Summary Post C4K November and 12/5

11/7
In this week's post, I commented on Mr. McCafferty's class web page. This class is in New England. The template used for this page is Wellington 4.0. The post that I commented on pertains to the number of homework assignments that students have the option of doing. Depending on which assignment the students decided to do, they can earn anywhere from 5 to 15 points. My personal thought is that this was an excellent way for students to choose how much effort they wanted to put into doing the various assignments.

11/14
In this week's post, I commented on a little girl's blog by the name of Kayden. Kayden's post was titled "Zoo Break". Kayden's post talked about a floating zoo rather than one on the ground. Kayden then asked the question as to why the zoo was a floating one rather than being one on the ground. I relayed to Kayden that this was a very good question that I would love to hear the answer to.

11/21
This post that I commented on takes place in Philadelphia and is done by a student named Jarrell. His post comment was titled "The Giving Tree and Weeding". Apparently Jarrell had to read a book which told the story of how a little boy for years came to this tree in the woods and asked for the tree to grant his wishes. The tree always obliged. The little boy continued to ask the tree for favors until the tree gave him everything, including its branches and wood. As the boy became older, he one day visited the tree just to lean on its stump, to which the tree replied "I have nothing else left to give you". Jarrell's question was whether or not the little boy ever thanked the tree for everything that it had done for him. I let Jarrell know that I totally agreed with that question.

12/5
The comment that I made this week is on a little girl named Maja. In her post, she wrote about a little elf named Hannah. In her post, she described Hannah as a hardworking, loyal elf. She also posted a cute little picture of Hannah. I commended her on her post about the great job that she did in describing Hannah.

Summary Post C4T #4

The fourth teacher that I was assigned to comment on is Mrs. Caren Carillo. In order to comment on Mrs. Carillo's post, you first have to set up a posterous account which I did. The first comment that I made to Mrs. Carillo is in response to her post about how a teacher can use rubrics for any assignment in your class. In Mrs. Carillo's post, she stated how students can sometimes give an answer to a question, but not always completely answer the question. By using the rubric system that she posted, it can give the students a guideline as to whether or not they properly answered the question. I feel like this blueprint is one that really allows the students to evaluate themselves. The second post that I commented on to Mrs. Carillo is dealing with adding and subtracting negative numbers. In this post, she gave a really neat setup in the classroom where students can simply walk the lines to get their answer. She also give instructions on how to use this setup. Any elementary math teacher should really view this blog because I feel like this is a really neat idea in terms of getting your students to learn how to add and subtract negative numbers. Anyone who wants to view Mrs. Carillo's blog can do so at http://carencarillo.posterous.com/

Additional Assignment #5

Just Teach Them to Solve for X
First, I would have to say that reading any posts that relates to using metaphors seems to be challenging to me. Even after reading this post several times, I still have trouble trying to understand what point is being made, so here's my thoughts. As I see it, using metaphors in this situation has no relevance. Since I am a result oriented person, I would have to agree with the concept that it would be simple enough just to teach these students how to solve for X. In this post, it was stated that the instructor wanted the students to understand that X was not just a number, but an independent variable which can be used in a variety of ways. I agree with this assessment, but I feel that if one can master the basic principles of how to solve for X, then they can also apply them to other life situations.

When a Child Hates Pencils
After getting a better understanding of what type of poster Mr. Johnson is, it forced me to try and think a little more outside the box. In my opinion, Mr. Johnson is trying to bring forth the issue of labeling children and lowering your expectations of them. In many school systems, by the time a child has reached second or third grade, it has been determined whether or not a child can be successful in school. In this post, he talks about how this child has basically given up before he ever begins. This is probably due to the fact that this child has been conditioned to the fact that he will probably fail anyway, so what's the point of trying. I think the main lesson that I learned from reading this post is the fact that Mr. Johnson did something different with the child to change the status quo. I feel like his approach was effective because it showed the child a different view, which was the fact that all is not lost and the fact that it's okay to give an effort because everything is not based on burping back information for a grade. Sounds familiar!

I Banned Pencils Today
After reading this post, here are my thoughts. I feel that Mr. Johnson is trying to make the point that there is more than one way for a child to learn, and I couldn't agree with him more. That's what made teaching my subject area so exciting, because my students were not just graded by what they wrote on paper, but also how they could apply what they learn to real life experiences. For example, while it was well and good that my students could recite all the measurements on a tape measure, I was more concerned whether or not they could actually take a piece of lumber and correctly mark off a measurement. If they could correctly do this, then that confirmed to me that they could apply what they learned to real life situations. While doing things the traditional way can be effective, we must also adapt to multiple and new ways of teaching because we all learn differently.

Blog Post #13

ALEX

Alabama Learning Exchange(ALEX) is a useful tool that all teachers in the state of Alabama can benefit from. First, in order to view this site, one should go to http://alex.state.al.us Once you are on this site life can get simple for a teacher, especially a new one. One of the first things that you will see on this site is a Course of Study. By clicking on this icon or link, teachers have the ability to choose their subject area. If there are any subtopics in one's particular area, this site basically lists them all. For example, if I was on this site I would click on career and technical education. At that point, nearly every subject area that is related to this particular field comes on display. All you simply have to do is to pick which particular field that you want to focus on and select it. It's that simple. This site also contains Web Resources for teachers, administrators and students. There is also a Personal Workshop icon which allows for the storage and submission of lesson plans and teacher web pages. Also included is a Professional Learning page which can be useful for any teacher or administrator who want some professional development training. Hopefully, anyone who reads this post will find this information useful.

Project #15

Form Project Summary

First of all, I would love to take the opportunity to give my appreciation to the 76 students who took the time to fill out my form to make it a success.  Since I am an avid college football fan, my form contained questions as it relates to college football.  Here are the results:  (1).  Who were the first two teams to play in a collegiate football game?  44 participants correctly answered this question.  (2).  Grabbing an opposing players face mask is what type of violation?  57 participants correctly answered this question.  (3).  What are your feelings on South Alabama having a football program?  51 of the participants say you that you love it.  (4).  How may hours per week do you spend watching football?  42 says 1-3 hours per week.  22 says 4-7 hours per week.  7 says 8-11 hours per week.  3 says 12 or more hours per week.  (5).  In what year did South Alabama play its inaugural football game?  60 participants correctly answered this question.  (6).  How many teams are there in the SEC West?  30 participants correctly answered this question.  (7).  In order, rank the following teams in recruiting according to rivals. 61 participants correctly picked to top team.  (8).  How often do you attend college football games?  34 participants stated that they don't.  14 participants says once a year.  13 participants says 2-5 times per year.  15 says more than 5 times per year.  (9).  As of 9/26/10, who is the leading rusher in division I college football?  11 participants correctly answered this question.  (10).  The last four national champions came from what conference?  70 participants correctly answered this question.  Conclusion:  There are some knowledgeable football fans in EDM 310.

Blog Post #12

Instructions: Go to google.com. Type in Doug Malloch. Next click on his poem "Be the Best at Whatever You Are" and read it. Comment on what you think Mr. Malloch is saying. Also comment on how you feel what this poem says can be applied to your own classroom.

Douglas Malloch: Be The Best of Whatever You Are
This particular poem by Mr. Malloch is one of the greatest inspirational poems that I have ever read. In my opinion, Mr Malloch is trying to get us to understand that we are all different and have different strengths and weaknesses. This particular poem can be a great asset for teachers in the classroom not only for the students, but for the teacher themselves. As a classroom teacher, I would personally give assignments and responsibilities to those students who are strong in a certain area. For those students who may be strong in a different area, I would do the same for them. In my opinion, not only does this build confidence in your students, but it also increases learning since collaboration will be taking place. In this type of setting each student will feel that their participation in the classroom has value, therefore motivating them to learn more because they feel a sense of belonging.

Project #14

Summary Post C4K

3-7
In C4K #3, I commented on a student named Sulieti at the PT school in England. He told a story of how fisherman catch fish in their big net. In C4K #4, Mrs. Miller's class went on their gold excursion where they talked about gold and bushrangers. In C4K #5, Miss W's class created a wordle that asked those who read it to take a guess on what the wordle was about. I guessed technology. In C4K #6, I commented on a student who goes by Conner P. In Conner P. post he talked about his favorite sport being football. In C4K #7, I commented on Logan's post. His post talked about how life has changed for him since the fourth grade.

Summary Post C4T #3

Teacher #3
This particular teacher name is Kim Cofino, who teaches at Yokohama International School (YIS). The first post of hers that I commented on was entitled "The Self Study Opportunity". This particular study was dealing with the accreditation process that her school has to go through according to a set of standards set by COIS and NEASC. Her second post that I commented on was about finding inspiration and feature information about a speech that was given by Mrs. Jane Goodall at YIS. Mrs. Cofino talked about three things in Mrs. Goodall speech that stuck with me. First, encouragement is a very powerful tool. Secondly, one should follow their passion. Finally, don't be afraid to be a risk taker. Anyone wanting to view Mrs. Cofino's blog can do so at http://kimcofino.com/blog/

Blog Post #11

Ms. Cassidy's Class
This particular video in regards to how things are done in Ms. Cassidy's class is really impressive mainly because of her students. It has often been said that each new generation is becoming smarter by the day. Well, this video does nothing to dispute this myth. I find it to be amazing that students who are only six years old have such a grasp on how to use technology in the classroom. Anyone who views this video would be wise to acknowledge that it would be a good idea to become technologically literate. In Ms. Cassidy's skype interview with Dr. Strange, a couple to things stood out to me. The first is the fact that it was stated that technology is here to stay. The lesson to be learned in this statement is that every teacher should make an effort to learn how to use new technology in the classroom. The second thing that stood out to me is when one of Dr. Strange's students wanted some insight on collaborating vs. cheating. I've always believed that more learning takes place when we can share ideas. Years ago, this practice was called cheating, today its known as collaborating. I would imagine that if I was trying to incorporate new technology in the classroom, my main obstacle would be getting those on board who are not technologically literate. Change is hard and going into uncharted waters can be scary. As a teacher, I feel that it would be my job to insure others that technology is not our enemy, but can be our greatest asset.