Final Blog Post

Where do I even start to begin? Okay before the first class I honestly did not know what to think. All I knew was that I needed to prepare myself for a heavy work load. When starting the class I knew a little about computers and technology, but now I know a whole lot more. I can now add a link to anything that I want, I can add ALT and TITLE tags on pictures (thanks to Martha Yim's cheat sheet), I know how to use all different types of websites that are really helpful like screenjelly and screentoaster .

Advice for any student taking this class next semester would be to stay on top of all the assignments. It could be challenging to catch back up with all of your other work when you have other projects going on. Some of my favorite teachers to follow and blogs that I read were Karl Fisch , Joe McClung and Michael Wesch . Another person that was very inspirational to was Randy Pausch. I would recommend watching Randy Pausch's Last Lecture . I would also advise anyone new to make their PLN (personal learning network) as soon as possible. It makes everything so much easier to follow and helps keep you very organized. I like to use netvibes , but it is all a personal preference. Netvibes was very easy to use. I would tell anyone coming in to this EDM 310 class that google is a lifesaver. It answers everything that you need to be answered. Do not sit back and wait for someone to give the answer to you. Google it and see what you get and then if you can not get the answer then ask. You would be really surprised at how many answers you can actually get from google.

EDM 310 has been so much fun and a major brainwave. I never really thought about blogging until this class because it was not optional you had to do it. It has brought many opportunities to the table. I have leaned about so many tools that I can use one day when I become a teacher. I think that now I will use more technology in the class when I become a teacher. Technology is a very important feature in our students upcoming years. Overall I think that I stayed on top of all of my class work considering that I had six other classes. This was a great experience that I will keep for the rest of my life. Thank you Dr. Strange, Mr. Tashbin, Mr. Sullivan, Jamie Lynn Miller, and Anthony Capps.

Comments 4 Kids-Alba Middle School

My comment:
My name is Ashley Johnson and I am In Dr.Strange's EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. The bet the kids had so much fun making this video. Using technology with these kids is great. Good Job!






My comment:
Great video! Very touching story! Thank you for sharing your feelings. I pray that everything gets better.

C4C Twelve

Laura Butler
Comment:
Laura the smartboard presentation that you all did was very neat! Kids love learning about those kinds of things. Good Job!


Pauline Brown
Comment:
Pauline I agree with you. If we get all of these "fancy" gadgets in the classroom it will take away from the teachers respect in knowledge and wisdom. Good Job!


Martha Yim
Comment:
Martha,
I enjoyed reading your post. I also think that Ms.Cassidy is great in the classroom. Ms. Cassidy states that we are handicapping children by not teaching them technology. I think that this is true. Children need to know about technology because it is everywhere in schools. Good Job!

Summative Project

Assignment

Mr. McClung Reflects on Year 2
Mr. McClung's year two post was great. It had many interesting thoughts in it. It really makes you think of how you want your future to be. His blogs motivate me to become a better teacher. He makes everything very simple and understandable. I have enjoyed reading Mr.McClung reflection on year two.

Videos
M-Cubed:ISTE Presentation video was enjoyable to watch. All of the kids are super excited to learn. Trying to make everything fun is the best way for students to work because they do not think of it as "learning" they think it is fun. I hope to do these kinds of things in my class. I enjoyed watching this video.

The next video I watched was how to change a shape of a model maker. There are so many possibilities with the different choices in a lesson like this. You have to be creative. It seems very easy to do and also seems like a lot of fun for students.

Viewing a 3D Shape's Properties
This video has many different features that you can use. When looking at a 3D shape you can look up many different terms for each model they choose. I think that the kids will have a reat time exploring and finding out things that they can do.

Creating Shapes
This video helps students learn how to make shapes. Students will love to make their own individual shape. They can also incorporate creativity in this. It was very easy for the students to follow.

Using this in the classroom is great. Kids will have so much fun choosing what they are going o make. They can choose the color, shape, and size. The kids can even print it when they are finished making it. They will be excited that they have made something on their own. This is very fun. I enjoyed watching all of these videos and I think that they all can be very helpful in a class.

Google Forms

Final Thoughts On PLN

My PLN has been made through netvibes. I though that this was a wonderful thing to make and keep up with. I also have some of my blogs and websites that I follow on my blog. Some include: Mr.McClung's World, EDM 310 Class Blog, Have Fun Teaching, and Teach Web. The blogs and websites that I follow are very interesting. It is teachers that talk about what their experiences are as a teacher and also things that will help when I become a teacher. My PLN has made everything so much easier to follow and it has helped me stay organized. I think that netvibes is a very useful and is very easy to use. You should try it if you do not already have a PLN (personal learning network). It has given me so many opportunities. I hope to keep my PLN active even after EDM 310.

How to Use a Compass

There are a few features on your compass that you should become familiar:

• Orienting arrow
• Compass Housing with Degree Dial
• The red magnetic needle
• The base plate edge
• Orienting Lines
• Direction of Travel Arrow
• Index Line

If you measure the exact direction to a distant landmark, that specific direction will keep you traveling toward the landmark even when you can't see it.

Don't confuse the north end of the compass needle with the south end.

Read more: How to Use a Compass | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2523_compass.html#ixzz0tUSy3Vgq

Does your life lack direction?







Things You Will Need:

• Map
• Base Plate Compass
  

Step One: Open map and find your current position, and desired destination.

Step Two: Place your compass base plate edge on the map so it connects the distance between your Position Landmark and Destination Landmark.

Step Three: Turn the dial so that the orienting lines on the transparent bottom are parallel with the North - South grid lines on the map.

Step Four: Turn your compass together with the map until the red needle points to 'N' (North).

Step Five: Hike to your destination - it is located in the direction that the compass arrow is pointing.

If you measure the exact direction to a distant landmark, that specific direction will keep you traveling toward the landmark even when you can't see it.

Don't confuse the north end of the compass needle with the south end.

Read more: How to Use a Compass | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2523_compass.html#ixzz0tUSy3Vgq

Step 2

Rotate the entire compass housing until the needle sits within the orienting arrow stenciled onto the base of the compass housing. (Usually the orienting arrow is red.) The zero degree mark on the compass housing and the north end of the needle should be aligned - they now point to magnetic north.

Step 3

Keep the orienting arrow and the compass needle pointing north. Twist the base plate until the direction-of-travel line points exactly at the distant landmark you wish to move toward. Double-check to make sure everything is still properly aligned.

Step 4

Note the exact number of degrees marked on the compass dial where the direction-of-travel line intersects the compass dial. That number of degrees is the direction to the distant landmark.

Read more: How to Use a Compass | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2523_compass.html#ixzz0tURkYcoP

Assignment Twelve

Ms. Cassidy's use for technology in the classroom is wonderful. It is great that she implements technology in her students at an early age. All of the techniques used will benefit learning at any age, but the one techniques she uses that I like best is Skype. I think Skype would be the best technique used in my classroom because of several reasons. One would be it has the least obstructions concerning it. In today's most school systems are faced with a budget crisis. As nice as it sounds the reality of having a classroom full of computers for each individual student is not likely; however, to use Skype you only need one computer, an overhead projector, and internet access. These three things can be found in most classrooms. Using Skype for guess speakers and virtual fieldtrips will benefit the students. There are federal grants available to help teachers stock their classrooms with computers.

C4K (Assignment 4)

My name is Ashley Johnson, and I am in Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. I love the creativity in all of your videos. Metalloids & Semi-Conductors in Plain English was a very informative video. I know know that we have poison in our body. That is something that I did not know. I think that these videos were great! Keep up the good work!

Smartboard Presentation-Hip Hop ABC

Assignment Eleven

Welcome To My PLE!

I love the symbaloo that she used. I think that her PLE is really good. She was very organized with the way her symbaloo page was set up. I think that this website can be very useful. I an using netvibes to make my PLN(Personal Learning Network) . It is very similar to symbaloo. In your PLN you can put anything that you want becuase it is what you want to follow. I do not have as many contacts on my PLN as she does, but I will over time.

Two Questions That Can Change Your Life

I never thought about it, but Mrs. Lewis was right when she told President Kennedy "a great man is a sentence." To have a sentence is like having a purpose in life. It shows people what you have done and what you are trying to do. The question that stood out to me at the end of the video was "am i better today than I was yesterday?" As educators it is important to ask ourselves this every night so that we can be the best teachers possible for our students. My sentence would be:
I try to make everyone smile.
I chose this sentence because I like to make people smile and I feel no matter how bad the situation or how bad someone feels a smile can make things better.

C4K (Assignment 3)

Mr. McClung's World: Rub Some Dirt On It

Hi Mr. McClung,

My name is Ashley Johnson and I am part of Dr. Strange’s EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. I was assigned to read this blog as part of an assignment.

This is such a great project for the students. It teaches them how plants grow in certain soil, as well as different depths. I know the kids will enjoy it. When I was in school i remember doing a project similar to this, but we used Lima beans and placed them in different parts of the room to see which one grew the best. For example, we put one by the window, one on the filing cabinet on the opposite side of the room, and one in a dark closet. Of all the projects I did in school this one has stuck with me through the years.

Thanks

Rub Some Dirt On It

Assignment Ten

Morgan Bayda: An Open Letter to Educators
I understand the point that Morgan Bayda and Dan Brown are trying to get across because I, too, feel like all i do in some classes is remember facts. I do not think that I would ever drop out of college, but I could get more out of some classes than learning how to memorize information for a mid-term and final. Here at South Alabama all of my classes have been relatively small with the number of students between 20-40 students. This is one plus for South Alabama because all my professors can learn the names about most of their students.

This EDm 310 class is one of the only classes where i have really gotten a true "hands on" approach on my assignments. With the world revolving to be more technologically sound, it seems as if every other aspect is evolving with it except for education. It is time for education to evolve with technology beside the occasional Blackboard and Smartboard. When I have my own class I plan on using technology as best I can.





There are many great websites available on the Internet to assist with education. Two of the most popular ones are the Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX) website and the Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide (ACCESS). I really enjoyed browsing these websites and I can see myself using them when I become and educator.

ALEX was designed to assist teachers mainly in the state of Alabama. There are many ways for teachers around the state to communicate with each other and share their ideas. I like that you can look at the Alabama State Course of Study for any subject in any grade level. Also, you can look up lesson plans for any subject and any grade level. The feature I liked the best is ALEXville. Here you can listen to ALEX podcasts and you can watch the ALEX tech channel. The podcasts teaches the basics of creating and using podcasts in the classroom. The Tech Channel shows teachers a variety of "hands on" lessons on how to integrate technolgy in the classroom. These items will help make our classrooms better, as well as teach the students how to use technology.