Blog Post 13- ACCESS and ALEX

The first part of the assignment was to find out about ACCESS Distance Learning and so I shall tell you what I found out. The goal of the distance learning plan is to create equity through additional educational offerings for all Alabama public high school students and is available to all Alabama public high school students whom want to use it. ACCESS Distance Learning is high quality instruction that delivers quality learning opportunities and greater equity for all Alabama public high school students through 21st century technology.

What I did not find on the website or on Google however, is why do they only share all of this with high school students. Do middle school students and elementary students not need to learn also? I think it is great that there are programs like this for children who want to learn all about using the web and technology. I wish more teachers knew about sites like this because when I asked some of the teachers that I am currently working with for my experience hours they all say they have never heard about programs like ACCESS or ALEX. If no one knows about programs like these then I believe many people are being cheated. Schools should tell their teachers about programs like these so they can take advantage of them if they would like too.





ALEX or the Alabama Learning Experience website is a site that I am glad I now know about! The first thing I looked at on the website was the "Courses of Study" Page. The courses of study offered are many and I think that is excellent. Their are not only your standard subjects like math, English, and history but also art, physical education, drivers ed, health, career, and Dr. Strange's favorite...technology. For fun I clicked on the technology link and then was amazed that it gave over 50 different websites and sources that I could use with my class. That is extremely useful! Not only do they give you sources to use but then it also gives you thousands of ideas for lesson plans! Already written lesson plans that you could really use in your class. I hope no one would actually use exact lesson plans because I believe you should always make them your own but using ALEX could truly give you some inspiring ideas to use in your classroom. I believe ALEX is a very useful site and I will be using it! In some ways ALEX could hurt some teachers if they just relied on lesson plans that were written by other teacher and use outdated methods of teaching but as long as a teacher just browsed ALEX for ideas I think it could be extremely beneficial to education.

Blog Post 12 - What Should Have Been

My own personal assignment is:

Watch or read through two of the links below and discuss what they talk about in your own words and whether or not you agree or disagree with them and tell why or why not. (A paragraph for each link you use please and you must choose at least two).

Then in your own words I would like you to write about some of the good and bad sides to technology in education. Is it more harmful or useful? After writing out your pros and cons pick the side that you agree with and defend it. (This should be one to two paragraphs).


The Links:

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Economy/story?id=7590263&page=1
This link is a column written by MICHAEL S. MALONE and is called Young People Cop to It: Technology Is Bad for Us (Read what he is saying and really think about weather you agree with him or not.)

http://www.innovatingtomorrow.net/2008/03/10/technology-gone-bad
This is by Matt Farina

http://scienceray.com/technology/information/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-advanced-technology/
This is by Jin Sun Kim
(Focus on not only his thoughts but also on the comments! They will help you!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0VGy_i3jpg
This was a cute project done by Ms. Lagomarsino's 5th Period Class.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4W6I1Q97bc&feature=related
This is called The Negative Effects of Technology in Society

End of Assignment

Project 14 Teach Someone

Here is a taste of my awesome teaching skills. :D


http://www.youtube.com/v/mkKgnsWXRbs?fs=1&hl=en_US%22%3E%3C%2Fparam%3E%3Cparam
www.youtube.com

Project 13 Smart Boards

http://www.youtube.com/v/FvKIiaTmSuA?fs=1&hl=en_US%22%3E%3C%2Fparam%3E%3Cparam
www.youtube.com

Here is a link to my video! Enjoy! :D

Blog Post 11

Ms. Cassidy's Classroom

I would like to begin by saying that Ms. Cassidy truly is a very inspiring teacher. My favorite thing that Ms. Cassidy said through out her Skype interview is that children need technology just like they need a real relationship with their teacher and that a teacher must learn to balance the two. I love that! This is the kind of teacher I want to be. I want to be the teacher that Ms. Cassidy is talking about. I want to be a teacher that can not only teach children what they need to know to succeed (which is now technology)but also having a meaningful relationship with my students so that they know they don't have to make a learning journey alone and that it is always okay to ask for help because I will do whatever it takes to help a child learn and be the best that they can be.

Ms. Cassidy uses a very wide use of technology; from Skype to blogging all the way to Nintendo DS's (which is super awesome and I had to tell her I thought so). I think by teaching children about all of these different types of technology that she is giving them a huge head start on the knowledge they will need.

The children in Ms. Cassidy's class looked so happy and you could tell that they were learning so much! I really love Ms. Cassidy's classroom environment and I wish I had been able to be in her class! It is amazing that she learned everything for her students. She learned how to be technologically literate for the well being of her students education. That is what I call dedication. I hope to be just as dedicated to my students as Ms. Cassidy had been.

The last thing that I would like to address is the answer to the question that has been puzzling school supervisors and teachers for years. That is how to get parents and guardians more involved in students education. I believe that Ms. Cassidy had found the answer. Technology. It might be hard for parents who work to come to the school everyday to just have a chat with a teacher but by using blogs and things like Skype, parent/guardians can be a part of their child's learning experience just by turning on their computers at home. I love that grandparents, aunts, and siblings can all post on their relatives blogs in school and really encourage them to do the best that they can by simply commenting. It is such a brilliant idea and one that I fully intend to use in my classroom. I would love for parents and family in general to be more supportive and involved in children's education and I believe that my students could greatly benefit from this.

Blog Post 10

An Open Letter To Educators by Morgan Bayda
Link

In her post, Morgan talks about the pitfalls of the modern university experience, and how it compares to a class such as EDM310. It's very common for students to loose interest in the coarse of a hour and a half long lecture from a boring lower-level coarse (especially one that has nothing to do with your major or interests). And I certainly agree that this is not the most optimal way to learn. I know I have had quite a few math classes that I felt especially restless in. She seems to fully embraces the Delicious "learning network" way of acquiring information, as she explains that she got the link to her post's namesake video from a shared link, and how she found out a super useful link simply by crying out to her network on Twitter. I still think school progress needs a little more hands-on. The internet is an unbelievable tool for amassing information and learning on any subject out there, but nothing beats talking to someone in arms reach and looking them in the eyes. This comes back to my argument that teachers are still very important to the education system. I know I certainly appreciate them and the relationships I have had with them!

As for Dan Brown and his "Open Letter" I don't think he's going to change anyone's world for the better, and no matter how much he thinks he can prove by dropping out of school because it's "getting in the way" of his education, it won't change the fact that the universities are the only places that can hand out the "I am smart" cards that are so valuable in the job market. As a side note, maybe that's why he's trying to sell his youtube videos for a buck. I can agree that you can learn a lot from the internet but you still have to have a degree to get the job. Extra learning outside of school is always a bonus but the school is still necessary in my book.






Don't Let Them Take Pencils Home by Tom Johnson
Link


Tom makes a funny little satire post comparing pencils to computers, and how standardized tests and statistics can turn even the most obviously beneficial things into terrible monsters that are ruining the world and lowering everyone's IQ. The panicking principal rants about how the students using "pencils" are doing worse on their standardized tests and how schools should not let students bring "pencils" home. Really the problem isn't with the "pencils" at all. In many school systems across the country it seems to be more about the teachers being technologically illiterate and having trouble using "pencils" and students unyielding desire to play with anything that remotely resembles a toy. Teachers need to straighten up and teach a new generation of kids that "pencil's" number one use should be "gasp" learning, and if they start with this attitude then it will spread new light on the way students interact with "pencils."

Two Questions That Can Change Your Life
Link

My sentence would be "To make a connection and improve all of my students lives in a positive manor and to promote the best learning environment possible." The reason I am going into education is because of my passion for spreading not only knowledge but compassion and care as well.

The second question is to ask myself every night if I was better that day than the day before. I have to say that in some ways I have already been asking myself this. I am a learn as I go kind of person and a firm believer in "life's a dance". Every day I make goals and try to get as many of them accomplished as I can and if I don't I will not worry myself to death about it but simply try my best to do it the next day. Most of the time, I do believe I was better than the day before because I feel a whole lot smarter and it is mostly because I lived and made mistakes and good decisions all along the way.

Blog Post 9

"What I've Learned This Year" by Mr. McClung
Link

Mr. McClung sounds like he had a wild ride in his first year of teaching. His post was all about what a young teacher picks up in the first 180 days in the driver's seat of an elementary school class. He points out several key ideas that will be extremely helpful in how I treat my students. I like how he says "While we as instructors like to plan "perfect" lessons, we have to remember that we are performing in front of a crowd the struggles remembering what they brought for lunch that day." It's sometimes hard to grasp when I'm sitting in class learning about teaching in all these clinical terms that, yes, they are, in fact, children. I also liked his advice on talking to the kids and fellow teachers about the problems in the classroom. Sometimes just listening to their problems is all someone needs you to do. Mr. McClung learned a tremendous amount in his first year of teaching, and I hope to take what he learned and build on that to learn even more in my first year to be the best teacher I can be.