Blog #10 TED Talks with Sir Ken Robinson

Sir Ken Robinson spoke at this Ted Talk convention. He discussed is opinions on the world of education. His main thread of discussion is changing the education world through a revolution rather than a evolution. Robinson feels that it is strange that the way our education system is headed is prodomiditlmely going in the wrong direction. He compared it to fast food. All foods have been prepared at a conventional conformed way. He fears that education has joined the conformity and students are all learning the same way which isn't always beneficial, much like fast food isn't always beneficial. He states that life shouldn't be linear it should be organic. Our education system should parallel life and be organic! He stated that a college education is not for everyone. Some people benefit from a college education and some don't benefit from one. He is a big believer in choosing something that feeds your spirit and not diminish it. He used an example of a farmer to explain his theory, A farmer doesn't know what the weather will do in the long run and he can't predict the success rate of his crops. The farmer must customize the land for variations of weather in order for crop success. In comparison to thriving minds, Robinson feels that we need to have our education custom for each individual in order for us have success rather than frustrations. Sir Ken Robinsion knows it will take time and there will be trials and issues along the way for creating this education revolution but he planted a seed for whomever listened to his talk, including me!

Lesson Plan #3 President Timeline

For this lesson plan I will have my 5th grade students create a timeline for a previous President of the United States. They will create this timeline on TimeToast

President Timeline Lesson Plan

Project #12 SmartBoard Tutorial.

Part A- Individual SmartBoard Tutorial

Blog #9

Mrs. Cassidy is a "year one" teacher in Canada and is using technology all throughout her classroom structure. Her students have their own blogs that they use daily. This also serves as a showcase for students to see improvement in their writing skills. These blogs enable them to gain skills with the use of audio and video making on a computer. The students in her class love using their computers and electronic gadgets in school. Most students their age in other classrooms are told to "power down" their electronics at the beginning of class and take out their books and school supplies. Where as Mrs. Cassidy's students get to keep their gadgets turned on. A few questions that she addressed in her interview with Dr. Strange and his class was on the topic of if there was encouragement from other staff members in her school, if parents allowed it, and what she felt were the main benefits.

Mrs. Cassidy explained that most her the staff supported her in the use of having a technology based classroom but, not many of the teachers have hopped on the band wagon and converted to all technology. She also stated that over the years some Principals have been more supportive than others but most of them see the benefits her classroom receives and therefor continue to allow her methods. When it comes to privacy of her students, she sends home a form asking the parents permission for their children to access the internet. Mrs. Cassidy informs them that she will post students work, pictures, and first name. The parents of her students have enjoyed their child's blog because it keeps them updated as to what is going on in the classroom and it shows their child's improvement in writing skills.

I think I will love to have a blog in my classroom where the students can access the links I have posted to learning games and actives. It is working for her class and I will have to see if it works for mine. Mrs. Cassidy mentioned her love for twitter as a PLN because it keeps her connected to other people in the education world. It will be interesting to see how my PLN has evolved in just a few years after I graduate and become a teacher. Her interview can be found Here!

Project #9

C4T #2

I was assigned to read William Richardson's blog. This blog was so helpful and I will definitly add Mr. Richardson to my PLN. His blog was unique because he has gathered articles from writers, bloggers, and journalists all over and shared with his readers their opinions on different subject matters through the articles they have written. This blog is a great way to keep up with current events. I read several other posts of his that weren't assigned to me but they caught my attention. However, the first one I commented on was from a blogger named John Robb, discussing the use of technology and its rapidly growing success. Yet, he exposed the negative side effects of the technology boost decreasing jobs of many people all over the world! Basically, "robots" have become the method of getting things done. People are loosing their jobs because companies are "keeping up with the times" and no longer need human beings to get tasks done. Robots/Machines are considered faster, cheaper, and more efficient. Unemployment rates are increasing as technology takes over. This article William shared brought to my attention alarming facts of the further.

Secondly, I read Mr. Richardson's article he shared from Jennifer Finney Boylan discussing the new changes in the SAT. Apparently, the SAT has been altered to show more "accurate results of the students school grades" reflecting through their SAT scores. Boylan, Richardson, and myself included all agree that the SAT is unnecessary and is a "national scandal". It gets students worried for a test that in no way shape or form can accurately explain your successes as a student. I added in commented about the struggles I experienced with standardized test results.

Project #14 A to Z Book of Flags

A to Z Book of Flags Overview

A to Z Book of Flags Calendar

Blog #8 Education Tools

After typing in Google "education tools" I clicked on Edudemic which is amazing. It had 50 links to all sorts of tools that will be useful for me as a teacher. I immediately added the website to my favorites tools bar. I literally just kept scrolling down pages reading all of the options in this virtual world. I could have stayed and read all 50 links but it would have taken me days to read it all. It was very hard to pick my favorites. But I have narrowed it down to a few sites I know I will be using soon.

As a soon to be elementary education teacher, I need to remember first to keep children's intrests in mind. I found that using Creaza would be extremely beneficial for children because it is a program online where students can create cartoons and brainstorm with other classmates. This program will help children with computer skills, editing and programing videos, all while using their imaginations. Project based learning at its finest.

An easy and organized way of making flashcards and quizzes can be done using Quizlet. I can remember using Quizlet in school when our teacher asked us to make flashcards. Sometimes we would even get to make our own quizzes. Basically you get to pretend to be the teacher and have your book and notes out on your desk and create your own questions. The goal was to brainstorm and gather ideas about what you(as the student) would expect the teacher to put on the real test. This gets the student involved in looking up information, making sure they have the correct answers, and organizing them into a homemade quiz. Then they can exchange the quizzes with other classmates.

Some tools that would be benifial for me as the teacher would be MasteryConnect, this allows me to keep track of Common Core standards and make sure I am sticking to them. I can not wait to download Diigo! I am very old school when it comes to reading books on electronic devices. I can't quite make the leap to buying an Kindle or Nook. The reason being, is that I love to hold books in my hands, highlight, underline, and fold over page corners. But with Diigo, it allows me to do that with everything I read on the computer. Using this will allow me to make that leap into electronic reading.

The internet is filled to the rim with kids games. The major downside to online gaming in schools is that most do not educational. On the bright side there are several webistes that have games that are just educational games that foster learning with every subject in mind. I like Fun Brain, MangaHigh, and Kerproof. These websites cover all subjects and are not blocked on school computers.

I am so happy to have had this as a blog post assigment because this has reviled some of my worries about finding the right tools for my further classrooms. I can't wait to use these. I know that by the time I graduate there will be even more opportunities and tools to make it easier.