Wednesday, February 25, 2015

My Sentence Videos Part B

To My Parents:
To My Students:

Blog Post #7

As we have been shown many times throughout this course, technology is forever changing and making its way into every aspect of our lives. We rely on it for everything, from keeping in touch to turning in assignments. In college if you don't have constant access to a computer you're going to be so behind because everything anymore is done online. We no longer have paper and pencil assignments, we're writing blogs, taking notes on Word, and taking tests online. Why start that in college though? Why force kids to have to do everything by pencil and paper to just hand them a computer as a freshman and say "figure it out"? I love the way technology is being incorporated into schools. Mrs. Bennet in We All Become Learners is so excited because a kindergartener taught her something she didn't know and it made her life so much easier. As a future teacher, I still have a lot to learn about project based learning, and online resources. Being a good teacher no longer cuts it. You have to be able to be a good teacher and teach kids in a way they will want to learn and a way they will retain what they are learning. Sometime in the next year, lesson plans and everything online will have to become a must. If I want to have a good job I have to be good at what I do, and still get my points across.
learning through technology

iPads have so much to offer students. iPads in the Classroom shows how the Chicago school system is working with iPads, and what they have done with them. It's crazy to think of how new all of this technology is, the iPads only a few years old, yet it has the ability to change everything. The teachers in that video praise how much better it is for the students to see things online like that. While there may only be one physical teacher in the classroom, it's important that many teachers and resources be available online. Some kindergarteners have more knowledge and more of a willing to learn that most college students. We are in the middle of a great change, and we have to be willing to go with it and utilize it to the best of our ability.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Blog Post #6

Anthony Capps is an intelligent and wonderful teacher. When I was still a student in Gulf Shores High School, my favorite teacher's son was in his class, and she couldn't say enough good about him. These videos show what a knowledgeable man he really is and I love the way he looks at his class and his ideas. He never gets to full of himself, and he really seems to realize that not everything is always going to work perfectly and that he needs to be continually learning and changing his ideas. When we started this class six weeks ago, I was sitting there wondering how they could make a whole 16 weeks out of what they were talking about. Listening to Dr. Strange talk to Anthony Capps is a total eye opener and a fantastic example of what we will need to be doing in the classroom. These talks give a whole new light on EDM310. If you weren't serious about this class before you better be after you hear this. His ways of projects are so engaging and so fun, even as the teacher. That would be amazing to watch the students be so engaged and to have adults come in and the students actually be able to explain what they are doing and why they are doing it. I know I was definitely never able to do that in third grade, even though I did and still do think the world of my third grade teacher.
engage me

There are so many ways to teach, project based learning seems to be a "best bet" as it engages students and really works their minds. The way Mr. Capps teaches gives room for him to approve. Some of his projects could be something everyone needs to do, other projects you have to go to plan B and see what could be done better or differently. Or, you might have to use improvisation and come up with a whole new project on the spot. This is what makes reflection so important. We must be able to take the peer editing and everything else we've learned from week one and apply it, and still be able o reflect on it. As future teachers we must utilize every resource we have possible and apply them to everything we do. 

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Blog Post #5

Resources for a PLNA PLN (Personal Learning Network) is a network of people and tools you can use to get help, collaborate ideas, or use for consultation. Starting my PLN has been interesting. I created a Symbaloo to keep track of my old accounts and some of my newer ones. As a teacher, it's important to have a network, people to share ideas and thoughts with, and get help from. In my started PLN I have my Facebook and Twitter, and I recently created a LinkedIn to help the process. The Symbaloo is a great way to keep it all organized and in one area, I made that my homepage so it's the first thing when I open the internet. It also has useful sites like YippyDuckDuckGo, and Wikipedia. I also have Evernote, which will save notes, websites, and even business cards. It's all about being organized and the Symbaloo layout is very helpful with that. People that will be important in a PLN will also be the teachers and classmates and sometimes even the students whose blogs we read and comment on weekly. There's so much out there we can use to network, thousands of people and millions of resources.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Project #15 Search Engines

Below are eight search engines I have tested and reviewed, as well as links to try them yourself!

#1 WolframAlpha : For the WolframAlpha I searched the word "beach". It pulled up an interpretation, definition, hyphenation, first known uses in english, and more. This search engine would be useful if one was searching for an unfamiliar word.

#2 DuckDuckGo : For DuckDuckGo, I searched the word "duck". It had a big ad at the top telling how they are different from others, before listing different links to a definition, the Wikipedia description of the word, and some to the "Duck Dynasty" show. This search engine seems to be very similar to Google, probably a copycat of it or something similar. It would be useful for searching general topics or terms.

#3 Ixquick : Ixquick immediately states that it is a private search engine, leading me to search the word "privacy". It also first pulls up ads, then much like DuckDuckGo, it pulls up links to a definition, a Wikipedia link, and other links to things related to privacy. I didn't find this website to be any more or less useful than Google, but it would also be useful for general terms or topics.

#4 DogPile : DogPile is a very cute, pet induced website. After typing the word "dog" I clicked "Go Fetch" to search my word. This website would be most useful when searching for something pet related- breeds, food, stores, and more.

#5 Excite : The home page of Excite has a very boring layout, with a lot of ads for Expedia plane tickets. I searched the word "ticket" and got another boring layout with links to sites like stubhub.com. This website would be useful for a basic search.

#6 Lycos : Lycos is a newer website, it's copyright year is 2015. For this search engine, I searched the word "lion" bringing up a number of links that went to a wildlife preserve, a Wikipedia site, and other resources. This search engine is another Google knockoff, it would also be useful for general basic searches.

#7 HotBot : This black and red robot ran website seems very much like Bing or Google, but without all the effects. I searched the word "magnet" and got results for Amazon and Wikipedia. This website also has a spot for checking the weather and it's labeled Weather Zombie. This site would be useful for checking the weather.

#8GoTo : To search GoTo, I typed in "Boykin Breeders" resulting in a direct list of places you could get Boykin Spaniel puppies. This search engine rocks because it features minimal ads and gives you exactly what you want, but it's downfall is it does not have images, shopping, etc. It just has the web search.

Multiple Search Engines



Friday, February 6, 2015

Blog Post #4


"An open-ended question is designed to encourage a full, meaningful answer using the subject's own knowledge and/or feelings" (Media College). That is the main thing I have learned from my readings. In these readings, many ways on how to ask questions and keep getting answers are presented. In one video, Questioning Styles and Strategies, a man goes over many different ways to keep questions going such and random calling of names for answers, prodding, and asking who agrees with something someone says. All of these articles stress the importance of asking the right questions.
We ask hundreds of questions everyday, and will ask five times that when we become teachers. It will be our job to get answers, to get the information out of the students so you know that you've taught them something. There are so many different ways to do this, we just have to utilize those ways to produce the answers we want. First, we have to give them the knowledge. Questions can't be answered on knowledge that has never been learned. It has to come from somewhere, something we will have had to instructed to them. Questions need to be asked in specific ways.
In the classroom setting, it's always a good idea to make notes in your lesson plan of when to ask questions, and if you take it a step further, write down possible questions you could ask, making sure to never ask more than one question at a time. More than one question could throw the focus, or cause not all parts of the question to be answered. Another thing to remember would be to make sure that test questions are asked in the open ended format as well. A yes or no question could easily be answered with a yes or a no, and no explanation would be given because it was not asked of them to give one. 
While there is no wrong way to ask a question, there is also no guarantee the questions will be answered the ways you want them to be unless you ask them in a way that requires a full answer including everything you asked. The best way to do that is to utilize the different ways of asking open-ended questions to get the best and most fulfilling answer. 
Question mark insinuating other questions


Sources:
http://www.mediacollege.com/journalism/interviews/open-ended-questions.html

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Project #4 C4T#1-Post#2 Mrs. Hernandez

http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2015/01/school-or-learning.html

Mrs. Hernandez has a busy life, she has been off her blog for some time, trying to keep up with her students and work. She makes some good points about schooliness, as described by another blogger and is something she refers to often. Mrs.  Hernandez also makes a good point about how tests are a huge part of school, basically saying that AP classes and rigor homework are all that really count. But in the end, she still has a good passion for what she does, and it keeps her going through everything she doesn't like. "I suggest a new measurement we can use for if our education is working. Instead of the bubble tests that measure, among other things, ability to guess the best answer out of four, why don't we look around at our society. Are there less school shootings? Are there less suicides? Is the growth of the giant pile of garbage in the ocean slowing or reversing? I could go on and on...."

Kirstin Bailey said... I love your thoughts on school. You seem to be a very motivated teacher, it's interesting that your students have blogs as well. Tests are a lot of what school means. As a college student I can do anything, as long as I pass the tests. I enjoyed reading your draft. February 1, 2015 at 10:37 AM


http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2014/12/practice-heart-soul-of-learning.html

Yoga is about practice. Mrs. Hernandez relates that to her students practicing and growing in their reading and writing. They're practice has brought so much improvement to their work, much like the improvement you would see in yoga after practicing it.


Kirstin Bailey said...
Mrs. Hernandez, I am a student at the University of South Alabama, and this blog post completely connects with me! I have started a yoga class this semester, so that part is clear as the light of day to me. The fact that you have gotten to see your students grow over the course of two years is spectacular, and the comment shows me that you have taught them so much. It's still amazing to me how much teachers can impact students, I can't wait to become one!

Project #6 C4K February

Alex Gu's Blog Post
In Alex's blog post, he talks about wanting to be a superhero. He wants to go and learn his superpowers, then save the universe. Afterwards he would get ice cream to celebrate.
 Kirstin Bailey
 February 3, 2015 at 3:04 PM
Alex, I think it’s so neat that you want to be the Green Lantern! You could experience so much saving the universe, and having ice cream after would be such a treat. If I had a super power it would be to read minds. I always thought it would be cool to know what people are thinking.

Amber's Blog Post
In Amber's blog post, she talks about a school play that they will perform this year called "Ax of Murder" where she will have an unspecified roll. Last year she was in "Romeo and Juliet" and said it was a lot of fun and great memories.
Kirstin Bailey



Amber,
What is your roll this year and what is this play about? It sounds interesting so far! That's a great way to make memories, and it's an awesome experience for you in the school setting. I am a college student and I'm going to school to be a teacher, and I really wish I'd done more activities like that when I was your age. Good luck!
Kirstin Bailey

In her post, Aylssa talks about her parents surprising her with a kitten. She left for school, but when she came home, she had a new kitten waiting for her. She had been wanting one for months, but her parents kept refusing and saying they'd think about it. Her orange kitten is now a four year old loving cat.
Kirstin Bailey (Guest)
Your comment is awaiting moderation. 
Hi Alyssa, 
My name is Kirstin Bailey, I’m a sophomore in college at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, AL. Kittens are so exciting. My mom got me a kitten two Octobers ago, a huge surprise for me! She is white a very sweet but her fur is very long and tangles easily. Your orange kitty sounds adorable! Best of luck talking your parents into getting you another one! 
Kirstin

Humberto's Blog


In Humberto's blog, he discusses what he calls "The Epidemic" of Same Sex Marriage. He goes on to tell why same sex marriage should be legal, and even supports it with passages from the bible. It is very insightful for his age, and shows that he is well beyond his years. 


My comment:
Humberto, my name is Kirstin Bailey, I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama, in Mobile, AL. You have just blown me away with this blog post. I love that you quoted the bible, and that you chose such a controversial topic and stuck with it. Your writing is phenomenal, and it is wonderful that you can give your opinion and back it up on such a difficult topic. Keep up the great work, I love your support for the LGBTQ community!
Kirstin Bailey