Summary Post on C4T

The teacher that I was assigned to for my C4T's was the same teacher that I had for the month of March by the name of Mr. Fisch. I really enjoyed all of his posts and here is the link to his page as well as my comments: Mr. Fisch Blog

Blog Post #13

In this assignment, I was suppose to not use technology for 24 hours and it was so hard. Due to projects being due in this class and in my other classes, I could not do this assignment this past week so I decided to do it on Saturday. It was the most difficult thing to do. I, like many people, stay on my cellular phone whether it's talking on it, sending text messages, and especially using the internet. Staying off of Facebook and Twitter was not a problem and I guess that's why I thought this assignment would not be a problem, but I was sadly mistaken. Technology has become apart of our lives. Sad to say for me, it is a major necessity. Doing this assignment really made me appreciate the technology that we have available today. When we become so used to using a certain thing, we kind of get "too comfortable" with it and we really do not appreciate it until it is no longer in our possession. When my 24 hours was up with this assignment, I was practically kissing my phone with so much thankfulness! I use technology way more than what I actually thought. I truly believe that by the time I start teaching all of my second graders will more than likely have cell phones and probably another technical device that has not been created yet. Technology changes right before our eyes everyday, so I can only imagine what will be the "hottest" device to have when I become a teacher. The only thing that I know for certain, is that whatever technical device comes my way with my students, I will be ready for it.

Project #15, SmartBoard Instructions Part 2

Final Report on PLN

I really did not change anything on my PLN. I did not use it like I thought I would.

Creativity and Curiosity: My Thoughts- Special Post # 12A

In my opinion, Schools do destroy the creativity students. I agree because just as Sir Ken Robinson stated in his video, it seems as if Art or other elective classes are not viewed as being important enough. True enough, Mathematics, English, Reading and other subjects are extremely important, but we also cannot forget about the elective subjects either. School is not only about educating students, but it is also an environment for students to show their creative side, weather its a group or an individual activity. How can schools ignore creativity in students? Think about Pablo Picasso and what an awesome artist he was. Before any of us think about ignoring a student's creative side, we need to think about the long-term damage that we might be doing. For all we know, we could have another Picasso in the making. I do believe that a curriculum can be developed to increase the curiosity of a student. My idea would be to actually have Art and other "electives" classes required. This would give the students their deserved time to spend on their creative side. I strongly agree that the teacher's actions can have a negative or positive affect on a student. Children are like sponges and they soak up whatever they see. That is why the teacher has to show that he or she is just as enthused about their students' creative side just as the students are. Children can easily detect how someone else (especially an adult) may feel. We must let our students know that we are here for them and that we will help them reach and successfully achieve any and every goal that their hearts' desire. What would help me become more creative is to really focus on what I want to be creative on and of course having a teacher who is just as passionate about my creativity as I am. I would also want to have to proper curriculum as a student to ensure my success in my creativity. For example, the proper amount of time in class, homework, field trips, and other ways to help make sure that my creative needs were being met. What would help me become more curious is having a teacher, once again, who makes it interesting. Its nothing no worse than having a teacher who shows that they are just teaching to receive a paycheck. A teacher who is really interested in what their students are thinking and how they are receiving the information would most definitely have me more curious than before.

Progress Report on Final Project

My group and I have communicated mainly through text messages in regards to our project. We have agreed on using the smart board for our project. We will meet sometime next week to further discuss any additional information pertaining to our project.

C4K For April

For my first C4K of the month of April, I was assigned to a student by the name of Shane for three weeks, and I really enjoyed his posts. Here are the links to Shane's posts and also my comments. Shane's Blog and Shane's Blog 2. For my last assigned C4K for this month, I was assigned to a student by the name of Faauiga. Faauiga did an awesome job, and here is the link to her post as well as my comment. Faauiga's Blog

Blog Post #12

1.) Watch Welcome to the Digital Generation. Express your thoughts on this video. How would you incorporate technology in your classroom? Write two or more paragraphs, following the requirements in Writing A Quality Blog.

2.) Watch Preparing Teachers for the Technology-Enriched Classroom. How would you prepare yourself to teach using today's technology? Follow the requirements in Writing A Quality Blog.

In Welcome to the Digital Generation, the teachers expressed how technology is more than a tool to use; instead, it is an essential part of everyday life. Think about it. We use technology even when we do not realize it. Taking pictures with our phones, sending text messages, and using Facebook along with other social networking sites. Today's technology has become a basic necessity. Technology today also gives students the ability to express their creativity. Being unique and different is very important to a student (at least in my opinion), and to be able to have the tools to create this "uniqueness" is important and fun. For example, the avatars. I would have never guessed that creating an avatar would be one of a class assignment. How neat is that? Learning should not be a boring, dragging experience for students. It is their education, and they should be enjoying every minute of it.
Since I like the whole avatar creation, that would be one of my technical tools for my class. I am familiar with creating an avatar, but I do not have it mastered. I believe that it would be very interesting for my students as well as myself to learn how to create an avatar at the same time.

The video Preparing Teachers for the Technology-Enriched Classroom really helped me in various ways. I say that because like many, I do not know everything about a computer or the latest technical tool. The Rutherford County School System in this video use what is called QTL; Quality Teaching and Learning which promotes 21st Century Learning. One of the teachers in this video explains how technology is intertwined with today's learning. The technology that's available today is most definitively an aid with teaching. Steven Yarbrough, who is a math teacher in Rutherford County, explains how he has a better understanding of technology than he did before through QTL. As I mentioned previously, I do not know everything that there is to know about every technical tool, but I want to know as much as possible to ensure the best education for my students. Instead of every student looking at the chalkboard, this new way of learning with technology gives them the ability to not only have their own sense of freedom while learning, but to also engage with one another. How I would prepare myself to teach with technology is to learn as much as I can on my own and while in my classroom. As I stated in my first video of this post, learning along with my students would be interesting and fun. I would put in time outside of class and just explore as much as possible through the internet and with other technical devices. I am not that good with an iPad either, so I would also explore that as well.

Blog Post #11

First Graders in Ms. Cassidy's Class and Skype Interview with Ms. Cassidy

The video of Ms. Cassidy's class and her Skype interview was very enjoyable. In Ms. Cassidy's class video, the students demonstrated the different uses of blogging, Skype, and the do's and don'ts of blogging. One student mentioned how you should only say good things on someone's blog because you could hurt someone's feelings if you don't; I thought that was too cute. Also in Ms. Cassidy's video, I noticed that her class was interacting with another class while using Skype. Skype is new to me, but I am already seeing how helpful it is for classroom purposes. Not only Skype, but other useful technology tools. For instance, I would love to video everything my students have learned with technology just as Ms. Cassidy did. This will give my students the chance to show everyone what they have learned. Children love to have an audience, especially when they have worked very hard on something. Just as Ms. Cassidy stated, technology is not going away, so we might as well accept it and work with it. I noticed that she mentioned that some teachers feel as though they are not obligated to deal with today's technology in their classrooms. I totally disagree. Being an educator is not just a teaching process, but also a learning process. The educator and the students should be learning everyday collaboratively. In today's time especially, it is nearly impossible to teach children without technology. The technology that is available today helps so much in the classroom. For example, using Skype gives the students and/or the teacher the chance to interact to another class or another teacher on the computer. Also using the smart board, blogging, and the list just goes on and on.
Ms. Cassidy mentioned how blogging was a great way for not only her students to have an audience, but to also share what they have done with their peers. She said that it depends on the size of her class on how much they blog or not. I believe that I will have my students blogging no more than three times a week (at the most). I think they will enjoy it as much as I will.

Blog Post #10

Do You Teach or Do You Educate?
I enjoyed this video so much that I uploaded it to my Facebook page! I found this video so inspiring for future educators who are really passionate about educating. Speaking for myself, it excites me knowing that each day I am getting closer and closer to my goal, my dream; and that is becoming an educator. Knowing that one day I will have the privilege to be apart of a child's academic success puts a smile not only on my face, but in my heart. I decided to become an education major because of the genuine love that I have for education and of course children. I strongly believe this is my calling and I am so excited about it. In my opinion, children deserve to have a teacher who is not only passionate about educating but also passionate about them. An educator should make sure that their class are receiving the proper guidance; just as the video pointed out. This video differentiated between teaching and educating, which are two completely different things. From my own perspective, I feel as though "teaching" is just doing your job, receiving a paycheck, and going home; but an EDUCATOR takes the time out for his/her own students, nourishes them with education, guides them, encourage them, all the things that were mentioned in the video. As future educators, it very important that we know what our role is in the classroom. We are not just there to receive a check and leave; the parents of our students have entrusted us to guide their children down the successful road and it is up to us to make sure they obtain as much knowledge as they can. Let us not let our students down. We have the privilege of being apart of their success; let us make sure we give them the best education ever!

Tom Johnson's "Don't Let Them Take the Pencils Home!
This blog by Mr. Johnson had a great message. The "problem" about students taking their pencils home was, according to an article read by the school's interventionist, was that students' standardized test scores were low. I loved the point that Mr. Johnson made concerning this matter. As I was reading, I stopped and thought about how pencils are used for drawing, playing games (Tic-Tac-Toe, for example), and other sources of entertainment that children use pencils for. Even though this was an analogy to prove a point, the message was pretty clear; focus on the solution instead of the issue. A simple game that a child plays can amazingly teach them something. The learning process continues, even outside of the classroom. That is the interpretation I got when Mr. Johnson stated "There's probably some learning that's taking place that we don't realize". It is amazing how the small simple things actually turn out to be the "brain-ticklers" as I call them.