Personal Learning Network

Before this class, I had know idea about what a Personal Learning Network or PLN. A PLN is something that you create on your own. It is how you surround yourself with knowledge for free. It is your very on support team. I feel like I have just started to create my PLN. I now know how to use podcasts and videocasts in my classroom. I know how to blog, which I believe is a great thing for teachers. I have been following blogs and reading post and many different ideas from other educators around the world. Blogging is a great tool to learn from teachers and students from all over the world. I'm glad I now know what a PLN is and I'm glad that I have created one for myself and millions of people around the world to follow.

Project 11

Myself and three of my classmates: Jessica Debose, Fredrick Patterson and Marissa Washington did our project 11 on the topic of Teachertube vs. Youtube. We did an overview on both websites first. We stated their purpose, how they originated, and who are their most prominent users. Teachertube is more of a professional site used by teachers and youtube is for anybody. We then gave examples of videos uploaded by people on both sites. Teachertube is a great website for teachers and all educators to find fun and innovative ways to teach our students.

Goodbye!

I would like to tell all my classmates goodbye. I have enjoyed meeting all of you. You all are some very bright and special individuals. All of you have something great to offer to the field of education. I enjoyed getting to know you also via the google docs presentation. We learned things about each other that we otherwise would not have known in any other class. I wish you the best in all your future endeavors. Remember that the sky is the limit to what you can have and accomplish! God bless!

Last but not least I would like to tell my instructor, Dr. Strange, goodbye. You have been a great teacher and a great help to me this semester. Although, I was ALWAYS the student who had the most problems in the class; you never gave up on me or caught an attitude! I appreciate that! You shown me what it means to be a patient teacher. Not all of us have that virtue. I thank you so much and wish you the best.

Summary of My Experience in EDM310

I have learned so much from this class. This post probably won't be long enough to describe everything that I have learned. I have grown alot this semester. Dr. Strange is a great instructor. Before this class I had never done a blog, podcast, or skyped. I had never created a spreadsheet or created a google doc or a google form. I had never even twittered, even though that seems to be quite popular now. All these things I have learned and now am able to do as a result of this class. I knew that teachers needed to be technologically literate but it never dawned on me how important that was until this class.

The only thing that I did not learn in this class but am a curious about learning, is creating a webpage. I have always wanted to learn how to create one. I understand that blogging is just as effective, but I am still curioius about having your own website. It seems that anyone can create one these days. Everything else that we have learned in this class has been very valuable, resourceful, and useful.

The thing that excited me the most was creating our podcasts, especially the ones where I got a chance to act. I had always been interested in acting but never have done it! I loved it so much that I went beyond the minimal requirements and participated in 3 podcasts! I love podcasting and creating videos! I was never really bored in this class because there was ALWAYS something to do! There was never a moment where we could just sit and twiddle our thumbs. We all had to catch up or wanted to be ahead in some area or another.

I really don't think that there is anything that I would change about this course. I had never taken a class like this before, so I was impressed by it. I learned a lot and I'm sure others who take it shall do the same. I can say now that I am technologically literate now. I'm not a computer whiz, but I do know a whole lot more than when I started in this class. I will try my best to maintain this knowledge by maybe starting my own personal blog, doing my own podcasts and continuing to play experiment with google.

Seven and New Classroom Rules

I found the seven stupid mistakes teachers make with technology very insightful. There were some that I found funny and some that I found very very important. One that I found kinda funny was number 3. Teachers should never treat their school computer like a home computer. A professional/work computer should only be used for professional purposes. Many teachers have gotten in trouble in the past for using those computers for naughty purposes. I also liked number 6. It was about ignoring the intrinsic interest of tech use in today's kids. I agree that most kids are fascinated with technology, therefore we should take full advantage of it. Click here to view this article.


The seven brilliant things article was really motivating for me as a future educator. I do believe that kids can be empowered with technology. One should also be creative in teaching this. Click here to view this article.


The new classroom rules list was very funny but useful. Good, old-fashion rules of conduct and classroom etiquette never go out of style. Some of those things in that list shouldn't even have had to be said. But in this day-in-age we must cover all our bases. I especially liked number 5, which stated "talk only when permitted and text at all other times. I thought that statement was brilliant! I also found number 10 to be important. Politeness, courteousness, and kindness always goes a long way. This is important for teachers, students, and parents! Click here to view this article.

Project 2- "Christmas with My Family"

At The Teacher's Desk

I found several interesting posts on this blog. Important topics included: "Teachers Need to Become Social Networking Experts", "Using Skype to Connect ESOL Students with Foreign Language Students", and "Using Technology for Effective Communication". All the topics displayed were very relevant and important for teachers and students alike.

I find that a collaborative teaching blog such as this is very important. Teachers can learn a lot from each other. Teachers must work as a team. No one knows everything. This blog was very well-designed and creative. The topics were also interesting. I liked the post where they showed how teachers can connect with one another via twitter and can receive help through what some would consider just social networking sites. To visit this blog click here!

Student Blogging

Why is it important for students to post their work to blogs? I definitely agree that it is extremely important for students to post their work to blogs. Like Dr. Strange always says, "we have to leave an educational trail." I think blogging is a great way to learn from each other as well as express our own thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. The children in this video displayed their vocal ability and talents to people all over the world, who under normal circumstances would not have been able to watch this video. I think that is truly remarkable! Blogs are great tools for teachers and parents to use for kids of all ages.

Kids can use blogs to tell stories like these kids!
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Kids can also use blogs to discuss fieldtrips like these kids!
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They can also use blogs to share their hopes and dreams like these kids!
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Blogs can be used for many purposes!

Kaia and Father's Blogs

Kaia is a very young little girl whose father helps her blog. She shares lots of thoughts, pictures and experiences. William Chamberlain's class regularly comments on kids blogs. Kaia's father contacted Mr. Chamberlain's class and asked them to send Kaia a voice thread and they did. This was one more way to connect and provide more motivation to little Kaia to post.

As it turns out, Kaia's Dad does a lot to inspire and motivate Kaia to express herself via technology. He is working towards building Kaia's literacy at a young age. They took cameras outside, Kaia took lots of pictures and created a photo essay about her pictures to put on her blog. Many people have seen her presentation and have commented. This is a great tool to encourage a chid.

Kaia's father, who happens to be a teacher, is very interested in technology being used as a tool in education. He realizes that Kaia is still too young to really understand the connections that she is making, but in a few years these connections and this type of interaction will be appreciated by her. He hopes that her teachers are ready to help her continue on this journey.

I found this post to be very insightful as well as thought-provoking. It is a wonderful thing to expose our children to technology, the internet, and people from around the world. It will create in them a sense of understanding of the diversity that the world has to offer. That way they won't be sheltered and culture-shocked when they come to college and see them, like many of us were. I want my own students to learn and experience these connections.

With that being said, we also have to be careful. Not everybody on the net is looking out for the best interest of our children. Hopefully there will be more teachers out there who will help make the world wide web more safer for our children and protect them from harmful elements. We should also teach our kids how to be safe when browsing and how not to get easily distracted or persuaded when doing schoolwork. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE BLOG FOR YOURSELF!

Comments for Kids-"Overalls and Boots"

My comment for Mr. Goerend's class went to a student by the name of Macy. Macy dreamed of having an International Dress Like a Farmer Day where everyone could eat as much food as they could. They could also dress and feel comfortable living the day as a farmer. This day would occur annually every September 30th. Macy stated that on this day it is important for everyone to be themselves and have a great time! I told Macy to always be yourself and have fun in whatever you do in life! CLICK HERE FOR MY KID'S BLOG!

New Media Literacies

This video was very honest. These skills are needed to work, live and contribute to our world and society today. I'm not really skilled in these areas but I hope to get better. I'm not on the highest level of technological literacy. I know just enough information to get by. With the direction that the world is going in we all need to advance our knowledge. Everyone should have these skills. This is something that I am going to have to work on.

Wendy Drexler's The Networked Student

Wow! This video really made me feel like crap! It showed me how far back I am. I am not really taking advantage of technology as I should. This video also inspired me to be more of a connectivist. I do believe that learning occurs as apart of a social network, also implemented by different uses of technology.

Looking at this video from the standpoint of a teacher is also sort of scary. Teaching a networked student for a teacher who is not very technologically literate, could make that teacher feel useless and incompetent. I know that's how I would feel. This also shows that teacher that they do not know it all. Sometimes teachers do forget that! They can learn a lot from their students. CLICK HERE

Richard Miller: This Is How We Dream Parts 1 and 2

Although I had a hard time focusing on Mr. Miller's presentation, I found it to be very helpful and infomative. Teachers must keep up with technological advances. This is extremely important in this day and age. Mr. Miller is accurate by saying that we living in the greatest lifetime of communication. We are able now to communicate with people almost instantly.

A successful teacher in this millenium must keep up with technological advances. This is not easy because new things arise almost everyday. One can never "know-it-all." Be willing to learn from others as well as your own studnets.
My students will be familiar with multimedia hopefully by then the system will realize how important the different technology program accessories is for students that Mr. Miller recommended. I know that I can lead my students in the right direction.

Inspiration of iPods

iPods are not just a technological device solely used for fun anymore.
In 2004, Duke gave their new students their own iPods and and also to undergraduates who took a course where they needed one. This has had an extremely positive impact on the school. The university has "broadened the focus of the program beyond iPods to a much broader effort to promote the effective use of technology in higher education."

The classes that now require iPods have also enormously increased. In my opinion, this is a great thing for all universities to do. I wish that the University of South Alabama would also impliment this practice. Being someone who is somewhat technologically illiterate, and shockingly does not own an iPod; i think it would be a great new experience to incorporate in the traditional classroom to make it more modern. CLICK HERE FOR THE ACTUAL ARTICLE!

iTunes University

iTunes U is a great website that would be extremely beneficial for all college students, not just future teachers. It appears to be a great search engine. New things are added all the time to iTunes, so it is very up-to-date. iTunes is also free. Nobody can complain about the price of something that is free! That is another reason why iTunes can be used by anybody. Podcasting and vidcasting, as we also have learned in EDM 310, is a great way to relay information between teachers and students or their parents. This is also a very reliable tool because it allows the teacher to be prepared and able to correct any mistakes they may make because, of course, you can re-record them.

I do recommend using iTunes. It's free. It's reliable. It's resourceful. It's up-to-date. You can download music, movies, and videos. This website would be a helpful advantage for anyone who uses it. CLICK HERE

Dr. Christie's Site

Dr. Christies website was extremely helpful and informative. This would be a great research and reference tool for educator. I really learned a lot by going through her website and the different helpful tools that were there. The part that I found that was most helpful for me was the tab about web design resources for educators. I have never created or designed my own website before, so I found that part to be helpful. The internet is a very good educational tool for students and teachers. What better way to communicate with your students while your away from them than to create a website for your class?

I like how Dr. Christie stated that the website must be "purposeful and well-designed...targeted at your students, other teachers, and community members." When transferring any type of information it is extremely important to be aware of your audience. You have to be conscious of them because you don't want to confuse or misinform them. As a future educator I will be using Dr. Christies advice and create a site that is both helpful for my students as well as their parents and even other educators. CLICK HERE FOR DR. CHRISTIE'S ACTUAL WEBSITE!

Comments 4 Kids- Mr. Graves' Class

As usual, I enjoyed doing the comments for kids. My student wrote an outstanding blog. I was really impressed and pleased to comment on it. I just encourage them to keep up the good work. CLICK HERE FOR MY KID'S BLOG!

What I've Learned This Year by Mr. McClung

What I've Learned This Year post by Mr. McClung was an excellent post for our class to read. It had a lot of things in it that most first year teachers will have to learn while teaching. He gave us students that have not started teaching a heads up about what we need to learn before we start teaching. In order to be an effective teacher you have to learn how to understand your class, be flexible, communicate, be reasonable, use technology, listen to my students and never stop learning. Doing all these things will help me become a better teacher and help your students achieve their dream. Mr. McClung just gave us some things to think about before we start teaching so we don't go into the classroom blinded.

Wikepedia

I love Wikepedia! It is a great source for quick and condensed information about any and every subject or person that you can think of. Wikipedia can be a trusted site for some information but not all. When doing simple book reports or biographies Wikipedia can be very useful. I would not trust Wikipedia for very important projects though. Everyday people add, edit, and delete information on Wikipedia all the time. If I was using Wikipedia for a big project I would make sure I had other trusted sources backing it up. If I was assigning my students a project and they decided to use Wikipedia I would make sure to tell those students who are going to use Wikipedia to make sure they have another source. I would also inform them about plagiarism and checking the credility of your sources.

Randy Paush Last Lecture

He began by talking about his illness and that it was going to be his last lecture.\He showed us and told us about the tumors in his liver. He didn't want to focus on his illness though and he didn't want anybody to fell sorry for him.He showed us that he was not about to dwell in the situation but make the best of it. He then went to tell the audience the things he would not be talking about and the things he would be talking about.He had a great sense of humor throughout the video.

He talked about his childhood dreams next. He talked about brick walls and brick walls make us prove how bad we want something. We all have brick walls or obstacles that may seem like they prevent us from achieving our dreams. The brick walls are not there to keep us out but to make us show how bad we want something. He then went on to talk fundamentals and hard work and how important they are.

Next he talked about enabling the childhood dreams of others. He went on the CMU and created a course where you made your own virtual reality world. His mentor gave him some great advice when he thought his students had did really well, and that was to tell them they did good but he know they can do better. He said he would be doing the students a disservice if he was to set the bar. We should always challenge ourselves to do better. We are our own number one motivator for success.

This lecture was very motivating and inspiring. I love how he maintained a positive attitude in spite of what some would see as a very sad situation. He really encouraged me to push through everything that could come to destroy me.

Did You Know 4.0

I really found this video to be informative. It was also scary at the same time. Technology has really taken over the world I see. I was unaware that 93 percent of adults had cell phones. That is astounding to me! When I think about it though, every adult that I know does have one. I really shouldn't be surprised at that number then. We as a country use the computer for everything! We use it to get information, news, shopping, dating, and socializing; just to name a few. Newspapers are really about to become obsolete in the near future. Websites are now giving us the news and at a much faster rate than ever before. This is also cheaper than buying a newspaper everyday! A negative aspect to this is that it will put millions of people out a job. Technology is great, but the future of it does worry me a little.

Karl Fisch

Wow! This was the first statement I made after reading Karl Fisch's "Is It Ok To Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher". This was a great article that really caught my attention. There was sort of a frustrated or angry theme that I felt from him while reading his post, but it works for him. It makes his argument even more stronger and powerful. There is no excuse in this day and age to be technologically illiterate. Times are changing and technology will continue to grow and become more and more common. We should never feel satisfied with our current level of knowledge. Nobody knows it all! Technology is definitely something that one completely grasps a hold of because it is constantly changing and expanding. There is one statement he made that I may not necessarily agree with when he stated "school inspectors who are technologically illiterate should be encouraged to find alternative employment." I believe there is more that goes into that profession than just technology but I could be wrong. Overall, I loved the article and would recommend it.

Kelly Hines

I loved Kelly Hines' post "It's Not About Technology". I think every teacher, especially those under the age of 35, needs to read this post. I singled out that age group, because I think that group is where the most techno-enthusiast teachers are found. I agree with basically everything Mrs. Hines stated. She made a comment, "When we put innovative tools in the hands of innovative teachers, amazing things can happen. If you put these tools in the hands of teachers who are not willing to innovate, money has been wasted. " That quote was amazing to me. So many teachers of my generation feel that being techno-savvy is a compensation for not being a good teacher. This is not true. Technology cannot take the place of a good teacher and technology should never be used as a means to hide a lack of experience or ability. I also liked when Mrs. Hines talked about how learning is an everyday goal for both the student and teacher. She stated that learning may differ from student to student, but the concept in general must always be the goal. I thought that was phenomenal. All kids view things and concepts differently. The fact that they learned is the most important thing of all. As teachers, we must also be learners. We must, most importantly, be willing to learn our students and how we will be able to help them learn. This is a continual process.

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today

I was in awe of this video the entire time! (which is rare for me) It was very thought-provoking, interesting, and captivating. I liked how creative the set-up was with the students holding up facts with either their notebooks, laptops, and scantrons; rather than just saying them. It really shedded some light on how lazy and computer-oriented our youth are today. We spend entirely too much time on facebook, myspace, and twitter and not enough time studying our class materials. I thought it was funny how they mentioned how some students are on facebook and myspace right during class. I cannot tell you how many times I've seen this happen right in front of me! This also makes me look at this epidemic from an educator's perspective. What can I do to make learning more interesting? How can I inspire my students to actually want to study? This was a great video!

Podcasts in the Classroom

Podcasts in the classroom is an excellent idea for several reasons. Its very helpful for students to be able to interact with students from around the world and learn from them. It's also great for students who may get ill and need to keep up with classwork from home. It provides a way for the teachers, students and parents to exchange information at anytime. Learning should be fun sometimes and I believe this is a great way to make learning fun for our youth.

Comments For Kids

I thoroughly enjoyed doing the comments for kids. I think its a great way for us to be exposed to the different ways kids learn and teachers teach all over the world. Its helpful to us also to show us how to better incorporate technology into our classrooms. It was also a wonderful thing to be able to encourage and inspire these teachers and youth to keep up their good work. Everyone needs encouragement!

Podcasts

The First Podcast I listened to was SMARTBoard lessons episode 150. It was professional but yet relaxed. It is done by two other teachers. It gave you different websites that you could use as a teacher. Obviously they did their research before they started the podcast. It sounded like they were well aware of there subject matter. They also read some of the e-mails that they had received from their listeners. Next, I listenend to Kidcast 58 "The Medium Is NOT The Message", by Dan Schmit. He was saying that he was on the Internet listing to podcast and he noticed that a lot of the podcast done by students were done just because they were in a computer class. He says the podcast were done just to show how podcast were done not because the student wanted to do it. He was saying that the teacher should allow the students to do podcast on a subject they wanted to and maybe start doing one every week or every two months or whenever. This podcast was very interesting to me. His podcast sounded very professional also it didn't sound like it was read off of paper. Third I listened to EdTech Talk number 94 it was done by Arvind Gover, Alex Ragone, and Vinnie Vrotny. It sounded like a sports radio conversation. They had a special guest on this episode named Carol Broos. Lastly I listened toMacBreak Weekly episode 128. It is done by four different men this episode was called "I Cannot Confirm Nor Deny". This podcast also sounded like a sports radio station. One of the men off of this podcast also does the This Week in Photography. This podcast wasn't as informative as the others. It seemed like they were rambling because they spent like this first ten minutes of the show talking about everything except what the podcast was about.

Vicki Davis

This video was very enlightening. Ms. Davis made a lot of useful points and recommendations for educators. Students need to become aware and proficient of the new technologies that the world has to offer right in the classroom. Many of our kids will probably learn about these things from their friends anyway. Some are also likely to use new technologies for negative purposes as well. What better way to use these advancements than for educational purposes? This will also help our students prepare for the future.

Mr. Winkle Wakes

The "Mr. Winkle Wakes" video made me think and imagine. What will the world be like 100 years from now? How will society differ? If we look back at the year 1909, society has drastically changed to say the least. This video was also funny in a sense. When I look back at my public school and now my college education, I see how so many teachers are not effectively incorporating the new technologies of the world into the classroom. Sometimes it seems like the schools, especially the public schools, have gotten left behind. This makes no sense at all! If anybody should be reaping the benefits of technological advancements, it should definitely be our children! Although its cliche', they are our future. This video also made me think about some of our elders who are like Mr. Winkle, who are afraid of technology. I really don't want to be one of those!

Did You Know 3.0

I thoroughly enjoyed this video and found it to be very fascinating. It's amazing to see how the world and technology are continually changing and advancing with each day. It causes me to wonder and imagine what the world will be like in 10, 20, 30 years from now and so on. It is truly mind-boggling, to say the least! As teachers I believe it is extremely important that we do our best to keep up with this rapidly changing society in order to better educate our children. We will be educating individuals who are most likely to be more technologically literate than we are! This is kinda scary! Its also scary to know that computers in the future will be able to do many of the things that people are paid to do right now. We're living in a time now where millions of people are already struggling with poverty and unemployment. But I do realize and understand that there are some things only that human beings can do and technology cannot replace.

Get To Know Me

Hello! My name is Jahmarkus Rabb. I am a senior at the University of South Alabama. I am an Elementary Education major, one of very few males who choose this major. I am a 21-year-old native of Mobile, Alabama, the baby boy of a blended family. I am a member of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated and I currently serve as President of our chapter. I'm also involved in the African American Student Association and the Gathering, which is a Christian club for students at this school. I also am very active in ministry at my home church. My hobbies are reading, singing, fishing, bowling, and horror movies. My future goals are to one day get married, have children, establish schools and Christian academies all over the world, and to travel globally doing missionary work and evangelism.