Thursday, October 13, 2011

Post 7 C4T2

In going on the site of A Primary Blog for the 21st Century, the question was asked "Do you believe that student's need different things in place in order to be successful"? I agree that not everyone is taught in the same way, receives the same activities, uses the same tools, and has the same set of expectations. This was a very good blog site.

In going on the second site the question was asked how do you teach young student's about equity? This was a hard question to answer, but the teacher done a wonderful job in explaining what equity meant and how to use it. This was also an amazing site to visit.

Blog Post 7 Randy Pausch's Last Lecture


In watching the video of Randy Pausch's Last Lecture,I could not believe his attitude for a dying man. A lot of Mr. Pausch's quotes and sayings were very interesting. They made you really stop and think. The one "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted" and "Most of what we learn, we learn indirectly (or by "head fake"). Experience to me is a learning process, and if you want to learn something then experience is the best teacher.

I definitely agree with him about being an imaginer. The Brick Walls are there for a reason. They let us prove how badly we want something. I have always been told never give up on your dreams, and after listening to this lecture I can see why I was told this. This man never gave up on anything.

In he saying "Never lose your child-like wonder" really sticks out to me. PPeople forget as they get older about having fun, being helpful to others and keeping a positive attitude. My daughter tells me all the time mom you are not 20 years old anymore. I know I am not 20 years old now, but I will always keep doing the things that I loved to do at 20. I hope I never lose my child-like wonder.

Enabling the Childhood Dreams of others was a very powerful message in Mr. Pausch's lecture When you look at a child and their enthusiasm, you know the meaning of joy. My son is sixteen and has a friend who is also sixteen, when I think back over all the years that I have enjoyed playing football, going swimming, taking them to the movies, playing games, and so much more with them, I know exactly what Mr. Pausck is talking about.

The closing of this lecture told it all when he said, "This lecture was not for you (the audience) or myself, but for my kids". How important it is for kids to understand that they will run into Brick Walls, but never give up on their success.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Blog Post 3

Did You Know?
This, to me, means that in learning technology, it will be an on-going process that will never stop. By watching this video and looking at the statistics from one year to several years it is astounding, to realize how fast information is being processed and delivered in this day and time.
The fact that India has more honor students than America has kids is just unbelievable to me! In having a fifteen year old son and seeing his friends and their study habits, it makes me feel that we are not pushing our children hard enough to be number one. As parents, we try to give our kids everything they want from video games, to name brand clothes, yet we are failing to make them see the importance of a good education and what it will mean to their future and our country.


Mr. Winkle Wakes
Being an older student, I too sometimes feel like Mr. Winkle. After being out of school since 1978 and coming back to college, everything has changed. I am not use to doing homework and turning in assignments on a computer. I know the world is changing everyday and I must change too, but sometimes it’s scary.
I agree with the video that a lot of schools I have been in are still teaching the old fashion way. I think a lot of the older teachers are like me, scared of technology, but must also change for the benefit of their students.


Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
I agree with Mr. Robinson that creativity is important in our schools. I also agree that you must make mistakes sometimes to produce an original idea. As with this class EDM310, creativity is a very important factor in your range of success. As Mr. Robinson states we need to rethink the fundamental principles on which we educate our children instead of trying to medicate them and make them into our perfect ideal children. Children must be able to try new things and find what they excel in, whether it be in arts, language, or arithmetic. Children learn in many different ways, so as teachers we must observe and use their creativity to reap the benefits of their success. All children have an extraordinary capacity to excel in their own area of expertise. Our jobs as teachers is to find the area they are interested in and push them to excel in these areas. Let a child be a child, and see what they can teach us sometimes.


Cecilia Gault (Young Student in Finland) Interviews Sir Ken Robinson
To me, the most important way to ensure that students receive a good education, is to make sure the curriculum includes modern technology and the necessary understanding of what technology means in education. Most jobs in the future will be in technology, Not only in the United States but all around the world.
Intelligence can be looked at in many ways. As Mr. Robinson states what is the true meaning of intelligence? Who is qualified to define it? To me every living thing has some form of intelligence. Whether is be a Professor or a lost dog finding its way home. I think every student should be treated with the same respect; Just because they are not good with math or some other subject doesn’t mean that they do have intelligence. I don’t think that it was meant for human beings to be the same in every aspect of life. As a teacher I will focus on how to improve a students weak areas, but also how to keep pushing for achievement in their performance of their best subjects.


Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts
I agree with this teacher that every student can learn. As being an older student, I have had to learn to transition from the old ways of education( pencil and paper) to the new ways of education (technology). As we are being taught the in the class of EDM, it is important to be self learners, which is needed in every aspect of life.
I think this program should be taught in all schools to prepare students for what seems to be a technological future. In order for the United States school system to improve and keep up in the world, programs like this must be available for every student.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Blog Post 2 Time Management, by Randy Paush

In Watching the Randy Paush video, I learned that I needed to watch his video, and that I need to work on my time management plan. I really liked his question about : why am I doing this, and what happens if I don't do it?
I agree with his statement that experience comes from time and it takes time to get experience. I also like his idea of do the ugliest things first, I was once told by my boss, that people do what they like are what they know how to do, but when it comes to something they are uncertain about, they will either put it off, or not do it at all. To me EDM 310 is the ugliest class out of the four years I have been in college. Not that the class is bad, it actually is a great class, but I feel very uncertain in this class. So, my goal is to feel good about EDM 310 and to know it, like my own name.

Post 1 All About Myself


Hi, my name is Pamela Annette Boykin and I have been at the University since 2007. I worked for a company for twenty-seven years and when I retired from this company, decided to come back to college and finish what I started twenty-seven years ago. I was married for twenty-two years and have been divorced for four years now.

I have a daughter thirty and a son sixteen. I love tennis, racketball, football and the beach or being in the pool with my family. I also love animals, and have eight dogs, which are just like children to me. George is the oldest at thirteen and sleeps with me every night. Patches and Sam sleeps by the bed and the rest are outside.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Special Assignment - Mr. McClung's World

In looking at Mr. McClung's blog, he has constructed it in a very organized manner. Mr. McClung gives the student's in his class every resource they will need in order to pass a class. He tells the students what materials they will need, gives study guides, procedures for doing an assignment, and so much more.

Mr. McClung as an educator, shows his students how important it is to be organized and the meaning of hard work. He is also training the students for the future. All teachers should visit his site and see what he has done. Mr. McClung is a supporter of teachnology in the classroom.

I like the way Mr. McClung had laid out his rules for the class. Every student should know what is expected of them. In rule number five he says "Keep your dear teacher happy." This is a good rule for any student to remember. He shows how he uses teaching strategies that focus centrally about team/partner work, with rule No. 2, "I expect you to talk in class, communicate with your classmates."

I thought his procedures were great. I loved the way he wanted student's to responde to him with the gestures. I also thought the way he got their attention was very interesting and something I might use. The one that was nice to me was when he says "'Teach - OK". When I say teach you say O.K. After you say O.K. you then turn to your neighbor and teach them what you have learned. This method would keep students engaged in the classroom.

Under Everyone Needs, the first thing you see is a Day Planner and the supplies a student will use for this class. Every student needs a Day Planner, to stay organized. Mr. McClung is showing his students that it is their responsibility to know dates that assignemnts are due, and preparing them again for the future.

His penalties for being late on assignments are about average for eighth graders. I like his make up work policy and the way he keeps hand-outs from class in a file folder in the right coern of the classroom. This is a good way for the student, he knows where to go to get his work, when missing a day of school.

I think Mr. McClung is trying to show how important technology is in teaching. Technology can make learning fun for students. Technology can also make teacher's jobs better. He is showing the many ways technology can be used in the teaching field and that all teachers should be involved with technology for their students. Teachers that are not using technology must change.

I visited two of the links provided by Mr. McClung. The first one was his Biology Corner. This link was amazing. In taking Biology at the University of South Alabama four years ago, I would have loved to use this site. It would have helped me to get a better grade. The Biology Corner had worksheets by topic such as Anatomy, Other Organisms, Frog Dissection, Evaluation, Ecology, Plants, DNA, Cell Parts, and so much more. He uses puzzles to challenge them to answer questions. He has websites students can go on to compare and contrast parts of animals and plants. It was unbelievable. This teacher really shows how much it means to him, for his students to succeed. The other link was Hisotry. This link had notes/past papers, worksheets, syllubus, History resources, and exercises for the students to do. The site covered just about any history you wanted to know about such as European and Maltese History. Both of these links were unbelievable. I could not find his rules for Internet Safety, but would guess that they would be awesome.

In Mr. McClung's blog anybody could use it. In taking Biology four years ago at the University, I would have loved to have known about his blog. There are so many resources on his blog that any student would be blessed knowing about his blog. Most teachers usually just put up their student's assignments and due dates. They usually put up slides or notes, but his site is so much more.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Blog Post 12


Learning about the iPad 2

Write a post about how the IPad2 could be used by a teacher in education. In your post tell whether as a college student, if you would benefit better by buying your books from the University book store or by downloading them to the iPad2. Last, tell us whether you would buy an IPad2, and why you answered yes or no. You may view information on the IPad2 on http://www.apple.com/education/ipad/.

Apple says that with the IPad2, "the classroom is always at your fingertips" and "that iPad apps are expanding the learning experience both inside and outside the classroom." The IPAD2 has a feature on it that I think would benefit any student. On Apple's iTunes U there are more than 350,000 free lectures, videos, books, and pod casts from learning institutions all over the world.
With iBooks, it's a convenient way to browse, sample, and buy books. When checking the price of a math book at the campus store, the price was one hundred and twenty-five dollars. When I checked the price to download the same book it ran forty-nine dollars and ninety-five cents, a saving of seventy-five dollars and five cents. On the average a college student usually buys four books a semester. To me this alone is would be worth buying an iPad2.
With video mirroring and the Apple digital AV adapter, Apple says "your HDTV or HD projection screen becomes a bigger version of your iPad." Video mirroring makes it possible to teach using educational iPad apps, movies, videos, and more.
The iPad is great for students that have a vision impairment or have a hearing impairment. It comes with a screen reader, support for playback of closed captioned content, and other universal access features.
The i Pad also has a calendar for staying on track. You can take notes in class on it with maps, you can view maps from above with high-resolution satellite imagery, or up close with street views.
The iPad2 in my opinion. is great for the teacher in helping her in the classroom, and yes I will be adding it to my list of things I need.

Blog Post 11


First Graders in Ms. Cassidy's Class
To me, this was the best video I have watched out of all the assignments we have had to do in EDM310. When the video started it showed you when these students were to graduate in 2025. It was amazing to me to see the first graders so interested in learning. They were using lab tops, writing on blogs, and so many more things. I didn't write on a blog until I was in college.
These first graders were also using the internet to learn about traditions and communicating with others through the internet about ways to learn. I could not believe that in the first grade this was becoming a common thing all over the world.
What really impressed me was how engaged they were in learning. The students looked so excited about what they were doing and the way they were learning. This made me stop and think if they are learning this in the first grade now, what will the be learning in the first grade in 2025?

Ms. Cassidy Skype in EDM310

Ms. Cassidy's approach to the use of technology in the classroom is wonderful. I think she has the right idea about not matching pictures of the students with their names on the internet. This is a very good safety strategy. Having parents sign a permission slip is also a must for all teachers.
She brings out a very good fact that children love an audience, and by blogging the students get to have the whole world as their audience. As she also reminds us, kids like to be seen and heard. It really surprised me , that the parents liked the idea of their children being able to use Skype at school.
I feel one of the problems a teacher may have is no support from their principals, or a helper as Ms. Cassidy had. But as we are reminded every day, technology is not going away, so our school administrators have to accept this and stop handicapping their students.
Technology today is part of every students life, whether they are at school or home. It is up to teachers like Ms. Cassidy to get the program going in schools all over the United States, so as the government says, no child left behind, will really happen. Because, without technology in our scholls, our children will be left behind.
As a fellow learner, I will urge students to develop their PLN's as soon as possible, so they can learn and communicate to others anywhere in the world.

Blog Post 10


An-open-letter-to-educators

In Morgan Bayda's video she says "that she is glad that she is not afraid of change and is willing to embrace new ways of learning." I would have to say until recently I was one of the ones who didn't want to embrace change. After taking EDM310, I am now aware of how important it is in society for change. In the class of EDM310, I am encouraged constantly to collaborate in multiple ways with my classmates and other widespread members of my PLN through blogging and other ways. Even outside of school, the digital forums I've learned about have opened up so many opportunities for me.
As Morgan states that she sometimes struggles to stay awake in class, I think this is true for a lot of students. A lot of classes do need to be changed, but I still think all classes should have a teacher available for help, when students need them. A good teacher could make a big difference in a student's life.

Don't Let Them Take the Pencils Home

The question that Tom Johnson asksis, What really is Education? Mr. Johnson drops out of school because he says that his schooling was interfering with his education. I agree the world is changing and that schools must change in order to keep up with the world, but I don't think dropping out of school should be the answer.
Mr. Johnson has a lot of good points that are made in the video. One, is that the Internet is the best thing that has ever happened to the human population. Second, that text books do not cost a lot of money and a lot of times are never used. Third, grades are usually given on how many facts you can memorize and not what you can do. Education should be changed in some ways to prepare students for our changing world.

Blog Post 9


What I've Learned This Year
In watching "What I've Learned This Year" by Mr. McClung, I would have to say that I agree with almost all of his comments. An important decision he made in his life was to stay positive. Staying positive in any case can definitely change the outcome of the situation.
Mr. McMlung has the right suggestions for teachers. Lessons do not need to be student centered and teachers need to check that their students are comprehending what they are teaching. The advice, no lesson is ever perfect, the lesson you teach and the one you plan are always different, they still should be taught with a smile on your face.
The best part of the video to me was about communication. Every teacher needs to know how to communicate with their students, the students parents, fellow teachers, and everyone that is working with them in the community. Mr. McClung says, "Communication is the best medicine, it can resolve any issue in the workplace", or any place for that fact.
Mr. McClung also says "Our job as teachers is to simply pick them up after they fail, dust them off, and encourage them to try again." To me so many teachers forget students are in their classrooms to learn. I would hope that all of my students will be able to come and ask me questions and that I will never make them feel stupid or left out.
In closing Mr. McClung states it all "Don't be afraid of technology, technology is our friend and is essential to living in our microwave society of today." You should never stop learning.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

project 11

Project 10 Personal Learning Network


In setting up my Personal Learning Network, I have been watching videos and learning what a PLN is. I have also talked to several people that I know are very good in this area, such as Mr. Anthony Capps.
I have setup a twitter and facebook account and have started learning about how to do things on them. I have also set up a blog and have become very comfortable with using the blog site. I now have a G-mail account too. I feel that EDM310 has made me more creative and opened me up more, so I can continue working on my Personal Learning Network.

Blog Post 8


Watch Richard Miller: This Is How We Dream Parts 1 & 2
I would say at this moment, I am not prepared to write with multimedia. I hope by the time I start teaching, that I will be able to use multimedia though. I plan over the summer to learn everything I can about a computer and how to use it. I plan on going back through the materials in EDM310 and practicing everything over and over again until I feel that I am comfortable as doing the project like knowing my own name. I also plan to continue taking courses until I feel I know what I need to know to help my students.
I think by the time I start teaching I will be able to do Collaborate Learnign with mt students. I know I can put creativity in my students. I agree that our workplace in the future will be our laptop or desktop computers.
The Internet is a good way of sharing knowledge. It is amazing to see numbers and materials change before our eyes on the Internet. It's also amazing to see people sharing ideas fully and to see people responding to things that are happening around the world. I agree that change can be good for our students.

Edm310 is Different
The video that I would like to create would be of Tina Turner. Back on her 24/7 tour, when I went to see her in New Orleans, it was like a dream come true. I would like to design the clothes worn, pick the band, and pick the backup singers. But, most of all I would like to put myself dancing with her on stage. It would be cool to put myself in her image and perform like her.
The video EDM310 for Dummies was funny but true. I think probably half of the students that take this course feel the same way the students did in the video. If there was a real book EDM310 foe Dummies, I would buy one. I think it was an entertaining way to get stress out and also a way to voice what they were thinking.

Watch Learn to Change, Change to Learn
I agree with this video on Learn to Change, Change to Learn. After being out of school for twenty-seven years and then coming back to school, I can tell you that some parts of the cirriculum have not changed(like math or science), but other parts are totally different.
I think the real problem with teachers changing is they are scared of technology( especially the older teachers). For teachers to teach a subject they must be able to do the subject themselves. I think all the schools should provide teachers with a program that helps the teacher understand the advances in technology. Then teachers will change so they can learn. Teachers must come out of their comfort zone and change for their students. We must change in order to hold our country up to the standards for the rest of the world to see.

The Secret Powers of Time & The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
Both of these videos were very good and interesting. Mr.Zambardo really hit it with my son, he is sixteen and fits right along with this research. In the fact that by the time a boy is 21 years old he has spent 10,000 hours playing video games alone.
I also argue with Mr. Zambardo about the 6 main time zones that people live in, two focus on the past( probably me) the good old times. Two focus on the present, live for pleasure, avoid pain, which he called Hedonistic. Two focus on the future. I also think he hit the purpose of schools is to take present oriented little beasts and make them future oriented, and that students create a world in which they live in when playing video games. Even game makers realize this, and now are even starting to make 3D games. Some kids will never fit in a traditional classroom. They become bored and will perform bad in school. They have to be able to control something in the classroom, so learning can take place. The main point in this video was kids are totally different than we were as kids and we must change our schools to keep them engaged in learning. In America a child drops out of school every 9 seconds( mostly boys), this was unbelievable to me.
In Mr. Pink's video his research was very interesting. The two points were:(1) If you reward something do you get more of the behavior you want or (2) If you punish something do you get less of the behavior you want? He used money as a motivator. His research was very impressing about the fact if you don't pay enough people what they want, they won't be motivated, so pay people enough to take the issue of money off the table. The fact that three factors had to be performed and personal satisfaction beat money for motivation was, dutonomy, mastery, and purpose. All three of these factors must be in our lives. We need to feel satisfaction in what we do.

Blog Post 7


Randy Pausch's Last Lecture
This was an unusual lecture. I was shocked when Mr. Pausch said my father always said to go ahead and let the elephant in the room out. I could not believe his attitude for a man dying, with ten tumors in his liver. It was a very good lecture and I really learned a lot from his lecture.
A lot of Mr. Pausch's quotes and sayings were very interesting and they made you really stop and think. The one "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted" and most of what we learn, we learn indirectly (or by "head fake"). This really rang a bell with me. My dad always use to tell me as a child, if you want advice you need to ask someone that is a lot older than you. Experience to me is a learning process. If you want to learn something then experience is the best teacher.
I definitely agree with him about Being an Imaginer. The Brick Walls are there for a reason: Thet let us prove how badly we want things. I have always been told never give up on your dreams, and after listening to this lecture I can see why I was told this. This man has never given upon anything.
The saying "Decide if your a Tigger or Eeyore" really makes sense to me.Also, the saying "Never lose your child-like wonder" really sticks out to me. People forget as they get older about having fun, being helpful to others and keeping a positive attitude.
Enabling the Childhood Dreams of others was a powerful message in Mr. Pausch's lecture. When you look at a child and their enthusiasm you know the meaning od joy.
Have something to bring to the table, Fundamentals are a must and watch how you say things. This was a very important message in regard to loyalty is a two-way street.
The closing of this lecture had tears rolling down my face when he said, "This lecture was not for you(the audience) or myself, but for my kids." Mr. Pausch showed how important it was for his kids to keep a positive attitude, even after his death and how important it was to him for their success.

Blog Post 6



Watch The Networked Student
On the question why does the networked student even need a teacher, the answer is clear? Every class needs a teacher. A teacher can teach the students how to build their social networks. The teacher is a model for their students and can also show the students how change can affect their lives, all students need someone to look up to.
I am a learner that needs to be shown how to do something and then practice it. Sometimes how a teacher reacts to you can make a big difference. If I have a teacher that believes in me, then most of the time I will do better in the class. I believe students need that special touch sometimes that only a teacher can do.
The site is great for showing the connection of blogs, communication of how students create their own book connections, and so many more things. But, I think every classroom still needs a teacher.

A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment
It was amazing to me that a seventh grader could do all of this on her Personal Learning Environment. I just got started using facebook and still not every familiar with all of the stuff on it. I think it was a great way for any student to learn and keep up with their work. The idea of pocket tanks was a well organized program for anyone.
The idea of Peer Review reports was really interesting for students to let other professor's grade their papers and give the student back information on their assignment.
Comparing this seventh grader's Personal Learning Environment to mine would be a joke. She is so much more ahead of me. This lets me know that I must get busy and become more technical in technology to teach these students of the future. Her site was great. I am going to make my sixteen year old son watch this also.

Arguments for assignment 3
In the two critiques of smartboards, Why Smartboards are a dumb Initiative, and Why I Hate Interactive Whiteboards, they argue that smartboards are a waste of money. Bill Ferriter says that "I'm willing to argue that even with time and training interactive whiteboards are an under-informed, and irresponsible purchase." He says I probably two or three neat lessons with it, but there was nothing unique about those activities.
Michael Staton also thinks that smartboards are a waste of money. Staton thinks they enable you to efficiently save content on the whiteboard, though you can do this without a smartboard in various other ways i.e. screenshot, screencast, use microsoft one note and press "Save with a projector." The reality is the "save the brainstrom" possibilities are endless on a much smaller budget. If I was teaching I would be thankful for a smartboard onlt because I am a gadget geek.
But Eliza Bang and many other teachers love the smartboard. Mrs. Bang gives an example of students in a third-grade class using the board to demonstrate solutions to a math problem. As each child sketched their answers, the solutions were saves as seperate files on the teacher's computer. "It really helps with motivation." As a platform for encouraging group work its amazing. Other teachers say kids have Nintendo Gameboys, Xboxes, and all of these fun interactive things outside of the classroom, the smartboard matches the experience that the kids are having out of the classroom.
Professor Knowlton says "The real virtue of the interactive whiteboard is in showing students how to use the computer." "Instead of handing a kid a laptop and saying good luck" it's nice to be able to model something for them This information came from the website: http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2005/06167710

Monday, February 28, 2011

Blog Post 5



I really liked these websites. I read 100 Ways to Use Your iPod to Learn and Study Better. I didn't realize all of the things that were available on the iPod. Like study guides, ESL podcasts, tutorials, and applications. I found out that I want an iPhone and also all the great benefits it offers.
I then Judy Scharf Podcast Collection. Her reason to do a podcast was a great way to inform students of different ways to convey information. As she said students love to do podcasts and it will teach them to try technology. She gave two links, one to You Tube and the other to Teacher Tube.
The last one I read was the Practical Principles. It gave definitions and a lot of websites to check out. Two of the ones I really liked was the Feed Burner and Buddy Press. Feed Burner makes it easy to receive content updates in popular podcatchers and Buddy Press is social networking in a box. Practice Principles was my favorite one out of the three I read.

Blog Post 4




Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff, Please?
Scott McLeod is an Associate Professor in the Educational Administration Program at Iowa State University. He has received numerous National Awards for his leadership work in technology. On his site he is reaching out to parents to let them know, that all of the things that are listed are going to be a must for students in the future. There are more and more classes online. In order for students to keep up in the workplace, they will need to know and do social networking and collaboration with other employees. Most of the world is already on a computer 24-7. Wake up and realize technology is here to stay. My thought is if a student is going to use the computer in a bad way, they were probably going to do it on something else sooner or later anyways. The computer is like anything else it can be used for the good of learning or the bad that is in our society.

The iSchool Initiative
Watching this video for me was unreal. I think the idea of the iSchool was great. I think teachers should be able to Email their students. All of the different things on the itouch was amazing. I remember having to go to the bookshelf and get the Encyclopedia down to look up information on a president. Having all of these things in one device is unbelievable and wonderful.
I really think it would be good for the environment, but one thing I am not certain about is, how would it affect the students. Would there be a certain time students would attend school on the itouch? Most students are like my son and his friends, if they didn't have to go to school, they would play video games and watch television all day. For the most part though I think it is a good idea.
For the question Does Technology belong in our classroom, the answer is definitely yes?

Watch The Lost Generation
The technique in this presentation was great. I liked the way that the presentation went from negative back to positive. This presentation made me feel like that life is about how your attitude is. Everything negative could be made back in some sort of way positive. The message also made you think about things people say. You hear people say everyday if I only had won the Lottery or if I had a million dollars, I would be happy. I truly believe money can make your life easier and happier, but if it came down to money or family, I would choose family.
My dad use to tell us all the time when I was a kid, be happy for what you have, someone in the world would give anything to have what you do. I think one of the messages here is unless we choose to reverse something, then it's going to come out bad. In the statement "true happiness comes from within", I believe you can be at peace with yourself and have happiness, but we all need love, and in order for that happiness to come out and shine we must have empathy for our family and friends.

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir
This was amazing to think 185 people could make a choir and sing so good together and had never even met each other in person. This just goes to show the power of technology. Not to say about the time and money they saved in traveling or the problem of getting everyones schedule to meet each other. I really was amazed by the presentation.

Teaching in the 21st Century
What does to teach mean in the 21st century, is a question that until I took EDM310 and started going into the classrooms was very simple? Now, I feel like I am in the first grade again. Twenty-seven years ago if you wanted to know something you went to your teacher, parents, or your main source of knowledge, the World Book. Now you can get information anytime and anywhere on the internet.
Until taking EDM310, I had never blogged, been on facebook, been on twitter or anything else like this. I have been in college for four years and have never been scared of a class before. I will truly say, I was scared of this class.
I look at my daughter and my sixteen year old son and say to myself how did they learn so much about technology? All of my daughter's and son's friends know how to do just about anything on the computer, and have never been to college. Technology is great for collaborate use and I definitely think teachers are no longer the main source of technology.
With the internet students and teachers can make school more fun and I agree that engagement is a form of learning. Projects when I was in school was done on poster paper, now they are done on the computer. I know I must change and learn more and more technology to be a professional better teacher. As the presentation says, "Remember the big picture, to me it's the kids."

List of Individuals Executed by Electrocution in Alabama from 1983-1995

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Blog Post 3


Micheal Wesch: A Vision of Students Today
When I started college after being out of school for twenty-seven years, it was a lot like I remembered it. Big class room sizes( except for elective classes). Most teachers giving you homework like it was the only class you had and not caring if you got what was being taught or not. I had to write lots of papers and didn't see why it was relevant to my life to take half of the subjects I had to take. Then four years later I feel like I'm in outer space and way behind in time.
I go to schools where I can't use the smart boards or show a student how to do something on the computer they want to do. Then I come home and ask my fifteen year old son, "How do you do this?" I never thought that a teacher had to do so much on a computer. I think it is great when I learn to do something new on the computer, but I also wish as an older student that I could have taken a class to bring me up to date on technology before becoming a self learner.
I agree with the video that being a full time student can be very stressful and that there definitely is not enough time in the day. I really liked the phrase, "If students learn what they do, then why are they sitting here?" I think it is very important for students to know technology because it is becoming the way of the future. But I cannot really agree with the phrase that, " Some have suggested that technology will save us." I think sometimes technology has taken away from us personally as human beings.


"It's Not About Technology" by Kelly Hines
I agree that teachers must be learners with technology, it is a never ending learning process. As with any career, you must be up to date on current trends, research and tools, as Mrs. Hines says.
I also agree with the statement that learning and teaching are not the same. To me if a teacher cannot get the information across to a student, so they can understand it, no teaching has been done. As Mrs. Hines says learning will not look the same to all students or all teachers, but it must be the goal. In being in college, I have learned a lot from my Professors. I have had Professors that will go out of their way to help you understand a lesson. Then I have had Professors that if you ask them to explain something further to you, they make you feel stupid for asking. To me a teacher's goal should be to make a student better no matter how much effort is needed to be exerted. I can see how technology could scare teachers, but training courses in technology must be part of a teacher's learning process.

Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
In response to the question Mr. Fisch wrote back in February of 2006, I say it is not okay for teachers to be technologically illiterate. Some teachers may not be willing to make the effort to learn and some may just be scared to learn.
A boss that I worked for, for nearly fifteen years told me something at a meeting one day that I have never forgotten. A person usually does what they are most comfortable with or what they can do best. It's hard to get a person out of their comfort zone. So some teachers may feel like they cannot learn technology. When I signed up for this class, I was terrified. I am not from a technological time, but I know I must learn technology in order to be productive for the rest of my lifetime.
I agree with the statement that in order to teach it, we have to do it, and that a teacher needs to demonstrate continual learning for their students and with their students. If a teacher is not learning or teaching technology they are potentially jeopardizing the chance of our youngsters. As Mr. Fisch says, technology is the underpinning of just about everything we do today.

Gary Hayes Social Media Count
After watching how quickly these numbers are changing every second it is amazing to see technology at work. When I look back years ago as a child( I am now fifty-one years old) I remember playing cards, jacks, riding my bicycle and most of all playing football. Today when I look my son, he is playing Xbox live and talking to people all over the world. When we get in the car he is listening to his IPod. Children today are nothing like the children of my childhood.
Watching this video makes me see the importance of keeping up with technology. If I am going to teach young children, then I must be aware of the things that interest them in technology, and use them in ways to teach and hold their interest. Most of these websites are new to me, but in order to not hold my students back, I will make a promise to myself to learn these sites and to practice using them.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Blog Post 2

Did You Know?
This, to me, means that in learning technology, it will be an on-going process that will never stop. By watching this video and looking at the statistics from one year to several years it is astounding, to realize how fast information is being processed and delivered in this day and time.
The fact that India has more honor students than America has kids is just unbelievable to me! In having a fifteen year old son and seeing his friends and their study habits, it makes me feel that we are not pushing our children hard enough to be number one. As parents, we try to give our kids everything they want from video games, to name brand clothes, yet we are failing to make them see the importance of a good education and what it will mean to their future and our country.


Mr. Winkle Wakes
Being an older student, I too sometimes feel like Mr. Winkle. After being out of school since 1978 and coming back to college, everything has changed. I am not use to doing homework and turning in assignments on a computer. I know the world is changing everyday and I must change too, but sometimes it’s scary.
I agree with the video that a lot of schools I have been in are still teaching the old fashion way. I think a lot of the older teachers are like me, scared of technology, but must also change for the benefit of their students.


Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
I agree with Mr. Robinson that creativity is important in our schools. I also agree that you must make mistakes sometimes to produce an original idea. As with this class EDM310, creativity is a very important factor in your range of success. As Mr. Robinson states we need to rethink the fundamental principles on which we educate our children instead of trying to medicate them and make them into our perfect ideal children. Children must be able to try new things and find what they excel in, whether it be in arts, language, or arithmetic. Children learn in many different ways, so as teachers we must observe and use their creativity to reap the benefits of their success. All children have an extraordinary capacity to excel in their own area of expertise. Our jobs as teachers is to find the area they are interested in and push them to excel in these areas. Let a child be a child, and see what they can teach us sometimes.


Cecilia Gault (Young Student in Finland) Interviews Sir Ken Robinson
To me, the most important way to ensure that students receive a good education, is to make sure the curriculum includes modern technology and the necessary understanding of what technology means in education. Most jobs in the future will be in technology, Not only in the United States but all around the world.
Intelligence can be looked at in many ways. As Mr. Robinson states what is the true meaning of intelligence? Who is qualified to define it? To me every living thing has some form of intelligence. Whether is be a Professor or a lost dog finding its way home. I think every student should be treated with the same respect; Just because they are not good with math or some other subject doesn’t mean that they do have intelligence. I don’t think that it was meant for human beings to be the same in every aspect of life. As a teacher I will focus on how to improve a students weak areas, but also how to keep pushing for achievement in their performance of their best subjects.


Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts
I agree with this teacher that every student can learn. As being an older student, I have had to learn to transition from the old ways of education( pencil and paper) to the new ways of education (technology). As we are being taught the in the class of EDM, it is important to be self learners, which is needed in every aspect of life.
I think this program should be taught in all schools to prepare students for what seems to be a technological future. In order for the United States school system to improve and keep up in the world, programs like this must be available for every student.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Blog Post No.1 All About Myself

Wordle
About Me
Hi, my name is Pamela Annette Boykin and I have been at the University since 2007.  I worked for a company for twenty-seven years and when I retired from this company, decided to come back to college and finish what I started twenty-seven years ago.  I was married for twenty-two years and have been divorced for four years now.

I have a daughter thirty and a son sixteen.  I love tennis, racketball, football and the beach or being in the pool with my family.  I also love animals, and have eight dogs, which are just like children to me.  George is the oldest at thirteen and sleeps with me every night.  Patches and Sam sleeps by the bed and the rest are outside.