South Fall 2008 Podcast Reviews

The pod cast I listened to was titled, Lessons from Life: The Last Lecture of Randy Pausch. Basically the question the students were asking listeners was if you had to choose one lecture to do before you die what would it be? Pausch was a very talented professor but sadly recently past away. He did lectures on a variety of topics. He had a dream to play in the NFL but the closet he ever got to meeting anyone famous was talking to some big wigs at Disney. His way of thinking was what our kids learn they learn indirectly. He used many techniques in his teaching. He took activities that students normally would not enjoy and turned them into something fun and educational. Another technique discussed in the pod cast was the brick wall. He told his students that brick walls are not put up to hold us back but to show that obstacles can be overcome if the desire is put into affect.
My favorite part of the pod cast was when the girls talked about Pausch’s technique the card game. Everyone is dealt a hand of cards and we all have to make the best of it because we cannot change it. The students who did the pod cast did a great job. They gave a lot of information and made me really want to admire Pausch. I could tell they were very nervous and there was a lot of pausing. The one thing I would change is probably how the title correlates with their pod cast. The tile ensured me that I would here much about Pausch’s last lecture before his death. Instead the students talk more about his life and many lectures he had done. Other than that I thought it was great! You should check the podcast about Pausch out!

The second pod cast I listened to was titled Bogging and Teaching. The students discuss how blogging can be used effectively by teachers and students and they also share information about usefull blogs. I agree with the first point of blog usage. Blogs are a very useful to not only useful in keeping in touch with his students but also with the parents. Many students brush off homework and tell their parents they do not have any. Teachers with class blogs typically update their blog daily so the students are always informed. The second student to teach made a great point about keeping parents up to date. She gives an example of a scenario where a parent was unable to attend a field trip but they were able to see a variety of pictures due to the blog. I thought their pod cast was awesome! They all seemed like they were very informed about the subject they were speaking about. I am sure they could have added more but as far as I am concerned they did a great job at convincing the audience on why blogging is a great tool in the education field.
As a future teacher I will be using blogs in my classroom. This semester was my first time ever to use a blog. I found it very interesting and useful. It made it so easy to keep in touch with Mr. Wakeman without actually having to schedule a meeting with him or send him an email to ask a simple question. Technology is becoming more and more advanced and as a student I feel privileged to have the advantage of keeping up with it at my fingertips.

At first when reading the blog posted on the fischbowl website I agreed with Fisch. He had a good point to what he was saying. Technology has become so far advanced today you will be left so far behind if you do not keep up with it. Teachers today should have many different qualifications than thirty years ago or really even ten years ago.

Today in school the board of education gives students so many expectations they are required to meet. Shouldn’t teachers have to meet these same expectations? I am a college student and have had quite a few professors that do not know how to work the computer but, they still expect their students to be responsible for learning all the information contained on it. That seems a little hypocritical to me.

As I said above I agree with Fisch’s opinion on being technologically literate. It is very helpful to have skills like this not only in the education field but for everything. However, no offense to Fisch, I feel as if he was a little harsh. Not all teachers need to be so technologically advanced. How do you think they learned so many years ago? I know I may sound a little contradictory revealing my opinion on this but what I am trying to say is not all teachers should have to be technologically advanced, some should tough. Isn’t that what computer teachers are for?

Despite my opinion being quite biased, I still enjoyed reading the post. Fisch has some interesting comments. However he may need to take a lesson in spelling for a while and lay off on those not so technologically advanced. I suggest everyone read the blog technilogicaly illiterate for themselves and formulate their own opinion.

International blog usage K-12

I would not call myself simple minded but I never really take the time to think about other places in the world. When we were given the assignment to find an International blog I thought to myself, “Where am I suppose to find that?” The same technology we are using today in the U.S. is being used all over the world. Many teachers are using blogs as a way to stay connected with their students. I am so intrigued by the fact that people so many thousands of miles away are learning in the same way that we are.

I found a blog for a first grade class in an American school located in Shanghai, China. The teachers name was Mrs. Toa. She calls her students Toa’s troops. Mrs. Toa uses her classroom blog as a way to keep her children internationally connected in more ways than one. The blog displays maps and weather reports from many countries around the world. The main use of the blog is for students to be updated about the class. She posts all upcoming assignments so the students know exactly what they are responsible for. This weeks post featured a video and picture from their Chinese New Year’s Day assembly and she tells the students what a fantastic job they have done. I can tell just from looking at the pictures and her comments to the students that teaching is her gift and she has a very special relationship with her students. To check out Mrs. Toa’s class blog you may visit http://www.teachers.saschina.org/stoa/.

I continued my search for International blogs. I came across a blog for a combined 5th and 6th grade class in Australia. The teacher calls himself Mr. C. When I first clicked on the blog I could automatically tell that Mr. C was a fun teacher. The first thing I noticed was a letter to his students talking about how much fun the New Year pool party was. How much fun would it be to have a pool party at school? I do not think my 5th and 6th grade teachers even owned bathing suits. Apparently in Australia you are in 5th grade for half a year and then you become a 6th grader because he gave them a challenge for becoming 6th graders called towers of paper. In the challenge the students had ten sheets of paper and a few other materials. They had to build a tower that would stand by finding the weakness of the paper. He included pictures on the blog of the students hard at work. Mr. C uses the blog to get the students involved in the class in an exciting way. He does not just post assignments but also stories, fun facts, videos and gives his interesting point of view on each. I think the way Mr. C’s class blog is set up really has the student’s attention. I think everyone should take a look at this blog at http://www.562008.edublogs.org/.

I feel as If I learned so much from the International blog search. The whole world is different and we could all learn a little something from each other. No matter where you go there is someone with the desire to teach and someone yearning to learn. These blogs display just how much teachers get involved with their class. To me teaching will be more than a career. I love children and by becoming a teacher I am willing to dedicate my heart and soul to the students I teach. I hope I will retain some of the useful knowledge I gained from exploring these blogs and deposit it into my classroom.

K-12 Classroom blog usage in the U.S.

Technology has grown in a considerable amount over the years. The students going to school at this day and time are way further advance when it comes to these new technologies than those students twenty, or even ten years ago. Many teachers, grades K-12, are trying to come up with new ways to stay connected with their students and also ways to keep them entertained while still learning. The computer has become almost a necessity and the internet is its runner up. A personal student blog is something new schools have been using in the classroom to retrieve the work and progress of their students. A blog can be seen as like a personal network for the classroom. The student can post their work and the teacher can keep track of it through the posting date and times. The other students are also allowed to read the work of others. This not only helps the other students come up with new ideas but to give their fellow students feedback on their posted work.

While surfing the internet I came across a blog used by a 5th grade class in Detroit, Michigan. The teachers name is Mr. Ambrose. He sees his class blog as a way to keep parents and students updated and connected from class and home. On the blog Mr. Ambrose tells the students everything they need to know about the class. He has many different categories in which to choose from. Parents and students have access to the blog. He posts important dates, assignments, rules, fundraising events and games the students can play for practice. For example this week his class will begin a unit on the solar system. He lists step by step what the students need to know and will know by the time the unit is over. From what I can tell Mr. Ambrose keeps his blog very up to date. He seems like the kind of teacher that not only wants to keep the students informed but also the parents which is very important to most. Mr. Ambrose is taking advantage of blogging in the classroom in a very positive way. To take a look and maybe get some ideas for your future classroom check out Mr. Ambrose’s class blog at http://www.classofambrose.blogspot.com.html/.

The next class blog on the web I checked out was a 4th grade class in San Diego, California. The teacher of the class is Mr. Kootman. When first clicking on the blog I noticed how colorful and user friendly it was. Mr. Kootman tells the parents and students all about himself, where he has been in his life and where he plans to go. He posts his weekly newsletters on the blog so everyone will be informed of upcoming events. He allows a different student to write on the blog each day to describe that day and all the activities done in room 40. Mr. Kootman then allows the other students to review the post and give their opinion. He uses this feedback as constructive criticism. In my opinion I think the way that the blog of class 40 involves all the parent is a great way to create a positive atmosphere in Mr. Kootmans 4th grade class. If you would like to learn more about his class blog you may go to http://www.kootmansclass.com/blogs.html.

I think these two blogs were great examples to look at if you are interested in uing a blog in your classroom. Both of these teachers were similar in that they were very concerned with parent involvement which I think is great. I am sure that I will be taking great advantage of using a blog in my future classroom to stay connected with my students. Another great website to look at for information about blogging that I enjoyed reviewing is http://www.supportblogging.com/.

ACCESS and ALEX

As an Elementary Education major I find the Alabama Learning Exchange website very helpful. This website is not only useful to me as a student but also to teachers and administrators. ALEX allows you to review the Alabama Course of Study, helpful web links, example lesson plans, great learning techniques and many other useful features. ALEX could also be known as a vital tool to future and current teachers.
After reviewing the Alabama Learning Exchange website I was impressed right away at how user friendly it is. The home page is very self explanatory. When the page comes up the first thing that you will see is a series of colorful blocks with a variety of options listed on them. The first option is the Alabama course of study. This provides the mandatory lessons that must be taught to students K-12th grade. These guidelines must be followed punctually. If you need some help coming up with your lessons, not only are there example lesson plans posted that you may use but also many helpful web links that will take you to webs sites that will provide many constructive ideas that may be added in accordingly. ALEX also allows you to create your own personal workspace. This means at the website you can create an account by using a personal user name and password. This is now your workspace where lesson plans are submitted and stored. Teacher web pages are also available when you create your own workspace. If you think this is something that would be helpful to you as a student, teacher or an administrator, simply visit the website http://www.alexstate.al.us and begin researching now.
I also did some research on the Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators and Students Statewide website. ACCESS is an initiative of the Alabama Department of Education. The program basically provides students with a great deal of learning opportunities. Many high school students are very bright and move through material taught using the Alabama Course of Study very quickly. In Alabama public high schools, the number of classes that allow these students to work up to their full potential is limited. With ACCESS students are given the opportunity to take part in Advanced Placement (AP) courses, a wide range of electives and many other courses to which they may not have “access” to otherwise.
The ACCESS website contains a large amount of information about how to get involved in this program. The online course catalog allows you to look at current courses available and specific times they will take place. On the homepage there is also a link to resources. This option allows students currently using the ACCESS program to download and print helpful forms such as study guides and presentations. This program is a great way for teachers to motivate their students and expand their teaching knowledge. I was very interested in the website because when I was in high school this type of opportunity was not brought to my attention. Some of the students in my classes were very intelligent and would have most likely loved an opportunity to enroll in a program like that of ACCESS. If you or anyone you know feels like this could be an option or even a great learning experience simply go to the website http://www.accessdl.state.al.us. This hyperlink will take you straight to the homepage which will serve as a guide and inform you of everything needed to know about ACCESS.

About Me!

My name is Melanie Leigh Garron. I am 19 years old. I live in Semmes, Alabama and have been a resident there for about fifteen years. Before Semmes I lived in Tuscaloosa, Alabama with my mother and father. I am half Canadian so many of my family members live really far away. We spend every summer traveling to many family reunions, so we keep in touch with almost everyone in the gigantic Garron family. I have two sisters and two brothers. My oldest brother was killed in September due to a drinking and driving accident. This hit our family really hard. We have all pulled together to try and stay strong through these hard times.
My life pretty much consists of work and school. I am currently a full time student and a full time employee. I am the Financial Secretary at West Mobile Baptist Child Development Center. I have been working at the CDC for five years and have enjoyed every minute of it. I love children and I feel that we touch so many lives everyday. The CDC is a ministry of West Mobile Baptist Church. We are so thankful that the church provided us with a place for the center. The best thing about work is the people; everyone there has such a great spirit, so I have to say going to work is a breath of fresh air. If you are interested in learning more about where I work you can visit the website for the church which is http://www.westmobilebaptist.org. Once you get to the website go to the Child Development and you can click on my e-mail if you have any questions.
I am currently enrolled at the University of South Alabama. I have been attending for two years and I am now a sophomore. It took a lot for me to go to college, because I had many problems getting financial aid and I was almost ready to give up. I kept my head held high and finally got in. My major here at South is Elementary Education. I am very excited about making teaching my career because as I have said before I love children. Many people try to discourage me about teaching because of the economy today but I do not let them get to me. I feel that if God put the desire in my heart to teach then he will make a way for it to happen.
In my spare time, which is not much, I spend time with friends and family as much as possible. I am also addicted to my cell phone and could probably text message with my eyes closed, so honestly I would say that is my favorite hobby. I spend a lot of time on http://www.facebook.com to keep in touch with all my friends and family. When you go to the website you may search for me using my first and last name. Feel free to stop by add me as a friend. I am always looking for new people to talk to.

First Post :)

My first time posting something on the blogger was a little confusing at first just because I was not used to using this particular website. I actually had more trouble creating the account with google than figuring out how to make a post on the blogger. I think this is a really creative way of receiving information from your students and probaly would have been more useful in my CIS 150 class. I am sure i will get the hang of it and eventually catch on to the swing of things.