Good Bye

I think that there is only one way to do this....

Final Blog Assignment

1. In EDM 310 I used many different technological tools that are going to be helpful to me as a teacher. I learned how to set up a blog account, how to do blog posts, how to do a google slideshow presentation, how to create a videocast, about the different types of podcasts, how to embed a YouTube video, how to make comments for kids and teachers, how to set up an iTunes, how to use iTunesU, and how to use Skype (you missed that one). I would have like to learn about Google Earth better, because I feel like I just wandered around in the dark with that program. In addition to this, I still don’t think twitter will be a tool that I will stick with.
2. As previously stated, I would have like to get a better understanding on Google Earth. I know there were a lot of videos and instructions; however I could not view them while I was creating my trip. I also would have liked to see more ways on how I could use twitter.
3. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that I wish I could “unlearn” anything in this class but I really found myself frustrated with the Google Earth. I was so frustrated with navigating the program and started to question myself “why am I doing this?”
4. There were a couple of assignments that excited me in this course. I really enjoyed getting feedback from my classmates on my writing. In addition to this, I loved viewing all of the comments4kids.
5. I would consider myself to be a decent writer, however the same could not be said about my grammatical usage. It has really been a challenge to make my work grammatically correct. I know this is pathetic being that I am going to be a teacher, but my grammar has defiantly seen better days. I always try to proof read my writing, but when I turn in a paper I get it back and my mistakes are kept private.
6. There were times in this class that I was bored. I am the type of person that doesn’t need detailed instruction and just likes to hear the main points. No offense, but Dr. Strange some of your instructional videos make me want to gouge my eyes out. I think that this could be improved by just stating what we need to do in the first thirty seconds of the videos.
7. I think that we should not have to write a blog the same week we have one of our main projects due. I think that our main project should be the focus of the week and throwing a blog assignment in there is a little over the top.
8. I think that I am technologically literate on a good level. The only reason I would not say that I am on the great level is because I think there is always room for improvement. I know there is still some areas where I am in the dark, as far a technology. For the most part, I think that I understand technology and I am comfortable using it.
9. There are several ways that I will maintain and improve my technology literacy in the next couple years. As technology advances I know that I will increase the usage and integration into my life. I already use my iphone, computer, internet, television, and radio on a daily basis. I think that I will increase my blogging and online journaling in the next couple of years.

Week 14 April 26

I watched a 7th graders video on her personal learning environment and i was a given a personal look at how she arranges it. She had her science class's blog, her email, Evernote, and Facebook. I also like to use Evernote, I think it is a great way to organize your schedule and different information. I am the type of person that has to have frequent reminders, everything in lists, and everything in one place which is why I use Evernote on my iphone and on the computer. In addition to this, the seventh grader in the video has a blog account that she checks daily, and I also have a couple of these.

Two Questions That Could Change My Life
If I had one sentence that described my life I would like it to be "she served God with everything she had". If that statement could be honestly said about myself then I believe everything else in my life would fall into place. If that sentence was could be true at the end of my life, I think that there would be so many other great achievements and contributions that I would have made in my lifetime.
I think it is important to ask yourself if you imporve on a daily basis. If you're not growing and learning daily than your life becomes meaningless. Self improvement is also a crucial part of living. To be able to evaluate your progress and better yourself is something I strive for.

Interview

Adam Brining and I did a collaborative interview with Dr.Erin Brining Hammond.

Professional Blog

http://foxspb.blogspot.com/

Substantive Blog

In the preceding blog you will be given a tutorial on the social networking site Myspace. This presentation was created by yours truly and Brendan Smith.
presentation

TimeToast

For the Timetoast Timelines assignment I chose my daughter Rian as my topic. I have been meaning to get her scrapbook started and record all the major events in her life. Since I haven't tackled that yet, I had all of these random notes in my cell phone. Timetoast was a perfect way for me to organize all of the important events and milestones in her life thus far.

GoogleEarth

VoiceThread

Survey

After sending a survey to many of my fellow students, I was able to get a grasp at the type of schedule they had this semester. The majority of my classmates were taking a work load of 15+ credits and the majority of Elementary Education majors were following the old program. Nearly all of my classmates had outside obligations in addition to school. These obligations were inclusive of: kids, work, church involvement, coaching, volunteering, babysitting, sports, animals, pregnancy, campus organizations, and relationships. The next question I asked was if this was their favorite class, and out of 53 students I only got one yes. After this, I asked my classmates if they had to teach a math lesson what would they prefer to teach it on a whiteboard, smartboard, or chalk board. The results showed that most students would like to use a smartboard or whiteboard, and only a couple of students would use a chalk board. Finally, my last question revealed that this was a very stressful semester for many students. To review this exact results of my survey follow this link: https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=tF4rXKnuGgxjk9hDmT3j9GA

Week 13 April 18

Week 12 April 11

The preceding video is one of the comments for kids I was assigned to in EDM 310. I love hearing the sounds of children singing. I also enjoyed hearing a foreign song that I was familiar with sang. Thanks to blog posts and youtube I was able to actively participate as part of an audience to children in another part of the world.


During this Spring semester I visited Jonathan's(a student at Avoca West School)blog which described a book he had read. I, along with many others were able to read his book review because it had been posted online. Posting his book review online has many advantages, he was able to use spell check and virtually free his writing of errors, and he was also able to get feedback from many readers.
To view his report follow this link: http://avoca37.org/13jonathans/2010/01/05/al-capone-shines-my-shoes-book-review/comment-page-1/#comment-8

Finally, I think the greatest advantage of posting student's blogs was that I, as a student, was able to connect to other learners in different areas. Although my writing may not be error free, I know that it has greatly improved grammatically. In addition to this, nothing makes me feel happier than children and I loved seeing, hearing, and reading about what they were learning.

Week 11 April 4

I read Mr. Chamberlain's blog, watched Kaia's video summary, and read her father's blog. Going out to explore nature and using technology to capture the moment was a moving experience. At the age of three Kaia was able to demonstrate her knowledge on the material she just learned. This information was then shared with classrooms across the globe including Mr. Chamberlain's.
Although Kaia is a typical child, what occured to me while viewing her video summary was how an assignment such as this could be used for special needs students to demonstrate thier mastery of subject matter. If a child has trouble expressing themselves through their writing, Kaia gave an excellent example of an alternative assingment. She was able to show us what she learned, and how she learned it even though she is still illiterate.
In addition to this, I also enjoyed the way one child's experience has had such a large impact on many other children and even adults. Who would have guessed a three year old could stir up so much knowledge and incentive.