My EDM 310 Blog Assignments are Now Complete!

Hey guys! We made it through the semester!! I have enjoyed getting to know all of you and wish you the best in your further pursuits. I hope to see all of you around campus and in future classes. Have a great Thanksgiving and a wonderful Christmas!!

Electronic Contact Assignment

This is a picture of Amanda and her husband Jon Marsh.

I chose to interview Amanda Marsh as my electronic contact. She has been a teacher for 5 years. She graduated from Wesleyan College in Macon, GA. I have known Amanda for three years now. She has helped me in my pursuit to become a teacher. I can call on her for help and support through my educational endeavors. I thought of her for this assignment because I know that she has a passion for teaching. Her email interview with me is recorded below.

I began by asking her for a short description of where she teaches and what grade she teaches:

I teach a 4th grade inclusion class. I have 26 students in my class 5 of them have special needs that range from hearing impaired to physical needs. I have a full-time special education co teacher who is in my class all day to serve my special ed students in the least restrictive environment. I teach in Macon, GA in a school that serves about 525 students from Pre-K through 5th grade. My school is pretty much equal white vs. black students. If you want to see more on our test scores or demographics you can look at this website, http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/ReportingFW.aspx?PageReq=101&PID=63&PTID=214&SchoolId=42536&T=0&FY=2008

1. Do you use technology in your classroom? If so, how?

I do use technology in my classroom but not always on a daily basis. In my classroom I have 6 computers but they are not always working. My class goes to the computer lab once a week. Sometimes I have planned lessons and sometimes I just give them free time to play on educational websites. One of my most often used tools is the avery key. It is system that lets me hook my computer to my classroom tv so I can show my students movies on United Streaming or how to use the internet. Recently I did a lesson on searching for information in doing research for their science fair projects. I used World Book online and showed them how to search for articles, take notes, and cite them. What is nice is that they can watch what I am doing on the computer on my tv. The most common program used is our Accelerated Reader. The students can read books and take tests on them to check comprhension. They earn points and twice a year we have incentives for students who have reached their goal.

2. Do you think that technology is a hinderance or an asset to your classroom? Why?

I think it depends on the type of technology. In our school we have this great cart that has individual keyboards students can use to type and then print what they have done. We also have a SMART board that teachers can check out. It is really cool. You can write on it and then save what you have written. Your college classes probably have them. Our school has one that is on wheels. The problems with these items is that it is such a pain to get them and set them up that teachers don't really have time on a daily basis to this. I maybe use the smart board once a year because it is such an inconvience to check it out and set it up.


3. Is there any new technology that you hope to use in your classroom in the future? If so, what?

We have been told over the next 5 years we will all have a laptop in our room and get a SMART board in each classroom. It would be nice to have one because it would be useful to design graphs, charts, or directions for assignments that could be pulled up and put on the screen when needed but would not take up wall space. A classroom can fill up quite quickly. Honestly I would rather have less computers just because they take so much space and limit the way the classroom could be arranged. I guess in a perfect world it would be nice to have only laptops so you could put them away when you are not using them and students could use them at their desk or at a table.

I found her responses to be quite informative. I would love to see the SMART board that she talks about. I find it sad that she has six computers in her classroom but that they don't always work. In schools today, technology seems to be the key for student success. I agree with Amanda, I hope that one day soon our students will be given laptops so that the classroom can be more spacious and the students can have more ease of transportation of their materials and technology.

Here is the link to my email message between Amanda and I:

http://webmail.att.net/wmc/en-US/n/wm/8581045333249042?cmd=Print&sid=c0&folder=INBOX&uid=16056&popup=yes&js=yes

ACCESS Lab Trip

On November 21, 2008, Kelsey, Kim, and I took a trip to the ACCESS lab at Mary G. Montgomery High School in Semmes, AL. We interviewed Mr. Rose a psychology teacher and director of the ACCESS lab at MGM. He has been a teacher for approximately 25 years. He was very informative about how ACCESS works and how it will affect schooling in the coming years. He started by telling us about the equipment required to use the ACCESS lab. There is a document reader called the ELMO. By using ELMO, the teacher can work problems along with the students and the work will be projected on the screen and on the remote access site's screen. The Kodak is the hub that controls the entire system. It plugs into the live Internet connection that connects all of the schools in the area. It is a touch screen system that allows the teacher to have control over the classroom and allows for communication between the remote classrooms. Each student is given a computer upon entering the classroom and this is how they do their assignments and take tests. To allow for optimal communication, there is a small microphone located at the front of the classroom that allows all sounds and discussions to be picked up with little interference. He then told us how the ACCESS would work in the classroom. It allows for one teacher to actually teach the subject from one location with another class in a different area to be able to take the class simultaneously. This is a plus for more remote areas of Alabama because they may not be able afford to pay a full time teacher but that will not be necessary with the implementation of ACCESS in all Alabama schools. This system will be utilized for Advanced Placement classes. He told us about some software that might be useful for teachers now and in the future. The first is Komposer. He thinks that this is probably the best free HTML site that there is. There is also ftpsurfer which is also free and there is also Hot potatoes which is the newest tutorial site available. He suggests using these sites to help with building and implementing the curriculum that you teach. I really enjoyed his presentation of the ACCESS lab and the services available. He was very knowledgeable about the subject matter. He has excited me about the new technology available to teachers. From this experience, I have decided to use technology to the fullest extent possible in my classroom.

What I Have Learned...

I have found this class very informational. I have enjoyed learning about how technology can be used in the classroom. It has opened my eyes to just how much the Internet can aid me in my classroom and to the students as a whole. I did not know that I would be able to use blogs with my classroom. I have found that blogs are a great tool to express feelings and help students branch out onto the Internet and learn new things rather than being chained to a textbook. I also learned that a class website will be helpful. I will use a website for my class so that my students can stay informed on what we did in class each day, check assignments, and it will help keep the parents informed on what their child is doing in class. I hope to utilize technology to the fullest in my classroom so that my students will have every advantage to succeed in their educational pursuits.
I cannot think of anything that I would have liked to learn about and did not. The only suggestion that I could make for next semester's classes is to go as a group to the ACCESS lab. The instructor will be able to give a more consistent and thorough presentation of the materials used and what ACCESS is all about. I would have liked to spend more time with the subject of ACCESS so that I could see how it worked in an actual classroom rather than just seeing the materials needed for it to work. But other than that, this was a great course!

Blog Experiences

I looked at Kelsey Volz's blog posts. She and I have had very similar experiences with blogging. Through conversations with her and through her posts, I have found that this is both of our first times experiencing what it is like to blog. We both have learned new aspects of technology that we feel will be beneficial to us in our classrooms when we become teachers. Both Kelsey and I are excited to use blogs and other Internet sources to add to our curriculum as a whole.
I feel that the plusses of using blogs and Internet sources in the classroom is that you open a portal of expression for your students. With blogs, the students can have a safe environment to talk about their feelings about the day's lesson, the upcoming test, or ask questions to others. I also have found that blogs and class websites are a great tool for me, as the teacher, to upload assignments, the day's lesson through a podcast, or tips for excelling in the class.
I feel that there are also minuses in using blogs and technology in the classroom. Some of my concerns are that the students will know that the information from the day's lesson will be posted online, so they may have the urge to skip class more often. I also feel that though I would create as safe of an Internet site as I could, there are risks of putting information about yourself and your students posting information about themselves. This personal information could open a line of communication for child predators to influence the students.
Overall, I am excited about the future of technology in the classroom. I will use these tools that we have learned about during the semester and hope that I am making my class as interesting as possible. Though there are concerns, I will monitor the content of the student's posts and consistently remind them of the dangers of posting too personal of information. I believe that this will open new doors for student interaction and success.

Duke Documentary Posts

I watched/listened to two different podcasts about vastly different subjects. I was intrigued by each podcast, just in different ways. The podcasts taught me new ideas and informed me greater in others.

The first podcast that I listened to was The South in Black and White. This podcast was aired after the Duke Lacrosse team scandal. This program promotes this new class about not only history but racial issues today as well. He says that everyone thinks about race and you must reflect on your culture. The class will have conversations about history and how to deal with race today. There will be performances of the Emmett Till story, gospel music, and Southern story tellers to enrich the curriculum.

The second podcast I watched was a HIV educational video. It took place in South Africa and informed people of the horrors of rape. It showed a typical day for a teenage girl who was raped by her father and then chastised by her mother when supper wasn't ready when she got home. This video opened my eyes to the horror that children must go through in these types of situations.

Podcast Reviews

I personally found all of the blogs very well presented. I know that we were all nervous but I found that each group covered this fact up well. Even though I could not listen to my podcast because it has not been aired yet, I know that I said "umm" quite a few times too many. I also feel that my group members and I should have made our podcast more conversational and less lecture.

The first podcast that I listened to was about Blogging. It was presented by Ashley Corley, Brooke Busby, and Kimberly Pierce. I found that maybe by writing down what you were going to say before saying it, it would help with the pauses that sometimes elapsed. I also thought that the speakers could be a bit more animated when talking. I think that it would have helped the podcast be more attention grabbing.

The second podcast that I listened to was about Blog Experiences. It was presented by Rachael Beaty, Keller Weathers, and Joye Wiggins. I found the presentation hard to hear at times, so maybe talking into the microphone more or speaking louder would help. I also found that when the group members were talking all at once it was hard to understand what each person was trying to say. Talking one at a time will help this problem out immensely.

The last podcast that I listened to was about ALEX and ACCESS. The presenters were Susan Smith, Bridget Thompson-Hall, and Angela Minish. I think that by collecting your thoughts before you begin speaking it will help the tumbling over words and thoughts that haven't fully developed. I thought that the articulation could be improved as well.

I would like to close by saying that once again, I thought that all of the podcasts that I listened to were great and I was hard for me to criticize any of them.

Mathematics with Technology Blog

In these two blogs, the speaker talks about how and why to integrate technology into the mathematics curriculum. She states that teachers think that technology is not needed when studying mathematics but in fact, it is vital. Technology allows students to integrate past concepts with new ones in a shorter amount of time. It also allows students to see mathematics in a new way, grasping all learning styles. Technology is also an important tool in critical thinking skills. It allows students to look at a problem from all angles and come up with a thorough answer based upon their critical thinking abilities.
I will use technology in my classroom to enhance the learning of my students. I find that looking at something in a new way helps me learn better and I feel that it will do the same for my students. I hope to incorporate technology in my mathematics classes so that my students will be open to the world and know how these practices apply to everyday life.
Technology and blogs both enhance a curriculum in numerous ways. They give insight to teachers on new methods and give children a view of the world that they may have not had before. I will use both blogs and technology in my classroom daily to help enhance my curriculum and enrich the lives of my students.

Stanford "Minds" Video

In this video, a professor of psychology talks about how students mindsets, either fixed or growth, affect their performance in academics. She tells of a study that the University performed where half of the students were given tips for success and the other half were given those tips and growth mindset speeches. The half of the study that were given both of the skills performed at a higher level and had more confidence.

The professor stated that by telling people that their mind is a muscle and the more that they use it the more that it will grow, people have a greater chance of trying new things and believing in themselves. With a fixed mindset, people get discouraged because they are too worried about not being good at something to go out and try the new experience.

As a teacher, I need to keep this in mind because I want my students as well as myself to be of the growth mindset. With this mindset, my students will go on to further their education with the confidence in themselves to succeed. This will help a people and should be taught at early ages in schools.

WGBH Video

I found a video in the K-5 section. The name of the video was "A Night in the Coral Reef". This video outlined which sea creatures came out at night and what they did during the night. The plant eating fish are out in the reef only during the day, they retreat to their hiding spots inside the reef at nightfall to hide and sleep. The flesh eating fish and creatures come out to prey at night. They stalk the reef looking for sleeping fish or troll the sea bed looking for food. The sea polyps open their receptors to catch passing plankton as it floats through the water. An octopus is also show searching for food with its tentacles. The sea urchin skims the sea bed at a slow pace, eating as it goes.

In my Kindergarten class, my teacher installed a touch tank where we could learn and feel the sea creatures like the sea anemone and the sea urchin. This is where I first learned to love and be fascinated with the sea. My Kindergarten teacher is the reason that I want to teach at the Kindergarten level. I found this video to be a great asset in my classroom. I want my students to be able to see animals that they may have never seen before in their own environment.

I will use this video and others like it to create a fun, educational setting for my kids to learn. I hope that using this new technology will incorporate traditional teaching methods with cutting edge methods so that the students will be taught and stimulated to the highest level. I want to instill the love of learning into my students lives at an early age, and I think that videos like this one will help me to accomplish this.

Edutopia Videos

The first video that I watched was "The Edible Schoolyard". This is a program that teaches middle school students where their food comes from, how to prepare it, and how a garden relates to the other subjects that they learn about. The children plant the seeds, tend the garden, pick the produces fruits and veggies, then go into the classroom and learn how to prepare and eat these foods. The program also allows teachers to teach math and science skills in a new way which allows all students the opportunity to excel.

The second video that I watched was "A Night in the Global Village". This is a program where children are taken to a 5 acre ranch, divided into groups and have to spend the night in an impoverished situation in one of the various structures that depict a living space for people around the world. Each group is given a meager amount of supplies but they must barter with the other groups in order to be able to cook their meal. The next morning, there are chores to be done and a time for reflection on what they experienced the night before.

I found the first concept fascinating. I would love to be able to plant a small garden outside of my classroom and get the children involved in the cultivating process. This would be an opportunity for growth and new concepts to be brought forth as well as teaching them the values of working, tending, and preparing your food. The second video was very interesting. I would also love to take a group of children to the ranch and have them experience what its like to be impoverished. I feel that kids today don't know what people around the world go through on a daily basis and this would be a great way to let them glimpse into these people's world. I would use this video in my classroom so that the students can see what these children went through even if we could not go to the ranch ourselves.

Alabama Virtual Library

"The Alabama Virtual Library provides all students, teachers, and citizens of the State of Alabama with online access to essential library and information resources. It is primarily a group of online databases that have magazine, journal, and newspaper articles for research. Through the AVL, an equitable core of information sources are available to every student and citizen in Alabama, raising the level of excellence in schools and communities across the state." You can view the AVL from home once you go to your Public Library branch and get a user name and password.

The AVL site offers several tabs located on the left side of the page that takes you to helpful links such as frequently asked questions (FAQ), news, training, support, campus, home, and publications. These tabs contain pertinent information that helps the user better understand the AVL. Under the campus tab, you can look up a book or other material from various different methods. You can look it up by an age group, a topic, look for a magazine, or from a particular database. These tools help to you to locate your text in the most efficient manner possible.

I will use this tool in my classroom. I believe that it will help my students to be able to access books and other materials that the library has to offer from the classroom or their home computer. This will cut down on the time they have to spend looking for a book because they will have done the research on the AVL. I will also find this site helpful myself. I will be able to look up texts for class and research them more efficiently.

Accessibility For All Presentation

I found Mr. Sullivan's presentation fascinating. He was well versed, knowledgeable, and brought props relating to the subject so that we could better understand the topic at hand. Growing up in and around the deaf community, I learned that these disabilities are not disabilities at all, unless we make them so. Deaf and blind people can do all the things that seeing and hearing people can, just with a little modification.

I will take this knowledge from the presentation to my classrooms by helping my students to see how their classmates with disabilities can contribute to the class and even teach them a thing or two. I also learned that I need to make my websites and pages that I produce accessible to all. I learned how to do that so I will continue to set a good example for my classroom students and teach them how to as well.

Podcasts

The first podcast that I listened to was KidCast. The host of this podcast believes that questions should be at the center of student pocasts. He says that they build an extended conversation and help develop a student's sense of inquiry. He suggests playing the Question Game where you have to hold a conversation that is all questions. Its like brainstorming with questions.

The second podcast that I listened to was SmartBoard Lessons Podcast. I found the music at the introduction and the conclusion to be catchy. The two hosts seemed to relate well to one another and talk in conversational tones. I could tell that they had been doing podcasts together for a long time. I did find the fact that they talked about personal stuff a bit annoying because they veered off of the topic of their podcast a lot. Other than that, I enjoyed the program.

The third podcast that I listened to was ConnectLearning. I like the music in this one as well. I think music adds to the podcast because it grabs my attention and lets me know that they are about to start the program. In this episode, the host was talking to Ann Krembs who is a librarian from India who wants to make an actual library like in the schools on the world wide web by making it virtual. I like this idea since we are moving more and more into a web based society.

The fourth podcast that I listened to was MacBreak Weekly. This seemed to me more like talk radio. I do not enjoy talk radio. The hosts discussed news and information pertaining to Macintosh computers and all Apple in general. The hosts were all well educated on their topics because they are all Apple users and they give constant feedback on the newest products and services that they try. In this podcast, they discussed Apple stocks, news about the iPhone developer, and software news, to name a couple.

I found these podcasts to be helpful in learning how to do a successful podcast. I gained some insight and tips on what to do during my podcast and what to look out for as well.

Fischbowl Best of 2007

I found this article to be enlightening. I agree to an extent. I find that yes, teachers should be technology literate. At the same time, I also believe that teachers have a lot on their plates and should not be afraid to ask questions if they don't pick up on the new technology as quickly as the technology professional would like them to. I don't believe that teachers try to cop out of learning new technology on purpose, they just also have to worry about their curriculum, as well as how to implement technology in their classrooms.

I believe that as we progress further into this 21st century, we will see technology become a more integral part of the classroom than it is now. I have learned how blogs can be helpful to children as young as six. I never would have thought to use this blogging technology with children that young. I hope to continue to learn more about how technology can be implemented in my classroom of Kindergartners so that they will be adept for the challenges they will face in their lives.

Fischbowl Did You Know 2.0

I found this video amazing. I have never thought about how much technology has in the past and continues to affect our lives on a daily basis. I thought it was really interesting to find out that 100% of college graduates from India spoke English and that China will be the number one English speaking country in the next few years. The presentation also said that most four year olds had used a computer and the Internet. That just amazes me! I liked how the video said that they were trying to place laptops in the hands of needy children around the world. I think this is a great idea so that all children will have the ability to succeed. Technology is moving and progressing so fast! I cant believe that soon a laptop will have more information than even we do as humans. I would love to share this video with others so that we can talk and learn even more about technology and how it can help us in the classroom.

International Blogs in Classrooms

The first blog that I located was of Amanda Marrinan's year 2 class (6 and 7 year olds) in QLD, Austrailia. She had named her class blog 2M Gems. She has implemented the blog using the blogger program. Her blog is filled to the brim with useful tools and helpful ideas for the students. She includes a routines to remember section that reminds students of homework, important dates to remember, the local weather and the weather of cities around the world, links to helpful websites, her blogs to the class, and a live walkie talkie like device that allows you to chat with her and her class called Yack Pack. Her students have a wonderful resource at their fingertips that will allow them to succeed in their studies. The link to her blog is: http://2mgems.blogspot.com/

The blog that I found was from New Zealand. It was Room 9 Nelson Central's Blog . Rachel Nelson was the teacher and her class was comprised of year 2/3 children (6 and 7 year olds). It had posts called "The Lorax Speaks For". These posts were drawn and narrated by students in the class and they we about a subject that interested them. They were fun to watch and showed how much knowledge the children had on these subjects. A child named Sam did his post on different animals and how we should take care of them and protect them. The blog also included helpful items such as a writing spot where children can post their works, links to the childrens blogs, helpful and educational links, and a photo album of the children in the class. I thought this blog was creative and insightful. I like the fact that she implemeted the children in an integral way. The link to this blog is: room9nelsoncentral.blogspot.com/

Blogs in U.S. Schools

In Santee, CA, at West HillsHigh School, Mr. McDowell is implementing a blog as a resource in his World History class. He has set up various sections that you can click on to access different aspects of his blog. They include: a calendar of events, power point presentations, unit overviews, a syllabus, recent posts that pertain to the subject matter, a list of upcoming assignments with links, and a section where students can view their grades. This is a wonderful tool that he has implemented and I think that it will benefit his students greatly. It will make it easier for his students to keep up with their assignments, explore other areas of history with the available links, and also help them keep on top of their grades. The picture is of students at West Hills High School. This is the link to his blog. http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/articles/bloggingtech/index.htm

In Tennessee, Elizabeth Fullerton is implementing a blog for her students at Central High School. This blog is for her English IV classes. She lists each day a summary of what was covered in class, allows her students to comment on any assignments or class topics, has a class notes section, and links to websites that she finds useful for her students. Her blog is well laid out and is easy to navigate. I feel that I would be able to use this blog to its full potential if I were in her class. I would find it helpful if I missed a day of class to look at the blog and catch up with the notes and with the class summary of events. I also like the fact of the comment section. I think that students will like being able to ask questions to their peers and comment on an assignment. The picture is of a book that the students were assigned to read on August 27, 2008. This is the link to her blog.

ACCESS

ACCESS stands for Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide. It is an online learning tool implemented in schools across Alabama. Its function is to provide high school students with resources that will allow them to succeed in today's technological education environment. It provides both web based and interactive video conference learning styles to students as well as a blended approach. Funding for the 2008 year was $20.8 million and new courses were added to the curriculum as well as 100 new labs across the state. There are 188 ACCESS classrooms in effect now.

In the 21st century classroom, you must have items such as headphones for each computer, tablet PCs, Microsoft word, carts for the PCs,wireless routers, and projectors, just to name a few. Some of the Alabama code changes to make ACCESS better was to make teachers become highly qualified in order to teach online courses, add wording for night and summer classes, and add language to let high schools to include honor and weighted points. There is a variety of subjects available in math, science, the arts, English, foreign language, elective courses, social studies, and health as well as remedial courses.

The goal is by 2010 to have ACCESS in all schools statewide and to have had 45,000 students to have taken at least one online course. Right now, ACCESS can help students with AP courses, basic courses, advanced diploma courses, and technology to enhance instruction. There are 10 AP courses available with 369 students enrolled in 2007. It can help improve the graduation rate by letting students take remedial courses, retake courses they failed, repeating only one semester of a course, and allowing flexible course times. In the future, ACCESS wants to offer more virtual field trips, special education classes, teacher mentoring programs, and more course offerings.

I believe that this is a wonderful tool that teachers can implement into their curriculum that will allow for expansive learning opportunities. This program allows teachers to take students on field trips...without ever leaving the classroom! The remedial courses will help teachers by allowing students who need just a little more help in certain subjects get that help and to stay on track. Teachers across Alabama have an exciting new tool at their finger tips.

To learn more information about ACCESS, click on the link below and view the

ACCESS-Helping Students Succeed (ppt).

http://accessdl.state.al.us/showaccess.php?lnk=aeta2007

Alabama Learning Exchange

The Alabama Learning Exchange is a website that allows teachers to access resources and links that are beneficial to them. The site includes resources for many courses of study and for all grade levels (K-12) therein. Once you click on the particular subject and grade level, the site brings up objectives that you should cover. It also has links to lesson plans of other teachers that will help you create your own. The site also includes a professional learning option which takes you to various state websites that will aid in professional development,a personal workspace that allows you to securely save your class lessons and development,a distance learning button that takes you to websites that will further your professional knowledge, and a links button that will be helpful in researching outside the ALEX system.

ALEX is a tool that teachers can implement in their class preparation daily. From the course of study option that allows you to find the curriculum required to using that knowledge to create lesson plans adeptly and easily. I will use this tool when I become a teacher. I believe this site is a wonderful resource for teachers that will aid them greatly in their teaching endeavors.

http://alex.state.al.us/index.php

Google Presentation

In my presentation, I will cover my life. I will start by telling a little about my background so that you will get a better understanding of what makes me like I am today. I will then tell you why I want to become an elementary education teacher. This is an area that I feel passionately about. I will then conclude with my goals for the future.

A little about me...

Hi, my name is Marlena Marsh. I am 23 years old and I have been married for a little over 5 years. My husband and I were initally set up by his parents. He was stationed here in Mobile (he's in the Coast Guard) while I was attending high school in my hometown in Georgia. We had a long distance relationship for about a year and then we got married. We then moved to Elizabeth City, NC. Horrible place...will NOT go back. Two years ago, we moved to Mobile. I have just now started back to college after a two year absence. I am studying Elementary Education. I would like to teach kindergarten but I am open up to grade two. I enjoy working on cars, riding motorcycles, watching the UGA games, shopping...but what girl doesn't? :) Well, this is just a glimpse of what makes me...well...me.