My EDM 310 Blog Assignments are Now Complete.

I enjoyed this class and met some really nice people. Maybe I'll see you in my next class. I wish everyone the best in their future.

My Contact Project.

We had to contact someone in a different area and carry on a conversation on different aspects in technology. Well one of my blog topics was on, "Is there enough time in the school year?" Barry Bachenheimer is a professor at Montclair State University in New Jersey. He made up a video about 180 days being in the school year. He shows all the waisted days (sixty days) that are lost in throughout the school year. My teacher assigned us to watch his video and to write about our thoughts. As I was in Class one night, I realized that I had a comment on my page. I clicked on it and it was Mr. Bachenheimer. This was so cool! He asked me of my thoughts on what could be done to change the waisted days. By not being a teacher yet and just taking the beginning of the education classes, I'm not quite sure. So I figured who better to ask different aspects of technology then Mr. Bachenheimer himself. I wrote him and said, "As you may know from looking at my blog, I'm going for Elementary Education. I've never done blogs before and mine is still a work in progress. What do you think about (young) students blogging and how will it benefit them?" He responded back and said, "I think anything that gets kids writing, interested in writing, and collaborating is a good thing. If blogs accomplish this goal, under teacher supervision for young learners, then I am in favor of it!" I had asked him a few more questions but I know he has a busy schedule and hasn't responded.
This was a really neat project. Being able to interact with others from other parts of the country is the great thing about technology! I appreciate Mr. Bachenheimer's time!

What I learned from this class.

I have learned so much from this class. I don't even know where to begin. First of all I learned about blogging. It was a great experience and I learned how it could be useful for my future as a teacher. Dr. Strange had us watch different videos that were very interesting. It makes you think how you can better your classroom.
He showed us all the free things that were available with google. This will be a good resource when I start teaching. We did presentations off of google. I also did spreadsheets. This was pretty cool. If you didn't know what you were doing it can be frustrating at times. On our iGoogle page Dr. Strange showed us how to have a instant messenger to talk to different people. There is so much available that is free on google.
Dr. Strange also talked about "Burp Back" education. I totally agree with him. Teachers shouldn't be teaching students things that they have to study and then forget. I just had a Health class this semester and it was a waist of my time and money. He was teaching us "Burp Back" education. I learned nothing! I wanted some hands on activities like CPR or what signs to look for in a abused child and when to report it. Something that I could use for my future as a teacher. Thanks Dr. Strange for all your help. I have learned a lot and will use it as a future teacher.

The Positives and Negatives of Blogs in the classroom.

This is my first time using a blog. If it wouldn't have been for this class, I might have never done one. That would probably be the reason to why teachers are not using blogs in the classroom. They don't know how to do it or are not comfortable with it. I read over Angela Heyer's blog from my class. She also has never done a blog before. I believe that she, like myself would have never done a blog, if it wasn't for this class.
I think all teachers should use blogs for their class. It helps parents know what is going on in the classroom. Also if the students are sick, then the parents can look and get their child up to date on their school work. The teacher can post the child's work for all to see. Videos could be posted for students to watch, educational games, etc. There is so much that can be done. The possibilities are endless. That's the great thing about technology. The only negative part that I can think about, would be if parents or student's don't have a computer. That could cause some conflict and limit the activities for those students. Although they do have computers at the public library, available for use.

The South in Black and White

The South in Black and White is a course offered by the Center of Documentary Studies by Duke University. First of all, they do not have a intro and they just start talking, when the podcast comes on. I think this is a great opportunity and should be offered at all schools. It allows students to reflect on what it means and our role in it today.
Tim Tyson and Tom Rankin were the speakers and they said, "What really matters is public education. Are we citizens together? Do we understand how we go where we are? What are are strengths and weaknesses?" This course will have plays put on and they will have a discussion about the plays. Gospel music will be played every week. There will also be story tellers that will come in. All of this will be to help explore the full richness of the history and culture. This course will be taught at Haiti Heritage Center. This is a public space and also a Historic African American Church. It seats about four hundred people.
This is a great opportunity and should be taught at other schools across the nation. People need to learn from the past, so we can take a full step ahead in our future as a Nation. I'm glad that they are not just teaching straight from a book but rather different aspects of plays, music, stories, and the over all setting at the church. I believe that this is a great thing and other schools need to embrace it!

EDM310 Podcast

I listened to four different podcast that we did from our class. One of which was my own. Being every one's first time, there is always room for improvement! I know I was nervous as well as others. The first one I listened to was, "The Possibilities of using Facebook in an Educational setting." The speakers were Allison Midget and Shaundretta Bethel. They had some good information. This shows you that they did their research. Although one speaker said ugh and um to many times! You don't realize how many times you say that until you go back and listen to your own podcast.

The second one was, "Experiences with Blogs." The speakers were Carmen O'Connor, Nikita Reed, and Angela Heyer. They also had some good information. On the other hand they also said um and y'all a little to much! You could also tell they were reading off their paper. They did change back and fourth between speakers well. There were also a few long pauses and you could hear things that they wouldn't have wanted us to hear, like them whispering.

The next podcast was, "Burp Back" Education. The speakers were Ashley Denson, Sandy Presley, and Robyn Terry. They also had pauses longer than what it should have been. You could tell that they were reading off the paper from time to time. They also had good information and keep it flowing well.
Then the last one was my own. Can You Tube be used as an Educational tool? The speakers were Chris Borchardt, Heather Rodgers, and myself. As I said before, you don't realize all the mistakes that you make, until you listen to yourself. I guess it was everyone being pretty nervous. We also said Um to much! Overall, I think everyone did a pretty good job for the first time!

Maine Department of Education

Judy Chandler is the technology integration specialist, mathematics teacher and math mentor trainer for main learning technology incentive. Thinking Mathematically was one of her podcast. Students are learning by moving from lesson to lesson and example to example throughout a text. Many are unable to connect with the content and become disengaged and feel frustration of falling behind. Other succeed by memorizing meaningless procedures they will soon forget. The piece that is missing from this learning environment is thinking mathematically. Then like math, Science they teach the scientific method and provide opportunity for students to become scientist in the classroom. Mathematics engage students to thinking mathematically. As teachers we do this by asking questions to help engage their thinking. As for today, technology resources provide powerful new tools for the classroom. Questions also direct classroom discussion and guide critical thinking experiences. As a teacher ask questions and challenge the students.

Judy also had another podcast called Mathematics with Technology. Some math teachers are reluctant to embrace technology as a valuable classroom resource. Teachers say they don't have time and they have successful students. Other colegus ask, What does technology bring to the classroom? What is it's role in mathematics education? The National council of teachers of mathematics says technology is essential. It enhances student learning. It is one of the critical principles of a high quality math education. Concepts that we teach have connections to early learning of applications in the real world and our foundation of future learning.

I think technology in education plays a major part. Teachers need to be up to date with the latest technology. Students learn more with hands on activities. These podcast will help me as a teacher to make sure that I'm up to date with the latest technology. Also how to create a better learning environment for my students. Student's don't need burp back education. They need different things like technology to motivate and help them along the way.

"Growth" vs. "Fixed" Minds

Carol Dweck is the Proffessor of Psycology at Stanford University. She talked about students that have a fixed mindset and worried about if they are going to be able to finish the task right or not. They worried about whether or not they are going to look smart. Then other students believe that they can develop their own intellengence their whole life though. It's a learning porcess. So they decied at Sanford to do a study. They split the students in half. Half of the students did study skills and the other half did study skills and a 8 session workshop. The study skills were great but the students got bored with it. The students that did the 8 session work shop helped them in a tremendous way! They were taught that their brain was like a muscle. It gets stronger with use.
The students were taught how to apply what they learned to their school work. At the end of the Semester there was a significant rebound in grades for those students. The teachers didn't know which students were in the session classes but they could pick out who the students were.
For the future of me as a teacher, this was a great study. I believe hands on activities is a great way for students to learn. If they keep doing study skills they will get bored. There needs to be a change of atmosphere. Students need to know that they are smart and that it is a learning process thoughout life. You never stop learning! I would like to see more workshops of this sort in our local classrooms.

Video Podcast

I watched a video podcast featured by WGBH. It was titled, "Why doesn't the moon fall down? This video was for grades K-5." It was kid friendly and easy for them to understand. They lady talking said that the moon was always falling towards the earth. The moon is moving so fast that it won't hit the Earth. She used a tennis ball to illustrate the moon. She said when we throw and object, gravity brings it down to the center of the earth. The moon falls around the Earth in a continuous circle. If the moon were to go faster, it would escape Earth's gravity and fly off into space. If it were to go slower, gravity would pull it down into Earth. The moon going around the Earth is called Orbit. The Balance of speed and Gravity works together.
Video's like this is a great way to incorporate into a lesson. Student's learn in different ways. The lady shows a illustration and this can help student's understand better. When teaching a lesson you can take a minute and let them watch the video and then finish on with the lesson. After watching this, a project could be done on the solar system, etc. There are many different things that could be done.

A new way of teaching!

I watched two videos that were very interesting. The first one was called The Edible Schoolyard. This took place in California, at Martin Luther King Middle School. The students had a class where they planted, harvested and ate organic food. The garden and kitchen was used for Social Studies. It also covered other educational areas like Math, by learning how to measure when cooking. Also in Science, the way things grow. The garden was made for the center of teaching. The students also learned the basics of Ecology. This garden taught them how to cooperate, do projects, and build a community. This garden was started in 1994 by Alice Water, to improve the school lunch program. If the students grow it, they cook it, then they want to eat it. They also learned how to set a table, talk, values, and generosity.
This is what we need more of today. Student do not know where their food comes from. This is great for them to have hands on learning. They will learn more and they will appreciate where food comes from. They will never forget it.

The second video was A Night in a Global Village. Some children from Denver went to a Ranch in Arkansas, to walk one night in the less fortunate shoes. They took numbers and split up into groups, with a teacher to make a family. They were told what country they were from and what resources they had. Each family received only a bucket of supplies, but it wasn't all that they needed. They had to do some bargaining with the other countries for food or supplies. The structures that they lived in where those of other countries. They focused on poverty, hunger and sustainable development. One member of each family was made to look like they were pregnant and another loses an arm. This was done so they can understand the struggles of the culture. As the night falls they scramble for resources. They eventually learn how to work together. The next morning they had breakfast and shared their experiences. They also feed the farm animals and performed skits of what happened that night. There are three more of these facilities for students across the nation and 2 different classrooms teaching about animals and U.S. consumer choices that affect other countries. Instead of teaching about other countries, Nothing beats living the lesson and experiencing it for a night!

At my middle school when I was younger, they had a garden like the one The edible school yard. I wasn't fortunate enough to be in the class. Classes like this should be required at some point in the a childs education. It gives them a better uderstanding where things come from and an apprection for hard work. It also covers all aspects in education.

Video's like these two can make me better as a techer, if the resouces are available in the schools. I want to have lots of hands of activities in my classroom. I always learn better doing things hands on! You are not only learning it, you are experincing it. Most than likely the students will never forget it.

Click the link to watch A night in a Global Village. Click Here
Click the link to watch The Edible Schoolyard.Click Here

Podcasts

I listened to 6 different podcasts to get an overview of how they presented themselves and their information. This assignment was designed for me to familiarize with different approaches, that are taken to podcast. Some of them were hard to listen to and not well presented, while others did a good job.
The fist one was MacBreak Weekly episode 114. It is about topics on Macintosh. The beginning of the podcast was very professional. The talker had a good radio voice. As it went on they had some technical difficulties. Basically they talked about Mac news and views from some of the top journalist.
The second one I listened to was KidCast podcast episode 57. It was about bringing podcasting to the classroom. The speaker had a good intro. He talked about 2008 kidcast podcasting awards in Education. The speaker tells you ideas of how to get your students podcasting and how to help them become better. This podcast was kind of a instructional/learning podcast.
The next podcast was This week in Photography episode 56. There were four men talking, Alex, Scott, Steve, and Ron. This is a discussion of photography tips, techniques, and technology. They were talking about things I've never heard of! It was a good intro but I was lost!
The next podcast was SmartBoard lessons episode 150. It had a good intro. It sounded very professional. Some of the podcast available, like this one, needed to get to the point. If something doesn't have a good intro I lose track.
Ed Tech Talk is Live,Interactive Ed tech conversation. This one is episode 15. It seemed a little unprofessional to me and they didn't know what they were doing. Although you can't expect technology to go right 100% of the time. They talked about computer safety. You need to monitor the children, know the children's passwords and talk to them. Even though the computer is in the Family room doesn't mean they won't go to sites that they are not supost to. They need to be monitored for their own safety.
The last one that I listened to was called iOpening-connect,learn,explore. They talked about Adobe and how Jaws was a free download. They also talked about how to do different technology. This podcast is designed to teach more about technology and computing.
After listening to all these podcast I don't think I would openly go on and listen to any one's podcast. First of all, I don't have the time! If it was pertaining to school I would. Although It is something new and exciting in technology. Different presenters had their podcast more organized than others. Some needed to work on their technology. It seemed they didn't know what they were doing. While other were rambling on about nothing.

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

Randy Pausch was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer with only a few months to live. He was a Professor at MIT and did his last lecture on, "Really Achieving your Childhood Dreams." At the time of the video he had three to six months of good health left. With him knowing he was going to die, he had a great sense of humor! He talked about his childhood dreams, while being comical and teaching a lesson.
One of the things he said was, "Always have something to bring to the table. You will be more welcomed." Another thing he said was, "When screwing up and no one is saying anything to you anymore, that means they gave up." This means a lot to me. When I become a teacher, I need to help the children and show them the right way. Not to give up on them and let them go in the wrong direction. This could be based in many different areas, academically, in sports, etc. Don't give up on your students or children, some take longer to learn than others. Mr. Pausch also said that, "If you wait long enough, people will surprise and impress you. You haven't given them enough time." It makes you think.
He also said, "Brick walls are there for a reason! Brick walls are not there to keep us out. They let us prove how badly we want things. It stops the people that don't want it badly enough." This is so true and again it can be based on my different aspects. I started my own business in 2006. I wasn't going to let a brick wall stop me! I had many people come against me and tell me it was not a good idea. I wouldn't take that experience away for anything. Also when I decided to go back to school to be a teacher, again I had people telling me that I was crazy. No matter what you do in life, you need to do what is best for yourself and not worry about others. Some people will always have negaitave things to say. Achieve your goals and dreams! A brick wall isn't going to stop me, I'll find another route!
Randy talks about many things throughout his lecture. He was so fun and out going. He said, "We learn from our students. Are you a Tigger or an Eeyore?" This video helped me realize that I have a lot to live up to. I want to be the best teacher that I could be! I'm not going to let anything stop me and I'm not going to give up on my children! At the end of the lecture Randy stated that, "This was not how to achieve your dreams, It was how to lead your life and this lecture was for his children."


Everyone should watch this video!
Click Here

My experience with the Access program.

Angela Heyer and myself visited the Access program in Daphne, AL. ACCESS stands for Alabama Connecting Student's Statewide. Daphne is the only one up and running in Baldwin County at this time. Mr. Roh is the coordinator of this program, at Daphne High School. He was very nice and took us through everything. There are two ways to the Access program, web based and video conferencing,or IVC. At this time the school is using web based. Web based is like courses taken online. This system was fully functional in January 2007. The IVC allows a teacher to broadcast live video and sound to any other similarly equipped school in Alabama. Using two remote controlled camera's at either end of the classroom. Mr. Roh teaches online chemistry to student's at a high school in Uriah,AL. The teacher decided to retire all of a sudden in the middle of the school year. He decided to offer this to that school. There are 50 ACCESS teachers in Baldwin County. Forty two students are now enrolled in this program. I think this is great! Students can take classes they are not offered at there school. Especially in lower income schools where not much is offered.

iPods in the classroom

Duke University is using iPods in the classroom. I never knew this existed! The number of students has quadrupled using iPods. The classes have also doubled. This would be so convenient for many students. If you don't quite understand something, you could go back and review it and get caught up! In this article, it said that students are expected to use iPods, to enhance classroom materials, lectures or assignments.
The article stated that one student, Gissille Molianr can take here learning experience outside the classroom. I remember siting in class and wanting to go outside so bad, because it was pretty outside! This is a good way to do that! I personally do not have a iPod but if this was offered I would go out and buy one!




To view this site Click Here

GPS and Geocashing

Dr. Alice Christie taught school for 25 years in K-12 schools. She also taught at Arizona State University from 1995, until her recent retirement. She travels all over speaking and doing workshops nationally. She does this to teach educators how to bring technology into the classroom and enhance their learning experience.
I read the part on GPS and Geocashing. This is a neat way to bring technology into a science or history lesson, to make it fun. With Geocashing you have a GPS and go online to get the coordinates. It will tell you where a geocash is located or you can make up your on geocash and put the coordinates online. You punch in the GPS location and on with your trip. When you get to your location, there is a box with little trinkets and a log book. You sign the book, take a trinket and leave a trinket. Along your way you can talk about different things in the environment and incorporate anything educational along the way. Children need a break from the classroom from time to time. This is a way to make it fun and educational, at the same time!!!

To check out her web site Click Here

The reliability of Wikipedia

Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia. Lots of companies and organizations have been going on and changing or deleting some of the information, to make themselves look better. Virgil Griffith offers a database that can be searched and find out who edited what on Wikipedia. With companies and organizations changing things, what accuracy does wikipedia have? Can Wikipedia ever be trusted? Wired magazine said they have 100% of the info with 90% the accuracy. On the NPR pod cast, they believed it will have a positive affect and will make it better. Now people know that it can be traced, they will most than likely not doctor up the information. When things get worked out over a period of time I believe it can be a trusted site!

To check out the articles Click Here
Click Here

My presentation

Is there enough time in the school year???

Barry Bachenheimer is a professor at Montclair State University and the Director of Instruction at Caldwell-West, Caldwell Public Schools in New Jersey. He used the video, Did you know?/Shift happens, at Montclair State University. It was a big hit. One thing that keep coming up was, there's not enough time in the school year...or is it? He made his own 180 days presentation on the waisted days throughout the school year. Sixty days out of the year are waisted. This is something to think about. We need to step up a notch and improve our learning. We need to keep up with the other countries in education, if not being one of the top!

Here is a link to the website. Click Here

What do you think about teachers and technology???

What do you think about teachers and technology? Should they take a computer class every few years, to keep up in technology? Do you think they should know some things about computers, or not be able to teach? It's something to think about. I read a blog about this. The writer believed that principals and teachers who were technology illiterate should be held accountable. What makes not sense to me, is that other country's are so far advanced than us and here our educators and principals are illiterate in technology. Nothing has been done about it!
The writer quotes,"If a teacher today is not technologically literate - and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more - it's equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn't know how to read and write." I totally agree with this! With me as a student, if you don't know anything about a computer, your in trouble. You will get behind! Everything is going to technology! It's time to raise our education standards!

Here is a link to the web site.


Click Here

International teachers who blog.

Teachers internationally go along the same line, as the teachers in the U.S. Blogging is to give the parent's a better understanding of what they have going on for the week. Also what home work they will have and it keeps them up to date with the latest technology. I found one teacher in New Zealand, Ms. Jody Hayes. Ms. Hayes teaches ten and eleven year old children and has been blogging for four years now. She has the children blogging about different topics on her web page. When I was in elementary school we had a daily journal. The children in Ms. Hayes class seems to be doing the same thing but by blogging.

If you would like to go to Ms. Hayes page. Then click on the Icon.
Click Here

Teacher's using blogs

Today in the classrooms, teachers are using blogs. Ms.Osborne's fourth grade class at Butlerville school, in Miami. She has a blog to keep them up to date. It gives the parents a better understanding of what their children are doing and what's going on for the week. Ms. Osborne has a list of spelling words and vocabulary. Each subject lets them know what they are doing. She also list the test dates for each subject. I think teachers using blogs is a very good idea and needs to happen more often!
Ms. Austin's third grade class at Eisenhower Elementary, also has a class blog. She does about the same thing as Ms. Osborne. There is a list of Homework, spelling words, and the school supply list. Ms. Austin has access to educational games, websites, pictures and videos available to her students. This is something I will do when I become a teacher.

If you would like to visit Ms. Osborne's blog. Click the Icon.
Click Here

If you would like to visit Ms. Austin's blog. Click the Icon.
Click Here

Did you know???

What does the future hold in technology? After watching the video at www.thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2007/06/did-you-know-20.html, gave me a whole new prospective on technology and education! Our focus as parent's, teachers, board of education, etc, should be to keep our children up to date, with the latest technology! We have much work to do! Our kids spend to much time watching TV, while in other countries are much more strict and well disciplined. They are way more advanced. Americans don't stick with anything. We are lazy and if something doesn't work the first time, we are quick to change, whether it's jobs, our careers, etc. In India 100% know the English language, by the time they are in college. I know that's not true in America, because I don't know a second language. The video estimated that in 10 years, China will be the number one English speaking country. How does that happen? Other countries have 2 million more graduating from college than us. In the video, it also said in developing countries out of 2 billion, one in three never even completes the fifth grade. The more education and technology we know, the more powerful of a country we can be!
Technology is becoming more advanced every day! The possibilities are endless, with the Internet. People are meeting online and some ending up married. Online business are booming, like EBay, with revenue of 6 billion, in 2006. Text messaging can be sent all over the world. With technology becoming more advanced every day, more jobs are becoming available. With websites like myspace, you can keep up with your friends and family members. Will our children keep up and become more advanced? It's is up to us!!! All I can say is Wow!

To veiw this blog and see the video Click Here

Access/Distance Learning

Access stands for Alabama Connecting Classroom Educators and Students Statewide! Access provides students the option for course work off the Internet. It is available for grades 9-12 in Alabama public schools. With our economy the way it is now, this program is a plus! A school that lacks certified teachers, can use this program. The students will have online classes, like our local colleges. Access is for Students and Teachers. Teachers can use access to enhance learning. Students can take diploma courses, advanced courses, or take remediation courses if needed.

For more information Click Here

Alex, a virtual classroom!

Never have I heard of the Alex web site! Alex stands for Alabama Learning Exchange. Governor Riley proposed the Access idea in 2005. Access stands for Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, and Students Statewide. That is exactly what it is! It is a video conferencing and web base learning center for students and teachers. Students can link to classrooms and course work, that their school may not offer. For teachers there are lesson plans, articles, the info is endless! There are all kinds of things to keep the children excited about learning!
Alex definitely brings more to the classroom! I never knew this web site existed! It is exciting to have this much information at my fingertips! As a teacher, I want to keep my children interested with new, fun, and exciting things! I can download articles, craft ideas, games, the possibilities are endless!

For more information Click Here

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog. My name is Delana Bemis. I am a Student at the University of South Alabama and majoring in Elementary Education. Currently I work at Lambert's cafe. I worked there before, for 6 1/2 years! In November of 2006, I quit to start my own business. It's a liquidation store, with overstock, closeouts, and returns. I recently decided to go back to school and finish up, so I'll be closing my store! Things have been great, this far! I am married to a wonderful husband, Alan for five years. He works for Distinctive Products and installs hurricane shutters. We are hoping to extend the Bemis family here soon!