FINAL REFLECTION

PROJECT 16

Project # 13 Report on Collaboration

The September Group collaborated using Google +.  Voice, video chat and screen share were available in the Hangouts feature. Progress on the assignment was viewed , changes discussed and modifications were made.  The Smart Board presentation assigned for Project 15 was available for viewing by group members and suggested changes were made.  The Hangouts feature allows interactive collaboration for all members of a group. Videos were viewed that had been edited for Project 16.  Dropbox was also used for sharing pictures and videos with group members.  Group members also used email and text message to communicate and share information.

Project 15 Smart Board Presentation

Final report on PLN

FINAL PLN REPORT

My PLN has not really changed since I posted it before.  I have added a few people from Twitter but not many.  I have added a few new website that I have discovered in doing research for other classes.  I am sure when I begin teaching I will add much much more to my PLN .  I'm glad I learned about the existence of it in this class.

PROGRESS REPORT ON PROJECT # 16

Option C
Either as an individual or a 2 or 3 person person group, create a video of 1-2 minutes that can be used as a part of the fund raising effort surrounding the University of South Alabama’s 50th anniversary. Details of the contest (which  has a prize of 2 iPads for the winning group  - or one iPad if done individually  - 3 IPad minis if done as a 3 person group)   will be available on the EDM310 Class Blog by noon Tuesday  November 11, 2012.



My group and I chose Option C of Project # 16. We have already met and took photographs to use in our presentation. We are planning and communicating well and will have a wonderful presentation for this class as well as a competitive presentation for the University fund raiser upon completion.

BLOG POST # 13

Back To The Future

This video is about active and collaborative learning in and out of the classroom. Mr. Crosby teaches fourth, fifth, and sixth graders and many of them are learning a second language. He tries to build schema within his students by building on their experiences. He has a laptop for every student and all of the students have blogs. One of the experiences with his classroom was an activity where they sent a balloon up in the sky over a thousand feet high. The class met objectives for science, history, and language arts with this activity. They received live application and wrote reflections of the experience and posted pictures. The students wrote hopes for their school, community, and the world and posted it on their blog. This activity allowed them to build their learning network also. They were empowered and motivated to succeed. One of Mr. Crosby's students has leukemia and he used the Skype social network to include her in the class. The little girl was really happy about being included in the class. Mr. Crosby chose great activities for his class that allowed his students to participate in their learning. I believe so many teachers teach to prepare students to pass test and think very little about motivating them to learn. Motivating students to learn is a big accomplishment for a teacher because it is not always easily done. When motivation does occur, students learn... it's as simple as that! School is more interesting when students are motivated to learn using activities rather than listening to someone talk to them and asking for "burp back" information from their students. I hope to someday be one of those teachers that motivate by including activities that are fun while learning is taking place in the classroom.
A Vision of Students Today
This video discusses characteristics of students today. It discusses what their lives are like, what they will be like, what they will become and what they need to learn.  The video illustrated what students think about education. Students want to know what they learn will help them, and why they have to pay for an expensive book that they will never use. They want to know why their teachers are so boring when teaching. Technology is the focus of the average student today.  They spend time social networking, so why shouldn't teachers take advantage of that?
I can understand what the students are saying in the video. While in school you learn "stuff" you will never use and it does seem like a great waste of time. The world changed and I do think some of the teachers stood still during the changed and it missed them.  I want to motivate as a teacher and I want my students to enjoy learning.  While some teachers did change with the times, they are the ones students learn the most from and continue to use what they've learned long after they have left their classrooms.