Final Blog Post

Project Book Trailer

PLN Final Report

The course has come to an end but my blog and PLN will continue to grow and rise ultimately making me a better teacher. My PLN is very important and has grown so much since I first found out what it is. I heard the term used often but did not know what it was. Honestly I thought it involved paper (lol). It sounded like something important like lesson plans or something. However to me it is far more exciting and helpful than that because it allows individual teachers to help themselves learn through its use. I continue to use SI heard the term used often but did not know what it was. Honestly I thought it involved paper (lol). It sounded like something important like lesson plans or something. However to me it is far more exciting and helpful than that because it allows individual teachers to help themselves learn through its use.

I continue to use Symbaloo to control my PLN. C4T and C4K have definitely helped mine to grow. I added students as well as teachers I found interesting and educating. I learn how fun and easy it is to involve blogs in the classroom for the students learning experience. Things since I have been in school have changed drastically, and I do not consider myself to be old. This says that things are changing fast, and it is due to technology. My PLN not only contains sites that allow me to interact with others but sites that involve me completing homework, checking my grades, and my degree plan. Then I have added favorites like online shopping sites, a site connected to my job, and banking. It is so easy to access and leaves room in my memory bank for other things! I do not have to remember URL’s and use my history browser. Instead I use my home page which is my PLN and go from there to anywhere in the world I want my mind to be. PLN’s are awesome for learning and connecting to others for the progress of an individual. 

C4T #4

For the month of November I had the pleasure of commenting on Royan Lee’s Blog. The name of his blog is The Spicy Learning Blog. Mr. Lee is an intermediate literacy teacher. From viewing his blog, and many different post it is simple to see that he is a good teacher. He cares about his students and their future. Through his blog he shows how he keeps his students interested in their assignment by allowing them to be exposed to technology.

The first post I made a comment on was Should We Ask People What They Want. This Post was inspired by DeanShareski post, Don't Ask People What They Want Dean Shareski discussed in his blog what the negatives were of asking and how ineffective it was. He was saying how people do not know what they want until someone shows them something. Royan Lee agreed with some ideas that Dean Shareski expressed. However, he realized how important it can be to give people choices and involve them in decisions, especially decisions involving education. I agreed with Mr. Lee. I feel that as educators we will want our parents to be involved in the students learning.  We should not deny them the opportunity to be included in the decision making process. They know their own children and should be included in every part. This way even if they only agree or disagree they will still have an opportunity to learn from the discussion.

The next post I commented on was the post Voltron as 21st Century LearningMetaphor. Voltron is a old cartoon about kids controlling lions to defend the Earth. The lions come together to create Voltron, an unbeatable robot. This remarkable blog was about using a metaphor  to relate technology and students as a collaboration. It let them see how they are good alone but when incorporating technology they are extraordinary. My comment was about how I found this to useful using what students can relate to.  It lets them know how technology can take them far and is how everything is operating in today’s generation.  I enjoyed the clip he showed of Voltron, the old cartoon, and I enjoy watching Transformer movies involving Voltron.

C4K November Summary Post

During the month of November I had the pleasure of viewing and commenting on two class blogs and one students blog. I found this very helpful in pushing me to learn how to upgrade my own blog. It is also exciting to see how students are having fun while they are learning different things about history, other cultures, and technology.

The first blog I viewed, Mr. McClung's World, beongs to the class of Mr. McClung. He is a 8th grade History middle school teacher in Fayetteville, Arkansas. McClung's class blog is very educational and fun. It makes learning about history so much more interesting because it contains so many different methods of presenting the information. The blog shows me that his History class is not the usual "read this chapter and answer the questions at the end" kind of class. His class even uses the laptops to take test on instead of wasting paper. I enjoyed learning from his blog and I am sure his students really enjoy it to. I was able to watch the slide show on Humanity and Renaissance. Some of his students created a presentation comparing the people and how they changed over time. Mr. McClung does a really good job of incorporating technology use in his classroom. I believe his History class is probably the most fun of all other class blogs I have viewed. 

The next blog that I viewed was the blog of Mrs. Yollis'  Classroom Blog. She is a 3rd grade teacher. Her blog is very amazing and has so much going on. You will definitely not go bored in a class like hers just by looking at her class blog. I view her blog and then I looked at a world project in which she and her students are involved in. It is called Our World, Our Stories. It is a blog that involves her class and five other classes from different countries. Students are able to connect with others through commenting on blogs each class post every week. It is one different class per week. After looking over the blog I commented on a blog posted by Mr. Salsich and his class from the Connecticut. The blog post was about traditional songs in each country. Being from the United States also his class choose the song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game". The class sings it and it is so adorable. I commented telling them how well they did. They made me want to attend a baseball game because I have not sang that song in a long long time. I mentioned a fun sport I like to watch, which is football, and how I cheer for Alabama. Roll Tide!

Last but not least I commented on Zion's blog. Zion is a 6th grade student from New Zealand. He wrote a story about blasting off to Saturn and meeting some aliens. The story was very descriptive and contained a lot of adjectives. In my comment I told him how he helped me see the story in my mind. He did a really good job and was able to express his creativity and typing skills through the blog. It is great how students are allowed so much access to computers and able to grow and broaden their education through. technology.  

Commenting on C4K has allowed me to see so many different things. It definitely broadened my outlook on technology and has totally helped me with my creativity. Thanks everyone!

Final Project #16

Hope you all enjoy it!

Blog #14

 Jose Picardo is the Head of Modern Foreign Languages at Nottingham High School and is the 2011 edublog winner! In his Top Ten Tips for using technology in the classroom Video he has introduced two things new to me that I feel my class can grow and progress from. The first is using interactive exercises. Using contentgenerator.net one can make their own excercises that cater to the students needs. The software may cost but will be worth the money because it will make class work much more interesting. Students will not grow as bored using e-learning and playing games to learn. It is also easy for first time users because it requires no coding. That is definitely a plus.
 Another tip I found useful is using internet tools such as a Voki or Animoto. Voki is a way to create an avatar and allow it to speak for you. One can post it to any blog or website and allow it to deliver what ever message one wants. This is fun and cool and attracts everyone. Especially being that one can add their own voice to it! Another thing is the Animoto which is a software that allows on to make videos out of slides and photos with music that is free and more interesting than the plain power point. I plan to learn about these and use them now to learn them so that I can use them in my future classroom!

Blog Post #13

Did You Know?

I did not know a lot of these interesting facts. Technology is amazing today because one can find out anything they want to know by just looking it up. Using WolframAlpha one can find out answers to any factual questions. It involves experts in all fields to bring the accurate information forth and put it together on an easy to use site for individuals to access. Looking up the United States population compared to China's population, the China's population is 338% larger than the United States. Wow!! The United States is .008% of China's population. China has 376 people per square mile. The United States has 87.3 people per square mile.  This makes China sound extremely crowded. Comparing the United States to India, India is 293.4 percent larger than the United States. The United States makes up .013% of India's population.
I believe all of the facts presented in the first blog assignment to be credible. With experts working on it and spending a lot of time on survey's and things the facts must be very close to actual numbers. Being that babies are being born and people are dying the number probably changes every second. Amazing!

Students will benefit from using the WolframAlpha for any research assignments versus wikipedia or any other sites because this sight involves more research being completed by professionals. Students can also put in math problems and get answers. This will help  them learn to correct their mistakes. With it being credible one will not have much trouble providing facts in any class assignments. However, students will have to be aware of what their teacher wants and not just rely on this sight to complete their work. Research is research and when it comes to a paper or anything similar one must use more than one source!

C4K #10 Mrs. Yollis Blog

Upon completion of reviewing Mrs. Yollis' Classroom Blog I found it very educational and interesting. She is very serious about blogging and makes it look so easy. All the links were extremely interesting. She involves the students, families, and friends from other countries.
 The home page of Mrs. Yollis blog contains her most recent blogs of what the class is doing. It involves videos and pictures of the class or students activities. She asks questions and posts very interesting facts. I find it very informing even as a college student. It definitely broadens ones thinking. Most of the material she presents is of things I know or have heard about at some time in my life. Although I may not remember all of it, it is helpful and refreshing.
 Mrs. Yollis has 10 tabs at the top of the blog including the home tab. The home tab as all of her blog posts and links on the side. The first link on the right side of her screen is the New Global Project of Our World, Our Stories. Our World, Our Stories is a blog created for second and third grade classes to connect across the globe. It includes a class from the United States, New Zealand, Ghana, Canada, Belize, and Australia. Students can learn of other cultures and experiences by sharing comments and stories. This is very beneficial and fun for these students to participate in. The next link is to the Yollis 365 Project of daily pictures posted. It also teaches individuals how to take photos. The following link is a photo of a cluster map of visitor's that visited  Yollis' class blog and where they are from. This is very exciting because it shows how students and teachers are connecting all over the world. The next link allows, individuals to subscribe to the class blog. Following are 2 nominations and 1 award for the blog itself. After this is the Digital Voice Award given to Yollis blog! Next are just labels to all blogs posted by Yollis which is useful when searching or just observing current or past blogs. Following are the links to three other blogs that are involved in the Our World, Our Stories blog. Open the door to B4, 2KM and 2KJ @Leopold Primary School, and Mr. Salsich's Class. All are interesting and most important they allow the students to connect across the world as well. The next links are of comments to view that family, friends, and students made on the blogs. The Brainpopjr.com  is the next link of the days best joke. Following this is BrainPOP.com for quizzes, activities, and movies. After this is the flag counter link blog showing flags from where people have viewed her blog. Following are links to her students blogs. Next is a Voki telling one how to comment it one does not know how to. Behind this is a link tweets from Mrs. Yollis and 16 more links of blogs, visitors, and how to follow are down the side of the home page.
 Overall Mrs. Yollis' class blog is very helpful showing one how important and interesting it is to collaborate with students in other parts of the world. I definitely need to learn more about how to incorporate more links and tabs onto my blog. My goal is to have a blog as interesting and active as Mrs. Yollis' blog!

Report on Final Project

Final Project!

My group and I met up to discuss what we would do for our final project. We all came up with an idea of showing how students and teachers can benefit from technology use. We will make a movie of a teacher faced with the decision of whether she will use technology in her classroom or not. An angel will try to convince her to use technology and a devil will discourage technology use. We will explain the benefits of skype, blogging, iMovie, podcasts, PLN's and more. Doing it this way will allow us to show what we learned in EDM 310. I still feel I have more progress to make and I will use technology everyday until I die. There is no real way to make it without it. One must have a backup plan however because things can easily go wrong using technology such as a power outage.  I look forward to recording our movie and I hope everyone will enjoy it!

Additional Assignment #1

1. Why did you miss the metaphor in Tom Johnson's post, or, if you "hit the nail on the head", why do you think you understood the metaphor and why do you think that others in the class missed the metaphor?
2. What metaphors have you encountered since I asked you to create a log of them?
3. What other things can we do as educators to help our students to understand and to use metaphors?
4. Why do we use metaphors?


 I "hit the nail on the head" in understanding the metaphor John Spencer presented in his blog post. (Although I was late in posting my response to his blog.) I was able to get this due to two reasons. The first is I clicked on the link under the title of his blog. It was Larry Ferlazzo's Latest Post which is based on a survey in which Ferlazzo had viewed and commented on. It basically explains Ferlazzo's view on usage of computer's affecting students test scores.  The second is that it just could not be about pencils and paper in with how much education has changed. The last thing one would be concerned about would be pencils and paper affecting test scores. No pencils? One might as well close schools down. 

Metaphors that I have encountered include all of the following:

• I'm dying I'm so hungry. 
• They are knocked out. 
• Faster than a cheetah. 
• Every blue moon.
• When people in hell ask for ice water. 
• I'm freezing.
• Sick as a dog.
• I'm hanging at the end of my rope. 
• I have a brain freeze.
• I would die if I met Chris Brown.

After explaining what a metaphor is to students, as educators we can give an extra bonus point assignment which consist of the students listing metaphors the teacher said all day. Make learning about metaphors. 

We use metaphors to describe what we are trying to say. When describing something using  a metaphor it gives what we are talking about more emphasis. It also allows us to think about what is said afterwards. 

C4K Summary Post #2

Commenting for Kids is very fun! It is inspiring and allows me to see what kids in this generation of capable of doing with technology versus where I was, technology wise, at their age. It makes me realize how important it is to stay on top of what is going on around me so that I can relate to students today and teach them in the best way in which they learn. For the second Comments for Kids Summary I commented on five students blog posts, all of which were very interesting.

The first students blog I commented on was Kali. She is a 7th grade student in Canada. Kali's blog was about some cool places she would like to go. She listed New York's Empire State Building, the Capitol Reef National Park in Utah, the Olympic Stadium in British Columbia, the West Edmonton Mall in Alberta, and the Figge Art Museum in Iowa. She has some very distinguished places in which she would like to visit. I think it is awesome she is thinking big and wants to see different parts of the world. I told her about my visit to New York where I was able to look up at the Empire State building. She was very descriptive in describing these attractions and she reminded me of a young travel agent.

Next was Lanzie from Auckland, New Zealand. He is a first grade student that was required to write a story and draw a picture. He chose to make his story about the New Zealand flag. In order for others to hear part of his story and learn about it he recorded it on iMovie. While a little hesistant he described his flag and for a first grader he did really well. It has four stars and is rectangular. I commented on his video by encouraging him on a job well done. I also described the U.S. flag. I think it is neat children in schools get that opportunity now to learn using technology.

The next students blog I had the pleasure of viewing was Jordan. Jordan is a 2nd grade student in Auckland, New Zealand also. His blog post contained an animation of a rugby player named Teddy  going across the screen. This was one of my favorites because it contained a drawing of his and it allows me to see how well he is able to manipulate technology. He did a good job. It's amazing he is in 2nd grade creating animations while I recently learned what blogging was and how to blog (lol).

Another students blog that I commented on is Rosa. She is a 8th grade student. Her blog is informing and engaging. I found myself going and researching the topic she was blogging about. Her blog was about a science lesson she would teach. It would require students to learn vocabulary and involve them doing an activity that would better help them understand. The vocabulary she would have her students learn is Cenozoic, Mesozoic, and Paleozoic Eras. She then would have them to match pictures to each era. I believe this is a great idea because it would reinforce the definitions and help them understand a bit more. I encouraged her to keep using technology to learn and to help others learn.

The last comment I left was on a blog presentation using Google docs by a student named Shoal. Shoal used Google Presentation to inform others of Bitterns. Bitterns are an extinct group of birds that existed before in New Zealand. Shoal's reading group had been reading about Bittern's so the choice to do the presentation is a reinforcement for him. It definitely is informing and interesting. I actually think using the presentation is a great way to engage others because it grasps their attention.

I enjoy learning from all of these children. Commenting on their blogs is not only encouraging for them but it is informing. One can still learn things from them and even see new ways of introducing information to others. I want to learn how to make animations and allow my future students to engage in activities like this and to even use Google presentation. Also allowing children to utilize these technologies they will have fun while learning which is easier for everyone involved.  I hope to learn more and encourage more children in the days to come.

Project #15 Smart Board Part 2

Project #14 Skype Interview

Blog Post #12

1) Watch this video How The U.S. Education System Fails Kids Think about the message. Do you agree with what they are saying?  How do you feel about Harvard's program? Think this is a good idea?

2) Now watch this video Why Education in Finland Works Write your response to this video and what you feel the U.S. should do to improve the Education system.

Blog Post #12

Here in the US many questions have been raised about our education system. Is it working for our students? Do we have a balance in the content our students learn? The answer is no. Finland has been increasing their statistics in how their students have been passing in math, science, and reading scores. Beginning with focusing on a child's preschool experience and small classes is where they first began to succeed. Their education system calls for all teachers to have a Master degree. The teachers are also treated as professionals just like other individual doctors or lawyers. They should be respected the same. The teachers feel appreciated and valued in their society. They mean something to those around them. The community supports them. They teachers teach 20 lessons a week. They are not in the classrooms as long so that they are able to prepare for their week a lot better. Also they have more to offer than just the focus on math and science. Music, drama, cooking, and industrialism are focus content areas.

Our country can do better. I believe changes need to begin at the top. We need to get the administrators and superintendents to see the big picture besides all the politics involved and take things seriously. Changing the curriculum required is the where another change can be made. We need to get out of just focusing on testing. Children can learn so much more besides what old testing requires. Making drama, dance, music, and even trades in school more important will improve the way in which our children learn and make them better citizens in the long run. All the over exaggerated testing discourages our youth from even wanting to attend school or learn at all. So they drop out and want nothing more to do with it. Then without a diploma let alone a college degree they do not find jobs putting another burden on the country as a whole. Things have to change. America needs to see the picture and not only just incorporate technology in the classrooms but learn to LEARN differently. When we are able to change the testing and find another way to make sure our students are getting the lesson needed maybe then we will succeed. Appreciating teachers and listening to their ideas will definitely help. They spend the most time with the students versus the presidents and superintendents, who do not and are eager to fire and rehire with the same thinking, teach to the test. When teachers receive appreciation and support their job performance will increase and the rate in which they give up and burn out will decrease. I also think that the offices in which the superintendents work should have teachers and students in there to help and give their opinions and thoughts on important matters they handle. They need to get views from those at the bottom in order to get a real understanding of what is happening, instead of focusing on test scores while the children, at the end of it all, learn nothing because they were engorged with "burp back" education. I will definitely do all I can to learn how to learn and what best practices work for my students so they leave with a real education instead of cramped hands from bubbling tests.

(Sources obtained to create blog: Dr. John Hadley, Why Education in Finland Works, and How the U.S. Education System Fails Kids)

Blog Post #11

Skype Interview (2010) with Ms. Cassidy!

Ms. Cassidy is a first grade teacher that learned on her on to incorporate technology use inside of her classroom. Her introduction into technology came along when she was given 5 computers with monitors, keyboards, and internet access. The down side to having the wonderful gifts added to her classroom is that the computers had no programming on them in which the 1st grade students would be able to use them. Cassidy then made her own decision to learn how to make web pages and blogging so that she could make the computers a useful center in her classroom. With funding from the federal government for professional development and time off she was able to learn more and help herself with technology. She has a webpage for about 11 years and her class blog about 6 years (now). Her own determination to be technology literate allowed her to develop her skills as well as support from administrators at her school.

In this interview Dr. Strange asks Ms. Cassidy for advice for future teachers that feel learning about technology now is not useful. Cassidy's response is that teachers should learn all they can. She goes on to say that we cannot expect students to learn with tools from years ago today. "We have to change, because the world is changed." She says to learn now and interact with the world or you will be "handicapping" yourselves. Students love using the computers and blogging. Getting views on their writing is encouraging. Insider her classroom students are able to learn writing, video usage, and audio usage on top of the other curriculum. I feel these students are very blessed in having a teacher as eager as Ms. Cassidy because other teachers may feel no need to change and their students may miss this opportunity to be on board with the direction in which education is going. Ms. Cassidy feels all teachers should be technology literate. Word processing and working a spread sheet is not enough for today's students. She advises future teachers to keep up with technology going on around them and to network. She likes to use Twitter for networking and blogging as a way to keep up but she advises you do what works for you. Learn through what you are interested in. One can access links through Twitter and share information and even assignments through twitter. Finding people who want to be teachers is a way to use twitter for networking. She also says that Facebook could be used for putting out information for students instantly. Cassidy also helps the students learn to use the computer for what links to go to and how they should not use their last name on the blogs or websites. Teachers have to explain usage to the students and accessing educational sites.

I found this interview to be very helpful. It allows me to truly understand how important it is that I as a future educator prepare myself as much as possible for what lies ahead. That is to keep blogging and accessing twitter for educational usage, as well as my PLN and other sites. I do not want to be behind my students but ahead and able to teach them things about using computers for learning and not just entertainment. I myself must learn this and practice it first. I like how Ms. Cassidy pushed that one should learn in the best way that interest them on using technology and I will take her advice. I have not really found my way yet because I can be honest and say that I do not make as much time as I could to learn. However my future and the future of my students depends on me learning so that I can help them learn, so I will truly continue on with my journey and maybe one day Dr. Strange can interview me and see how well this went for me (lol). ;-)

(Information for this blog was obtained from Dr. Strange's interview with Ms. Cathy Cassidy.)

Blog Post #10

Do You Teach or Educate? 

For me as an individual and aspiring teacher of a new generation of students I will educate! So easy to type it or say it but not exactly easy to do. However going through the Education program at the University of South Alabama has taught me or should I say educated me on what it is to educate rather than just teach. Educating involves a relationship between the students and the teacher. (I will use the word teacher because it is what educators are referred to at the moment, bare with me.) It is not just walking into the classroom or learning environment provided, taking notes, and testing, but it is a way of life. I say this because education will go on after classrooms and graduation simply because you cannot go far without obtaining a diploma, or let alone having the skills to simply learn.

I will educate my students so that they will be able to use the tools I instill in them in life outside of my classroom walls. Learning will never stop. So I would begin by educating them on how to learn and why it is very important in our society now. Through educating them they will do more than just memorize a topic or lesson but they will know it. It will be something I make sure is hard to forget by doing projects with them and making their learning experience fun and interesting. I choose to go into education because I want to make a difference in the lives of students whether it be 2 or 3. I want to help them learn science but also develop into successful adults after leaving my class. I will guide them and help them understand anything they do not and help them learn to love and care for their futures in our country so that they will want to push themselves to the next level. Educators are needed in our classes today. We need people who care about the students and not just test scores or having a "good" class. We must not forget these students are humans with feelings not robots. With that in mind we can make a difference by caring about them and pushing them to do better by attempting to solve problems inside of our class instead of quickly sending students to the office or OCS (on campus suspension). Believing in education and remembering our purpose will lead to success and will pay off in the long run by creating brighter futures for our students. Education alone will open doors for them.




Tom Johnson's Don't Let Them Take the Pencils Home

I must begin by saying Mr. John Spencer's entire blog is very interesting. In this particular blog Mr. Johnson writes about a conversation between two teachers. They are discussing the idea of students being allowed to take home "pencils". Tom is approached by the "School Curriculum Instructional Interventionist Academic Specialist", Gertrude, about the test scores being lowered due to "pencils" being taken home. Her job title is hilarious! I'm sure in the school system there are a lot of teachers that feel the way that she does. Tom argues that the research done to come to that point is not measured accurately. He also speaks on the fact that in low income areas where the families do not own "pencils" or do not know the correct use for them see them as use for entertainment. He goes on to say how he meets with parents to show them how "pencils" can be used for learning. He says he will teach them things the students will do on them through developing a program for them to learn.

The argument being made is obvious. The "pencils" being discussed in the blog are actually computers or laptops. Schools today are allowed use of laptops inside the classroom and some schools even provide the laptops. I feel the use for computers by students is a good idea.  Teachers can instruct the students how to use the computers for educational use. Things like blogging, podcasting, iMovies, and more can lead to success in the classroom for the students. With help provided for family members as well lifelong learning can be pushed and the entire family can be educated. Students may still use the technology at home for fun use such as Facebook, Twitter, or Skype. However they will learn to manipulate the computer and how to upload different things. As with anything there are pros and cons with the use of technology, but with how developed the world is today technology cannot be overlooked when it comes to education. How Spencer made his point is very clever and I feel we should have programs for parents to learn. Things are always changing and the parents and students should all be aware and have access to such technology and education, and as educators we can help.

C4T #3

I had the pleasure of commenting on Scott Elias Blog Do I Dare Disturb the Universe recently. He is the principal of Conrad Ball Middle School in Loveland, Colorado. He is currently working on receiving his PhD at Colorado State University. He is very passionate about his job which is very obvious through his podcasts and blog posts.

I commented on two of his blogs. The first blog in which I commented on was Back in Action. He discussed having not blogged in a long time. He had a lot of things going on which is not hard to believe being a school principal with so many responsibilities as well as working on his PhD. I told him how I admired him pushing himself through all he has and working on his PhD. I hope to be like him and with determination and a goal in mind I will!

The next blog I posted on was Engaging Students in Instructional Rounds. This blog was about how to improve instruction based off off Richard Elmore's Instructional Rounds in Education. Through this project he hopes that the schools instruction will improve through communication and observation. My comment to him touched on the fact that he is passionate about education and how his teachers are educating. He cares enough to begin a project that will allow teachers to grow and providing the best possible education to their students. We do need to be able to observe the way in which our lessons reach our students. We want to do our best so that the students are able to do their best and not fall behind. I look forward to more of his blog post so that as a student right now I may see the educators perspective from his place. 

Blog Post #9

Mr. McLung: What I've Learned This Year (2008-09)

Mr. McClung began his first year of teaching in Noel, Missouri where he seemed to have learned a lot after his first year of teaching. I enjoyed reading his blog and hope that I see things the way does once I begin teaching. I am sure it is not just a piece of cake the very first day, but I look forward to it and the many years to follow that.

Mr. McClung enjoyed his first year and developed into, I feel, a good teacher with more experience and growing to come. He mentioned things that he felt one could work on when going into education. He talked about how he thought things were about him and how he managed to focus on delivering his lesson according to his superiors forgetting about the students. McClung admitted he lost touch with his audience. He pointed out that teachers must remember the "most important aspect of teaching" and this is student comprehension. As a future teacher I have to make sure I keep this in mind. I am sure as any professional in any field one can tend to focus on what our "bosses" want forgetting what our true goals or missions are in what we are doing. I will definitely try to make sure I base my lessons off of how my students learn after I figure out what gets their attention and how well they learn from how I deliver my lesson. Maybe after the first couple weeks my students will get use to me and I will get use to them and we develop a routine for how we learn from one another.

Mr. McClung talked about being flexible also. When describing this he was saying that we need to make sure we do not be completely stuck on things going one way because anything can happen that we cannot control. He mentioned how he would beat himself up for things happening differently and not going the way in which he wanted things to go. I can see myself being the same way. I will plan back up lessons and keep my mind open for things to go differently. I will try not to get so caught up in perfection and just focus on my students learning whether things are going perfectly or not.

Mr. McClung talked about communication and being reasonable. He said how we should form bonds with both fellow teachers and students. I am sure to keep this in mind because I know that I will be freely receiving and giving out any tips and advice that I can. We are all in this profession for the same reason so I will keep that in mind and be supportive of those around me as well. When it comes to being reasonable Mr. McClung was saying how we must not set the bar to high for our students. We must make sure that we push them forward and also pick them up when they need it. Which goes into another topic he touched which is to listen to our students. We must get to know them and be there for them through teaching but also as an adviser in a way in which we will help them grow into successful citizens. We can't forget they are children and individuals that go through things because they are constantly growing. They are trying to find themselves and figure out how they will become who it is they want to be. So we have to keep this in mind when they may not accomplish what it is we want them to and not show any signs of disappointment. They have things going on outside of our classroom so for the time frame we have them it can be  a building session. We will build their maturity, self esteem, and of course there academic achievement. Going through this building session we will be building ourselves as professionals and learning more that will make us better teachers. We can learn more from those around us and learn in our own ways that will help us provide the best education we can. And of course, we must not forget about incorporating technology into classes. McClung mentions how we should not give up before we start. Just as we push our students to try new things and learn new things we have to do the same for ourselves.

What I've Learned This Year (2009-10)

Mr. McClung went from teaching 6th graders to teaching jr. high 8th graders that had a different mentality. However that was not the worst part, but he had to teach three subjects like science, history, and social studies. He had to adapt to teaching a new curriculum which was not easy and made him result to "survival mode." I am sure this was nerve racking and makes me want to prepare in all aspects of education. The last thing I want is to feel like I have no clue what I am doing so I will take his advice about change being good and not getting to comfortable. This choice of career requires adaptability. Future teachers need to keep this in mind and it is obvious for example we will be adapting being that technology is not being used more in today's classes.

Another thing that McClung discussed is finding your "school mom". That is a person that has been at the school for a while, knows about the school and how it works, and is willing to help you throughout the school year. I feel this will not be to hard for me to do because I have a very nice personality and a sense of humor that I can work in conversation. I like meeting people and I try to feel people out when I meet them so that I know how things will go and what type of relationship we will have based on our commonality.

I love what McClung said about checking our ego's at the door. He wrote about how he had to act enthusiastic about topics he may not find interesting and be a "salesman" to get the lesson across to the students. He said he may have to be "uncool" and act like a dork at times to show his passion for teaching so that his students take him seriously. I find this to be the best part of his experience simply because I learn best from teachers like this. It really works because students may find interest in the subject and even try just because they see that their teacher is really "into" it. Education needs teachers like this, or should I say actors. Often in any profession people will have to fake it or act like they are into what they are doing, or even just act to overcome what happen in our lives before stepping through the doors of our job. We are teachers and we are human. We get bored, upset, and feel sad however we must overcome all of this and put on the best show everyday we are in front of our class because we have to educate our students when it is all said and done. They are the future so we must prepare them at all cost.

Mr. McClung talked about scope and sequence. I learned for sure from him on this topic. He talked about he would spend more time on topics in his subject that he liked and not on topics that would be beneficial for his 8th grade students. He realized he had to spend adequate amounts of time on all the topics and that his assessments matched the depth of the topic in which he covered. As a future educator I believe this is very great advice because I honestly never thought about the depth perception at all. So I am introduced to something new and I will definitely remember this when making my lesson plans for the year. And plans is emphasized, not schedules but plans because it more than likely will change somewhat.

Going into this profession we all must remember what is really important in the end and that is the students. Mr. McClung talked about having issues at the school not dealing with the students but administration. He had a colleague basically tell him how he could get back at whoever caused the issue, but he realized that would only hurt the students.  As I said earlier, inside of our classrooms we will be actors some days. We will have to come out of our own shoes and be a character in a since and put on a show for our students. They are what is important and worrying about outside issues and how to avenge them will not benefit the student at all. Teacher, that is our job title in the end and is what we must be and teach is what we have do. And going into what he said last we must be humble. We will have good days and good years where we feel accomplished and turn around and learn a ton more after we thought we knew it all. We can continue and will continue to learn from our own experiences and others. We should keep our minds open so that we will continue to grow and become some of the best educators there ever were. Time to replace the people that see teaching as just a j-o-b and not as career and lifestyle. It's what you are not what you do. Teacher at heart, that is who I am and who I will become as I go through this education program at South Alabama!

(Sources: Mr. McClung )

Project #13 Smartboard Part 1