Comments4Kids April Summary

For C4K #8 I was assigned Amber A's blog from Mr. Boylen’s Language Arts 8th grade class. On February 5th, Amber responded to her teacher’s questions: “What do you think as a student gain from blogging with students and others outside of the school? Is it worth the time? Why/why not?” She thinks that there is a lot to learn from others who you blog and interact with. You also have the chance to work with people you would not have talked to otherwise. Amber also says she has also gotten to know other people feel about certain things and also learned that she has a lot in common with other kids from around the world. I commented:

Hi Amber,

I think it is wonderful that you are blogging and getting so much out of it! I am currently a college student, and I just learned how to blog this semester. I have discovered just how wonderful it is. I agree with you that blogging allows you to connect with people you otherwise would not have been able to talk to. For instance, I would have never even known about you or your class without the power of technology. I have been able to interact with people from all over the world and have learned so much to prepare me for my future. What sort of things have you been able to learn through blogging?

Keep up the great work and never stop learning!

Sincerely,
Katelyn Fleming


For the next assignment, I read Jasmine F's blog from Mrs. Geldes’ 4th grade class from Nebraska. Jasmine wrote about The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss. She thought it was a great book with a great life lesson. She also said she would recommend the book to others because it was a great book. I commented:

Hey Jasmine,

I love Dr. Seuss, he is one of my favorite authors. The Sneetches is an amazing book! I am so glad that you understood the lesson Dr. Suess was writing about. It is always important to remember how you treat others and how you would feel is someone was treating you that way.

Oh! The Thinks That You Can Think is my favorite Dr. Suess book. Have you read it? Keep up the great work and I hope you keep reading and learning.

Sincerely,
Katelyn Fleming


For my final C4K assignment, I commented on Gage's blog. Gage is a 4th grader in Mrs. Kathleen Morris and Ms. Kelly Jordan’s class at Leopold Primary School, Victoria, Australia. On March 27th, Gage created a post about himself. He likes to practice his writing, play football and cricket with his dad every week. He loves pasta with garlic bread and his favorite subject is Math. He also is “nine years old so far.” I love this statement. I will now on tell everyone I am ___ years old so far!  He then asked his readers what their favorite food is and what sport they play. I commented:

Hi Gage,

My name is Katelyn. I am a college student at the University of South Alabama in America. I think it is so cool that you are from Australia. I have always dreamed of travelling to Australia! My favorite food is baked potatoes and buffalo chicken. My favorite subject is math as well! I don’t play any sports, but would like to take up running.
Are you enjoying blogging?

Keep up the great work! Never stop learning.

Sincerely,
Katelyn Fleming

Gage was the first kid all semester who actually commented me back! He wrote:

Dear Katelyn,

Thanks for your nice comment it was great and thanks for saying keep up the great work.

From Gage,

Project #16

Legion of Doom presents: Surviving EDM310! :) Hope you enjoy! And heed our advice!

Project #15

My fantastic group, the Legion of Doom, made this video for our Project #15. Our lesson is for mathematics, covering the addition and subtraction of single and double digit numbers! :)

Blog Post #14

David Streitfeld writes about an upcoming trend in the classroom in his article Teacher Knows if You Have Done the E-Reading. CourseSmart is software which allows for teachers to receive feedback on how students are reading. The program lets teachers see students’ engagement with the reading through digital textbooks. When the book is opened, what chapters are being read, and if students are taking notes as they read are all being measured. Millions of students and teachers are using CourseSmart textbooks generating all sorts of data. While this is a wonderful system, there are a few problems. For one, it is possible for students to take notes other than what is recorded, which can affect their scores. Also, there is always the possibility of technical difficulties. A few students reported concerns about their privacy, and constantly being “watched.” Students could also simply leave the book open to receive better scores. This is only the beginning for CourseSmart. The type of data that they collect is set to improve in the future. To retrieve data on more of what the student does. In any way, this program has allowed for teachers to use this data to adjust their courses to meet the students’ needs.

As a future teacher, I find this system incredible! Being able to see how students interact with the book. I think that there is a lot of work for CourseSmart in order to make their program the best, as with all technology at the start. I would love to use something like this in my classroom. I think that it will be very useful to help all students, especially the ones who are struggling. I would love to see CourseSmart in action!

As a current student, I think this system is awesome, however I have some reservations. Honestly, I am one of those students who crams the night before the test. I have fallen victim to the burp back education system. For most of my classes, I hardly look at the material outside of class. For some classes (most of my online classes), I haven’t even opened the book once which angers me greatly. Sometimes that book isn’t used or necessary because all of the material is given outside of the book. I am working on my study habits and trying to actually learn and retain the information. And perhaps CourseSmart could help some teachers understand that the book isn’t necessary or maybe it isn’t working. CourseSmart could change education forever.

If I could talk to a teacher who has/is using CourseSmart textbooks in their classroom, I would want to ask a few questions. How do you like the system? Has it changed the way you teach/use the textbook? Has the program been able to help your students? What sort of data do you receive? How easy is the program to use?

If I could talk to students who have/is using CourseSmart textbooks for their classes, I would want to ask a few questions. How do you like the system? Have you changed the way you study based on knowing your reading is being watched? Would you rather have this system in your classes or not? How have your grades been affected? Do you ever cheat the system?

If I were commenting on the article, I would say something like: Personally, I think this system is an incredible advancement. I feel as though there could be problems however, mainly with technological difficulties. Although, this is something that I would love to explore further and maybe even use something like this one day. As a student, I know that I would be busted for not doing my reading. As a future teacher, I would love to have this in one of my classrooms someday.

Comments4Teachers #4

For C4T #4, I was assigned the same teacher I was assigned previously for C4T #2, David Warlick and his blog 2cents Worth of Seeking the Sakabuku. For post #1, I read So What is Plagiarism? posted on April 2, 2013. This post was about an upcoming national summit to discuss and officially decide what plagiarism is exactly and produce “a practical set of recommendations for combating and dealing with plagiarism and fabrication.” The National Summit on Plagiarism and Fabrication was to begin on April 5. I thought this was an awesome idea that should have been done years ago. I spent most of my high school career trying to figure out how to please my teachers when writing my papers because no one could efficiently answer the many questions I had about plagiarism. I commented:

Hello David,

I think that is fantastic! All through high school, my teachers would try and mostly fail at trying to explain plagiarism. It is such a difficult question to answer. One of my teachers even made an extremely detailed PowerPoint and took up 3 days of our class time to explain plagiarism. At the end of our second paper he said he wanted to pull his hair out because many students still didn’t get it and had basically just copied almost the entire paper. I think an official decision needs to be made with legitimate suggestions and ways to explain it.

Thank you for your post. It would be great to have an update on what comes out of the summit.

You can find me on twitter @KatelynLFleming and on my class blog flemingkatelynedm310.blogspot.com

Sincerely,

Katelyn Fleming




For post two for this C4T, I read David’s post Too Many Universities? Too Many graduates? Too Much Debt? posted on April 22, 2013. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this post. Here David rambles more than he writes about how we have been programmed to go to college. Many think that if we don’t get a “quality education” via college, we will amount to nothing and have no job. This is something my friends and I discuss a lot and I really liked getting another opinion on the topic. I commented:

Hello David,

I think this is a very interesting thought. I am currently in college, and my friends and I have had this conversation many times. For years we were taught that if you didn't go to college, you wouldn't have a job. However, now I feel that because everyone goes to college, that a diploma and degree is increasingly becoming obsolete. In my experience, many hiring companies are looking for more field experience rather than a piece of paper that says you have passed so many classes.

Thank you for your post, I enjoyed reading it and contemplating it.

You can find me on twitter @KatelynLFleming and on my class blog flemingkatelynedm310.blogspot.com

Sincerely,

Katelyn Fleming

Final Report on PLN

Through the course of this semester, I have learned more than I ever expected. Among those many things, I learned about PLN’s. Personal Learning Networks are extremely important. PLN’s are something that everyone has but doesn’t realize it. Learning Networks are continually growing and honestly, kind of hard to keep up with and organize. This semester, I have tried to organize my PLN many times and I still haven’t figured it out. My PLN now includes so many different people, videos, and all sorts of information that I would never been able to find outside of this class. I am constantly learning more and adding to my PLN.

Project #13

To prepare for Project #15, Brelyn, Brandy, Rebecca and I communicated through e-mail, texts and a Google Hangout session. Here is a video of a part of our Hangout session. There was a 5 minute limit on the video however, so we couldn’t record our entire session. At first I couldn’t hear them and then they couldn’t hear me, but we quickly resolved that issue. I felt bad because my internet is so slow at my house lately that Google kept kicking me out of the session. So a lot of my communication with thr group was via e-mail and texts to find out what was going on.

Blog Post #13

“Build schools that honor kids.”



I think Brian Crosby has an incredible classroom shown in Back to the Future!First, I think it’s amazing that the kids are children of poverty where the English is their second language. Secondly, the different things that Brian Crosby is able to do with them are amazing. I love how with one subject matter (for example: the balloon) he was able to incorporate science, math, language arts, etc. I was truly amazed by the “high hopes” balloon video. I have never seen anything like that!

I really enjoyed that he included the “language intense” slide of things these students are learning because English isn’t their first language. However, all of the points are also applicable to native English speakers through blogging and engaging activities. As Mr. Crosby says, “We’ve taught kids, for a long time now, how to be taught.” However, now kids are learning to be learners. Instead of sitting back and going through “burp back education,” kids have to learn skills to use for their lifetime.


Blended Learning Cycle

One of the first things Mr. Paul Anderson says in Blended Learning Cycle is the power of question and power of learning. I thought this was just an amazing thought that the “power” of the question isn’t in the classroom. Throughout life students (even in ordinary life) are uncomfortable with questions. We shouldn’t ask questions, because what if it’s a stupid question? And if we are asked a question, we don’t want to answer it because what if we are wrong? I know that these are feelings I have often felt, even in college. I don’t want other students and professors to think I’m dumb, so questions are uncomfortable things. However, they are extremely important. My best friend, Annie’s young brother said something to the effect of “questions are stupid.” Annie responded with the best response, “But that’s the only way you will learn.”

Mr. Anderson has developed his own “Blended Learning Cycle” for his classroom. For convenience, he made an acronym for it. QUIVERS: Question, Investigation, Video, Elaboration, Review, Summary quiz. First, you must ask a question, this is also the hook to pull kids in and get their interest. Then the students can explore and learn about the subject through their own investigations, through lectures and teachings, and also from their textbooks. They then can build on this question to elaborate and expand. Finally, they are evaluated to ensure the proper goals were met.

I think this is a fantastic example of how the learning process should occur. This is definitely a process I will remember and try to implement into my classroom. Honestly, the question he presented in the video about the coin spinning on the mirror, I would like to investigate and answer myself, simply because he caught my interest. I do believe that is the most important step is gaining the interest of the students. I personally am more apt to learn if I care about the subject matter or am interested in the problem presented or if I can see the application to my life. This is how we get children to pay attention and learn.

Progress report on Final Project

Honestly, my group isn’t as far along as I would like. As the semester winds down, I personally have had a very difficult time managing the many projects and assignments piled on for my classes. Add in being a bridesmaid and having to do most of the planning for the parties and such; but, that is just some personal venting that I will just have to manage and figure it all out. We have decided some of what we are planning to do for the final project. We definitely want to create the EDM310 help video. We discussed a little what we wanted to do for the video in the last mandatory class meeting. Since then, we have contacted each other via email. What I think would be a grand idea for the video would be about time management. I think this is one of the biggest problems students of EDM310 have. Honestly, the first time we met in class, I thought “there is no way we need to spend 9 hours a week on this one class.” I quickly found out that it was extremely true and had to learn fast how to manage my time. I found a nice schedule that I followed each week and has worked well for me, until about 3 weeks ago when I started getting lazy! And believe me, it isn’t easy getting back on schedule when you fall off. I think this would be a great and helpful video to the future students of EDM310.

Blog Post #12

Brainstorming

Creating a blog post was a lot harder than I anticipated. When I first read the assignment, my mind exploded with all sorts of ideas! However, when I sat down and actually tried to write down my many ideas, I couldn’t figure out how to “assign” it. Either that or I couldn’t find anything legitimate to back up my ideas. Finally, I got an idea that I knew would have some sort of information to go along with it: Foreign Language.

As I’ve said many times throughout this semester, I plan on one day teaching a deaf classroom. In order to do that, I will have to learn a completely new language. I have always thought that everyone should learn a second language. Not only would it help daily interaction with the many immigrants here in the United States, it will also help with travelling, and it can even help you learn about yourself. Aside from that, it would be tons of fun to pretend you can’t speak English and listen to what others say about you (although, I’m not entirely sure that you would want to hear some of it.) Going along with my belief about foreign language, I tried very hard to master Spanish throughout high school. I was doing pretty well, and then just lost it all one year. Because I didn’t want to use up all my “elective” credits on Spanish, I gave up. Starting in the fall, I will begin learning ASL (American Sign Language) and this time I’m more dedicated than ever! :)

So that brings us to the assignment. As I said, I believe every person should learn a second language, but especially teachers. So I started there. I found a great post on edutopia.org discussing why people in general should learn a foreign language. Then, I found, on SMARTtech’s website about how the SMARTboard technology is being used by Disney in China to teach students English. Being a lover of anything and everything Disney, I flipped out! It’s amazing what they have been able to do using equipment we are being trained to use in everyday classrooms. That alone makes me want to learn all there is to know about the SMART technology!


Here is the assignment I created:


1) Read Why We Should Learn Other Languages by Owen Edwards.

2) Read SMART helps Disney teach English in China.

3) Write a post discussing why it is important for teachers to learn a second language. Also discuss ways you could incorporate a foreign language into your classroom routine in order to help the students learn a new language. In what ways could you use the SMART technology to further the students’ knowledge of the different worlds, cultures, customs, and languages? Follow the requirements in Writing A Quality Blog Post.


Teach By Example



“Being bilingual is becoming more of a necessity than anything else. Being able to speak another language is a gift that a lot of people wish they had… Being able to be involved in other people's culture helps build good relationships and therefore as a teacher you can receive a lot of support.” This is a direct quote from a comment left on Owen Edwards post Why We Should Learn Other Languages. I really liked this comment, because she included how it can help teachers specifically. Learning a new language does help your personal relationships. You can communicate with a broader spectrum of people. Successful communication is extremely important for teachers specifically. It is also important as a teacher to have support in the school and community. More and more immigrants are coming to the U.S. and although the children you teach may speak English, their parents may not speak it well or even at all. Learning a second language can help you to communicate with all students and parents you may encounter as a teacher.

Also, young students are in their prime for learning, it is a lot easier for children to learn a second language than it is for us older learners. In the No Child Left Behind Act, foreign languages have taken a back seat to the “more important things.” However, if a teacher is bilingual, he/she can bring the language into the classroom through the “normal” subjects allowing students to expand their knowledge to other worlds and cultures. Also, the SMARTboard has so much to offer. I don’t even know a lot about the SMART technology that I can’t even tell you all the ways it can be used. However, I do know that it can be greatly used not only to teach the “normal” subjects, but also new languages. Through interactive games and other learning tools, the children are engaged and want to learn.

Blog Post #11

Little Kids… Big Potential

In the video Little Kids… Big Potential, Kathy Cassidy’s first grade students show us around their classroom. The children tell all about the tools they use and what sorts of awesome things they learn. I was truly amazed by how much Mrs. Cassidy is able to do with first graders. I shouldn’t have been so surprised, because I have a cousin in first grade who can use his iPad better than I can use my own. However, I have never seen an entire classroom use so many different tools at such a young age. I thought it was simply incredible!

I also loved being able to hear the students point of view. The majority of the videos and podcasts we have been introduced to this semester have been about the advantages of technology in a classroom from the teacher’s point of view. This was an interesting switch to hear what the kids thought about all the technology. I am so excited about the technology movement in the classroom. And I am extremely thrilled to be able to be a part of it!

Possibly my favorite part of the entire video, however, was the title. That sounds silly, but I love it. “Little kids… Big potential.” I really enjoy titles. Many of the books I have read, I read because of a title that caught my eye. My favorite thing about a work of art is looking at the name the artist chose to give it. As strange as it is, I love titles, period; but this title in particular. That’s because children, in my opinion, have the greatest potential in the world. Kids can literally grow up to be ANYTHING! If we teach them and bring them up right, these children can grow to be the most amazing anythings ever!


Mrs. Cassidy

Watching the Skype interview with Mrs. Cassidy was extremely helpful. As I said before, much of this semester I have learned how great technology is. Through watching this interview, I learned how to get started with technology in the classroom. I have learned so much this semester that I will carry on into my future. I know the different tools I can use and how to integrate them into my classroom, but I also need how to get started. I feel watching this interview was very helpful in learning how to do that.

C4T #3

For this C4T assignment, I was to follow along with Dean Shareski’s blog, “Ideas and Thoughts.” The first post I read was I have the best job, posted on March 14th. In this blog post, Dean wrote about how his wife was jealous of his jobs because his calls “include lots of laughing, lost of encouragement and a bunch of new cool things you’re doing.” Dean goes around and teaches teachers and students about using technology in the classroom. With that, he does get a lot of praise, encouragement and good times. In his post, he discusses some of his recent travels. In one of them, he teaches 9 year olds how to make a green screen video. Towards the end of his post, Dean reminds everyone how great “thank you” is especially in the teaching field. I commented,

Hello Dean,
I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. In EDM310, we are learning how to use all sorts of technology in the classroom. I have to say, it has been the most interesting and enjoyable classes I have taken so far. Your job sounds pretty amazing and fun. I am getting ready to have to create a video using a green screen, any tips?
My favorite part of this post was about thanking teachers. Even outside of teaching, “thank you” is an incredible phrase that can change the whole day. However, it isn’t used as regularly as it should, especially in the field of teaching. I always try to remember to thank my teachers for every little thing they do. As a future teacher, I cannot describe how wonderful it is to receive thanks as well.
Thank you for this post, and for reminding everyone to thank those who taught them.
You can find me on twitter @KatelynLFleming and on my class blog flemingkatelynedm310.blogspot.com
Sincerely,
Katelyn Fleming

Two weeks later, I returned to Ideas and Thoughts. On March 21st, Dean posted Return to ECMP. Here he talks about reevaluation. He begins by talking about Bob Sprankle and how he invited his students back to reflect on their experience in class. Dean says, “I’ve said for a long time that if we really want to assess school we need to include evaluation and assessments that happen years after a course. It’s not always practical or feasible but I think it’s an idea we need to pursue, particularly if we think the notion of “lifelong learning” is a thing.” I absolutely love this idea! At the end of his post, he embedded a video of a Google Hangout between him and a few of his former students where he got to find out how his class affected his students. I couldn’t watch the entire video, because my internet kept going out and wouldn’t load the entire video. But of the parts I was able to watch, Dean mentions that everyone has to find their “niche” of technology, and what suits them and makes them decide that it is worth doing in a classroom. I commented,
Hello Dean,
I think this is an incredible idea! I agree that something like this should be done in most classes. It is important to know that the students are learning what we want them to learn and how it has effected them. I love that you were able to do this with your students. As you said, it would be awesome to do from a selfish point of view. I think as a future teacher, it would be fun to find out from my students what about my teaching and class stuck out to them.
I really enjoyed this post, and would love to do something like this in my future.
You can find me on twitter @KatelynLFleming and on my class blog flemingkatelynedm310.blogspot.com
Sincerely,
Katelyn Fleming

Comments4Kids March Summary

For my C4K #5 assignment, I was assigned Chase S's blog from Mr. Boylen’s 8th grade Language Arts class in Iowa. The class’s assignment was to write a short story. On February 5th, Chase posted his story which started with himself getting ready for bed. He takes his medicine to help him sleep, but tonight they taste kind of funny. His stomach begins to hurt, but eventually he falls asleep. When he wakes up, he can’t see himself in the mirror. After a few minutes, he is again visible and he goes down for breakfast. He then goes to his friend Kyle’s house to go to the skate park. His parent’s cars aren’t in the driveway, so when he knocks on the door, Kyle answers it; he doesn’t see anyone and thinks it is a ditch n’ runner. You will have to read Chase’s story to learn the rest. I was truly amazed by Chase’s writing. It kind of caught me off guard how into the story I got. Usually with longer posts, I get distracted or have to take a break in the middle of reading, however this wasn’t the case, I was so intrigued I couldn’t stop reading. I can’t share my entire comment, because it would give away the ending to the story. In my comment, I told Chase about how great his story was and how he is an amazing writer. I also encouraged him to keep up the good work and also to keep writing, because he has great potential.

For my next assignment, I was to read Billy's blog from St. Andrew’s School. On March 18th, Billy posted about a simple way to solve the majority of the world’s problems. Sharing. The world is too greedy, Billy says, children in other parts of the world would kill to have our privileges. “People think that when you share you lose something, but really, you gain happiness, friendship, the feeling of acceptance and the satisfaction of helping others.” This is possibly one of my new favorite quotes! I commented,
Hello Billy,
Wow! This post is extremely inspirational. You are very right, people are very greedy. It is difficult for us to share with others. “People think that when you share you lose something, but really, you gain happiness, friendship, the feeling of acceptance and the satisfaction of helping others.” This is an incredible statement. I am going to pin it onto my bedroom wall where I can see it every morning and remind myself not to be greedy, instead to share with the world. Thank you for your post. I absolutely loved it. Keep up the great work! Never quit learning!
Sincerely,
Katelyn Fleming

For my final C4K assignment of March, I was assigned "Rachel the Uber Awesome's" blog who posted a paper she had written about Drive Thrus in her hometown. She writes about the reasons Williston, Vermont doesn’t need to have fast food restaurants. They are already living without them, they cause obesity and health problems, and they are bad for the environment. I found her post extremely interesting. Mainly because I never knew there was a city in America without drive thrus. I commented,
Hello Rachel the Uber Awesome,
First of all, I love the name! Secondly, this is one of the best blog posts/papers I’ve read! I think it’s amazing that your county doesn’t have fast food restaurants! I am from Mobile, Alabama, a place where you can’t go one block without another fast food place being on the corner. Honestly, I wish we didn’t have them. Once they are there, they are almost impossible to avoid. It is so much more convenient and cheap, but it would be so much healthier to cook the same exact food yourself! All of your points are incredible and true. I have recently been on a health kick and want to do away with fast food in my life, but as I said, they are nearly impossible to avoid! Reading your post inspired me. I am truly impressed by the thought and hard work you put into this, because it shows. Keep up the awesome work, never stop learning and always let your voice be heard!
Sincerely,
Katelyn the Fantastic