C4T #3

At The Teacher's Desk.

This blog is a collaboration of several teachers' thoughts and ideas.


Tablets Are Great For Reflections By William Chamberlain

Mr. Chamberlain stated that he bought iPad and Apple TV for his classroom earlier in the year to benefit his students. He thinks it will be a good way for students to share what they are learning. I agree! Next, he bought a Nexus 7(tablet) for his students to record their reflections on his class everyday. Then his students can upload their reflections to a tumblr blog Mr. Chamberlain created. What a great idea!

Comment #1

I think Mr. Chamberlain is on to something. I think it is an awesome idea to have the students record their daily reflections of his class. By uploading them to his blog Mr. Chamberlain and his students are able to understand each other and how they feel about the class. This will also allow Mr. Chamberlain to see what(if) he needs to focus on more. Kuddos for Mr. Chamberlain for incorporating the iPad and Apple TV into his lessons. Allowing his students to use will definitely help them share with the class what they have learned

They Don't Love Your Subject (and That Is Okay!) By William Chamberlain

In this post Mr. Chamberlain comes to the conclusion that not every student will love and the same passion for your favorite subject. It is your favorite for reason. That subject is quite possibly one of the main reasons why you became a teacher in the first place. You should teach that subject with the passion you feel for it, but don't get upset if your students don't feel that same way. It is okay, and maybe better, for them to feel that way. Mr. Chamberlain says that our students should be allowed the freedom to explore what they are passionate about. Quoting Mr. Chamberlain, "We need to love our students enough to let them not share our passion."

Comment #2

Again, I definitely agree with what Mr. Chamberlain is getting at in this post. I wish more teachers had his outlook when I was in grade school. Teachers should never try to force their students to love a subject. It will only push them further away from that subject. Students should explore all subjects and see what strikes them. They should allowed to find their passion.

Project #14

Blog Post #8

This Is How We Dream

In Richard Miller's This Is How We Dream, he is trying to open our eyes to what has already changed and what is changing around us.I went ahead and watched the whole video of both parts so that I could really understand what Mr. Miller was explaining.+ I agree that this change is good, but that doesn't mean that books have to totally replaced. I love to find a good book and get lost in it. Mr. Miller says we are living in the greatest change of human communication. He couldn't be more right. Today, more people communicate through email, text, instant messaging, blogs, and social media sites. We are moving away from pencil and paper into a technology based world.

To accommodate this new learning environment, Mr. Miller says we need inspiring teachers and spaces that foster collaborative learning. Mr. Miller also says that we need to invent a way/space for this learning to take place because there is not one readily available. I believe that teachers can gain the tools and knowledge to educate students the way Mr. Miller wants if given a chance. It is something that everybody must get accustomed to. Hopefully, one day schools all over will be able to create the type of environments Mr. Miller describes.

To be honest, this was not one of the best videos I have watched in EDM. I found it hard to keep up and fully understand everything. That being said, I did learn a few interesting things. I think Mr. Miller's "dream" is sure to happen in the near future. Technology is advancing everyday. When we put the right motivated people together, they are sure to produce an extraordinary learning environment and inspiring teachers to fill it.

Carly Pugh's Blog Post #12

At first glance I thought, "oh my gosh this girl loves to write, she must be an English major." Turns out she is :) To give Carly a little praise she is an AMAZING writer. Even though it was a simple blog post, it was interesting and found myself wanting to do her assignment just for the heck of it! What an awesome idea.

I think Carly hits it right on the head. After reading this, I better understand what Mr. Miller was saying. By putting together a playlist of the videos she described, you are writing you own book, if you will. This is writing with multimedia. Instead of using words in a textbook, it is audiovisual and entertaining to others. Thanks Carly for helping me understand!

Learn to Change, Change to Learn

I agree that the change starts with the teachers. Teachers must have to tools and access to communicate with other teachers from all over the world. They can exchange ideas and help support one another. Then, they can help their students go global and reach out to other students and teachers from across the world. I also agree that standardized tests should be a thing of the past. One of the teachers in this video said that "the jobs that our students will have do not require a right answer vending machine approach." This reminded me of a previous video we watched that said the jobs that our students are going to have don't exist yet. We need to educate to that. We need to teach our students how to find information, validate information, communicate with it, and utilize it. It is not about teaching to a test. With this new wave of education teachers and schools can produce brave, genius students. Welcome to the NEW 21st Century!

Scavenger Hunt 2.0

1) Locate a tool that is similar to Twitter/Facebook and provides a social platform for students and teachers.

I found Edmodo and made an account as a teacher. Edmodo actually looks a lot like Facebook. With this site I can create groups for each of my classes. The students can join and stay up to date on all assignments and any classroom news. I can create a library of links for students to view that will assist them with homework and for extra help if needed. Edmodo also allows me to connect with other teachers to find out what they are doing in their classrooms. We can communicate ideas to each other and offer support.

4) Find a tool that you have never used before.

I found Puzzle Maker. This tool allows you to make several kinds of puzzles to help you students. Finally, some fun in learning. Some of the different puzzles include: Math Squares, Cryptograms, and Crosswords. These puzzles can help students with their math and vocabulary skills, not to mention they will hopefully enjoy doing it.

5) Find a tool to create a poll anytime, anywhere.

My poll can be found at Poll Everywhere

EDM 310 Is Different

I loved the EDM310 for Dummies video! I would create tutorial videos for everything that I didn't understand at first in this class. I can help future EDM310 students with their intellectual journey, and hopefully help them better understand their assignments. Also, I think a fun video be to have every classmate share one piece of advice for EDM310 and provide that for future students as well.

Project #12

Project #11

Project #9b

Our Earth on Prezi

Blog Post #7

The Networked Student

Wendy Drexler's video The Networked Student was both entertaining and informative. I learned what it means to be a networked student, which I think every student should be. It is a great idea. Eliminating textbooks helps everybody. It's "going green," which helps our environment and you don't have to lug around heavy textbooks. I think it would be great to have a teacher that practices connectivism and hardly ever lectures. My teacher, Dr. Strange, and his EDM 310 class are great models for this type of learning.

Creating a personal learning network and reaching out to others via blogs or other communication sites is a great way to strengthen your knowledge on a topic. I think it is helpful to create your own blog to express your views and ideas on a topic. ItunesU is a wonderful thing! I think it amazing that it gives you access to lectures by professors at universities from anywhere. Connecting to people all over the world to discuss different things and learn from each other is a powerful thing.

Although you have all this information available to you, I think it is good that it doesn't eliminate the role of a teacher. Having a teacher to provide you with guidance is a must. Overall, this video showed me the positives and importance of being a networked student. I think all schools should participate in connectivism and this type of networked learning.

Project #10 Progress Report

My Personal Learning Network

I chose to use Symbaloo to create my PLN. So far it has been a slow process. I am still trying to figure the website and tools, and how to use everything it offers. I created my account and webmix, and I have somewhat started organizing my tiles. I am organizing/separating social media sites, search engines/tools, News apps, etc. Although it is taking me some time, I am interested and enjoying learning how to create the perfect PLN for me. So for every tile or website that I have searched for is available. It is fun adding the tiles to my webmix and creating a better PLN. I can't wait to fully understand and figure everything out!

C4T #2

Comment #1

I enjoyed reading Hadley Ferguson's post The Joy and Wonder of an Edcamp on her blog Middle School Matrix. She describes an edcamp where teachers gather to learn new things and improve their teaching skills. The amazing thing about this edcamp is that the teachers don't go for re-certification or to get an award, they simply go for the joy of learning and growing as an educator. It is great how much these teachers care. I am inspired by these teachers' dedication to never stop learning and improving themselves for their students. I can't wait to be able to participate in programs like this!

I told Mrs. Ferguson how amazing an edcamp sounds. It is wonderful how eager these teachers are to learn more and improve. I hope when I become a teacher I can find an edcamp or something similar. This was more inspiration to become the best teacher I can be.

Comment #2

Given the opportunity, I also read another one of Mrs. Ferguson's post entitled The Challenge of April. In this posts she talks about how challenging April CAN be and discouraged you CAN get, but don't. Don't give up she says. April brings about mixed feelings. It is almost the end of the year and you probably think you'll never get to achieve all the things you hoped for in that school year. You hope that you helped you students and provided them with the guidance they need to succeed. I really enjoyed reading this post!

I commented on Mrs. Ferguson's post saying that as an upcoming teacher, I find it helpful to read testimonials like hers. The fact that she uses Twitter and Pinterest as resources is awesome. I definitely agree with her; April also makes me feel like I will never get everything done. However, her post gave a little insight; don't get discouraged and give, do the best you can.

Blog Post #6

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture was a long one(I should have taken my ADHD meds first), but well worth watching. He was an amazing man with amazing ideas. I'll be honest, I was in tears by the end of his lecture. It's so empowering.

I find myself running short on time to complete this assignment(partly because I waited til the last day) because I was so interested in Mr. Pausch and his life that I googled him and somehow managed to spend the next 2 hours reading articles, posts, and even a blog actually written by him tracking his progress with cancer. I couldn't stop, I wanted to know more. I feel like a big nerd now, but everything that he represents is so intriguing. Until this moment I was(secretly)unsure if I was in the right place, if teaching is what I am meant to do. This put to rest any doubt I may have. I only dream of being a monumental educator like Mr. Pausch.

Things I Learned From Mr. Pausch To Use In My Classroom:
(this may sound a little choppy, but it's flying out of my head so fast I can't organize it)

It's all about fundamentals. If you don't get the fundamentals down, nothing else will work. These should and will take the lead role in my classroom. Never give up. If you feel like someone is pushing you to hard, thank them. When you mess up and no one says anything to you, they gave up. I vow right now to never give up on any student that walks through the door of my classroom. I owe it to them to provide them with the best education I possibly can. Have enthusiasm. I want to be the kind of teacher that makes kids excited to come to school. Leadership is a skill too, own it.

It's not what you say, it's how you say it. This is something I've heard from my mom time and time again, and I get it of course, but it never really made sense until now. You should always be aware of what you are saying. There is a good way and a bad way to say everything. To the parents, let your kids paint their walls if they want to. I hope to have my students create an ongoing art project where they can paint a wall in my classroom. I want them to express their creativity and how they feel. Have fun, there is no other way to exist. You have to decide if you're a Tigger or an Eeyore. Mr. Pausch and I are both Tiggers, we choose to have fun!

Quotes From Lecture To Remember:

-"Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted."

-"Brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want things."

-"How can I enable childhood dreams?"

-"Don't bail; the best gold is at the bottom of barrels of crap."

-"Luck is where preparation meets opportunity."

Project #8

Part 1




Part 2

Blog Post #5

The iSchool Initiative

Travis Allen has made 2 incredible videos. He made the first one, The iSchool Initiative, when he was 17 as a high school senior in Georgia. In this video he presents a new "smart" way to teach and learn, all done through an iTouch. We know that school is expensive. When you add up all the costs of the things students need like calculators, books, agendas, backpacks, and put that with the things needed to maintain a classroom like ink cartridges, maps, paper, and projectors, it ends up costing the student a lot of money. Travis points out that if we were to move to iSchool, which is about $150 per student, on the iTouch, it would save each student about $600.

iSchool is an innovative new way to teach and learn. Picture a classroom with no paper going in or out, no books, and no pencils. iSchool incorporates app that are already available to you on the iTouch. Let's explore some of these apps. Email allows students, teachers, and parents send and receive assignments and track due dates. World Wiki can replace all maps and globes, and formulae provides students with all math and science formulas normally found in a textbook. The app recorder allows you to record lectures and lessons, and Notes lets let you take notes of course. Both of these allow you to listen to or read lessons later on or send them to a classmate. Classics allows you access library, school, or books of any kind. Simply select the chapter and start reading. Other helpful apps include chemical touch, U.S. Constitution, U.S. Presidents, Star Walk, graphing and scientific calculators, calendar, and iHomework. All this could produce huge savings for students and schools.

I think this a great a idea to cut costs and improve education. If everyone got on board, iSchool could be a revolutionary tool. I had no idea that all these apps existed. I plan to start using them to better my education now. Hopefully, in the near future more schools will embrace the iSchool Initiative. For more information on iSchool check out Travis Allen's second video ZeitgeistYoungMind's Entry.

Virtual Choir

Everyone stop what you are doing right now and go watch Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir. Now realize that these people have never met and this was put together entirely through the internet. Now I bet you're in awe. I know I certainly am. It is amazing the things internet allows you to do. You can communicate and produce videos(or anything really) like this with people from all over the world without leaving your desk. The technology we have today is so powerful, and just think, it is improving everyday!

Teaching in the 21st Century

Kevin Roberts' video, Teaching 21st Century Students, was definitely an attention grabber. Roberts says teachers are no longer the source of information, but the filter. I think in many ways this is coming true. He says that students can find whatever they want whenever they by means of the internet and it's various sites. Roberts thinks teachers should show their students how to handle and use the information they find from other sources. We should focus on providing our students with the skills they need.

I agree with Roberts. Times are changing and school is not like how it used to be. Teachers need to evolve with the technology. As teachers, our role should be to provide skills and knowledge on how to utilize the information students are acquiring from other sources. Technology is a wonderful thing. We should take advantage of what it has to offer. Technology and the internet can ENGAGE the students with interactive lessons and materials for homework and projects. As a 21st century teacher, I am going to do my best to incorporate all aspects of technology into my lessons, it can only benefit my students. Think of the possibilities.

Flipped Classrooms

Katie Gimbar posted a great video about flipping her classroom, Why I Flipped My Classroom. I think flipping your classroom is a great idea! I would absolutely use this method of teaching. It allows your students to move at their own pace but still be able to help every single one of them as needed. In Flipping the Classroom by Dr. Lodge McCammon, he points out that there is too much lecturing going on in the classroom. He says this is inefficient, not engaging, and a one shot deal. However, when you flip your classroom and have lectures online, it allows your students to view them as many times as needed and post questions. The students work at their own pace, and more time is spent applying concepts in the classroom rather than lecturing on them.

Project #9a

Blog Post #4

Podcast Collection

Judy Scharf's article Podcast Collection offered a lot of helpful information on creating your own podcast. First, what is a podcast? A podcast is a radio style talk show that may include music. You can access it through an MP3 player or an iPod from iTunes or a podcast hosting service. Podcasts can provide information about any topic to be shared with millions of people over the internet.

Mrs. Scharf also lists several tips to succeed when creating your own podcast. Of course first you should make yourself very familiar and comfortable with the software you will be using. Next, you should give your students a choice of topics and let them choose who they want to work with. Third, provide each group with examples of other podcasts to listen to for ideas. Finally, include a list of criteria for research and allow plenty of time to complete the project. Keep in mind that it will probably take longer than you expected.

After all of that is completed you a sure to have several podcasts that you should present to the principal and other school faculty. I will be sure to keep these tips and tricks in mind when helping my future students create a podcasts. I plan to have a class blog to post the podcasts so that parents and other people can see the progress in our classroom.

The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom

Joe Dale starts his video, The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom, by saying that podcasting is an effective way of interacting with students outside of the traditional classroom. Mr. Dale offers several benefits of podcasting that I will briefly discuss. Podcasting allows for differentiation in the classroom. You can record a lesson and students can play it back and listen to it. This is helpful because if you're like me you don't always catch everything your teacher says the first time. Students can also write the scripts and act out the podcast which encourages creativity and innovation.

One very helpful benefit to podcasts is that you can listen to them anytime and anywhere. For instance, if you miss class because you are sick you can easily stay on track with class by listening to the podcast lessons. This way you won't fall behind. It is very easy for a teacher to upload a podcast to a website or blog for parents and students to listen to and generate responses. Students in Mr. Harry Dell's class at L. Douglas Wilder Middle School say they enjoy the podcasts for many reasons. A few of these reasons include: it is exciting and they love the sound effects of their stories, and because it is fun keeps the attention they learn more.

Podcasts allows for project based learning and encourages students to use their higher order thinking skills which is what teacher strive for. Also, it is an opportunity for parents to communicate, be more involved, and know what is going in their child's classroom. I will definitely introduce podcasting in my classroom when I become a teacher. It seems like a great tool to get students motivated and more involved.

Podcating with First Grade

I found the post Podcasting with First Grade on the Langwitches Blog to be very interesting. It discusses how to get children involved and what motivates them. According to the post, the students are "enthusiastic and eager to record their own voices to get them into other people's computers and iPods." Come on, who wouldn't? It kind of makes you a mini celebrity, right? Children love that kind of attention.

This post describes the students' involvement while making a podcast of the book they were reading at that time. After reading each chapter the students discussed what was happening. Their teacher then typed up their questions and answers and the students used this as a script to record their podcast. The teacher said that many students took a real liking to editing their podcasts and became quite picky about making sure it was perfect. Also, it helped the shy and reserved students to come out of their shell and interact with the other students.

The teacher said she could see a huge improvement in the students' confidence levels and voice expression as they got further in the book. When they were done, the students couldn't wait to the finished project. As a plus, podcasts help to improve skills like listening, speaking, storytelling, comprehension, technology, and oral fluency. I found this post inspiring and gave me many ideas on how to incorporate podcasting into my future classroom. I can't wait to try it out!

Project #6

C4T #1

Comment #1

In Diane Dahl's post "Positivity: An Important Component of Brain-Based Teaching," she emphasizes the importance of projecting positivity and optimism in your classroom. I agree this is a highly effective way to reach out and encourage your students. When students are engaged in a positive learning environment their ability to learn increases. Mrs. Dahl said that at the beginning of the year 12 of her 21 students were below their reading level. Now, after using BrainSMART, none of them are behind! How awesome is that! It is amazing how powerful a little positivity and optimism can be!

Comment #2

Mrs. Dahl also comments on the use of anchor charts in her classroom. I completely agree with her that your classroom walls should be useful to students, not just cute decorations. Involving the students in the production of charts helps them to understand the thoughts and intent behind each one. These charts come in handy when the students need a little help. If they are stuck, they can simple refer to one of the charts for help. Also, because they helped make the charts, they can easily understand them.

Check out Mrs. Dahl's blog. It is very interesting and she has some wonderful ideas!
For the Love of Teaching

Project # 5

Blog Post #3

Part 1






Peer Editing

What is Peer Editing? is a brief, but clear and helpful guide to what can be a tricky task, peer editing. So what is peer editing? It means working with someone your own age to help improve, revise, and edit his or writing. Sounds easy, right? Well, I find peer editing to be difficult because I don't want to be rude or hurt his or her feelings. However, if you follow the tips given in What is Peer Editing? you are sure to provide your classmate with helpful advice.

There are 3 things to remember when peer editing. The first step is complimenting. You should always start your peer edit with compliments and remember to stay positive. The second step is to make suggestions. You should give the writer specific ideas about how to make their writing better. These suggestions should include ideas about word choice, details, organization, sentences, and the topic. Your final step is making corrections. You should make corrections on punctuation, grammar, sentences, and spelling. If all of this is done correctly, you will have successfully peer edited a classmates work. For more information on peer editing you should check out the Peer Edit With Perfection Tutorial. This is wonderful slideshow with great tools and advice for peer editing.

Another great and quite funny video to watch is Writing Peer Review Top 10 Mistakes. This video describes common mistakes and behaviors when peer editing. You should watch it to ensure that you don't accidentally fall into any of these categories. For a plus, it will give you good laugh as well. Finally, remember not be a Picky Paula, Whatever William, Social Sammy, Jean the Generalizer, Mean Margaret, Loud Larry, Pushy Paula, Off-task Oliver, Speedy Sandy, or Defensive Dave!

Part 2

Technology in Special Education

Wow! What an amazing video by Lacy Cook! Her Technology in Special Education video proves just how important technology is in classrooms, especially those of special needs children. It is truly heart breaking knowing that there are children all over the world that are not provided with the resources they need to receive a proper education. In Mrs. Cook's classroom, laptops gave students without a voice a way to speak. That is a gift in itself. These laptops also help children with difficulty writing. It is easier for them to type their assignments than to write them. This helps them complete their assignments more efficiently.

With help from other technology like smart boards and ipods, it is easier to keep the attention of students. I have never seen technology make such an impact on someone's life. It is truly a facilitator of student participation. Mrs. Cook says that with technology her students are interested and eager to work. One of her students, Sean, has trouble reading small print. His laptop has a program called Zoom Text that enlarges the text so he can easily read it. Simple things like that make life and learning easier for these students. One day, I hope that I can bring technology into my classroom and make it as useful for my students as it is for Mrs. Cook's class.

How the iPad Works with Academics for Autism

How the iPad Works with Academic for Autism is a very inspiring video. Inspired by what I saw in this video I searched for an app that I could use in my classroom one day for a special needs child. I found the app Read&Write: Letters, Sounds, and Combinations. This app can be used to help students with their recognition and pronunciation of letters. When touched, each letter has an illustration that makes the sound of the letter. This can help students with a speech problem. Also, this app allows you to practice tracing the letter to increase memory retention and develop fine motor skills.

Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

Amazing is all I have I have to say about this video by Vicki Davis. Before I go any further, everyone needs to take a moment and watch Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts. As I watched this video and others on technology in the classroom, I find myself getting gittery and excited. Mrs. Davis is truly an innovative teacher. I agree with her theory that every child can learn when given other options than just pencil and paper. She challenges her students everyday to learn something new. When using a new term most teachers would just automatically tell the definition or what it means/how to do it, instead Mrs. Davis simply uses the new term and her students research on their own the definition. I believe this encourages self confidence and makes children eager to learn.

Mrs. Davis is teaching her students to become self sufficient thinkers. She lets her students figure things out for themselves and teach it to her and their classmates. This is empowering to students. Seeing teachers like this really motivates to become the best teacher I can be. I hope that one day I work in a school with the equipment and technology that will allow to run a classroom like this. I want to use to technology to encourage my students the way Mrs. Davis. Like I said earlier, I was honestly getting excited when I watched this video. I can not wait for my day!

Blog Post #2

Did You Know?

In Dr. Strange's video, Did You Know? 3.0-A John Strange 2012 Version, he emphasizes on the advancements that will be made in the upcoming years. Some of the statistics were a little shocking to me, for example the 25% of India's population with the highest IQs outnumbers the entire American population. He also says by 2025 there will be more English-speaking Chinese people than native English speakers. Personally, I feel that this is a little pathetic. As Americans, we should be proud of who we are and have a desire to learn more and do more.

We live in a world that relies on technology to get through the day everyday. Dr. Strange says that about 1,393,519 searches are made on Google every minute, as well as 11,453,577 texts being sent every minute also. On top of that, technology is advancing every single day. The video also says that according to the U.S. Department of Labor the top jobs 10 tens years from now do not exist yet! As hard as that is to imagine, I definitely believe it. As future teachers, we need to learn how to teach and prepare our students for these jobs. Did You Know? 3.0-A John Strange 2012 Version proved to be an eye opening video to me. Before I didn't realize exactly how advanced technology is becoming, but now I understand how amazing it is and the importance of preparing ourselves and our students for it.

Mr. Winkle Wakes

Mr. Winkle Wakes by Mathew Needleman is a very interesting video about a man who awakes after sleeping for 100 years. He is very confused about the technology and devices that are surrounding him. So what exactly has changed in the last 100 years? The easiest and most common answer would probably be everything! However, I want to narrow in on this answer. The video starts with Mr. Winkle finding his way to an office building, surprised and maybe a little scared of everything he sees and hears. In offices today we have the most advanced computers that money can buy, accompanied by the latest printers, copiers, fax machines, telephones, cameras, and smart boards. All this technology allows people from all over the world to easily communicate with each other.

Next in the video, Mr. Winkle visits the hospital because he is feeling sick and overwhelmed by all the technology, but it does him no good. Hospitals are just as advanced as major companies, if not more. Today hospitals have machines with the ability to keep people alive, for example ventilators pump air into a patients lungs to breathe for them. Also, hospitals are equipped with special lasers and x-ray machines for surgery and diagnosing.

Finally, Mr. Winkle makes his way to a local school. He felt comfortable and more at home here because it was familiar to him. Nothing had changed from what he remembered about school. The teachers would lecture all day while the students would sit at their desks and take notes. He did see a computer at the school, but it was covered in dust from lack of use. The video concludes with basically saying no matter how much time has passed, some things will always remain the same.

However, I disagree with this outlook. Many schools today are migrating to advanced computers, smart boards, and a more technology enhanced way of teaching; and why shouldn't they? Schools need to be just has advanced has hospitals and office buildings. After all, the students in these schools will grow up to work in these office buildings and hospitals. They should be familiar with the technology they come in contact with. We are moving towards a green society. Less paper, more computers is the way to go. Technology is all around us. It is best for schools to adapt to it and embrace it.

The Importance of Creativity

"If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original." This quote comes from Sir Ken Robinson's speech The Importance of Creativity, and I think it is one to live by. Sir Robinson says we should not be scared of being wrong. Schools and companies imply that mistakes are the worst things you can do, but this is wrong. If you don't make mistakes how will you get better? How will you learn what works and what doesn't? In Sir Robinson's speech he emphasizes that all children are born artists, but as we grow older we are educated out of it. Unfortunately, this is sad and true. Music and the arts are at the bottom of the list in schools. Maths, sciences, and English come first, because we are told that that is what matters. We are told that you will never be a musician or artist so you don't need those classes.

It may be true that not everyone is cut out to be a musician or artist but that doesn't warrant cutting those classes. The arts are an outlet, for so many things or problems, for so many people. People with creative, artistic ability should be allowed to grow and develop in a way beneficial for them, not given medicine and told to calm down. I feel this statement from Sir Robinson really sums it up. I think everyone should embrace the ideas of Sir Robinson and TEDS and celebrate the gift of human imagination and use this gift wisely!

Classroom Disruption

The video Classroom Disruption addresses 2 very different classroom environments. If given the choice, I would much rather take the first class shown at Oakland Christian School for many reasons. To name a few major reasons: the teacher was highly upbeat and positive, updated computers for every student, interactive lessons which excite students to learn, lessons and presentations shown on smart boards, and the use of social media sites for links to articles so students can be exposed to more. Also the teacher was immediately able to help students when they needed, he actually cared about their success in his class, and the teacher provided engaging activities for his class. All of these reasons equal up to a positive environment to learn, which I feel any student would be happy to be apart of.

I have taken classes that represent both the learning environments seen in this video. Unfortunately, most of the classes I have had imitated what I saw from the second classroom at Blunder High. I wish in high school I had the opportunity to take more classes from a technologically advanced stand point. There are many differences in the teachers teaching techniques. The teacher at Oakland Christian School was positive and upbeat, he had a structured business like attire, he used interactive lessons, showed lectures and presentations on a smart board, he used social media sites to engage students, he was able to help students when they needed it, and he genuinely cared about his students success. On the other hand, the teacher at Blunder High had very low energy, he used outdated materials, supported his lectures with boring charts and graphs, he didn't know the correct names of his students, he didn't help his students when they were confused, and he had a very unorganized, thrown together attire.

The students at Oakland Christian School were motivated to learn by engaging interactive activities and assignments. They learned through practice and hands on learning. However, the students at Blunder High were only told to memorize what they had seen. This only allows them to spit it back out on tests, if they learned anything at all, but then they don't retain any information given to them. I aspire to be like the teacher at Oakland Christian School. I want to provide my students with a fun, interactive learning environment that really motivates them to do their best. To achieve this goal I need to be familiar with the best technology available so that I can properly teach my students how to succeed in the advanced society waiting for them when they graduate. I can do this by enrolling in more classes like EDM 310, that will help me to learn how to incorporate technology in my lessons to prepare my students.