craft of teaching in their free time, like a hobby. Anthony says teachers need to become fastinated by different things by letting your work become fun. Hard work is very important when teaching, it is rewarding. Teachers should be flexible and creative when teaching. One very important key in teaching is to never leave a child behind. Give the children topics that excite them and interest them.

Use Technology Don't Teach It. Technology is everywhere. Kids enjoy using technology to learn. Technology should be taught in the curriculum. Start the students off by learning something from a tool or source, then make the students apply this to something. In the middle of this video, Dr. Strange says the third grade students learn iVideo or iMovie faster than the students in EDM310. This may be true, but these children have grown up sing Apple software and computers such as, iphones, ipads, ect. As toddlers these kids have been playing games on iPhones where as my generation was playing outside or with blocks. I believe naturally the new generation would catch on faster than my generation. I grew up with a pencil and a piece of paper in second and third grade. Times are different.

Additional Thoughts About Lessons. In the last video, Anthony says a lesson should be at least 4 layers thick. 1. Determine how the lesson fits in with your year. Ask yourself, "Have you covered all of the standards?". 2. Unit size. This is determined by having a unit connected and divided properly, stretched out within a lesson. 3. Week. How are you using your week so that you get everything done on a day to day basis? 4. Daily learning. This is determined by evaluating what the children will learn every class session. All of these are key components to making a lesson.