Sunday, July 25, 2010

Blog Post 13 (My Final Reflection)

I am going to take this time to start from the beginning of my EDM310 class and give you an overview of what happened.

Before class started I received an email from Dr. Strange going into more detail about the class. The main two things I remembered about that email was, to have an additional 15 hours a week to work on projects for this class. The other thing I remember is that there were four mandatory days during the semester that we had to attend class. After reading that email I thought my only problem would be attending the first day of class, because I had court that day due to my divorce. My ex and I agreed to postpone the court date and I was able to make it to class.

I started out pretty good, kept up with my downloads, questionnaire, and a couple
blogs, but then it went down from there. I put too much on myself this semester. When I started the semester I already had two children and was pregnant with my third. I decided to take four classes this semester, continued to work, and was extremely tired. Unfortunately, I would choose sleep over doing my blogs and staying on top of my work.

I did continue to do my group projects and really enjoyed doing them. We all meshed well together and brought different ideas to the table. By doing so, I believe we made some great videos for future EDM310 students to learn from.

When I started this class I did not know much of anything when it came to the computer. Yes, I could access my email, I have a facebook account, and could watch videos on UTube, but that was probably all I could do. Now, I can add links and videos to my own blog.

I really enjoyed this class and everything I learned. Most of the assigned videos were very inspirational and something I could relate to. Even when I got behind I still enjoyed watching them. I was really proud of myself when I would add a link or video to one of my blogs or on a comment I made to one of my fellow students' blogs.

The advice I would give for any student taking this class next semester or any to follow is to stay on top of their work. Although, the summer semester is a lot faster they could still get behind during the fall or spring semester as well. I would encourage them to enjoy the class and not get too over whelmed. Yes, it is a lot of work, but it is worth it.

Some of my favorite blogs to read and teachers to follow are Karl Fisch, Michael Wesch, and Joe McClung. The one teacher I wish I could follow, but cannot because he died back in 2008 is Randy Pausch. I will highly recommend them to see every and all of his videos. Here is a link to his Last Lecture video. Another recommendation I would give is to use Symbaloo as their PLN. I love how it is easy to use and how organized it is.

Although I did not stay on top of my class work and got really far behind I was pretty much able to catch up. No, I do not recommend anyone to do what I did, but I am proud of myself for catching up. I always try to see things on the bright side, and in this case I can honestly say I really enjoyed everything I have learned and plan on implementing this knowledge when I am a teacher.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Alba Middle School



I am so glad to see a local teacher thinking outside the box. Her students did a wonderful job! I love the way she allowed them to express their opinion. Students need to know they can and should speak up when something is bothering them. I can tell how much they enjoyed doing this video. They really put some thought and emotion into it. I hope they keep up the great work!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Teaching Caleb how to start his own blog

Final Project








It was a lot of fun working with my group and of course "Caleb" on our final project. As a group we thought about how to summarize the class, and what we could teach a child from the class. That is where we decided on making a blog for Caleb. He is older than Jace (my son who is six), but not old enough where he already had one.

Dr. Strange said he would add him to his C4K next semester. I think Caleb would love that! It would give him some comments to reflect on, and also have a reason to blog.

Blog Post 12

What I Learned This Year

I have enjoyed reading both of Mr. McChung's blogs about his two years of teaching. Just like him, I am afraid of the "survival mode". I hope to not get there, but it is good to know he did not stay there long. I would rather teach something hands on and not reading a book and answering questions. He and I believe in a lot of the same teaching methods. I plan on continuing to follow him even when this class is over.

If you would like to read some of his blogs. Here is a link to Mr. McClung's blog.

Just when I thought I had learned a lot of technological ideas to include in the classroom, Dr. Strange has us watch another video that proves I will never stop learning something new. I have never heard of "fablab" and I found three different videos that helped me understand it better. This first one is an overview of what the intentions of fablab are to help students with math, science, and technology children's engineering initiative's video. The second one I chose goes in more detail about the machine, how it works, and how students not only get to construct things, but also put them together and take them apart. This one can be seen at Imagine.Design.Create.Construct video. The final video I chose to share with you is actually the first one I saw because it speaks volumes to me. It is a five-year-old using the fablab technology and machine. I am learning more and more each day that it does not matter how old you are...you can still learn things. Here is a link to Digital Fabrication: Through the Eyes of a Five-Year-Old Boy's video.

My final C4K

This is the post I left for this video. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. It is a great teaching tool.

For the students that made the video "Noble Gases" you should be very proud of yourselves. I have never thought about categorizing our gases into a kingdom like you did. I am sure you learned a lot from this project and can help other students remember the information as well. Keep up the great work!