Blog Assignment 8

This is How We Dream Part 1 and 2

Richard E. Miller discusses how we write and a new way of writing. I liked the way he says that our desktop is our new work space. He stresses this is "an incremental change, not a fundamental change." This upcoming way of writing involves much thought and creativity. Richard Miller said that the limits and restrictions are placed by ourselves. We must learn to push ourselves further! Honestly, I was a little confused by these two videos. I understood the main point. However, as I re-watched them it all became very clear.

Richard begins by explaining a project he created. He was able to incorporate video into his written project. This is a great way to make papers more interesting and give evidence to back up a statement. This is something that we most commonly see done on news sites. Personally, I am much more interested in watching a video, than reading. This helps give a project both sides.

I am very interested in using what I have learned from Richard Miller and incorporating it into my blog posts. I have already begun incorporating pictures to make each post noticeable. Videos not only are a great source, but they also add a bit of "entertainment" to something not always fun.
Carly Pugh's Blog Post #12

I was very impressed with Carly's Blog post. Her assignment was to come up with something that Dr. Strange should have assigned to the EDM 310 class. I hope I am able to be as creative with assignments as Carly's was. That is what a networking teacher is all about! Creativity is key to a successful blogging assignment. We must always be thinking with an open mind.

Carly's post is a great example of Richard Miller's view of writing. She was able to incorporate creative writing and videos into one piece. The videos were used to back up what she was writing about. Great example!
EDM 310 for Dummies

This is an inspiring video about the class. It encourages students to not get frustrated with the assignments. This class may seem scary at first, but it can actually be enjoyable. It is what you make it. I have learned beyond what I expected! The Chipper Series is a video created by Dr.Strange and students. The main point of the video is that as a college student, you should complete all classwork and on time. That is the simple key to being a successful teacher! It is often hard for students to remember this one rule.
Learn to Change, Change to Learn

This video says technology is not a choice. This new way of learning helps students come together for projects and social network learning. Students online become a community for learning. This is certainly a challenge and transition. However, once established this is going to be a great learning system.
Scavenger Hunt 2.0
gizmoz.com is a very fun site that I had never heard of! You are able to upload a picture of yourself and turn it into an animation. If you do not have a photo you can create your own avatar. The characters are very detailed. There are many choices available from hair color to clothes.
polleverywhere.com is a site available to create your own poll. I have created my own poll as seen below.

Get a free sms student response system at Poll Everywhere

Project #12 Book Trailer

project #11 Short Movie

C4T #2

Comment #1

I was assigned to Jen Deyenberg. Her blog is Trails Optional. The first post I commented on was titled Geocaching with Dinosaurs. This is something I had never heard of before reading her post. She used this method in her classroom by setting upp eleven caches outside that contained wooden dinosaur bones. She bought eight different dinosaur models. The students had to find the pieces and then put the dinosaur models together. This project kept the students very interested!

I was very interested in this blog post. I had never heard of geocaching before and think it is an awesome way to incorporate something fun into the classroom.
Here is the comment I posted in response to her blog:"Hi! My Name is Michelle Nix and I am currently a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. You can view our class blog at http://edm310.blogspot.com/. You can also follow my blog at http://nixmichelleedm310.blogspot.com/. I will be summarizing my visits to your blog in a blog post on March 9, 2012. I am very intrigued to learn more about geocaching! This is something that i have never heard of. It seems like a fun thing to incorporate for the children. Are the students very familiar with geochacing? I have never thought about how interesting children would find dinosaurs. That is a great topic to discuss in the classroom!"
Comment #2

The second blog post I read was about writing. It was specifically writing on the computer and the tools available. One suggestion that stood out to me was the use of Wordle. I have used Wordle for a past assignment. However, I had never considered using it as a tool. It could be helpful to see what words are used too often. Wiki is another great source that peers can view and edit your work. I think this was an awesome post and here was my response:Using Wordle as a writing tool is an excellent idea. I have used it for projects in the past, but that is something I have never thought of! I will begin doing so now though! Wiki is a great source for students to view their peers work. Our class shares work through Google docs. That is another great way to share and edit documents! Do you have any other writing tools that are used often?

Blog Assignment 7

The Networked Student

The Networked student is a video that explains what 21st century learning is like and how to get started. Connectivism is a major part of this 21st century learning. It is explained in the video as "learning occurs as part of a social network of many diverse connections and ties made possible through various tools of technology." I have always been a traditional person. However, I believe that in order for children to be prepared for their future, this must happen. Our world has become too advanced, to be still teaching the next generations in a customary manner. Teachers should not be afraid of this new way of schooling. Teachers are always going to be a crucial part of a child's life. The video answers the question "why need a teacher?" with an encouraging answer. They are necessary for teaching this new way of learning and broadening children’s abilities.

A personal learning network is not something developed over night. A child will need guidance on building this network and improving it. It has taken me a whole semester to have a good understanding of just blogging. This is something that they will always come across challenges and need direction. The teacher is also their to help them "take advantage of the learning opportunities" they are given. Teachers are there to inspire children and encourage them to think critically.

Connectivism requires children to communicate with people all over the world. This will require supervision. Children must learn how to properly comment to their mentor’s and respectfully ask them for help. There are unreliable websites across the internet. Students will need a good understanding on how to find and differentiate reliable web sources. Teachers will learn how to give assignments that challenge the students thinking and computer skills. I am excited for what the future of learning holds. There are an innumerable amount of possibilities! As a future teacher, I am willing to except the challenge of 21st century teaching!

Recently, I have begun creating my own PLN. Also known as a personal learning network. Mine was created through Symbaloo. I learned all about PLNs thanks to a video called Welcome to My PLE!. This video was impressively created by a 7th grader! She demonstrates how she created her PLE and what it consists of. This is an awesome way to keep everything necessary in one place! I am able to view my facebook, twitter, email, and much more on the same page! It also provides many tools and tips for educators. I am very excited about building my PLN and developing many connections!

Project #10 PLN progress

Here is a link to my webmix:
My webmix from Symbaloo
I was very impressed with Symbaloo. This is something I have never used before. I have a feeling that it will be used everyday now! It's a way to create my personal learning network and have all useful connections available in one location. So far, I have begun following people suggested by Dr. Strange on Twitter. I have set Symbaloo to my home page. This way, as soon as I get on the internet, I will see what these mentor's are tweeting. I also have my other social network sites available such as Facebook. There are many interesting links automatically available. I found a website that has various videos created by educators. I am very excited to continue building my PLN!

Project #9b

C4K Summary for February

C4K#1

My first assignment was for Mariam Y's blog. In her post, she wrote about computer safety. She discussed how people should be careful about giving out personal information over the internet. She also put this in to use by warning her brother when he wanted to give out their email and zip code.

I did not receive a response back. However here was my response: "I am currently a student at the University of South Alabama. I will be commenting on a few of your blog posts in the near future. I think that is great that you are learning about internet safety. You must be very careful what information is given out on the internet. That is something I often have to remind myself. Have you become more cautious after watching the videos on internet safety?"
C4k#2

The second student I was assigned to was Alana. She is a student who lives in Australia. Her blog post was a slideshow of pictures from her trip to the Werribee Zoo. It was so fascinating to see the difference between a zoo in Australia and a zoo that we are used to in the U.S. The Werribee Zoo is an open range zoo. Most of the zoo is ride through on a bus safari. She saw ostrich, giraffe, zebra, camels, and many more animals!

Here is my comment:" Hello Alana,
I am currently a student at the University of South Alabama in the United States. I am studying to become a teacher. I really enjoyed your slideshow! Our zoos in Alabama are much different from your’s in Australia. There are much more interesting animals at the Werribee zoo! Our zoos are not open range. After watching your slideshow, I hope to one day visit the Werribee zoo myself. Do you visit the zoo often? Thanks for your time!"

Alana sent a very kind response back! " @ Michelle, Thanks for your great comment. Also thanks for saying you liked my slide show. No my family and I don’t go to the zoo often, but I would like too. Do you go to the zoo often? Would you like an open range zoo? I hope you can come to Australia one day, maybe you could teach here? I would love to go to America. Best Wishes, Alana"
C4K#3

For my third C4K, I was assigned to a seventh grade student named Gemma. Gemma was assigned a project to write a Valentine's Day love letter. She chose to be creative and wrote as if it was a shoe writing to shoe lace. It was quite entertaining and well thought of!
This was my response to Gemma's project: "Hi! My name is Michelle Nix and I am currently a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. Our whole class is about technology in the classroom. I think the website and what you all are doing is great! I was assigned to Gemma’s blog. I looked over her love letter and Valentine’s day projects. I loved the idea of writing a love letter from a shoe to lace. That could not have been more creative! It was also very fun to read! Great Job!"
C4K#4

The last student I was assigned has a blog titled "Ice Man". In his blog post, he wrote about him playing the game Mash on his sister's iPod. He discusses the careers and other things he was hoping for in his future. If you look over his blog, it is quite apparent that he is very interested in sports. At the end of his game, he ended up with a pet komodo dragon named Fall, a son, and a wife. This post was very interesting to me because when I was a child, my friends and I played this game often!

Here is my response:" Hi,
My name is Michelle Nix and I am currently a student at the University of South Alabama. I am studying to become an elementary teacher. When I was younger I used to always play Mash with my friends! However, that was before iPhones and iPods existed! We would play on a piece of paper. I have recently tried the iPhone version and it is still fun! Was this your first time playing? This is also a fun game to play at school! It helps you think about your future! Do you have goals set already?

Michelle Nix's EDM310 Class Blog: Project 8 - Podcast

Blog Assignment 6

I hadn’t realized who Randy Pausch was until I began watching Randy Pausch Last Lecture:Achieving Your Childhood Dreams. I was so excited because I had actually seen him years ago on the Oprah show. Shortly after his lecture at Carnegie hall, he gave a shorter version of it on the Oprah show. I never forgot his touching story but did not know his name. Him being such an accomplished person I feel I should have known his name but I was younger. A professor at Carnegie Mellon University is just the beginning of great things he achieved throughout his life. His famous “Last Lecture” was about how to live your life, conquering your dreams, enabling the dreams of others, and how he did it. Not only was he smart, he also had a great spirit about his personality. He stressed throughout his lecture to always have fun and be happy!

My favorite part of his lecture was the brick walls that kept appearing! Dr. Pausch believed that brick walls exist to “prove how badly we want things.” They are also there to prove who doesn’t want something badly enough. As a future teacher, this is something I want to encourage with my students. Children need to know that their dreams are possible! Where would we be today if historical inventors gave up after their first failure? The brick wall is something I would love to use as a classroom motto. Even if there’s a brick wall that doesn’t get crossed, we still gain experience from trying. Dr. Pausch said the quote “Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.“ Whether we accomplish something or fail, we are always learning from the situation. This leads to the next learning technique Dr. Pausch discussed, “Head-Fake.” This is when you think you’re learning one thing, but in reality you’re learning a more important lesson. In Dr. Pausch’s words “best way to teach someone, make them think they are learning something else.” A “Head-Fake” was included in Dr.Pauschs lecture when he reveals the only three people his lecture was actually meant for were his three kids. This is something that can be used often in the classroom. I would consider technology in the classroom a “head-fake.” It is something that has games and other activities to keep students interested while learning at the same time!

It was evident that Dr.Pausch cared a great deal for his students. He was very proud of their many accomplishments. He encouraged them to be creative with their works and to always push harder. I will never forget the story he mentioned about having to go back to a classroom of students he was beyond impressed with and tell them “that was good, but you can do better.” Encouragement and support is something necessary in a classroom. I want to be a teacher who also persuades my students to go beyond their expectations. I will applaud them of their success while challenging them further.

I could go on all day about the encouraging words from Dr.Pausch’s Last Lecture! He is someone I truly admire. Anyone who has not seen this lecture should immediately! I have written down several of his quotes to keep for my own personal reference. He sets the standard for all future teachers. He left an impact on not only his students but also the rest of the world. I hope to one day influence and help my students to the best of my ability. That is indeed what being a successful teacher is all about.