Project #8 Book Trailer

Blog Post #6

What do we need to know about asking questions to be an effective teacher?

As teachers our job is to facilitate learning. Learning cannot be had without thinking, and questions are the Miracle Grow for the proverbial thought garden. Hungry for more metaphor? Well questions are a teacher's greatest weapon in the war against ignorance! The point is questions are important! We as teachers must always ask questions and promote the importance of questions. In Ben Johnson's The Right Way to Ask Questions in the Classroom he brings up the fantastic point that many teachers assume that just because their students do not ask any questions about a subject that they understand it. This is most certainly not the case. To battle this be consistent and specific with your question asking. Even if students do not answer, questions could be having an impact and getting their think-engines going! Great questions encourage students to question and critically think about what they're being taught. Ben Johnson brings up another amazing point about general questions when he addresses the problem with the majority of students assuming the "smart kids" will answer the questions so they just do not pay attention. This leads to some students almost never answering questions in class. These archaic methods of communicating with students is detrimental to education in our day-and-age. Be spontaneous and keep it personal with the students to overcome these obstacles. Knowing your students and how to approach them in asking questions is vital to helping them learn. Also keep in mind that they're not the only ones learning. Like I said previously our job as teachers is to facilitate learning. That is not a one way street! In helping others to learn you will inevitably learn much along the way!

Blog Assignment #5

C4T#1

"How To: Create a Custom Callout in Camtasia"
By Brian Bennett
C4T#1, Comment#1 17 August 2013

This was the 1st blog post from Brian Bennett's blog that I reviewed and commented on for C4T. In this post Brian Bennett talks about a program for Mac called Camtasia and a function known as Callouts. I am unfortunately not familiar with this program but I still found his post very interesting. In his post he explains his process of making custom callouts. I admire how he found the function of callouts in Camtasia and had the ambition to create his own custom callouts. His approach to his tutorial was through a clear and well composed video. I complimented him on his implementation of a video tutorial instead of a drawn out text walk through which tend to be boring and hard to follow. As I stated I am unfortunately not familiar with Camtasia or Callouts but I still found his tutorial education and even hope to put it to use some day when I finally get a chance to try out Camtasia.

"And Then There Were Three"
By Brian Bennett
C4T#1, Comment#2 13 September 2013

Upon reading the 2nd post of Brian Bennett's blog for my C4T assignment I was pleased to find this post was to announce Brain's family growing from two to three! I was certainly not expecting this pleasant surprise and I am so happy for him even being so new to his blog. I congratulated him and wished his new family the best. I also commended him on his admirable faith as he said, "I trust our doctor. I trust his judgement and wisdom. I trust his staff, who alerted us to the fact that Lindsey’s amniotic fluid is lower than it should be. But I also trust that God has arranged all of our meetings, relationships, and circumstances with our best interests in mind." I really enjoy reading Brian Bennett's blog and look forward to hearing more from him as he enters this exciting new stage of his life.

Project #3 Presentation

Blog Assignment #4

Podcasts



Langwitches-Flat Stanley Podcast
The Flat Stanley podcast assignment this first grade class had was pretty interesting. I wish I would have had assignments like this in grade school. After reading Jim Brown's Flat Stanley, the students were to research a location of their choosing at the library or online and use this information to make a short script. They used this script to describe a journey they would embark upon as Flat Stanley themselves. The kids did a fantastic job at reading expressively which is key in a podcast. I love this assignment, for it required the students to do research and to flex their creative muscles. The sensory appeal the kids had with their descriptions was fantastic and surprisingly detailed. I also really appreciate how these students have learned the skill of being articulate which is again key in an audio medium. This is definitely a skill that even I can learn from and employ in my own podcasts. If I were to ever carry out an assignment like this I would most certainly follow suit in having the students input their own creative ideas.

The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom by Joe Dale
In this video Joe Dale explains the new generation of students, Millenials, and how their lives are very different as they have never known life without the technology of today. He goes on to say that due to this fact, podcasting in the classroom is a very effective tool for teaching these tech savvy students. One of the first examples used in the video is how a podcast can be useful in the case of a sick student. If the student is sick and unable to attend regular class for an extended period of time, a podcast is a great solution for getting that much needed information to the student. One point I am really glad Joe Dale hit on in the video is that podcasts are easily accessible and can be consumed on the go. I personally am a big fan of podcasts and listen to them regularly while I am driving. Podcasts are an effective means of getting information while I am engaged in an activity like driving where I am unable to do anything else and it prevents that time from being wasted. In the video a Mr. Dell is shown using podcasts as a way of making reading materials during class more engaging. He had teachers read parts in character and I think this is a very effective way of presenting the information to his class. The vocally expressive podcast readings would do a much better job keeping the students' attention and getting them to visualize the scenarios. Another way podcasts are utilized in this video is as a medium for the students to perform in character as historical figures or other roles. I have seen this in various other applications of podcasting as it seems to be pretty popular. It is an interesting way to teach and get your students to interact that I had never even thought of before. This video definitely showed me that podcast are quite versatile as tools in project based learning.

Judy Scharf Podcast Collection
Judy Scharf's Podcast Collection is a great source for information on how to start podcasting. The collection even includes helpful videos showing you how to obtain and use software that is vital to podcasting. She provides many valuable tips when it comes to giving podcasting as an assignment to a class, which is very helpful, but these tips are also great for podcasting yourself. I will certainly be using some of these materials and tips when it comes time to make my own podcast. Some of her tips that really stuck out to me where to give yourself plenty of time(Everything tends to take longer than you would expect!) and to familiarize yourself with your software. She includes various documents that have step-by-step instructions on creating podcasts, utilizing websites such as podbean, and even submitting your podcast to iTunes. Judy Scharf did a fantastic job of compiling an extremely valuable source to anyone interested in podcasting, and I will most definitely be using her aid in the near future.

Blog Assignment #3

The What is Peer Editing? video and Peer Edit with Perfection Tutorial are two great sources for learning the process of peer editing. It seems elementary but mastery of this skill is key. Personally I found these sources very helpful as my editing skills are most certainly in need of improvement. I am great at complementing specific points of my peers work and even finding better ways of wording some ideas, but I unfortunately am terrible at spotting random grammar mistakes. I really like how both the video and slideshow split the process of peer editing into a three step system of compliments, suggestions, and corrections. This is a well structured system that covers all the bases and importantly has a great focus on staying positive. Being positive and conducting your edit with humility is key in peer editing effectively without incurring a negative reaction from your peer. I like how the slideshow tutorial enforces the fact that you need to be specific in every step of the editing process. It's not always the easiest job to peer edit correctly but I will try to implement these skills more from now on. During our collaborative project, my group mates and I peer edited quite successfully within our Google Document, which is an extremely useful tool. By using this tool together we created a well made review and bettered our own writing by finding each others mistakes and reinforcing our best ideas. However, if we would have not have used this method I would have left my edit in a public comment on their post. I do not think a personal email is necessary for there is nothing to be embarrassed about when it comes to editing! We are all human and all make mistakes and maybe someone else could benefit from the edit comment too. I often look at peer edit comments on other post to learn how to better spot these corrections myself.



Writing Peer Review Top 10 Mistakes is a humorous yet helpful video showing the DO NOT'S of peer editing. The creative and cute short uses some very interesting archetypes to provide examples of negative and ineffective peer editing. Picky Patty, Mean Margaret, and Defensive Dave are few great examples of the archetypes that exemplify the wrong mindsets when it comes to peer editing. This video reinforces the What is Peer Editing video and Peer Edit Tutorial on the necessity of positivity during editing. All of the examples showed an outcome of what could happen if we all conducted our peer editing without any discipline or focus.

Blog Assignment #2

Professor Dancealot by: Jo Davis, Secoria Burks, and Lindsay Stewart
Professor Dancealot is not your ideal teacher. Was he knowledgeable about his subject? Yes. Was he knowledgeable about being able to effectively teach his skills to others? No, if anything, the professor provides an example of what not to do in teaching. Professor Dancelot did utilize one form of technology (PowerPoint) in his classroom; however, the subject he was teaching could have benefited from a more “hands-on” style of instruction as a dance class by nature should be interactive. Even though the professor used a PowerPoint, it did not engage the students as it was only words with a few diagrams. With the technology available today, even adding a video in his lessons would have made his teaching slightly less depressing for his students. Professor Dancealot attempted to teach his students the different types of dances including form and movement; however, Professor Dancelot stayed behind a long desk the entire time. This prevented his students from seeing the necessary moves for each respective dance, and when the students attempted to participate, the professor advised them to remain seated and quiet. The students stated they felt as if they were not learning anything, and they showed no comprehension of the material taught. This is because they were not allowed to practice the skills being taught nor were they able to see the skills performed correctly. Professor Dancealot’s teaching style leaves much to be desired, and this style could be aligned with the “burp-back” education method that today’s students see far too often. Professor Dancealot could benefit from a semester in EDM310!



Jo Davis: Harnessing Your Student's Digital Smarts
Edutopia’s video on “Harnessing Your Student’s Digital Smarts” showcased Vicki Davis and her fantastic take on the teaching and application of technology in school. Technology classes such as Vicki Davis’s are the future of our education system. We absolutely need more examples like this class and teacher in schools all around the world. It was made a point to say that Davis did not let the fact that she lives and teaches from rural Georgia stop her from being technologically literate. She has a passion for teaching future generations to be well versed in using technology and getting them to have a desire to explore it themselves. The fact that her class was completely hands-on, and even had the students instruct at times, ensures that the students have an actual understanding and are developing their skills. The use of tools like blogs, online-parter based projects, and even a class wiki provides great opportunity to learn how to utilize technology in various ways. Another thing I found very interesting is at one point in the video the curriculum director speaks on how Vicki Davis has gotten them connected to the whole world. The curriculum director being the one to say this made me think about how due to the fact that this class is being connected to the whole world, it is very likely that the standard of their curriculum is being raised to match that of an international level, not restricted to that of a rural area. This technological interconnectivity results in more culturally aware thinkers! This is a very exciting indication of the future of education and how it will mold the minds of generations to come. Simply giving children access to this kind of technology and then providing the opportunity to learn tech skills is a wonderful thing. Davis even at one point states that she learned how to terraform in the class software from the students. Early introduction of technology into everyday life for these children is first step for education in the Informations and Post-Information Age and its limitless possibilities. Forward thinking pioneers like Vicki Davis, and even sites like Edutopia, are what get me excited for future of education.

Secoria Burks: The Networked Student
The Networked Student, Connective learning gives students the ability to teach themselves in a very real and interactive way. Through the use of social networks and the internet, the student becomes his own instructor, there are no books and the teacher barely lectures. The idea behind this type of teaching is that learning is done with connections that can be acquired through technology.Essentially the student would make their own virtual textbooks. They would use databases,message boards, forums, and expert sources to create a knowledge base on the subjects they are studying.Classmates would then share their findings on a blog that can be seen by the world. The teacher might seem useless at this point but their role is to teach the student how to build and manage their newly acquired knowledge. The teacher would give guidance, teach how to effectively communicate with potential experts on subjects, teachers would also help students navigate away from propaganda and stick to the facts, and how to start the search for information.

Lindsay Stewart: Teaching in the 21st Century
Teaching in the 21st Century- In Kevin Roberts’ Prezi, he expresses his views for what it means to teach in the 21st century. Kevin views the changing landscape of education to be one that is evolving into an environment of technology, networking, and collaboration. Kevin describes how traditional education is becoming obsolete. He explains how students can now get the information they need on any topic at any moment via the internet (through various sources). Kevin suggests that teachers should become “filters,” because students can find the information they need; however, someone is needed to help the students break that information down and use it effectively with all the available technological tools. Kevin’s views on the future of education may in fact one day be the norm, and in some educational settings, it is being used on a smaller scale. While I agree with Kevin on many of his points, I also believe there is more work to be done in providing all students with the kind of technology that Kevin presents in his Prezi. There are still many locations/communities that do not have access to a high-speed internet service; in addition, how can we get more funding for our schools to stay on top of the ever-changing technologies? Today, many schools are working on outdated technology equipment (if they have access to any at all). These are issues that merit consideration, as our current education system has certain standards to be met for students at different grade levels. How can we measure a student’s progress if they do not have access to the same tools as a student from a school/community that has the latest technologies at their fingertips?

If Kevin is correct in his analysis, education as we know it will never be the same. Students (and adults) crave knowledge, and this desire cannot and should not be stifled. Kevin’s break down of teaching in the 21st century is certainly something we should contemplate, and when possible, we should utilize these concepts when teaching others.