Blog Assignment #15 - Final Reflection/Exam

Blog Assignment #14

"Top Ten Tips for Using Technology in the Classroom" by Jose Picardo.

I thought Mr. Picardo's video was very interesting. He had some really informative tips! I like that he gave just a little information about each and kept the video short and simple. One of the tips Mr. Picardo mentioned that I'm not familiar with is steaming videos. I've seen people "stream" things such as videos before but it's not something I necessarily know how to do. Something I do use that Mr. Picardo mentioned is music! I love music and love to use music whenever I can. I'm also very familiar with iTunes and I'm comfortable using it. Tip 3 was using teleconferencing tools and that's something that I would like to get better at. I've had some issues with Skype in the past and it has discouraged me from using it more often. I need to give it another try!

Tip 5 talked about using your interactive whiteboard more effectively and thanks to EDM310 I believe I can do that! During Projects #13 and #15 I learned so much about Smart-Boards and I'm truly excited about being able to use them to teach! Also, Another Tip Mr. Picardo mentioned was using Pot-casts and (again) thanks to EDM310 I know how to conduct/use a Pod-cast in my own classroom! Tip 7 was to start a blog or wiki! I have really, really enjoyed "blogging" this semester for EDM310 and I intend to keep it up even after this class ends! So I know that is something I can definitely use and I will know how to incorporate it into my classroom!

C4T #4

For my C4T #4 posts I was assigned to comment on Matthew Tabor's "education for the aughts."

For my first post on 11/12 I commented on "Early College High Schools and Accelerated Students". This post was about students being able to participate in Early College programs, College Prep courses, etc. This was my comment to Mr. Tabor:

Hi Mr. Tabor,
My name is Kristen Phelps and I’m currently in Dr. Stanges’ EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. I’ve been assigned to comment on your blog! My sister was actually accepted into one of the ECEP (Early College Enrollment Programs) that was available at her high school here in Alabama. Like so many students she was “bored” with high school. She went through the application process, got accepted, and now has a Culinary Degree. I’m not saying that the Early College/ Accelerated Programs are for everyone but it suited her. Like you said, the question wasn’t whether or not these programs are good ideas, it’s whether or not the money is there. For the sake of people like my sister who absolutely cherished the opportunity to be in the ECEP program, I hope that these programs can find/have the appropriate funding to keep them going.

For my second post on 12/4 I commented on "SAT and ACT Mean Nothing?". This was my comment to Mr. Tabor was:

Hi Mr. Tabor,
My name is Kristen Phelps and I’m currently in Dr. Stanges’ EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. I’ve been assigned to comment on your blog! I've actually heard several debates, in school this year, regarding the SAT/ACT's usefulness. Personally, I think that both have advantages but in terms of measuring what your success in college is going to be, I'm not so sure. Overall, this was a very interesting post! Thanks for sharing!

Final Report on My PLN

My PLN has definitely come a long way. I find that for me instead of using Symbaloo, like I was using at the beginning of the semester, I like to use "Bookmarks" to keep up with all of my sites and blogs. I enjoyed using Symabloo but didn't find myself updating it as often as I should so I decided "bookmarking" was the best option for me. Yes, it's a little old school but I can keep up with things better this way! Also, I have started using Twitter very frequently to keep up with specific people I have found to "follow". Michael Smith is one person that I have added to my PLN/follow on twitter that I absolutely love! His page The Principal's Page is hilarious and full of awesome information! I would highly recommend checking it out!

Project #16 - Final Project

C4K - November Summary

The C4K assignments were truly one of my most favorite assignments in EDM310 and I'm so sad that they're over! During November I commented on 3 different "kids" blogs.

On 11/6 I commented on a post by Mr. McClung. He assigned his students to "create their own countries". On the post he published a couple of the students projects. This was my comment to Mr. McClung and his students:

Hello!
My name is Kristen and I’m student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. This assignment seems like it was a lot of fun! I would have loved (or still would love, :]) to do an assignment like this! Carollelea sounds like a fabulous place to live and the story of how it came to be was so creative. I would love to see more of these! Thanks for sharing!

On 11/13 I commented on Mrs. Yollis' Class Blog. Her students had made a video to wish a very special friend of their class Happy Birthday! This was my comment to Mrs. Yollis' class:

My name is Kristen and I attend the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. I'm currently in Dr. Stranges' EDM310 class and as a part of my grade I get to comment on your blog!
It was so sweet of you guys to wish your friend Mrs. Morris Happy Birthday! I loved that you did it through video. What a great birthday present!

Happy blogging!

Kristen

For my last C4K on 11/20, I commented on Kane's blog. He is a Year 6 student and had written a post about Rugby! This was my comment to Kane:

Hi Kane!
My name is Kristen and I'm a student at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama in the United States. I'm currently in Dr. Stranges' EDM310 course and I get to comment on your blog as a part of my grade! I don't really know a lot about rugby but it seems like an awesome sport! You seem to really like it! I'm very impressed that you know so much about the players. Keep up the great work!

Skype Interview

Project #15 SmartBoard Instruction Part 2

Blog Assignment #13

"My Teacher Is an App"

"Nationwide, an estimated 250,000 students are enrolled in full-time virtual schools, up 40% in the last three years." This article, "My Teacher Is an App" by Stephanie Banchero and Stephanie Simon, appeared in the Wall Street Journal a couple of weeks ago. The focus of this article was "cyber-education". Specifically online school for grades K-12 vs. traditional schools. It touched on how standardized testing scores between the two compare. One factor the article mentioned was that some students test scores depend on how long they've been apart of the online program/school. Typically, the longer the student is apart of the program the better the test results. Another topic the article touched on was the possible financial benefits/disadvantages there are to online schools for school districts.

As a future educator, I'm somewhat torn with the idea of cyber-education. One of the reasons I want to be an Elementary school teacher is because I love being around children. So if I was a "cyber-teacher" I wouldn't get to communicate, teach and ultimately spend face to face time with the children. At the same time, I completely understand that some children are on a higher level than other children. In this case, I think that online schooling would be ideal for them, specifically the fact that they can be in a 4th grade reading class instead of a 1st grade reading class if they are already on that level. In that case, that would be the most beneficial situation for the child and as an educator I need/want to have their best interest in mind.

Additional Post #1

OH NO! MY HEAD IS SPINNING! I MISSED THE METAPHOR! :)

Yes, I missed the metaphor on Blog Assignment #10. WHY, you ask? I think I missed the metaphor for the same reason a lot of other people missed it. I OVER THINK THINGS IN THIS CLASS! I admit it! This class makes me a little nervous (still) and I get so focused on the "assignment", "Did I do this? Did I do that? I need to finish this/that!" that I completely mess up all together! I've had to learn throughout this semester that... IT HAPPENS! So I took this "mess up" and used it as a learning experience, as Dr. Strange suggested.

Over the past few weeks I have been on the hunt for metaphors! Here are a couple that I heard or either said myself (Apparently I'm a huge fan of metaphors and use them in my life constantly. So the fact that I "missed the metaphor" is slightly embarrassing to me BUT it happens.):

“Keep your eyes peeled."

“My mind is cloudy at the moment.”

“It was like music to my ears.”

“You light up my life.”

“My head is spinning thanks to all the things that have happened this week."

“You’re a doll.”

“She has a heart made of gold.”

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

"I just froze."

"I could sleep for a week."

I COULD go on...but I won't.

So how as an educator, could I help my students better understand metaphors? Honestly, I'm not sure that I was ever thoroughly explained the concept of metaphors. Maybe metaphors are just something we as funny/sarcastic human beings are just supposed to know? Maybe I missed the memo? I'm not sure what happened but either way I think this is something that needs to be addressed from the time children start to really get into reading. If they don't know already, they need to be told that sometimes things don't always mean what it seems like they do. Some children may just be a little slower to catch on to things like metaphors (like me). Personally, I would give funny examples to the kids so that they would remember exactly what a metaphor means so that they could be on the "look out" for them. Also, I would give them stories filled with metaphors and have them circle/highlight the metaphor they find. This is coming from an "Elementary Major" point of view.

Lastly, why do we use metaphors? Personally, I think that I use metaphors to be funny or to have a way to say things that might be "uncomfortable" to say "normally". To me, metaphors are a way to dress up everyday speech and to have fun with what's being said. Obviously I need to take my own advice and be on the "look out" for metaphors from now on!

Project #13 SmartBoard Demonstration

Blog Assignment #12

Directions:

On the first Sunday of the month you will need to find an Education/Technology related article to read, shortly summarize and share the link to the article with the class. The article needs to be recent (within the last 3 months of the current date). The purpose of this is so that you learn to navigate around the web and ideally this could help you build your PLN. As a part of C4C your classmates will read your article/short summary and leave a comment with their thoughts about the article. By having to locate an article yourself, you will probably have to visit several different sites/blogs to explore what's out there. Hopefully you will have some really interesting discoveries!


Assignment:

Dome, computer could bring 3D learning to school

This article is about teacher Doug Meyer and his hope to use an inflatable dome and computer software to enhance student learning. Mr. Meyer teaches at a Charter-school and is hoping to find sponsors to fund this project. According to Mr. Meyers, "the technology works similarly to a hologram in Star Trek." The dome could be used in biology, engineering and design classes.

Progress Report on Final Project

At this point Josh and I are organizing everything for our Final Project. We have meet and discussed everything that needs to go into this project. We are still fine tuning all of the little details but it's coming along nicely! I can't believe this semester is almost over!

C4K #10 - Mrs. Yollis' Classroom Blog

Mrs. Yollis' Classroom Blog

WOW! Mrs. Yollis and her 3rd graders are truly amazing! Their classroom blog alone has had 75,679 visitors, EDM310's has had 48,860. In my opinion, that's awesome for a 3rd grade classroom blog! I understand why though, the blog is filled with cool stuff. One of the things I liked most about Mrs. Yollis' blog was that she uses tons of videos! Her students have uploaded videos that pertain to certain assignments and Mrs. Yollis has several instructional videos, for example, the "How to Comment" video. When you go into the "Classroom Website" on the left sidebar there are 25 different tabs that include the students spelling list, math help and a "my homework" section! This is such a great way to connect parents to the classroom! Also, this can help the parents help the children. It's really a win-win for everyone! I saw where Mrs. Yollis' class does different types of Skype sessions. Two types in particular were "Share and Compare" and "Mystery Skype". I'm sure they're great ways to learn but they also look like tons of fun!

Blog Assignment #11

Ms. Cassidy's video "Little Kids....Big Potential" and the Skype Interview with Ms. Cassidy

I truly enjoyed watching Ms. Cassidy's video "Little Kids....Big Potential", as well as the Skype interview with her. I thought it was really awesome that in the interview Ms. Cassidy said that she has been using technology in her classroom for about 10 years! It would be really interesting if Ms. Cassidy had some videos from when she first started using technology in her class 10 years ago! Some of the techniques that Ms. Cassidy discussed such as using Nintendo DS's is something that I would be interested in doing in my own classroom. I would also like to learn more about wikis and put those to use somehow. Some impediments that I might run into would be parental negativity or negativity from administration which I would have to deal with as it came about. In a perfect world I would hope that both parents and the administration would be on board for broadening their children's horizons but I know that this isn't a perfect world! So perhaps I could go into a litter more detail with parents or others that have hesitations about technology being used in the classroom. Ms. Cassidy said two things in particular that really jumped out at me...One was, "Why would a child want to write on a piece of paper for just me to see it, when they can write on their blog and the whole world can see it?" So true! That is one thing I love about my blog! I've told so many people throughout the semester "Go look at my blog!" I'm proud of it and I like to show people! Another thing Ms. Cassidy said was, "We cannot teach kids in this generation using the tools that worked 20 years ago...10 years ago...even 5 years ago...we have to change, because the world has changed!" I absolutely agree with her...I think this might need to be one of the "motto's" for EDM310!

C4K - October Summary

During October's "Comments 4 Kids" I commented on 5 different "kids" blog posts. One of the things I love most about C4K is that each week we are assigned to different kids. All of the posts I read this month were so different from one another!

For my 10/2 post I commented on Erilyn's post "I would like to visit Guam". In this post Erilyn explains her reasons for wanting to visit Guam. This was the comment I left for Erilyn:
Hello Erilyn!
My name is Kristen and I’m in Dr. Strange’s EDM310 course at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. As part of my grade for the course I get to comment on your blog! I think it’s really awesome that you want to visit Guam because that’s where part of your family is from! I did some research on Guam after reading your post and it look like a beautiful place. I really enjoyed reading your post and looking at your blog! Keep up the great work!

For my 10/9 C4K I commented on Kasey's blog post "Google!!!!!!:)".
In the post Kasey gave some really interesting facts about Google. This was the comment I left for Kasey:
Hi Kasey!
My name is Kristen and I’m in Dr. Strange’s EDM310 course at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. As part of my grade for the course I get to comment on your blog! I love that you chose Google to blog about! I love Google. It has become a “tool” that I use probably every single day! I had no idea that the name “Google” was an accident, that’s really interesting! Your blog is awesome! Keep up the great work!

On 10/16 I commented on Peyton's blog post "STEM center K’NEX Activity!". Peyton and a friend built a car out of K'NEX. In the post he described the process of building the car and he also added some pictures and videos! This was the comment I left for Peyton:
Hi Peyton!
My name is Kristen. I’m currently in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama and I have been assigned to your blog. The car that you and your partner built out of the K’NEX was awesome! I have a little brother who loves to build things with K’NEX. I also really enjoyed the videos that you posted at the end! What a great way to add something different to your post! You’re doing an awesome job with your blog!

On 10/23 I commented on Yengshi's blog post "Scary Story". Yengshi wrote a really "scary" story about a couple of friends getting lost while they were on a drive! This is the comment I left for Yengshi:
Hi Yengshi!
My name is Kristen and I'm currently in Dr. Stranges' EDM310 course at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. I really enjoyed reading your "Scary Story"! It was extremely scary! I loved the suspense you added and how at the end you tied everything together! Keep up the great work!

On 10/31 I commented on Michael's blog post "Australian Outback". This post was actually an animation Michael had made about the Australian Outback. It was really neat! I left this comment for Michael:
Hi Michael!
My name is Kristen and I am a student in Dr. Stranges' EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. Your animation of the "Australian Outback" is AMAZING! It looks like you put a lot of time and effort into it! I would love to learn how to do an animation like yours! Thank you so much for sharing your hard work with us!

C4T #3

For my C4T #3 posts I was assigned to comment on Matthew Tabor's "education for the aughts."

The first post I read was titled "The Education Community Can't Read or Researach". I would highly suggest going and reading this post by Mr. Tabor. It is so unique and there is a lot to this aritcle that I think would be beneficial for aspiring teachers to see!

This is the comment I left for Mr. Tabor:

Hi Mr. Tabor,
My name is Kristen Phelps and I’m currently in Dr. Stanges’ EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. I’ve been assigned to comment on your blog! I have to say that this was one of the most interesting and straight forward posts that I’ve seen this semester. I have to admire how subtle yet blunt you are. We have done several projects this semester about how extremely important it is for us (as prospective teachers) to make sure that we do research and lead our students to credible sources. I find it interesting that so many teachers jumped on board with this topic with out doing SOME research first. I really enjoyed reading this post and all of its comments. Thanks for sharing!

The second post of Mr. Tabor's that I commented on was "Best Education Sites Maps College Web Design, Utility". In the post he talked about colleges using social networking and the internet in general for marketing to students. He included a website- "Best Education Sites". I would highly recommend checking this website out! It has a lot of cool stuff on it in regards to internet usage, what colleges have the most "followers" on Twitter, and things like that!

This is the comment I left for Mr. Tabor:

Hi Mr. Tabor,
My name is Kristen Phelps and I’m currently in Dr. Stanges’ EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. I’ve been assigned to comment on your blog! Considering that I'm still in college, I understand this article oh, so well. It was only 3 years ago that I had the joy of being harassed via snail mail by colleges! :) I have noticed though, that colleges have really jumped on board with social networking through things such as Facebook, Twitter, and their own personal websites. Sometimes I feel like everywhere I turn I have a "Check us out on Facebook" sign staring me in the face! I checked out the "Best Education Sites" link from your post and I have to say that I thought it was REALLY interesting! I'm going to put a link to it on my blog for my classmates and hopefully my teacher to take a look at! I think they would all find it interesting as well. Thanks for sharing!

Blog Assignment #10

"Do you Teach or Do you Educate?"

I found this video to be very interesting. I think the question "Do you Teach or Do you Educate" is very, very good question that all educators should ask themselves. In order to be in this profession we need to be able to teach. But, maybe some people that already are or plan to go into the "teaching" profession don't always intend on educating.

Educating to me means that I will give whatever it is that I can give to my students to ensure that they LEARN and SUCCEED. In order to do this I'm sure this will take a lot of time. Probably a lot of the time it will take my personal time. Not the the designated school time from 7:45 a.m. to 3:05 p.m. I'm sure I will have to knock down some of my learning boundaries so that I can find new ways for children to learn. Educating to me also translates into caring. You truly have to love your students and want what's best for them. It means taking a personal interest in their lives. In order to educate I plan to give as much love, support, and time as I can possibly give to make sure that my students get the EDUCATION they deserve!

Tom Johnson's- "Don't Let Them Take The Pencils Home"

I really enjoyed reading Mr. Johnson's post "Don't Let Them Take The Pencils Home". Personally, I thought his writing style helped to make the post clear and fun to read. I believe that the point of Mr. Johnson's post was that so many teachers almost "give in" to the (ever scary) Standardized Testing monster and for-go the day to day reason for "teaching". Mr. Johnson didn't have Standardized tests in mind when he came up with his "pencil project". What he had in mind was something so much more than that.

Mr. Johnson was looking at the bigger picture (Not to say that Standardized test are not important). He was trying to find a way to help the kids (and parents) in his class look at pencils as TOOLS not TOYS. He said that he tried to keep his students busy with projects and assignments so that they could use the pencils but then he was questioned with "what if they play Hang Man with them?" I loved his response to this which was, "But if they choose to play Hang Man or go on the pen pal networks, I'm okay with it. There's probably some learning that's taking place that we don't realize." Yes, you heard it! Straight from the EDUCATORS mouth!

Blog Assignment #9

Mr. McClung's "What I Learned This Year (2009-10)" and "What I Learned This Year (2010-11)".

For this blog assignment I chose Mr. McClung's June 15th 2010 "What I Learned This Year (2009-10)" and his June 23, 2011 "What I Learned This Year (2010-11)" to read and write on. I think the concept of the "What I Learned This Year" posts is such a good idea. Not only because its a great way to self reflect but it can also help other teachers and prospective teachers out by giving them an idea of what to expect. I loved Mr. McChung's honesty in his posts. He wasn't afraid to admit when he was having a hard time with something.
It was clear to me that Mr. McClung grew a lot as a teacher from the "What I Learned This Year (2009-10)" to the "What I Learned This Year (2010-11)". Although, there were significant differences between both years. One being that in the 2009-10 school year he was a social studies/history teacher and in the 2010-11 school year he was a computer applications teacher. It was interesting to me that though teaching history/social studies and teaching computer applications, are two very different "subjects" Mr. McClung still had the same enthusiasm. Personally, I think that's what makes an amazing teacher. That no matter what subject you happen to teach, you need to be enthusiastic. If we as teachers don't act excited or interested in teaching a certain subject...how can we expect students to be excited about learning it?

Blog Assignment #8

"This is how we dream Part 1 and 2"

I thought the video by Dr. Miller was really interesting. I especially loved that it wasn't just a video of a man standing and talking into a camera. The whole time both of the videos were playing he had things up on the screen. He was showing what he was talking about, not just describing. I think the way he conducted the video shows greatly what exactly it was that he was trying to say. Which was that there are so many things going on constantly on the Internet. We as educators should take advantage of that!
Dr. Miller said, "Ideas don't belong to us individually but, they belong to us as a culture." He also said, "We as educators must be in the business of sharing ideas freely." Both of these statements really stuck with me. In the beginning of the video he talked about how people throw books, magazines,ect., out but you can't really throw something that's on the Internet away. There are so many ways to enhance both teaching and learning styles in the age that we are living in. Today, we don't have to learn by staring at a book. We can be watching, interacting, and conversing with people from around the world to learn.
I think writing with multimedia is amazing and I personally would love to be able to do so. As far students go I think that whether or not they would be able to write with multimedia or not will depend on their ages. But as far as middle and high school students go, I think that with the opportunity to do so they would be able to write with multimedia. I can only hope that they get the chance.

"Carly Pugh's Blog Post #12"

Carly's Blog Post #12 was truly amazing. I loved her writing style of mixing serious topics with little bits of humor. Carly and Dr. Millers ideas are scarily close in meaning. I agree that by using all the elements that are available to us we can only positively influence our students. By mixing unconditional and new tactics to get our students attentions we can influence them to look any and everywhere for information to inspire them to learn!

"The Chipper Series" and "EDM310 for Dummies"

I remember watching these videos at the beginning of the semester. At the time I was kind of scratching my head thinking, "what in the world?" but now they make a little more sense! Obviously "The Chipper Series" is sort of a "what not to do" in EDM310 or really in life, type of video! You can't blame others for your lack of doing! You also can't just make up your own rules and expect that everyone is going to jump on board and follow them! If you don't put in any effort, you're not going to get any results! I thought the "EDM310 for Dummies" vido was really funny. I have to admit that the first few weeks of class I felt like the girls in the beginning of the video did! I would have been thankful for a copy of EDM310 for Dummies! Thankfully after the girls put in some effort they ended up really enjoying EDM310 and understanding what it was really all about! I think that creating or participating in more of a "what not to do" in EDM310 would be fun and helpful to students in the future. In the video people could act out instances that would be less than ideal for getting their EDM310 work done. It could showcase people (not in their best efforts) doing their C4K's, C4C's, C4T's, Blog Assignments, the Checklist, and other parts of the class. This way it could really show people what not to do, while at the same time giving them an idea what the class really entails.

"Learn to Change, Change to Learn"

I think that the arguments in this video were absolutely valid. One of the speakers in the video said in regards to standardized testing, "the jobs that these kids in school will be having do not call for the kind of right answer, vending machine approach." I couldn't agree with him more. A lot of what is being taught in schools today is not going to be beneficial to the students once they step out of the schools doors. Most of the jobs that students in school today are going to have, have nothing to do with memorizing passages out of textbooks. Sitting in classrooms, staring at books is not going to help the youth of this nation/world grow into active members of the technological society we are currently living in. We need to wake up and realize that the information that can help our students learn might not be on paper, it might be on/through a screen.

Project #12 - Book Trailer

Project #10 - Personal Learning Network (PLN or PLE)

The progress of my PLN is exactly that, progress. I am slowly but surely gathering people and tools to better my educational experiences and sources. I'm doing this through Symbaloo and also Google Chrome Bookmarks. I'm following a couple of blogs of teachers, principals, and classmates that I find to be helpful and interesting. Such as The PrincipalsPage.com, MindShift-How we will learn., and Paige Ellis's Blog. I have a lot more THINGS on my PLN compared to people so my current focus is finding more people to add.

Blog Assignment #7

"Randy Pausch's Last Lecture"

This video/lecture was so inspiring. In the video Dr. Pausch talks about his childhood dreams, enabling the dreams of others, and so much more! He also talks about "brick walls" which to him are "there for us to show how badly we want something". Brick walls are things that get in the way of our dreams. Dr. Pausch also says that, "brick walls are there to stop the people that don't want it badly enough." I found both of these comments to be refreshing and very motivational.

Dr. Pausch said, "Most of what we learn, we learn indirectly (or by "head fake"). In my opinion this couldn't be truer. When people are having fun and are really interested in something they soak up everything that surrounds that certain "thing". I think this was defiantly one of Dr. Pausch's teaching methods. Let the students have fun and they will learn in return.

I also think that Dr. Pausch had a similar motto to EDM310's "I Don't Know. Let's Find Out." He mentioned in the lecture that there's a good way and a bad way to say "I don't know". When you approach something you don't know with a positive attitude and with the willingness to actually find out what it is that you don't know, you are much more likely to find the answer. When you approach "I don't know" with negativity and frustration, most likely the road to the answer is going to be a bumpy one.

One comment Dr. Pausch made that I will certainly remember for a very long time was, "I, like Moses, get to see the promise land but I won't get to set foot in it. And that's OK because I can see it. And the vision is clear. Millions of kids having fun while learning something hard." This was just so eye opening to me. Dr. Pausch knew that he wouldn't be around to see all of the amazing things that his students and people everywhere would create or accomplish. And that was OK with him because he knew in his heart that it was going to happen, he knew the possibilities were there, the possibilities are HERE.

Project #11-Short Movie

Project #9b - Instructional Timetoast - The Making of The Statue of Liberty

C4T #2

For C4T #2, I commented on two different posts from Michael Smith's Principals Page - The Blog. I absolutely LOVE his blog! I spent hours looking at his posts and literally laughing out loud! I would highly recommend subscribing to Mr. Smith's blog and following him on Twitter.

The first post I commented on was "Kindergarten Kids Remind Me of Las Vegas". In this post Mr. Smith talks about how excited Kindergartners are to be at school. How they love to color, play, and count! Mr. Smith jokes that it's an unwritten practice that anytime an administrator is having a bad day, they head down to the Kindergarten classrooms. There's just something about their excitement and innocence that can make someone in the worst mood feel better!

This is the comment I left for Mr. Smith:

Hi Mr. Smith,
I am a student in Dr. Stranges’ EDM310 course at the University of South Alabama and I was assigned to comment on your blog. I want you to know that I absolutely love your blog, I think you’re hilarious. I read several of your posts but I picked this post to comment on because I hope to teach Kindergarten. Like you said, there’s just something about Kindergartners and all their enthusiasm that warms my heart! Thank you for sharing! I will definitely be back to check out more of your posts!

Mr. Smith actually wrote me back and said:

Thanks for the comment.
My wife and I love South Alabama.
Good luck with your class and if there's ever anything I can do to help, please let me know.
Michael Smith

*This is actually the first response that I've gotten back from one of my C4T's so I was really excited about it!


The next post of Mr. Smith's that I commented on was titled "Unrealistically High Self-Esteem". In this post Mr. Smith talks about his daughter and how she really shows no desire to fit it with her classmates. One comment he made really stuck with me and made me smile, he said, "She prides herself of going down a path where she’s the only traveler." In the rest of his post Mr. Smith talks about how his daughter is at the age when most children (especially girls) just want to fit in. They want to be like everyone else. But she just doesn't care.

This is the comment I left for Mr. Smith:

Hi Mr. Smith,
I’m back! This is Kristen from Dr. Strange’s EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama!
The fact that you call your daughter “Evil Spawn” literally made me “laugh out loud”. Take my advice: Be thankful she doesn’t care! This is coming from a girl who (not too long ago) went down “I Have To Be Like Everyone Else” Road and “What If I’m Not Like Everyone Else” Boulevard. They are awful, awkward, and scary streets! Unfortunately, I felt the pressure to be like everyone else. I would like to think that I didn’t always give in but sometimes I did. My younger sister on the other hand, “dances to the beat of her own drum” and I admire her so much for that. She simply “doesn’t care”. Even now that I’m older and don’t feel those pressures as much…I still wish that I had her carefree attitude! So again, BE THANKFUL! Hopefully (for you), she will have this attitude throughout her teenage years as well! If not, good luck!

Blog Assignment #6

Wendy Drexler: The Networked Student

I absolutely loved this video! I think the possibilities of being a networked student or teacher are endless and exciting! If students will enter these opportunities with open, determined minds I believe only good could come from this. As I watched this video and other ones that we have watched this semester, I can only help but think "what if?" What if I would have had these opportunities when I was in middle/high school? How would I have handled it?

I know that discipline would probably have been a problem for me. BUT in my opinion this somewhat answers the question, "Why does the networked student even need a teacher?" Discipline, Encouragement, and Direction! That's what the teacher is needed for! To help guide the networked student and encourage them to keep going. Like the video said, the teacher helps the student weed out bad information. The teacher shows the way when the student reaches a dead end and doesn't know where to turn. The teacher can show the networked student how to communicate properly and celebrate with them when they make amazing discoveries. I believe that I am ready to be a teacher to a networked student if or when the time comes. My goal as a teacher is to help students learn in the best way that I can. If that way happens to be mostly through a computer, that's fine with me!


A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment (or PLN)

I thought that the girl in the video did an amazing job! I can't believe that at the time of the video she was only in the 7th grade! There were actually a lot of similarities between our PLN's(PLE's). The major similarity was the way that things were organized. I have a lot of my things organized by line and top to bottom like she does. More than looking at just her PLN, I was amazed by how organized and efficient she was. I can only hope that the children I will be teaching will be as mature and organized as she seemed!

C4K - September Summary

In September I commented on 3 different students blog posts. I absolutely love getting to explore and comment on the "kids" blogs! I catch myself smiling every time I start to read one of their posts.

The first student I was assigned to was Moses. Moses is a Year 8 student at Point England School in Auckland, NZ. The post I commented on was about "Silly Sports". In his post Moses described how each of the classes at Point England were divided up and participated in like a P.E./set of obstacle courses. This was my comment to Moses:

Hi Moses!

My name is Kristen Phelps and I am also in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama, USA, like Gina above. We were both assigned to comment on your blog. I want to start out by saying that I love your blogs background and layout. It looks like you really put a lot of work into it!
I really enjoyed reading your "Silly Sports" post. I wish that they would have had such fun activities at my school when I was your age. I really liked how you started out your post by saying, "Squishy, muddy, sweaty, screaming. Those were my thoughts from yesterday. Silly sports! Who would of thought of that?" That was a great way to get your readers attention. I know it got mine! I also liked the way that you described the 3 legged race. I am 21 years old and I have never done a 3 legged race but, your post makes me want to try! Thanks for allowing us to look at your blog, I am truly impressed. Have a great week. I can't wait to see what you post next!

The next week I was assigned to Alyssa. Alyssa's post was titled "Places I'd Like To Go". In the post she listed a couple of different places she'd like to visit and why. This was my comment to
Alyssa:

Hi Alyssa!
My name is Kristen Phelps and I’m in Dr. Stranges’ EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. As part of my grade for his course I get to comment on your blog!
Those are some really awesome places that you picked! I have actually been to the beach, Disney World, and New York! I am very fortunate and actually live only about 15 minutes from the beach. It is so beautiful and something I hope you get to see one day. I actually got to go to Disney World for the first time a couple of years ago. Disney World is one of those places that no matter how old you are it is still so much fun! I actually just went to New York for the first time in June. It is a place that you have to see to believe! There are so many huge buildings and so many people everywhere! It was definitely the best trip I have ever been on! Hopefully, I’ll get to go back someday.
I’m sure if you study hard and keep focused that one day you will be able to visit all of these places and many more! Thank you so much for letting me read your post!

For my last student in September I was assigned to Kevin. Kevin is apart of the "St. Elmo's Explorers" who just recently, thanks to Ms. Lucy Buffet, were given some iPads to use in their classroom! I read and commented on Kevin's "Thank You" letter to Ms. Buffet. This was my comment:

Hi Kevin,

My name is Kristen and I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama and I was assigned to read YOUR letter to Lucy! It was so sweet of you to take the time to write Lucy a thank you letter and I'm sure she appreciated it! It looks to me like you and your classmates are really enjoying the iPads. I wish I would have had access to iPads when I was in school. I know you guys will have tons of fun with them! Keep up the great work!

Project #8 - Podcast

Project #9a - Individual Timetoast

Blog Assignment #5

Don’t teach your kids this stuff. Please? by Scott McLeod

First, I did some research on Dr. McLeod and found out that he is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Kentucky. As well as the Founding Director of CASTLE, the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education. He was also the co-creator of the "Did You Know?" video series, one of which we viewed earlier in the semester. Also, Dr. McLeod has been named one of the National School Board Association’s "20 To Watch" and a Leader in Learning by the cable industry.

Personally, I loved Dr. McLeod's blog post. I read several of the responses to it and saw that a lot of people took his sarcasm offensively but honestly, I found it refreshing. On a daily basis I am surrounded by people (that I work with) that do not understand technology AT ALL. They see no need for "kids" to be on the Internet blogging, using social networking sites, or doing online school work. They think you should be sitting in a classroom with a chalkboard, a lecturing teacher, and writing with pen and paper until your hearts content. They can not grasp the fact that computers and the Internet can give people the chance to experience things that otherwise they would never get to experience. Dr. McLeod said, "...'cause I'm doing all of it with my kids...can't wait to see who has a leg up in a decade or two...can you?" and I completely agree with him. Students who are exposed to all the things that the Internet has to offer will be better off in the long run. Being able to use computers and the Internet at school excites kids. My little brother is in 1st grade and absolutely loves when his class gets to go to the computer lab and use the computers. It gets his attention and encourages him to learn.


The iSchool Initiative by Travis Allen

Far beyond his time, Travis Allen was a 17 year old high school student in Fayetteville, Georgia when this video was made. With just this one video Travis launched an educational revolution. In the video Travis introduces his idea for the iSchool initiative. With budget cuts going on all around him, Travis realizes that our public school system is broken. He comes up with the idea that maybe technology could help save our schools some money.
Using Apple's iTouch as his base, Travis builds the schools of the future. The iTouch already has several applications built into it that students can use. For example: a calculator, Email, Formulae, World Wiki, Recorder, and Books. His idea is a school with no books, paper, or expensive copy machines, can equal savings up to 600 dollars a student. The price of an iSchool? Only 150 dollars.
Travis is absolutely amazing! The iSchool initiative is unlike anything I've ever seen before. Not only would the iSchool help save our schools money but it would also help our environment! Not to mention, that it would bring technology into our classrooms and help introduce students to the thousands of possibilities it has to offer!


Jennifer Chamber’s post and Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir video

This video was amazing! It's hard to believe that 185 people in 12 different countries could all be singing together simultaneously without ever physically being in the same room. This video is a perfect example of the unbelievable things that the Internet can help us achieve!


Teaching in the 21st Century by Kevin Robert

I think that Mr. Roberts believes in order to teach in the 21st Century you must engage your students and take risks. I loved that he addressed the topic that certain people believe technological devices are toys. Technological devices are not toys they are TOOLS. Tools that engage students to learn in different, more dynamic ways. In the video Mr. Roberts states, "entertainment is not the same an engagement" and I couldn't agree more. Like Mr. Roberts says in the video, entertainment is something that is short-lived. Engagement has long-term results and sticks with students. Entertainment doesn't require relevance but engagement does require the information to be meaningful and applicable. Another part of the video that I really enjoyed was when Mr. Roberts stated that, "Entertainment is using the creativity of others" but "Engagement is using the creativity of the participant". In order for us to be effective teachers in the 21st Century we are going to have to embrace technology and use it to its fullest potential. Information is everywhere, students don't need teachers to give them information straight out of a textbook anymore. Students need teachers to help them sort through the information and teach them why this information is relevant and important for them to know. I know its going to be hard for some teachers to put the chalk and textbooks down. But in order for students in today's society to learn traits that they're actually going to use later in life, teachers are going to have to use technology. End of story.

Blog Assignment #4

The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom by Joe Dale

I loved this video! Honestly, I was not very familiar with Podcasting until I watched the video. I think that Podcasting is beneficial to really everyone involved. The idea that parents can listen to the Podcast is wonderful. I think that it could help by having the parents understand exactly what their child is learning at that particular time. Also, it could help the parents understand what their child needs to study or work on in order to do well in class or on their next test. Something that could potentially be beneficial for parents and students is that you can access these from anywhere. For instance, the scene in the video where the student was out sick. I know that I would have loved to be able to look at a Vodcast or listen to a Podcast when I was out sick. We all know that life happens but with Pod or Vodcasting students can stay on task and not get behind. And students can listen to the Podcasts as many times as they like. That is one thing that is really appealing to me. I like to listen, watch, or re-read whatever it is that I'm doing just to make sure that I have a good grasp on it before I start the actual assignment. I'm sure a bunch of people do! All in all, I think this video did a great job of really showing what Podcasting is all about.


100 Ways to Use Your iPod to Learn and Study Better

Wow! The title "100 Ways to Use Your iPod to Learn and Study Better" says it all. This article is full of ways to help people use their i Pods to there fullest potential. There are so many things in the article that I had no idea you could do with an i Pod. "Soundwalk" is something that this article mentions and I am absolutely going to try it out. I recently took a trip to New York and one of my favorite parts was being able to listen to the audio tours at places like the Empire State Building. It's just such an awesome way to get a lot of information and for it to be clear. Also, it goes along with where you are in the tour so that you can stop and start it as you wish! The best part about "Soundwalk" though, is that you don't have to be in New York to hear about the Empire State Building you could be sitting in your own living room. I can see this as being such a useful tool when it comes to Podcasts. I am definitely going to bookmark this article for future references!


Judy Scharf Podcast Collection

This site is full of helpful hints on how to do a Podcast. Ms. Scharf starts off by explaining exactly what a Podcast is as well as the benefits of Podcasting. She also gives "Tips to Succeed", one of my favorites was #6 "Allow plenty of time to complete the project. Everything takes longer than you think it will!" which is so true! To go along with #6, Ms. Scharf put in a "Time Schedule for Creating a Podcast" which is broken down into "periods". There are also suggestions for Podcast topics. The list goes on and on! This site has tons of information on Podcasting. I will absolutely be going back to look at it when I have to do my own Podcast!

Project #6 - My Sentence Video

C4T #1

I was assigned to Audrey Watters Blog - Mind/Shift (How we will learn) for my first C4T. I read and commented on two of Audrey Watters posts including,"12 Ways To Be More Search Savvy" and "How Project Gutenberg Changed Literature."
"12 Ways To Be More Search Savvy" talked about Google and how it has made it possible for us to be able to search things easily and almost instantly. Mrs. Watters also went on to talk about the ways to be more efficient with your Google searches. Listing many tips on shortcuts and ways to get better search results using Google. I left Mrs. Watters the following comment:

Hello! I'm Kristen Phelps from the University of South Alabama. I'm taking EDM 310 with Dr. Strange and I was assigned to your blog! I was just having a conversation with a lady I work with on Friday about using Google. I was trying to explain to her how to look things up and made the comment that, I'm not sure how I looked things up before Google. So many times I ask my boyfriend for help with something and most times his answer to me is, Google it. I depend on Google a lot on my computer at work, I work for a Neurologist and there are tons of diagnosis's that I have to look up because I don't have a clue what they mean. I thought this was really informational and I will absolutely be using some of these tips!

The other post that I read and commented on was Mrs. Watters "How Project Gutenberg Changed Literature." This post was about the passing of Michael Hart the creator of Project Gutenberg, which dealt with the digitization of books for the public, or eBooks. He died at the young age of 64, which is truly a shame for someone who had a true grasp of the importance of technology and preserving the written past. For this post I left Mrs. Watters the following comment:

Hello! I'm Kristen Phelps from the University of South Alabama.
I'm taking EDM 310 with Dr. Strange and I was assigned to your blog! To be
honest I wasn't aware of Mr. Hart or Project
Gutenberg before I read this post. After reading this though, it is extremely
sad that such an influential man died so young. What
an intelligent man he was to have said, "twenty or 30 years from now, there’s going to be some gizmo that
kids carry around in their back pocket that has everything in it — including
our books, if they want.” He was defiantly a man that could think far beyond his time and see into the future of technology. I really enjoyed reading this article and learning about Mr. Hart and Project Gutenberg. Thank you for sharing.

Blog Assignment #3

"It's Not About the Technology" by Kelly Hines

I really enjoyed Kelly Hines' post, "It's Not About the Technology". She made some really valid points such as that "teachers must be learners" and "technology is useless without good teaching". I truly believe that sometimes teachers get complacent in their teaching patterns and styles. But as teachers I feel that it is our duty to be aware and up to date with all of the technology that is available to us. If not we could be doing our students a real injustice. If there are tool out there for our use to help us teach students in the best way for them, why would we not use them to our advantage? Though, in order for us to use these tools to our advantage we have to be learners. We have to be willing to learn technology to the best of our abilities or will not be able to give our students the tools they need to succeed in today's society.

Another point that Mrs. Hines made that I thought was really helpful is that for all the technology that we learn if we don't turn around and teach it just as well to our students, it becomes useless. We also need to realize that our students may not grasp the technology in the same way that we did so we might have to go about teaching it in a different way. Mrs. Hines said in her post that, "if a student has not learned, no matter how much effort has been exerted, no teaching has been done." and I don't think this could be any more true! We have to teach each child in a way that they can understand. Not just in the way that the majority of the class understands. So, I agree with Mrs. Hines it's not all about the technology, its about how we use it and teach it in return.


My comment that I sent to Kelly Hines:

I enjoyed your post for many reasons, one of them being your comment that "Teachers must be learners". This is so true and I truly believe that not all teachers see it this way. I have been in so many classrooms that the information being used to teach seems like it is years old! I actually had on teacher tell the class I taking, that the handout "goes along" with the old book but it'll be fine. I was astounded! Isn't our job as a teacher to teach our students the most current and up to date information we can? I think so.

Another part of your post that I found interesting was when you said, "if a student has not learned, no matter how much effort has been exerted, no teaching has been done." Very well said! I couldn't agree with you more. Our job as teachers is to figure out how we can relate to ALL of our students, not just the majority. And with all of the technology that is available to us, I feel that we should be able to relate to all of our students and help them learn whatever way is best for them. Like you said, we can do this by learning ourselves and using the technology that is becoming available to us so rapidly, to better the learning environment for all students.



Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher

I loved Mr. Fisch's post, specifically, his writing style I though it flowed wonderfully and was easy to understand. Mr. Fisch made some really valid points in his post and for some people they may have seemed pretty extreme. His main point, "If a teacher today is not technologically literate - and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more - it's equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn't know how to read and write." was extreme but in my opinion, very valid. It is getting (or some people may think it already has) to the point that if you are going to be a teacher, in which one of your main jobs is to prepare children for their futures, you need to be up to date with what the future holds. Obviously, the future holds the use of technology.

Another point of his that I really liked is when he was talking about people almost being "proud" of their technological illiteracy. Instead of trying to learn they automatically just say they aren't good at using technology or they just don't understand. Therefore if the parents or guardians and the teachers of children all feel this way, where is the child going to learn about technology? They won't! It is our job as adults, teachers, and role models to teach children in all the areas that can be beneficial to them in their futures, and the use of technology is one of them.


My comment I sent to Karl Fisch:

First, I want to thank you for bringing this subject to light. I feel that some teachers in today's society are trying to sweep this subject under the rug. Why? I'm not really sure. Maybe they don't want to give in to the pressures of society and technology. Your question, "If a teacher today is not technologically literate - and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more - it's equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn't know how to read and write." might be a little extreme but then again maybe not. I'm sure some people would completely agree that it is extreme but I personally can't decide. I defiantly think that if you are going to be a teacher today you need to be technologically literate. If you are not I think that you are doing an injustice to your students.

As far as people being "proud" of their technological illiteracy I can totally believe that. I have family members that are "proud" of it, constantly using the phrase, "You know I don't know how to work all that computer stuff." Or, "Will you just do it for me? You know I don't know how to work that stuff." And as rude as they may think that I am my answer is usually, "NO." I am not going to just do it for you. We all need to buy in to the fact that technology is here to stay and it is going to be a part of our lives. Thank you again for letting us read your post.




Gary Hayes Social Media Count

Gary Hayes's Social Media Count is amazing! I never really took the time to stop and think about exactly how much people use the Internet. Of course, I knew it was a lot but Mr. Hayes Media Count really puts it into perspective. From looking at how much is going on with each of the sites on the Social Media Count, it really makes you realize what a big part of our lives sites like Facebook, Google, and YouTube have become. It has become more of a way of life than just something that young people do for "fun" like I think so many people looked at it as in years past.

Its interesting to think about that whether we are on the computer using these site or not, people around the world are on them, updating them, uploading things to them and then when we log back on those things are there for us to see. There is so much information on all of these site and it makes me think, what did we do before them? We have become so used to the idea of everything being so instant. Being able to find out an answer to a question right now or talk to someone right this second its just funny to me to think about a world with out these things. I know that there have been a couple of times I have been without my computer or Internet and I have to admit I do feel a since of being cut of from the world!


My comment I sent to Gary Hayes:

Hello, my name is Kristen Phelps and I am an Elementary Education major at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. I am currently in Dr. Stranges’s EDM 310 and a part of our assignment this week was to look at your post. I want to start out by saying that the Social Media Count is really truly amazing! It’s almost hard to fathom! I think this is such an awesome way of showing people just how much technology is becoming a staple in our lives. Thank you for doing this!
Kristen Phelps



Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today

I really enjoyed this video, I thought it was very informational and interesting to see all the different stats. I can only imagine what those stats are now, considering that the video was uploaded 3 years ago. The video had some of the same type of information as the video we watched last week but,it still shocks my every time to think about the amount of time we spend on the Internet in a day/week/month. Another fact that I find really interesting is that a lot of the jobs people will get once they are out of college or any type of school, don't even exist yet.

That goes right along with the argument that teachers need to be technologically literate. If we are preparing students for jobs that don't even exist, we need to be up to date on all of the latest technology to help them better their futures. Also in the beginning of the video it says that, if we learn by doing...what are we learning by sitting staring at a blackboard? Sure there are certain things that you can learn that way but, for the most part the world we live in is interactive. Therefore, students need to be interactive with the world and one another!

Google Presentation - Project #5

Blog Assignment #2

Did You Know? 3.0 By: Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod

First, I want to start out by saying that this video is awesome! I watched it several times and kept pausing and restarting it to make sure I got everything! The stat, "The top 10 in- demand jobs in 2010 did not exist in 2004" was really interesting to me. Jobs just don't appear out of thin air, so that means that certain advances and major changes had to be happening for those 10 jobs to come about. To go along with that stat, another slide said that, "We are currently preparing students for jobs that don't yet exist." I have never really though about that before but it's so true.
Another interesting slide was the one that said, "If Myspace were a country it would be the 5th largest in the world." That really makes me realize exactly how HUGE social networking is and that was based on 3 years ago. Also, the video said that it only took Facebook 2 years to reach a market audience of 50 million. And I believe it, it's very rare that I run across someone who doesn't know what Facebook is. Just as a side note, my Grandmother has a Facebook and personally I think that's awesome. Some older people are totally against using technology but with the way this world already is and the way it's heading if people refuse to use technology I truly feel that it will hinder their ability to learn! Why not take advantage of all the ways there are for us to learn these days?


Mr. Winkle Wakes by Mathew Needleman

I very often think to myself, "what would people of the past think about the way the world is today?" I would absolutely love to take someone from just 75 years ago, which relatively speaking is not that long ago, around and show them college campuses, stores, airports, cars and just all the things that are improved so often. Which to us things on a year to year basis change a little they get little tweet and things but nothing huge. To someone 75 years ago or even 20 years ago people having laptops and several computers in their homes would blow their minds!
Honestly, I wasn't really seeing what direction this video was heading when it first started but after "Mr. Winkle" entered the school it became very clear. What I got from it was that all of the aspects of this world are changing so much but, one thing that has pretty much consistently stayed the same is school. Children of all ages go to school, sit in their desks, and listen to the teacher. With all the new technology, it really makes no sense that school stays the same. And honestly this really makes me realize even more what EDM 310 is all about. School is about children learning of course but, technology is becoming mandatory in our lives therefore that is something that needs to be used and taught in schools.


Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity

One of the most true things that Mr. Robinson said in this video was, "Kids aren't afraid of being wrong." So simple but yet so true. Being wrong is one of the things that I fear most as an adult. I absolutely do not want to be wrong or do the "wrong things". Society has a way of making people feel, or at least me, that things either are or they aren't, they are black or white, yes or no. The creativity of being "wrong" or going against the grain is disappearing. Mr. Robinson made a comment somewhere along the lines of "if you are afraid to be wrong, you'll never be creative". Another thing Mr. Robinson said was that he thinks "creativity is as important as literacy." Which I'm sure there are tons of people that will not agree with that but, I can see where he is coming from. If we as humans and teachers aren't encouraging the arts, what will happen to them? They will eventually disappear.
Another really interesting thing Mr. Robinson talked about was that we are supposed to be preparing children for the future but, WE don't know what the future holds. Therefore, we have to educate children on everything not just Mathematics and Language. Society puts Mathematics and Language at the top of the list and the arts, such as drama and dance at the bottom. I don't know how many shows and movies I have watched based around the common underdog story of people wanting to do what they love and certain characters, usually the parents, saying "you'll never make it in life doing that". Society as a whole has painted the picture that people can't make it in life unless they're sitting at a desk in a suit and tie doing something "very important". Lastly, but probably the statement I will remember the most from Mr. Robinson is, "We don't grow out of creativity, we are educated out of it."


Cecelia Gault (Young Student in Finland) Interviews Sir Ken Robinson

I think Cecelia Gault did an excellent job in interviewing Mr. Robinson. All the questions that she asked him were obviously written and though out very well. She spoke clearly and kept eye contact with him throughout the interview. She seemed very mature for her age.
As far as how would I make sure that "Cecelia Gault's" in my classroom are as well educated as she was is a tough question. Everyone is different but, hopefully I can cater to each child's individual needs and teach them in a way that they can understand. I can make sure that they understand why it is that they need to learn what I am teaching. Also, I can explain the importance of the lesson and give examples of how they can use the information later in life.


Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smart

Watching this video really made me wish that my high school would have had something like this. And the fact that this is going on in a school in a small, rural Georgia town is awesome. The class seems to be giving the students opportunities, like communicating with people in the Middle East, that they would have never had. I loved the comment that Ms. Davis made that, "With only pencil and only paper, only certain types of children are going to succeed." I think that couldn't be more true. We all know that we learn one way better than another. Some people are visual some people learn better by hearing, it just depends on you.
Another interesting thing Ms. Davis mentioned is that she customizes her lessons based on the class. So many teachers use the same lesson plans over and over and before long they are outdated and hardly make sense. I have had this happen to me in a classroom more than once. Ms. Davis also said that she likes to empower the students and let them teach the class, which I think is a wonderful idea. When students have the chance to really sink their teeth into something that they know they are going to have to teach the class about it gives them a sense of importance.

Wordle - Project #2

Blog Assignment #1

About Me!

Hello! My name is Kristen Phelps I am an Elementary Education Major and this is my first year at USA! I graduated from Foley High School in 2008 and from there I started my college education at Auburn University. I went to Auburn for my first year and then transferred to Faulkner State Community College to finish up my second year. I live in Summerdale, AL and commute to USA 3 days a week. I have a very loud and crazy family but I absolutely love them! I'm the oldest of four children. I have 2 sisters, Karsyn who is 18 and Kortlyn who is 2. Yes, 2. And a brother Cason who is 6.
I work full time for a Neurologist in Fairhope, AL. I really love my job, there is always something going on and new things to learn but, teaching is where my heart is. I have known probably from the time that I was in middle school that I wanted to be a teacher. There is just something about helping children learn and teaching them new things that just warms my heart. I love to read and watch movies. I love spending time with my family and boyfriend Jon. And all the rest of my free time is spent working or doing school work!


Randy Pausch on Time Management

I had a very easy time relating to Dr. Pausch's video. I would like to think that I have decent time management skills. But unfortunately, I think I only manage my time wonderfully when I'm doing something that I really want to do. When it comes to school work or something that I know I need to do but I'm not really looking forward to it, I tend to procrastinate. I think what Dr. Pausch said about asking yourself, "Why am I doing this?" and "What happens if I choose not to do it?" would really help me. I sometimes lose sight of why it is that I'm doing what I'm doing. So I will defiantly try to ask myself those questions when I find myself procrastinating and stressed because I procrastinated! Another thing that I thought was really interesting/funny was when Dr. Pausch talked about doing "wrong things" beautifully. He said, "It doesn't matter how well you polish the under side of the banister". I catch myself putting SO much time and effort into things that in the long run really don't matter. If I put half the effort I do into those things into my school work, I would be so much better off!!