FAREWELL POST!

Goodbye for now fellow bloggers and EDM31o teachers! I have enjoyed this semester we have spent following each other and the struggle we have all had in completing this course (because we all know it hasn't always been fun). I wish you all the best of luck in completing your education degree and getting your own classroom. Remember to keep expanding your technological literacy because technology is constantly changing and growing. Bye! :) - Kelly McKinnell

FINAL POST! :)

1. Blogs- Blogging has really been a great tool that I have used this semester. I have used my blog as not only a voice for my feelings and opinions about things, but as a record of things I have created this semester using technology. Following other peoples' blogs is a great way to learn and grow as an educator and a person. Commenting on other blogs can also introduce them tho your blog and maybe they can learn from your blog. Blogging is a GREAT tool to use in the classroom.

Google Docs-Google docs is a great place to create presentations, spreadsheets, surveys, etc. This semester we used google docs to create a survey for our class mates to respond to. Google automatically created a spreadsheet using the survey responses which I feel will be very helpful in my classroom one day. We also created presentations about ourselves using Google docs. The best part of google docs to me is that it is FREE! I think google docs was very helpful this semester and I plan to continue using it.

Podcasts- Our podcast assignments were a great idea! Before this class, I did not know what a podcast was. Through our project I not only learned what a podcast was, but I learned how to create one on my own using Audacity. I now listen to podcasts, as well as video-casts, on itunes.

YouTube- I have been using YouTube to watch videos for years! We used YouTube a lot in this class to watch videos for our blog assignments. YouTube is a great free tool that allows people all over the world to access videos. It was a big help in this class and I know it will be in the future as well.

iTunes- iTunes is a GREAT tool for the classroom! Before this class, I used iTunes simply to download music to my iPod. Now I know that iTunes can be used for SO much more! Through iTunesU, you may now listen to podcast or watch video casts from different Universities all over the world! This a great way to expand our country's education knowledge. I use iTunes more for podcasting now than for music!

Timetoast Timeline- Timetoast Timline is my favorite project we did all year! Not only is this free tool easy to use; it's really fun too! I created a Timetoast Timeline on the history of cheerleading. I also taught my friend Rachel how to use Timetoast and she create one for her life. I will definitely be using Timetoast in my classroom.

Skype- I came into this semester with negative thoughts about Skype. I found it to be a little weird and I was skeptical about trying it. When I saw that one of our projects was for Skype, I was forced to try it out. Now I use Skype all the time to stay in touch with my friends that attend colleges all over the country! We used Skype in our EDM class twice and it really was neat to be able to communicate with other educators not just verbally, but visually. Skype is a awesome tool for the classroom!

Technological Literacy- Technology is a HUGE part of our world today. Being technologically literate does not mean you should take a course, or learn how to surf the web. Being technologically literate means that you have an ever growing range of technology use. You should continue to learn about technology everyday. Being an effective educator means that you should continue to educate yourself. Technological literacy is one of the most important aspects of being an educator in today's society.

2. I really wish we would have done a project in which we had to use the Smart Board in our EDM310 classroom. Smart Boards are in almost all classrooms now, so we need to be aware of how to use them to their best ability.

3. No. I feel that everything we learner in this class will be very useful in my classroom.

4. This class had its exciting moments. for example when I first learned how to use Google docs to create a survey, I was excited because I found it to be very useful.

5. I found a few of my blog posts to be intellectually challenging. Most of them very not difficult, however a few of them left me sitting in front of my computer for a while, pondering how I should respond.

6. Yes! I quickly got bored in the early part of the semester with blogging. There is not much work at the beginning of the semester except for the blog posts. Some of the assignments were long and not always exciting and I had to force myself to do some of them.

7. Like I said in #2, I would definitely add a Smart Board project. Maybe a collaborative project in which groups have to create a lesson using the Smart Board.

8. I would say that I am moderately literate when it comes to technology. I know enough to incorporate technology in my classroom but, I still have A LOT to learn.

9. I will continue to expand my PLN and follow some educators via Blogger, Twitter, Facebook, etc. Technology is going to continue to change and grow, therefore my technological literacy has an ever changing need to grow and expand.

substantive presentation

Here is my substantive presentation! I taught my friend Rachel how to use Timetoast Timeline and I hope this can help you learn how to use it as well. Enjoy!

Interview

This week I interviewed Tracy Preston. Mrs. Preston is a 4th and 5th grade teacher at Lee Primary Elementary school in satsuma, Alabama. When asked if technology was an important part of her school she replied enthusiastically "yes"! At Lee, she said, they place an extreme emphasis on the use of technology in every classroom. I asked her how they implement technology in each class and she replied, " Technology is very important in our school. Each classroom has at least 5 computers and a Smart Board. I personally plan technology for my grade level, and this allows teachers to incorporate fun games and powerpoints with their lessons. There are great ways to find powerpoints (example: "frog lifecycles"+ppt) and games (example: "addition with regrouping"+games). It is amazing what great things people publish to the computer that work for your lessons. We also utilize Unitedstreaming, Funbrain, and many other fun game sites. Our school system has also adopted Ticket to Read. This is a program that helps children with comprehension and become more fluent readers."

Week 14

The video we watched about the 7th graders PLE was awesome! I am so impressed by the ways that children are learning to use technology! It is hard to believe how much we really can do and learn through the Internet. This girl has done a WONDERFUL job of developing her Personal Learning Environment. She may have even given me a few tips! After watching her video, I want to create a page (like the one in her video) to make all of my regularly visited sites easily accessible. This is also a good example of why educators need to continue learning.

The Two Important Questions video was really good! It makes you really think about what you are doing with your life and how you are living it. As a future educator, I think that we have all asked ourselves (maybe in a different way) what our sentence is. We all have a reason for wanting to be an educator. The monetary aspect is obviously not the clincher for this decision, therefore we all have some type of motivating factor. Personally, I can say that I truly enjoying working with children and that I hope to have a lasting impact on my future students. I Can honestly say that I do strive everyday to be better than yesterday. Sometimes it is not easy, but in the long run it is so rewarding!

MY PLN

Here are some sites I have been using to expand my PLN. Visit some of these and maybe you can expand yours as well!

http://ponderingpaige.blogspot.com/

http://shawepb.blogspot.com/

http://nikonsniper.blogspot.com/

http://whatiteach.blogspot.com/

http://www.shift2future.com/

Week 13

It is nice to finally have a week when we can write about anytihng we want instead being forced to write about a particular video, blog or other form of technology. This class, though I do not completely enjoy it, has really taught me a lot about the ways that technology is transforming our society. Today, people from all over the world can not only speak to eachother but can get to know eachother and the differents things about each other's community.Education has been expanded in ways that are absolutely fascinating to me! In the world that we live in now, there is no reason that anyone should be uneducated. Education has been made accessible to EVERYONE via iTunes, YouTube, blogs, etc. I can hardly wait to see what the future has in store for us!

Comments4Kids

This week I watched Caroline's video. She was talking about going camping. She was very nervous about going kayaking because she didn't want to fall in the water, but she was VERY excited about going rock climbing!

Comments4Teachers 3

Dr. Fisch announced in his post this week that he will be teaching a class next year due to financial issues of his school district. He is nervous and excited about the change but I feel that he will do a great job! his school runs on a much different schedule than any other the schools in this area. His high school runs on more of a college schedule. I am very interested in researching it to see exactly how it works.

Week 12

This PS22 was great! Those children are truly inspiring and I am so glad that they are getting the chance to perform with Fleetwood Mac! By posting our work on our blogs we can open up someone else's eyes to a new form of technology. An example is that I saw the graphs Dr. Strange added to our class blog on ScribD and I tried it out myself! Another good reason to upload your work is that you will have soemthing that you can look back at when you are trying to figure out what to do for certain projects. If you were having your class create tiemlines of their life, then you could look back at your blog to refresh your memory on Timetoast Timeline. Another good reason to upload your materials is for sheer entertainment. People may really enjoy watching your presentations or reading about thoughts on certain issues.

Comments4Kids
This week I read Martha's post. She had us play a guessing game which described a baby!

Comments4Teachers 2

Week 10 (3/21)

Dr. Fisch had no new posts this week :(

Week 11 (3/28)

No new posts again :( :(

Week 12 (4/3)

Finally a new post! :) This week Dr. Karl Fisch made a post about a website that he is in the process of creating ( a digital learning ecology). He is doing this to assist teachers and students when trying to create something digital. For example, when a teacher assigns students to create a time line of the events of the Civil War, that teacher can look at Dr. Fisch's site and find that you can create time lines on Time Toast. It seems like a wonderful idea and I think that all teachers could benefit from this website. Check it out yourself at: http://sites.google.com/site/ahslearningecology/

Week 11

This week I really enjoyed the websites that we had to look at! Kaia's father is reaching out to so many people across the entire world just by teaching his daughter that you can learn from everything around you. Kaia's father, Jabiz Raisdana, is teaching his daughter how to communicate with people from all over the world via Skye, blogs, youtube etc. This precious little girl is able to show me, a 21 year old college student, that anyone is capable of using the technology around us. Her photo essay proves jsut how smart this little girl is. She truely sees the beauty in all things!

Week 10

I found Morgan Bayda's blog post and Dan Brown's video to be very interesting. Though I agree with a great deal of what they said, I have a learned a lot in some of my college courses. In EDM310 I have learned so much! I have learned how to use the technology available in the field of education. I have learned how to follow blogs and how to use my own blog effectively. I have learned how to use Google docs to create surveys and presentations. I have used tools such as Audacity to record audio and Skype to communicate with friends all over the country. I learned how to create timelines using Timetoast. I not only learned WHAT a podcast is but, I learned how to create my own podcasts. Morgan felt that she learned a great deal from her Computer Ed class and I agree with her 100% about that. Being in EDM310 has forced me to actually USE the technologies that we have learned about. I wish more college courses were hands on and suited for each field of study.

Comments4Kids

I looked at a post from a student named Maurice. In his post he drew a picture of the bus that they rode to the zoo on. He also mentioned that they ate lunch at the zoo.

Skype & Timetoast Timeline

Skype
When first hearing about Skype, I was a bit skeptical to try it out. When I found that we needed to use Skype for EDM310 it gave me a reason to try it out. I am so glad that I have tried Skype now! I have used it to keep in touch with friends that go to Auburn, Alabama, Ole Miss, Georgia and LSU. It is hard to be away from close friends but, tools such as Skype make it easier for us to stay in touch.


Timetoast Timeline

Google Docs Form

Of the twenty people who responded to my survey, the ages ranged from 19-23, except for one 41 year who responded. The 41 year old was the only respondent that had children. 5 people admitted to drinking regularly, while only 1 person admitted to smoking. There were only 3 people out of the 20 respondents that said that they exercise daily and four people said that they do not work out at all! When asked if they had ever attended a South Alabama sporting event, 15 out of 20 people had attended at least one sporting event. 3 people said that they do play sports. That means that 13 out of 20 people do not play any sports! 6 people who took this survey confessed that they have not done all of their assignments thus far for this course. When asked if they enjoyed EDM310, only 7 people replied no. However, when asked what word described their feelings about this class, only 3 of the words chosen were considered to be positive.