Goodbye For Now

Randy Pausch mentioned that "You just have to decide if you are a Tigger or an Eeyore."
I believe that life is full of all kinds of situations that make us happy and sad and it is so important to remember that the way we react makes all the difference.
I have enjoyed EDM310 with Dr. Strange and my fellow students. I enjoyed chatting in class, reading your thoughts in your blogs, and getting to know a little about each of you. The best of luck to each of you as you continue your education and enter classrooms where you try to make a difference.

Dr. Strange's Questions about What I learned in EDM310

Wow! EDM310 was a very full and challenging journey for me. I was excited and apprehensive at the beginning of the semester. I knew I wanted and needed to know more about computers for myself and as a teacher, but part of me just did not want to jump into the technological world. Now I am not scared that I will break a computer with the stroke of the wrong key and I have learned lots of very wonderful technology applications I can use in my life and in my classroom.
The free applications of Google are probably going to be the tools I use on a daily basis. Once I set up my gmail account, iGoogle page, and started using Google Reader, I had established the method that I would use for working through this class. Google Docs and its many applications are useful in life and the classroom.
I believe iTunesU, and ALEX will be great resources for many questions and knowledge when and even before I am a teacher. I am very glad to have learned about them. Comments4kids has probably been the most enlightening experience. We saw actual teachers using blogging as a teaching tool and a communication tool with parents. I believe a teacher that uses technology that actually reinforces the objectives and motivates and inspires students is using technology well.
We read and learned a lot about why teachers should use technology in the classroom. We looked at student blogging, Wendy Drexler's "networked student", and Matthew Needleman's movie making, but I would have loved to have seen more actual ways teachers use the tool of technology in the classroom. I wonder what other ways they use technology to teach their state's course of study.
I really enjoyed Sir Ken Robinson's speech on creativity. I too believe that we tend to lose our creativity as we grow up. Many times the environment established in classrooms requires that students work toward a pattern so students feel the need to only complete assignments to meet standards rather than use their own experiences, interests, and imagination to create something unique that accomplishes the same goal of learning.
I learned about several inspirational people in this class. The most memorable was Randy Pausch. I do not believe that he was unique in his spirit or in his attitude toward the situation he faced. He just had the opportunity to share his emotions and thoughts in a forum that many heard. Several points he made in his speech will probably always be with me. He lived with beautiful confidence and determination. The "head fake" was extremely interesting to me and I will try to use it in my classroom.
As per Dr. Strange's request, this class did not excite me. This class overwhelmed me because there was so much information. I have learned a great deal. I have learned where and how to find information and I have made connections with educators all over the world who do what they do very well. But, this class covered so much information, I feel like I only glanced at much of it. I will have to go back and dig deeper as I continue learning.
I do not believe I was challenged intellectually. The way I think about technology was challenged. The idea of being a "technologically literate" teacher seemed great,but I am not completely sure I thought it was necessary, especially in the lower elementary grades. But, instead of kindergarten students using classroom computers for just educational video games, we saw examples of kindergarten students using computers to create. This and the fact that children are growing up in a world that uses technology more and more served to convince me that students should be exposed to technology for the purpose of education at very young age.
There were so many things to watch, read, think about, and comment about, I did not have time to be bored. I did grow weary of the discussion of whether or not we should be "technologically literate" teachers and whether or not students' work should be posted online. The best way to convince me that something is necessary or useful is to show me where it has been successful.
I do not believe I am “technologically literate”, but I am much closer than I was four months ago. Those who use technology and make its applications work for them are probably the most “literate”. It seems to me that I am still working to learn. The educators who we visited by way of skype, comments4kids, and blogs, are all making technology work for them. My “literacy” will improve as I continue to dig deeper into the information from this class, follow and communicate with my PLN, research for the remainder of my education classes, and prepare lesson plans for my students.

Collaborative Project 11

Three classmates and myself created an electronic poster about the water cycle to briefly demonstrate edu.gloster.com. We used CamStudio to record the video of the screen and the audio of our discussion. Windows Movie Maker was used to edit and add title and credits.
Glogster is a tool to produce online posters. Students may create an account or teachers may create a class account for all of his/her students. The students log on and can add text, graphics, movies, and audio to create a poster about any subject. The uses of this media and the possibility for student creativity is really limitless.

Thoughts on Doug Johnson's "Seven Stupid Mistakes and Seven Brilliant Things Teachers Do With Technology" and "New Classroom Rules"

Doug Johnson's list "Seven brilliant things teachers do with technology" includes several of the topics discussed in EDM310. I think his third point is an important one. "Make conferencing real-time." Not only can students benefit from the use of technology in the classroom, but so can their parents. As a parent, I have personally benefited when teachers have used technology to communicate about my child's progress. I can access their grades and averages online twenty four hours a day. This allows me to more effectively manage my child's academics. It gives us a chance to avoid any “surprise” grades by catching academic trends early and allows me to be more involved in my child's education.
I also believe his fourth point,"Put kids in touch with the world", highlights the unique usefulness that certain technologies provide. Much like a supercharged library, the internet can facilitate a child's natural curiosity to expand beyond the four walls of the classroom. This curiosity could help the teacher identify the child's passions. Then the child's own interests become a teaching tool, allowing the teacher to instill the importance of learning, researching, and communicating conclusions. These skills are intrinsic to the education process, and they always serve them well in society. In EDM310, Comments4kids introduced us to the possibility of students communicating with the world.
Our own Anthony Capps reminded us that we are creating an "intellectual trail" while using technology. Many of the mistakes listed in Doug Johnson's list "Seven Stupid Mistakes Teachers Make with Technology" can be avoided when considering the "trail" that one is leaving.
His sixth point, "Ignoring the intrinsic interest of tech use in today's kids", is very important because classroom teachers should use every tool and method at their disposal to "motivate and interest" their students. Children do have a great deal of interest in technology. They live in a world where their games and nearly all other entertainment involves some form of technology. The possibility of a keyboard and mouse instead of paper and pencil somehow seems much more interesting. The possibility of connecting with people in other parts of the world seems much more motivating.
The third "stupid mistake" of "Not supervising computer-using students" is incredibly important. Connecting with people in other parts of the world can be a very good thing, but the possibility for bad connections should not be ignored. Teachers should consider that they should try to protect their students from access to inappropriate sites and images. Classroom computers should be used with supervision and the monitor should be visible to anyone who may pass.
The New Classroom Rules by Education Innovation includes a couple of rules which I think are important because they are part of all the social skills that everyone should learn and use no matter the situation. "Be polite, courteous, and respectful at all times in both physical and virtual space." Much of what is learned at the elementary level is about how to treat others and how to behave in public settings. Remembering to be kind and respectful while communicating with people around the world is an additional skill that will always be useful.
Rule number six is somewhat like some of the classroom management strategies I've learned. "Don't Talk to your neighbors, unless you are sharing your ideas, asking for help or giving help." Many teachers ask their students to "Ask three, then me" when they have a question in class. Students are to ask three neighbors for help. This allows for "peer tutoring" and eliminates having to repeat some instructions for the teacher.

Thoughts on "At the Teacher's Desk"

Okay... I have to stop reading and actually write something about this wealth of information. At the Teacher's Desk is a collaborative blog of teachers of all grades, subjects, and even all parts of the world. There is demonstration and discussion on everything from how to copy and paste in a document to whether or not a teacher is better if he/she is also a parent. I learned about "Notebooking" and the many advantages of it and so much more...
The blog itself is easy to browse. The only problem is time. I tend to get lost following one post after another while learning all the time. I was already a follower of this blog. But now I realize that I should look into the blogs of the contributors....there is so much to be learned from their experiences and previous conversations.

"Whatever"?

Until now... Until I watched Michael Wesch's video, I thought nearly everything on youtube was nothing but silliness. In fact, in his speech, Mr. Wesch mentioned that possibly more than 99.9% of what is on youtube is irrelevant. The only serious exception that I have known of is it's use in passing along family video or instructional video.

But, there is a community of youtube viewers from around the world who are communicating. They are sharing all kinds of views and ideas. Not all youtube videos are silliness. Some youtube producers just want to be heard....heard for many reasons.

Developing My PLN

The limitless sources on the internet can be overwhelming. I believe creating and using a personal learning network of educators will help me find the most efficient and effective tools a teacher can use in the classroom. Not only will I be pointed in the right direction, these educators share the best ways to use applications and I can email, tweet, or ask questions in their blog to find additional information I might need. I am looking forward to the wealth of experience that I can learn and take into my own classroom.
I follow At the Teacher's Desk and have found information from teachers from all grade levels, subjects and even parts of the world. Our own EDM310 blog lists sources and links to follow for all kinds of information. I plan to go back to the links of some of our blog posts and dig deeper. I already know this will be a great place to find information.
I follow the tweets of several educators on Twitter, including Mr. Anderson from Web20Classroom, Nancy Stewart, Tom Barrett, and Kelly Hines, the author of "It's not about the Technology. I agree with Ms. Hines that, "Technology is useless without good teaching". I want to be a good teacher and I intend to use my PLN to gain as much knowledge of methods and tools as possible. As I learn in the education field, I'm sure that my interests and needs will change. My PLN will probably change as well and reflect new interests and needs.
I will try to remember that Dr. Strange said, "...a good teacher who lacks the ability to use technology effectively is not as good as she/he could be using technology."