Skype

I used Skype to collaborate with Rachael Locklin recently about our interview that we would be doing together the following week. We discussed our topic and the questions and answers very thoroughly. This would have been difficult had we only used email or instant messaging.

Immediately after final exams next week, I'll be packing my things and moving to Enterprise to get married and start my life. Good for me, right? Not so good for my mother, though. She was devastated when it hit her that I would be leaving very soon. Lucky for her, I just learned how to use Skype, so today I went to her house to set her up an account so we'll have a better way to keep in touch after I move. She was THRILLED.

Needless to say, I'll be using Skype everyday in my near future!

My Skype username is jess.f.lynn.

Substantive Presentation

Since Google Docs has been the most useful technology tool I've learned about this semester, I decided to create a presentation for my substantive project. Rachael Lockin and I explored the subject of technology literate teachers vs. illiterate teachers:

Vocaroo Voice Thread was so easy!

I'm not even going to lie - I've been putting off the Vocaroo project for a while now! I was so surprised at how easy it was to do! Sure, the main reason I put it off for so long was because I didn't have a microphone, but when I finally got my hands on one, I was very surprised to learn how easy and useful it really is.

I left Tracy Alms a voice thread comment on her blog about Google.

This is a more personal way to leave comments, I think, and I definitely see myself using this feature in the future.

Comments4Teachers: Candace Follis

Mrs. Follis is a second-year high school teacher of English. Her blog The Follis Files is specifically aimed at new teachers. I admire her outlook on teaching; she believes that "it should be relatively authentic, it should be as student centered as is appropriate for material but still beneficial to students, and that we should have high expectations to the extent that students are appropriately challenged."

My favorite post by Mrs. Follis was her post about how her experience as a waitress has helped her in her teaching career. As an experienced waitress myself, I am excited to realize just how much my work will help me in the classroom in the future; I always knew that it takes special attention to successfully wait tables (so everyone is satisfied!), and now I really see how this ties into teaching: you have to make sure every student is accommodated for, too. YOU are there for THEM.

Her post about her favorite things surprised me: they're some of the things Dr. Strange has taught me to use! Mrs. Follis seems to really rely on her PLN, too. I will definitely add her to mine: she offers a lot of insight for new teachers, and the fact that she's an English teacher makes her more appealing and helpful to me, too!

Comments4Teachers: Bill Ferriter

I subscribed to Bill Ferriter's blog The Tempered Radical a couple of weeks ago; I receive alerts on my iGoogle home page every time he makes a new post. He is a 6th grade language arts teacher in North Carolina, and he is NOT very fond of interactive white boards; he believes that "Willy-nilly spending on silver bullets is literally sinking American schools." (That is a quote from his most recent post...) It's interesting to hear the other side of the story concerning SMART Boards - because everyone seems to be crazy about them, and he has certainly helped me see the downsides to spending the money on the "really expensive overhead projectors." Mr. Ferriter honestly believes that IWBs are not all that they are cracked up to be; everything that they "accomplish" can be done more efficiently and less expensively with practical tools than with a SMART Board. I'd have to say that I agree...

Another post I found to be very interesting was the one where Mr. Ferriter debated on whether or not school is relevant for students. He argued that, "the standardized preparation that students receive in our factory-model of education leaves them woefully underprepared to be noteworthy contributors when the enter the work world, where innovation and risk-taking are rewarded." What kind of life is this type of learning preparing these students for?

"What can we be proud of about American education? What should we criticize? What are you convinced we need to keep? What could we pitch tomorrow? Let's do a bit of dreaming about what should be."

Mr. Ferriter makes very good points that I have not really considered - especially about the whiteboards. He makes it a point to make his instruction as relevant and cost-efficient as possible, and I'm sure his students adore him and his honest, genuine, understanding instruction. I especially liked reading his posts about his life and personal teaching styles: he is an adoptive father with a noteworthy outlook on parenting, and he is an understanding teacher to his students.

Kids write my favorite blogs!

Here is an update to some more blogs written by kids that I have been reading lately:

Iron is a seven-year-old in Mrs. Tuala's class in New Zealand. Iron recited her "Mihi in Maori," and she did such a beautiful job! I wasn't really sure what a "Mihi in Maori" was, so I looked it up. "Mihi" actually means "tongue," and "Maori" is a culture. I found an amazing website that helped me better understand what this is. The Mihi is the story:

"Ko ___ te maunga" means: ____ is my mountain.
"Ko ___ te awa" means: ____ is my river.
"Ko ___ te iwi" means: ____ is my tribe.
"Ko ___ te kura" means: ____ is my school.
"Ko ___ te tumuaki" means: ____ is my principal.

This is certainly a wonderful thing for Iron to understand, and she did such a beautiful job learning and reciting hers! I'm proud of her!


Esrah is in Mrs. Barks's Room 10 class. He made a wonderful animation about his life at home and at school. I was really amazed at what this kid can do! I don't even know how to do animation. Hopefully Esrah will be posting more of his work soon. I watched some of the other animations from students in his class, and they were all equally impressive!


Miracle is in Room 16. Miracle made an animation about the Treaty of Waitangi that helped people live in peace. It really makes me wish I had learned how to do animation when I was their age! They are all so creative, and I know this teaching approach will help these students retain everything they've learned so far!

Comments4Teachers: Dianne Krauss

Dianne Krauss is an instructional technology specialist for professional development, assistance and support for the faculty in the Wissahickon School District; she posts many useful links on her blog "A Whole New Dianne" to help teachers use technology in their classrooms and in their everyday lives. Her blog posts (always titled, "Look what I found: date") include links to new gadgets and tools for the technology world - tools that enable, tools that supplement, and tools that teach. I've noticed that most of her blogs contain links to Wolfram|Alpha for Educators: this website includes links to lessons, demonstrations, resources, classroom assignments, and products on various subjects and services such as webMathematica and other technology topics. "Our long-term goal is to make all systematic knowledge immediately computable and accessible to everyone."

A wonderful link that she included in one her posts is a website designed to help anyone to create their OWN website. Flavors.me could be useful for teachers to create their own websites for their classrooms to help students and parents keep up with important information: deadlines, school activities, etc.

There are also lots of relevant links for specific study-oriented teachers (i.e. secondary educators): math teachers would really benefit from a website that would allow them to create their own practice worksheets to target exactly what they taught in class; science teachers could use videos from real scientists in the field of study they're teaching to supplement their lessons with real-life examples; teachers could contact other educators via Skype whom they believe could have more answers and insight on a topic to benefit their students. BBC has a website full of podcasts that may appeal to world history or civics teachers of 7-14-year-olds: it's like a news channel for children!

By following Dianne Krauss, I have come across TONS of new tools I can use in my future classroom to make sure that my students are getting the most out of the lessons I teach them; Mrs. Krauss will definitely be a valuable addition to my PLN.

Timetoast Timeline

I used Timetoast to create the most useful timeline I've ever made. I chose to do my timeline on my life so it would be easy for me to keep up with my constantly-changing life. I certainly plan to continue adding important details and dates to this timeline - one that will be easy to share with friends and new members of my family. I only wish my mother or grandmother had some sort of timeline for me to enjoy. This is such a wonderful way to keep up with all the important milestones in life - and an easy way to do school projects!


Enjoy!

Google Earth Project: Mobile Residencies

Since I have lived all over Mobile County for the past 18 years or so, I decided to use Google Earth to create a tour of my residencies. This will help me remember my life in Mobile after I move to Enterprise next month, and it will help me share a piece of my personal history with Mobile natives and new friends alike. Enjoy!



In order, these are the places I've lived (the stops in the tour):
Sunway Lane, Eight Mile
Middle Ring Road, Mobile
Winner Drive, Grand Bay
Gunn Road, Theodore (don't remember exact house)
Becky Lane, Mobile
Root Drive, Semmes
Patillo Road, Mt. Vernon
March Road, Irvington (don't remember exact house)
Red Roof Inn, Tillman's Corner
Natchez Highway, Wilmer
Dorm, University of South Alabama
Greentree Apartments, Mobile
The Grove, University of South Alabama (Not built yet in the picture)
Cimarron Ridge Apartments, Mobile
Jackson Crossing Apartments, Enterprise (Not built yet in the picture)

Survey Says!

I created a survey using a Google Docs Form, asking EDM 310 students about their opinions on some things about the class. 30 people responded, and this is what they had to say.

The questions I asked and the responses I was given are as follows:

Were you excited about taking EDM 310 initially?

I couldn't wait!		2	7%
It was required - no preference.		18	62%
I had nooo idea what I was getting myself into!		9	31%

Has EDM 310 met or exceeded your expectations so far?

This is exactly what I expected.		4	14%
I had no idea it would be this intense!		20	69%
No sweat. Easy stuff.		5	17%

How often do you attend required lab meetings and lectures?

I haven't missed one.		17	59%
They're required?!		1	3%
I go when I wake up on time.		0	0%
I've only missed a couple.		11	38%

What is/are your favorite part(s) about this class so far?

Writing blogs		9	31%
Reading blogs written by kids		13	45%
Creating my PLN for future reference		0	0%
Reading my classmates' blogs		1	3%
Projects! Presentations, podcasts, surveys!		1	3%
Skyping with people I've read about		2	7%
Working with my group members		2	7%
No exams!!		20	69%

People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.


Do you like filling out surveys posted?

I don't mind them.		24	83%
I don't see the point.		4	14%
What surveys?		0	0%
I couldn't wait to make my own!		1	3%

How about the blogs?

I look forward to doing mine every week.		5	17%
It's just another thing to do.		14	48%
I can't wait to get this over with.		10	34%
What blogs?		0	0%

What have you learned the most about so far?

Blogging		20	69%
iGoogle/Google Docs		17	59%
Skype		2	7%
Podcasts		12	41%
Delicious		0	0%
iTunes/iTunes University		3	10%
Personal Learning Network		13	45%
Other		1	3%

People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.


Which ones do you feel would be most useful to you in the future?

Blogging		17	59%
iGoogle/Google Docs		16	55%
Skype		9	31%
Podcasts		11	38%
Delicious		3	10%
iTunes/iTunes University		7	24%
Personal Learning Network		6	21%
Other		4	14%

People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

Dr. Strange mentioned how the lab meetings may not be required anymore. How do you feel about this?

I'll probably still come anyway.		18	62%
I don't understand why attendance is required anyway...		4	14%
Do it! Do it! Do it!		4	14%
I need more personal time for homework anyway.		3	10%

Using this scale, how strongly would you recommend this class to someone else?

1 -	Not at all!	2	7%
2		2	7%
3		1	3%
4		1	3%
5		5	17%
6		5	17%
7		6	21%
8		4	14%
9		2	7%
10 -	Prescribe to everyone.	1	3%

The recent debate about the expected time/workload for this class seems to be a touchy subject. How do you feel about it?
(These answers can be viewed here, and published comments about this question can viewed on my blog here.)

Using Google Docs for Teaching

Rachael Locklin and I created this presentation to teach our entire class about Down syndrome. We used Google docs to create a presentation that is easy to create, easy to follow, and easy to share.

A closer look at this blogger...

At the beginning of this semester, I was taught how to use Google docs to create presentations; for one of my projects, I used this feature of Google to create a presentation filled with pictures of me and my life. I decided to wait to post it to my blog so I could include a slide of my new niece, Kelsey: she was born March 3, 2010, at 5:25AM, weighing 6lbs, 14oz, 21in. Be sure not to miss that slide!

Also, since my class presentation, I added a slide of my engagement! Jeremy proposed to me on February 12 - the first day it has snowed in Mobile for 13 years; he actually wrote the proposal IN the snow. It was a very special weekend for me: the snow, Valentine's Day, and our 2-year anniversary.

Enjoy!

EDM 310 Workload = Touchy subject!

Dr. Strange is encouraging us to start a discussion for this week's blog post, and one issue I have been particularly interested in concerning our EDM 310 class...is the issue of the time expected to be spent doing work for this class. I did my survey on this issue (which can be taken here and results viewed here), and this was actually the last question I asked in it. The responses I got were vague and even vulgar. Now, I'm curious to see how people will respond when their names will be displayed...



So, my official question (as I asked in my survey) is "The recent debate about the expected time/workload for this class seems to be a touchy subject. How do you feel about it?"

My response to this question when I am asked is simply this:

I believe that this class would be easier to manage if it were split between two semesters as a series: some students are not as computer-savvy coming into this class as some, and these students would get more out of this class if they were allowed more time for instruction in and working on the projects and lessons. Certainly some people do not find the work hard, and these people very well can do the class in one semester; this is fine - just because some can and others cannot does not mean that those who are not as advanced are incompetent and don't deserve the same opportunities the others are given (because this was actually a response I got on my survey! How insensitive and arrogant!).

Once again, I'm curious to see how people will respond when their name appears with their answer...

It's all about CHANGE!

Technology-Illiterate Teachers like The Zax?
After watching this video posted on Dr. Strange's blog, I read some of the comments posted; I was amazed at how some people believed that teachers are like the two Zaxes. These characters were unnecessarily stubborn beyond reconciliation, and I don't believe that any teacher would be so set in his/her ways to the point of absolute refusal to change with the times - especially if it concerns the well-being and education of their students = their MAIN duty as a teacher! This idea is simply absurd, and if any teacher is considered a "Zax," perhaps they should reevaluate their profession...
"I'll stay here not budging; I can, and I will if it makes you and me and the whole world stand still." The world didn't stand still. The Zax got nothing accomplished in their stubbornness...


Won by a Landslide!
The children from PS 22 did such a wonderful job on their rendition of the song "Landslide." I've heard many versions before, and this one was definitely the most inspiring - the most beautiful.

To relate the lyrics to teaching (and to the Zax video), teachers should realize that change is good! Change indicates progress and improvements (in most cases, anyway); teachers shouldn't be "afraid of changes," because if they "build [their] lives around [students]," they would be changing with them: supplementing, encouraging, and improving their lives and their education.

The fact that these children allowed their work to be posted online, they allowed others to be inspired. Even the artist of the song originally was touched! This brought them to a concert in Madison Square Garden: a reward for their hard work and a chance to expand their inspiration to an entirely new, different audience. Posting work in public domains offers lessons for anyone in search of them. This is exactly what Kaia, Ms. Cassidy's students in Canada, and Mrs. McCafferty's class have been doing. I have learned so much from them and from many others brave enough to share their inspiration with the world!