My EDM 310 Blogs Assignments are Now Complete

I really enjoyed every moment in my EDM 310 class. Just getting to know a little about my classmates was exciting. I say if I have a chance to be with these guys again I would. To every classmate that I got to know; good luck in your life and
the road that's ahead of you. Keep your head up, look forward and never back. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!

What I learned in EDM-310 and my experience

Well this semester brought many changes to me. In the beginning of the semester I didn't know much about computers, until I got in Mr. Wakeman EDM-310 class. I knew a little about computers, but what Mr. Wakeman help me learn about them I was pleased with what else I can do on a computer. I got very familiar with the functions and how a computer can help not only me as a student, but me also a future educator. In my past few computer classes that I have taken they really didn't give me or teach me about the spreadsheet and the blogging. They just helped me get the understanding of how to make my own folder and how to use word document in doing papers for classes; they taught me a little more that came back to me when I enter into Mr. Wakeman class. Mr. Wakeman taught us as a class how to create a spreadsheet and the aspect the spreadsheet program will offer. We also learned about the hyperlinks and website information that should help us out later on in other classes and the future.

One thing that I enjoyed about Mr. Wakeman's class was getting to know a little more about each other students in the class. In doing that we created a power point presentation; that gave everyone in the class who you were, where we were from, our family, our goals in life, our major in school, and what want we like and dislike. I had a lot of fun in doing this presentation eventhough I thought I should've got a higher grade.LOL! But over all I enjoyed doing it. I also got a chance to create a blog page which I had no ideal about at all. The blog entries was great, because we got a chance to post up one to three paragraphs about a topic that we find on the internet and talk about what we thought on the topic. One topic that I feel that mostly everyone found intersting was the wikipedia topic. Even myself didn't know that wikipedia was like that; meaning I can go on the web and edit and change words around and put in my own words. Once I found this out I was surprise, because in high school I used it alot to do papers and project. Now that I kno about it I don't think that I would be using it anymore.

Another project that we did in Mr. Wakeman's class was the podcast, which I think we all had fun with. I teamed up with Tiffany Crenshaw and Melanie Garron. We did our podcast on blogging and how we would use it in the classroom as a teacher. I enjoyed it cause we all had different pointers about the topic and how we would use it. Also we gave a little about our experience with blogging and if we would use it as future educator. My pointer or message was mostly to coaches; that I think don't use blogging at all in the classroom. I had fun doing the podcast and if given another chance to do one more I would love to.

One other thing that I also got to do and set up was a iGoogle page. I found it every intersting; simply cause on the page I could put whateva I wanted to post on there. Example, "youtube, espn, the weather, CNN, and music" all on one page is what you will be able to click on. I wish we could have done alot more on the website and maybe creating a website; but doing the blogging was enough really.

At the end of the semester I think that I have really learned a lot of things that I never knew about thanks to Mr. Wakeman. From the start to finish he stand on the material and made sure that everyone understood what he was looking for. I think learning about the blog in his class will really help me out as a future teacher. Thanks alot in helping me learning about something that will be usefully in my future as a coach and as a teacher

Mobile Learning

In my searching iTunes I came across is topic called Mobile Learning. On the web page I learned that many teachers are using iTunesU in their classroom.What is Moblie Learning? Well, it is distinct in its focus on learning across contexts and learning with using mobile devices. Mobile Learning has really changed education in a big way. Almost all high school and college students have a mobile acess, not only with the iPod which many young and old students have now, but also with iPod devices along with portable computers.

Now Learning no longer happens only at a desk. Many students now expect constant access information,no matter where he or she goes. Which is exactly why more teachers(faculty) are starting to use iTunesU to help digital lessons to their young and older students. As years passed teachers were trying to do the samething with their younger students that's in lower grade level. Mostly students grade levels from K-12, but under supervision of their teachers. Now not only college students, but students from K-12 are using the MOBILE LEARNING and are learning from their desk and where every they may go.

Using iPods in Instruction

In todays' world many kids and adults use iPods for only music and pictures. But did you know that iPods can be used for much more than music and pictures. It could be used for a small secret weapon for helping many young and older students out with studying for a test or exam. If you think about it; you can use a iPod to study with on your way to school on the bus or in your car. Say if one can't catch on to something quick or don't understand something for a test; they can use their iPod by downloading a small video or maybe a use some type of audio.

On August 19, Duke University kicked off the Dukie iPod First-Year Experience, a year-long pilot program examing a new way to simulate creative uses of digital technology in academic and campus life. Eventhough many particapted in the project. Duke's Center for Instructional Technology is developing metrics by which to measures the success or failure of the various academic uses of iPods in this pilot program.

Dr Alice Christie's Web page

Dr. Christie was a Professor Emeritus at Arizona State University which she is now the Presisdent. She received her Ph.D in Educational Technology and Language and Literacy from ASU in 1995. She taught for like twenty-five years; teaching from K to 12th graders.

She now conducts workshops nationally and internationally on how technology caon help and enchance teaching and learning. One of her Educational Technology Guide is We Are All Co-Learners Video. In this guide it has many links and resources. One example is Constructivism. Constructivism is a learning theory that supports many principles:

.Learning is an active process facilitated by on environment that encourages: risks-taking, creative thinking, critical thinking
.Teachers create such enviroments to: facilitate learning and provide opportunities for self-reflection and self-evaluation
.Students and teachers learn through their mistakes

One of her site is focused on GPS and Geocahing. GPS is a satellite Navigation System. It provides satellite signals that can be processed in a GPS receiver. Global Positoning system (GPS) receivers are used in cars, boats, airplanes, and even in cellular phones. Many people use both today to get to places that they have never been to.

Is Wiki Reliable

What is Wikipedia and is it reliable to students and teachers? Well, to answer one question. It's ok for students when they are doing some type of school paper or some type of project. What's wikipedia; its a online encyclopedia that's basically free to anyone in the world I say. But most people may not know that wikipedia can be used and edited by the user as well.

In many places this has became a problem for not only people, but for business as well also. Even big names that most people think wouldn't be using wikipedia. One name is the CIA. Who would think that the CIA would use such a easy link. Wow! Very shocking; it was said that they even went to the point of making a few changes themselves, but ha maybe it's true maybe it's false.

I question myself and ask. Would you use wikipedia even though you have never used it before? Well, my answer to that. After finding out so much evil and dirty about wikipedia I wouldn't want anyone to use it not even to do a paper or a project. That's just my thought and I how feel.

Rand Pausch's Last Lecture

Who is Randy Pausch. Well, from a short period of time and doing some research; I have learned a lot of important things about him. One of the most important things I learned from him was never give up. He was a very caring person on along with being a professor, a husband, and father of two. He taught at many college students at four different University.

Harvard University, Brown University, Carnegie Mellon and MTC University, and University of Virgina. At all four University Randy Pausch touch many lifes, but not like he touch millons in his last lecture. In Sept, of 2006 Pausch was diagnosed with one of the deadly cancers there is, Pancreatic Cancer. This cancer is said to be the most deadly, because human only have 4% 5-year survival rate. With Randy doctors told him he only have 2-6 months left. Through his time left, Pausch really wanted to reach out to everyone from his students to many parents. In his last lecture he talked about CHILDHOOD DREAMS one thing that we have.

As I listen to the video and his childhood dreams; I began to think about my childhood dreams. One of his dreams that caught my eye was the one about becoming a professional football player. He never made it to the league, but one example he used was when his coach asked him and his teammates. How many players can play in a game, and how many can touch the football? They all said only one coach. The coach said "your right only one, so let me show you what the others do while that one player got the ball". In telling his story about playing football; I remember somethings or quotes he said. One that I remember was "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted". Reading this meant alot to me and really touched me.

Before closing I want to also tell you a little about a program that he and another professor started together. The program was name "THE DREAM FULFILLMENT FACTORY". In the program (ETC) Entatainment they had students working in small groups or teams to make things Edutainment. The focus or success of ETC's was "Focus on People and Learning to work in groups. Many students joined the program and enjoyed being in it. One of the students that I remember that really touched Randy Pausch was a student name Tommy Burnette, that had a dream of writing STAR WARS movies.In my closing I can't forget these words "ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS". Tommy never gave up and he wrote the next couple movies for STAR WARS. So dreams do come true.

Can Youtube Be Used for Educational Purposes?

My second podcast I took a look at was by Adrienne Lynch, Joylyn Reese, and Brian Stevens; Can Youtube Be Used for Educational Purposes? Well, they went all the way out and gave great information about the website and how well you as a student can use Youtube to help you out in your class work and if your not understanding what's being said in your classroom.

They went on talking about how students can do projects and put them on Youtube for everyone can see. How some history teachers can use it to look up old history stories from the past. I really think they did good on giving good points about how good Youtube is for education.

Over all both podcast was great; and I think the facebook one and with teachers getting out to their students will be a big change to the educational field and facebook.

Facebook as an Educational Tool

In the podcast I had to check-out the podcast about FACEBOOK and EDUCATION by Theloa Hines and Larrica Smith. First thing first I think they did a good job on talking about facebook and what all you can do and put on there. They only spoke a short period of time about facebook and education, which I thought they were gonna talk about more.
I really like what was said about the teacher ideal about using Facebook to get closer to her students and enact with them about what's going on on campus and in the classroom. They kind of jumped off track bring up Myspace a lot and the age groups. True, fcaebook was for college students only, but just like Myspace kids can find many ways to work around that.

Best of Fishbowl...Creating Personal Learning Networks. Pt.1, August

Out of all of the best fishbowl blog that was posted up Creating Personal Learning Networks caught my eye. This blog talks about not only teachers but you as a student can make your own Personal Learning Network.Wow! Very impressive really.I feel like and think that coming up with your own Personal Learning Network shows and says a lot about you and what you have in mind for todays youths&adults and on to the future world.

I know your asking and saying what is Personal Learning Network.It is a collection of resources that you can go to when you want to learn something. This includes family and friends, teachers, and people in the local community. It can also include non-human resources, such as books, journals and other forms of media.

One comment that I read was from a student that thought that coming up with the Network was a fabulous idea. He also gave good pointers about the project. One of his comment was "From what I can see, it appears that your goal with the project is to get students interested in creating their own PLEs and in the act of writing/reflecting on the development of a personal learning environment". So with saying if your gonna make or start a project that you may think everyone will love; make sure that the project can give students and teachers the chance to do more.

Making teaching easier

In SmartBoard Lesson it’s a mission that shares information and resources so teachers will utilize their Smart Boards in a way that they can increase learning in the classroom.
In my searching on SmartBoard Lesson Podcast I came across this teacher site. What caught my eye was the picture at the bottom of the article. On the website it shows and gives teachers the chance to create things and puzzle for their students; that may help them out on math or any other subject that’s been taught. On the site two people helps you out on producing and starting your own mention. One site they talks about is Jigzone.
1. One of the people who called into the show mentioned a fun website that works great with the SMART Board. It's called Jigzone and it allows you to create a jigsaw puzzle from pictures that you upload. There are a lot of ways to use this for educational purposes. For example, here is a graphic I created using a graphic editor (PhotoFiltre is good free graphic editor).

The Shanghai American School (SAS) was organized in order to develop students with a positive attitude toward education, which in terms will encourage lifelong learning, healthy lifestyle, and appreciation of esthetics. Others objectives are that students will build mastery skill of communicating and learning. These students are instilled with the responsibility to think clearly, logically, and independently as members of a self-governing society.
These educational objectives are reinforced by strong teaching objectives and even more effective curriculum guideline.

Teaching Objectives

1. The teacher will provide the best possible education for each student by encouraging and requiring creative and critical thought stressing maximum involvement of the student in discovery, inquiry and problem solving.

2. In order to enhance the probability of success, the teacher will keep the student and parents informed of the student's progress.

3. Within established curriculum, the teacher will provide appropriate alternatives to accommodate individual differences in achieving academic excellence and educational objectives.

4. The teacher will teach the structure and content in a positive environment that is conducive to learning.
Curricular Objectives

The curriculum will:

1. Reflect a coherent and orderly progression of objectives from pre-kindergarten through grade 12.

2. Be designed to develop in the students a broad understanding of different cultures.

3. Be integrated across subject areas to promote holistic learning.

4. Permit students to enter Shanghai American School and subsequent schools with minimum academic disruption.

5. Provide maximum growth for individual students and be designed to emphasize problem solving, inquiry, discovery, self-direction, as well as creative and critical thinking.

6. Within limits of available resources try to accommodate students with varying learning and language ability.

7. Be reviewed regularly in the light of new developments in education and the needs of the international community.

Pupils in the first grade at Morrison Academy in Taichung, Taiwan have developed a strong independence as readers and writers. The core of their reading, writing, speaking, and listening comes from twenty-seven high quality literature books. Two top priorities of these first graders are comprehension and vocabulary. Using the Open Court program these students are able to enhance their phonics, which is a vital part of bringing security and depth to the students reading skills.
Part of their curriculum is to use the effectiveness of the writing process. This process allows the students to brainstorm and organize ideas, draft their writings, obtain peer and teacher feedback, revise, edit, and then publish various and selected pieces. Spelling is developed through context as opposed to isolation. By using the D’Nealian script model, handwriting becomes less laborious as motor skills develop.

Roosevelt Elementary fifth graders has committed themselves and others to achieve their highest potential academically, socially, and economically. By ensuring the Bully Prevention Program parents are able to ask question (e.g. What is Bullying? What to do when your child is bullied? What to do when your child is bullying others? Who to contact for help?). These students has developed a blogging site where they express their views and opinion on economic issues, space websites, and regions. http://rooseveltfifthgrade.blogspot.com/

School Research

Performance Report:
Notice to Parents/Guardians - According to
Wis. Stat. 115.38, school districts are required
to publish a School Performance Report
for the parents and guardians of their
students by May 1 of each year. Additionally,
the school districts are required to notify
the parent or guardian of each pupil enrolled
of their right to request a paper copy
of the School Performance Report.

Lincoln Elementary

Lincoln Elementary, located in Oskosh, WI, is a school who has build it mission and values on laughing, learning, growing, and believing. Lincoln Elemenatry encourages its students to excel in high academic goals, by rendering small class sizes. Located next to UW Oshkosh allows for various patnerships. Lincoln offers numerous educational programs. A few offered programs are SAGE (Student Achievement Guarantee in Education) is a state program that reduces class sizes in K-3; SAIL (Students Achieving in Learning) initiates tutoring, site-based mentoring, and PALS (Partners at Learning). To better modify students learning, Lincoln has incorporated a new computer lab, playground, and accessibility.

School

In my reading on ACCESS program web page. I learned that it's also a program that's linked to ALEX. It's a program that provides classroom courses and teachers via technology. ACCESS program is worldwide for all students from elementary up to high schools.The program gives students the chance to work on either online or in the class room.

In ACCESS it also shows and gives example of ALEX, that's why I say it's linked to the program. One example is the Course Selection in ACCESS; which is a course schedule that helps and shows the students about the classes and what they should look for. In the program teachers make sure that every students meet their goals and students strongly agree that the program is very helpful.

What's ALEX. ALEX is or mean Alabama Learning Exchange. It's a web site that helps you as teacher or a up coming teacher out on your plans. ALEX is where you can learn and study different subjects and different grade levels.

It helps out many teachers in there lesson plan. On ALEX it shows you as the teachers how to set up your lessons for the week and what you will be going over doing that week. ALEX is basically a site that helps out teachers

Hi! My name is Quinton J Coston. I recently moved to Mobile from Selma, Alabama. Before coming to South Alabama I attended Wallace Community College and Concordia College in Selma, Alabama. I graduated from Wallace Community College with my Associate Degree in Science in two years while attending WCCS. My major right now is Physical Eduactaion.

My goals is to either teach math or physical education in middle or high school when I do graduate. I really want to be a football coach when I do get a chance to become a teacher. As of right now I have my mind set on what I really want to do and be in life, and that's coaching football and being a teacher.

I'm the youngest of three boys. One of my brothers attends South Alabama and graduates in May of 2009. My olds brother stays in Atlanta, Ga. I'm 23 years old and I enjoy playing basketball, football, and video games. I really love playing football a lot because that's a sport that i'm very good in. My parents are still married and they are my other reason for going to school.

In high school I mostly played football that's it; basically because it was something that I really enjoyed doing. If I don't make it in teaching then I would become a welder. Welding is something that I learned in high school and as of today still enjoy doing. This is just a little about me, my life, and my family.