Sunday, October 31, 2010

Additional Assignment # 3!!

Changing Education Paradigms


1. What do you think is the most important thing Sir Ken Robinson says in this presentation?I feel that the most important thing in this video is how students should be educated with culture ways of the world. We need to realize that that the education system needs some changes, and the children may be more successful in groups and such. Also need to realize that some of the education styles today are holding back some students natural learning capabilites.
2. Is there anything you disagree with in this presentation?I did not really disagree with anything in this video. I felt that everything that was said, was fairly true. I feel that educators should teach their students the way and understanding of their culture. The only thing that puzzled me was when Sir Ken Robinson brought up the fact of schools being divided into different age groups. I feel that a school has to be divided into different age groups because children all learn something at each age. Each grade is important, no matter how smart a child is.
3. How congruent are Sir Ken Robinson's positions with which those you are being taught in the College of Education. In other words,where is the agreement? Where is the disagreement? In my particular major I have not heard to many things about standarized testing. In my college experience, all I hear about is how changing some of the traditional ways of educating students with new technological ways.
4. What can you do to address the issues Sir Ken Robinson raises?When I become a teacher, I plan on looking at several different schools in several different areas to see how they are adapting technology into a traditional school setting. I will also think of different ways to bring the natural learning abilities of students and being creative. Sometimes students need to explore what they are best at to be able to achieve the most out of school. I also liked how Sir Ken Robinson brought up the issue of ADD and ADHD. I feel that too many children are being diagnosed with ADD and ADHD way to quickly. Some children have no business being placed on medicine so quickly.
5. What do you think of the presentation? If you had to do a presentation with others like this, what role on your team would you like most to play?I feel that Sir Ken Robinson did a great job with this presentation, and I feel that he really knows what he is talking about on alot of issues. I like how he has the guts to speak out on these issuses. If I could, I would want to be the author. I would want to come up with great ideas such as these.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Blog Post 10!!!

Morgan Bayda

In this video, it really stressed how pointless somethings can be in classroom. For example, sitting in a classroom for hours of just pure lecturing can be so boring. The students will just be trying to stay awake instead of actually paying attention to the lecture. This is exactly true, I hating sitting in a classroom for hours just listening to a lecture. I feel that I leave the classroom knowing the same amount as when I walked in the classroom. Some schools need to take advantage of the new technology such as twitter, blogger, and skype to have a lecture. Some of the styles of teaching are still the same as they were one hundred years ago, and somethings need to change. I believe that, yes students do need to have a lecture time but at the sametime the teacher needs to interact with the students and technology more. Dan Brown did a great job of making the video. I do not believe that I would drop out of school, but his video had some great points.

Don't Let Them Take Home Pencils
Picture of Students playing with pencils
In this blog post, this teacher was told not to allow the students to take home their pencils. He was told that it could even lower test scores. This teacher only had test scores on her mind. Instead of just worrying about one thing, find a great way to turn something bad into something great. Just because the students are "playing" with the pencils does not mean the students are not learning anything. I really enjoyed reading this blog post.

Two Questions That Change Your Life


My Sentence: She always installed in her students each day with the feeling that they are all loved in a special way and everyone has something great about themselves no matter what.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Blog Post 9!!!!!

What I've Learned This Year

Picture of Do's and Dont's

I really enjoyed reading this post. It made me focus my attention more on what a teacher is expected to do. I also realized that being a teacher is not about you as the teacher, it is about the students and what they have learned. I realized in this post that when being a teacher you must be flexible. As a teacher you will have to break some of your habits and go with the flow. Also in all kinds of jobs, communication is the key to having an enjoyable work place. Also when you are a teacher, your students watch your every move. So, everything you do and participate in should be reasonsible, because you are these students role models. When you are a teacher, you must always listen to the students. After all, they are the voice of the future. As a teacher, do not be afraid of technology. Do not be afraid of new ideas. The most important thing is never stop learning. Just because you are a teacher with a degree does not mean that your brain is completly full of knowledge. Everyone can always learn something more in life. I really enjoyed reading this, and I hope when I become a teacher that I can successfully perform all the Do's and stay away from all the Don'ts.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Blog Post 8

This is How We Dream

Picture of Library   Picture of Mac computer screen
The ways of reading and writing has changed so much over time and the change increases all the time. These days reading and writing can easily be done over a small computer, when in the past reading and writing was only done with paper and pencil. In today's society we no longer work with just that plain pencil and paper. We now work through a screen on a computer using microsoft word and such. In the past all research had to be performed in a library with thousands of books to pick through, but now all you have to do is click one button to research the entire world on the web. The good incrumental change is that all the papers online are always there. For example when you took a book out of the library that information is not there until you return it, but that is the opposite of the internet. On the internet once an article is stored there it is always there no matter what.
Also the internet changes things instantly, books do not change until they are reprinted. For example, during the presidental elections, one can log on to the internet and keep up with the scores. When a book is not that accurate. This is also an example of an incremental change not a fundamental change.
The internet is very difficult at times for certain people to get use to, because the internet is always changing. People who were always use to researching through a book has to adjust to the quick advances of the internet. The internet is great. It makes you realize that the internet does make you share ideas publicly. One can now get online lectures on all sorts of subjects. So teachers do need to realize that his or her ideas will be shared at some point. It is amazing how a discussion on the internet can be viewed or put on blogs over 3000 times just after three months of being posted to the internet. I realize as an inspiring teacher, this technology for teaching is always changing. I think that change is good, but at the same time challenging. I believe even five years from now, technology will be increased even dramtically by then. Eventhough it is challenging it can make so many things happen for students and the world.

The Chipper Series and EDM for Dummies
I actually LOVED watching both of the these videos. Very funny and entertaining! I liked watching these videos, it showed me what I need to do for this class and how to do it. The EDM for Dummies made me realize that I am not the only one that was stressed out, but it made me realize that once you understand the course, it really is not that bad. I would love to be in a video. I would love to compose a video that is very similar to these videos. For example, maybe explaining how to do something in another course or how to work a certain device. I really enjoyed these videos.

Smartboards
As I was reading both sides to this argument it made me realize there are good points to both sides. I realize that smartboards are so expensive and really do some of the same things that a normal board does except it is higher technology. I mean both boards teach you something such as a math problem right?
A normal board does not provide near the amenities that a smartboard does, but on the same hand a smartboard is so expensive. I sometimes believe that it does not matter what you teach off of because what really matters is the material being taught. Here is a website that argues the opposite side of smartboards.http://www.teacherslovesmartboards.com/art/

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Additional Assignment # 2

The Child-driven Education

 Picture of children infront of computer



1. Yes, I do believe if a learner is motivated than they can most certainly teach themselves. I believe as the man stated in the video, "If there is an interest than education happens". I believe this is true and this applies to this question. I fill that having an interest in something can make someone want to learn more and more about which in my opinion brings motivation.
2. Yes, I also believe kids can teach themselves. For example in the video, all those children in India gradually taught themselves how to navigate a computer. I was empressed even more because some of these children in the video were from India, and they were not even use to American language and technology. They were completley new to this technology, and they seemed to gradually teach themselves how to navigate it.
3. I believe that some of the conditions include the materials that are given to the students to help them understand and teach themselves. For example, just by placing the computer in the community for all the students to explore was an example of something that is necessary to teach themselves. If a computer had never been placed in the community, then the children may have never known or heard of a computer.
4. Computer and internet access play a huge role in the process. By being able to navigate the internet, the kids are about to explore so many things in the world. They are able to google and perform a research all by themselves. The computer also greatly improved some of their English and their understanding of different terms. The internet and computer help so many things, the internet is always improving and will only continue to help other countries.
5.Movitivation can make a student become something that they never were. It makes them want to learn so much. If a student has the motivation or interest in a matter than a desire to learn will occur.
6. Problems, questions, or multiple problems or questions can actually be good for the process of learning and motivation. If a problem or question arises then that means that a student will have to even dig deeper into the problem. They may have to perform research and so many things to solve the problems or answer the questions. By doing this, the students may learn so much more than to begin with. There motivation level may increase so much. Problems are great to get over obstacles.
7. You can motivate someone to want to learn in so many ways. Put the situation right in front of their face. Just like in the video, by placing those computers in the community, it made the students interested and want to learn more. That motivated those students to want to do so much. Always be there for the students and also show them how learning can be the greatest thing that could ever happen to a student.
8. I am motivated to learn by always wanting to stay up-to-date with technology and such. I have always wanted to learn all the new things out in the world. Motivation has always come farely easy for me, because I really do love school and learning the unknown.
9. I really think that this question has two sides. I feel that for the true understanding of a subject or matter, the student has to have motivation and the urge to learn that subject or matter. Everyone can learn something, even if it is something small, even if they really are not interested in it.
10. I teach myself quiet abit in this class, even though there are directions,  but one still has to perform the task alone. Sometimes when I get mad because I cannot figure out how to do something. Eventhough I get amd,  it is really good for you. Accomplishing something on your own, can be the greatest feeling in the world.
11. A teacher to me plays the majority of my learning. I have always felt that I make better grades and understand things better when I have a great teacher. An example of how a teacher always helps me is like take math for example. They have to show and help you work through every step.  By the teacher explaining and helping you understand everything, it makes me be able to fully understand it. Also teachers provide alot of motivation. All of my teachers have always encouraged me to always do my best. This kind of teacher can make you feel so good about yourself, which causes motivation in a learning process to occur.
12. After watching this video, it made me realize that every child can be motivated to learn a new divice. I guess I have never really opened my eyes to how there are children all over the world, that have never experienced certain technology in life. In the video, to see the children in India really having an interest to the computers and want to explore it kinda melts my heart. Every child has the motivation in some way to learn anything new.
13. As an aspiring teacher, I often want to know what the students in other countries are really taught? I mean I know that they are taught some what different because they speak a different language, but what subject matters are really focused in on in some countries. I often wonder if there is something in there school work, that may be benifical for our school system?

Thursday, October 7, 2010

PLN Process Post

image of Sterling's Symbaloo which serves as a link if you click it
I have enjoyed editing and working on my PLN. I developed my PLN through Symbaloo. I really liked using Symbaloo, because it has a very creative style to it. I liked how you could add different colors to each website you add. I added lots of things that I feel has helped me develop more knowledge about technology and such. I added Jamie Lynn's blogspot and Anthony's, because they have been very helpful to helping me understand more anout technology. I also added several classmates that have been very helpful, and we work together helping each other. I also added things such as facebook, because I honestly feel that it helps inform me about so many things. So far my PLN is going great!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Blog Post 7

The number 7
Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

If you had one last lecture to give before you died what would it be and why. Have you ever really thought about that? At the beginning Randy made me realize to appreciate life. He has ten tumors in his liver and the doctors have given him three to six months of good health left. He used one of my favorite saying, "You can't change the cards that are dealt, we just have to play the hand." He began talking about his childhood, and how great his childhood really was. He said that in all the pictures he found of himself as a child, he was always smiling. You could tell that he has always loved and appreciated life, and even through his sickness he has never given up. He mentioned how he has many dreams as a child, which most every child does. He said he often dreamed about playing for the NFL, being Captain Kirk, being in zero gravitiy, winning stuffed animals, and being a Disney Imagineer. He then went into detail about each one of his dreams that he has always dreamed about. He mentioned that even though he had always dreamed about playing for the NFL, he said that not fulfilling that dream was good for him. He made the comment that he probably got more out of not fulfilling this dream, than he got out of some of the dreams that did come true. He told the story of how on his first day of football pratice with Coach Graham, that Coach Graham did not bring any footballs to football practice. He said that this really made him realize the fundamentals of this game, and it made him realize that fundamentals are the most important things. At the end of discussing his NFL dream, he made the comment that "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted." I find this comment very true, and you do not always get what you want in life but it makes you thankful for everything else.
Later on he started talking about his dream of meeting Captain Kirk, which I found very funny. He went on saying that Captain Kirk was not the smartest person on the ship, but he was the leader on the ship. Randy said that Captain Kirk made him realize that leadership can be so important, and that being smart isn't always what matters most. Of course he said he also liked Captain Kirk's toys haha. This dream of his came true. He said it was great, because not only did his dream come true but he wanted to know what cool things Randy was doing in his lab. He later on in life became a day-a-week consultant for imagineering for Disney. He did this for about ten years. He consultanted things like Disney Quest. So that included things like the Virtual Jungle Cruise. His childhood dreams were great, but how could he enable the childhood dreams of others?
He said that being a professor was a great place to enable childhood dreams. He had a student who had a childhood dream of working on the next Star Wars film. Tommy, the student that wanted this dream, did finally get to work on all three of those films. Randy then started explaining how he created a course called Building Virtual Worlds. In this course there were 50 students drawn from all the different departments of the university. They were randomly chosen teams, four people per team. In this course they did differnt projects. This course became a big hit. People from all over the departments were wanting to get involved with this course. He said that the students would get so excited about putting on a production and they loved the audience reations. He taught this course for over ten years, and I could tell by the tone in his voice that he absolutely loved every part of it.
They then created the Dream Fulfillment Factory. He did this program with Don Martin, and his was also a big hit. He explained how it was probably successful because Randy and Don were so different, but I guess two different minds work great together. The ETC (Entertainment Technology Center) was wonderful because of both these men. Carnegie Mellon University was a great place that was producing so many great ideas and programs to help students really fulfill their dreams.
Lessons learned was the last part of this video that was discussed. He went on to say that there has to be some aspect that lets you achieve these dreams. He began by saying that parents and mentors are a huge part of helping a dream come true. I honestly believe that too! Never give up is what he said, and I truely believe that he has never given up. This video was great. I honestly loved watching it, it made me realize to never give up on your hopes and dreams because you never know what will happen. Always be thankful for what God gave you. Always lead your life the right way!