Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Special Metaphor Assignment (Blog Post #14)

most common metaphor sayings
1.) Why did you miss the metaphor?
When I read the post about the pencil, I was a little confused. I actually read it a couple of time trying to make sense of it. I did not receive a comment on missing the metaphor, but I think that was because I did not refer to the pencil throughout my post. After Dr. Strange had made this assignment and said if we changed the word "pencil" to "technology" it would sound completely different. I believe I had written the word "pencil" one time and I changed it and it still made sense. This post made me realize to pay more attention to what you are reading before jumping to conclusions.

2.) What metaphors have you encountered?  
The metaphor that I have encountered is one I am sure we have all heard of. There are plenty of fish in the sea. Meaning, if we break up with someone that we care about there is other single people out in the world. I actually used a metaphor tonight. I told my friend Justin that if he kept on eating he was going to get as big as a house. I am sure that we all use metaphors in our daily life, but we just don't realize it. 

3.) What other things can we do as educators to help our students to understand and to use metaphors?
I think we could go over metaphors in the classroom. I would make sure that the students fully understand a metaphor and how to use it. Then, I would have the student's create a list on metaphors they have heard or make up their own. The student's could also find metaphors in the book that they are reading.

4.) Why do we use metaphors?
I think metaphors are used to confuse us or at least some of us. Metaphors can add humor to people writings or even every day communications. It also can help open up our mind of thinking. Some metaphors make you think, especially if you don't understand it right away much like the Tom Johnson post. It also spices up your writing. 

Monday, April 25, 2011

Comment for Teachers #4

Photo of Dianne KrauseComment #1-For my fourth "Comments for Teachers" I was assigned to Dianne's Digital Discovery blog. In her blog, she writes how most educators hope that their teaching touches students in exciting ways. There are many great tools available to use for your classroom to make teaching more entertaining. She list that wikis, Twitter, blogging, comics, and video are great tools to use to make teaching more interesting.

My Comment: Mrs. Krause, I am student in Dr. Stranges's EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. I agree with you that one way teachers can engage the students is to make it fun for them. I am taking a class now that teaches you how to incorporate activities within the classroom. I have learned many ideas from that class. There are activities that you can incorporate in the classroom that I would have never thought of. Children can learn while having fun and that is what I want in my classroom. I want my students to come to my class because they are having fun and learning while doing it. Thank you for sharing your post.

Comment #2- Mrs. Krause had a short posting about using wordling. It is a lot like using wordle and all you do is sign in under your facebook or twitter account. So, if you liked doing the wordle assignment you may want to check this out.

My Comment: My name is Jennifer Hackney and I am student at the University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class. This is a great website to use. Our first assignment for this class was to create a wordle. I thought that it was cool, but I liked using the wordling also. Thank you for the post and I have really enjoyed your blog.

Final Report on PLN


For my final report on my PLN, I decided to color coat it because I wanted it to be easier to navigate through. Blue is more of social networking and email accounts. Brown is for school and tools I will need for education. I added some teacher blogs and class blogs that we have commented on. For pink, I chose to do fashion. I love purses, so I added some of my favorite designers also. Red is miscellaneous stuff that I use on a regular basis. The black tile is sports and news broadcast are orange. I really have enjoyed working with symbaloo and I will continue to use it and also add to it.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Blog Post #13

Alex
Alabama Learning ExchangeAlex stands for Alabama Learning Exchange. I have never heard of this website, but it is very handy. The first part that I visited was the course of study. It broke down each standard for the course. Standards are important as far as what we have to follow as teachers. So, I thought that it was great that it broke down each subject and grade level. It was also easy to navigate around and finding information. Under professional learning there is a resource for English Language Learners. It gives you some tips and information for teaching ELL students. I thought that was handy because I will be able to teach ELL students when I graduate and I can refer to this for information.

I personally, liked how it shows individual lesson plans. I love searching the internet and finding fun and creative activities that I could use for my future classroom. Usually, if I find a lesson plan online I like, I can add my own twist to it because I can elaborate more on it and add some of my own ideas to it. One reason why I liked searching for the lesson plan on ALEX was because it was easy to find age appropriate activities. For example, I search sixth grade science and it gave me an activity for making lip balm. This website was great and I will use this for my future classroom.

ACCESS
ACCESS started on November 1, 2004. This website was great and provides access to high school students to have an advanced diploma, dual enrollment and other great opportunities for the students. The mission of ACCESS is to provide all citizens with quality learning opportunities.  Under the student tab was information for advance placement course. It gave sample test that the student could view and study by. I think that was a great resource for the student because it would help prepare the student in case he or she chose to take AP courses. The website was great not only for the students, but also for the parents and teachers. It provided a lot of useful information and resources.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Comments for Kids #7, #8, #9, & #10

March Madness LogoFor my seventh "Comments for Kids" I was assigned to Mr.McClung's class. I commented to Lesson Learned Four - March Madness. In this post he writes about the March Madness. Basketball has dominated conversations at schools and workplaces all over the world. People and students are obsessed with their brackets. He says, "That he will be joining others doing their bracket, watch basketball, and watch his brackets fail."
My Comment: Hey! I am a student in Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class at The University of South Alabama. I am commenting on “Lesson Four – March Madness.” Basketball is my favorite sport to watch, but I did not do a bracket. It is so funny to watch the people who get all worked up about their bracket. People also get disappointed when the team they choose to win loses. Although, my team Duke did not win; I am still interested to see who is going to come out on top.

For my eighth "Comments for Kids" I was assigned to Ms. Thompson's Room 13 class blog in Adelaide, Australia. I commented to Amelia blog. In her post she writes about her family moving into a new home. Their new house has a tennis court, spiral stairs, and three bedrooms. She writes that she will miss her old house, but the new one is better because it has more space.
My Comment: Hey Amelia! My name is Jennifer and I am student at the University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange's class. I have really enjoyed reading your post. Your new house sounds awesome! I have never moved, but I do know it is a lot of hard work. You don’t realize how much stuff you have until you have to move it all. I wish you all the best of luck in school and in your new house and enjoy the tennis court.

For my ninth "Comment for Kids" we were assigned to Mrs. Yollis' class blog. This class blog was awesome. You can tell that a lot of time and effort goes into this blog. I loved how she taught her students to use proper grammar and punctuation. I also liked how she involved the student's family members. I personally think it was a great idea to have family blogging month, so the parents can be involved with the students. Parent involvement is important because you want your parents to know what is going on in the classroom and blogging is a great way to do that.

For my tenth "Comment for Kids" I was assigned to Adia's blog. Adia is an excellent writer. She has great writing skills and I personally think she will make it far with her writing techniques. I can tell that she really likes blogging and that shows on her personal blog. She seems to have a true passion for writing. I thanked her and her other two classmates for the comment that was left on our class blog. I also told her that I enjoyed reading her post on the Japanese culture. I gave her a few encouraging words and told her to keep up all the great work.



Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Progress Report on Final Project

team workFor our final project, I am working with Kristan Steele, Kenneth Nelson, Miranda Tidikis, Jenna Baxter and Ashleigh Skelton. We are doing our project on the importance of using the EDM lab. I have found that using the lab has helped me a lot during this class. So, I am excited to show everyone how the lab can help you succeed successfully in this class. I am looking forward with working with all the group members and seeing how this video plays out. Although, we do not have all the details planned out for the video, I am sure that we will all come up with some unique ideas.

Blog Post #12




Watch the video on a Brief History of Technology and write one paragraph on your reaction to this video. How do you feel about using technology in your classroom and what ways can you use technology?

My response:
I thought this video was great. I think it showed how technology has changed over time. Technology has many great benefits in our classroom. I think it is important to use technology because the students can interact. It also gives them an opportunity to learn all the great uses of technology. I plan to use smart boards in my classroom. I love how you can have your students interact and also gives them visual of what you are teaching. I also like blogs in the classroom. Blogs are a great tool to use because it gives students a chance to show off their work and communicate with others.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Blog Post #11

blog symbolMs. Cassidy's Class
I really enjoyed the video produced by Ms. Cassidy and the Skype interview. The students were involved with many tools of technology, such as, blogs, wikis, webpage's, Skype, etc. I loved how the student's had their own blog and it allowed them to communicate with their parents, teachers, and even EDM 310 students. I could tell that the students loved to receive comments from other people. I am sure that receiving positive comments from others helped build up their confidence. I know it personally makes me feel better when I receive positive comments from people on my blog. It makes me feel like I am doing a good job and doing something right. I found it to be great that the students learn what to say and not to say to other peoples blogs. You always need to provide positive feedback because like the little boy said, "you do not want to hurt anyone's feelings." I also liked how the blogs helped the students improve their writing skills. The blogs helped make them better writers and also improved on sounding out words. I thought these kids were awesome and I loved to see how involved they were with all the uses of technology. When I first seen that the students used Nintendo DS video games, I was wondering how can that be education in the classroom. I would have never thought about using it in my classroom, but there are tons of educational games you can buy for the Nintendo DS. I think that is great way to use technology and the kids are having fun and learning. I also liked Ms. Cassidy approached internet safety. Internet safety is major concern for our children because of all the negative resources on the internet. The parents are provided with a form at the beginning of the semester that gives the student permission to be on the internet. I think that is important and you do not want to let any student be on the internet that does not have parental permission because it can be a liability on you. Also, she only uses the student's first name and I think that also helps protect the student. If she puts pictures on the internet she does not match the picture with the student's name. I think that internet safety would be a concern in my classroom, but as long as I follow Ms. Cassidy's internet protocol it will be fine. I will ensure my parents that internet safety is important in my classroom and that the children know how to use the internet properly. I would love to have blogs in my classroom. I think blogs are a great way for students to interact with other people. I like how you can post your work online and everyone can see it. It also lets your family members, teachers, classmates, etc. a chance to comment on your work. Blogs also help improve children's vocabulary and their writing skills. I also would like to incorporate Skype in my classroom. Our Skype interview project was the first time I have ever used Skype. I thought Skype was awesome because you can carry on a conversation and see the person from any part of the world. I could use Skype to go with my lessons. For example, if we were discussing weather we could interview a meteorologist. I think that the students would love to do that. I will definitely use Ms. Cassidy's advice in the Skype interview with Dr. Strange. In the interview they discuss is it ok to be technology illiterate? She discusses that technology is not going away and as a teacher we need to keep up with what is going on with technology. I agree with her 100% because technology is always changing and improving. Technology can have many benefits in our classrooms and students love to use it.

Special Assignment

this is a header image


1.) Mr. McClung is an 8th grade teacher at Woodland Junior High in Fayetteville, Arkansas. I have noticed that Mr. McClung keeps it fun for his students. He uses many different teaching strategies, which I think is awesome because all students learn in their own way. Mr.McClung has a true passion for teaching which is evident through his blog. He uses technology in his classroom which I feel is beneficial to all students.
2.) Mr.McClung is a teacher that has his act together. He knows what he wants for his students and expects them to get the best out of their education. Mr.McClung demonstrates a true passion for teaching and I think that is what it is all about. An educators must have a passion for what he or she does. Teaching is not just standing in front of a class lecturing or reading off slides. It is about turning a traditional classroom setting into something fun and exciting for your students. I believe Mr. McClung has excelled at this.
3.) I personally liked Mr.McClung class rules. He only has five rules for his classroom and I think that is great. I also like how he has expectations for his students. Stay positive is one of those expectations. I believe this is outstanding because you will have some students that look down on themselves and they think they are going to fail. I know as a future educator, I want to stress to my students they can do anything if they put their mind to it. I also liked how he expected his students to communicate with each other. I think that is great because it prepares them for being able to work with others in group work or working with a partner. It will also help them develop good communication skills with others.
4.) The day planner was the first thing that his students need. I think that is the first requirement because he wants his students to stay organized. I think staying organized is important, so that way you know exactly what assignments are due. If it was not for the checklist in this class, I would be lost. Dr. Strange broke down each assignment and that made it much easier to keep up.
5.) In Dr. McClung class, there is a letter grade loss for each day an assignment is late. I think that is great because it teaches the students responsibility. They were given enough time to complete the work. If I learned something from Dr. Strange, he does not like late work at all. I learned the first day of class lateness is his biggest pet peeve. Work must not be late and you must be on time.
6.) His blog is great because it involves everyone the students, parents, and teachers. It keeps everyone up to date with what he will be doing in the classroom, such as, assignments, projects, experiments, etc. One of my goals as a teacher is to make sure I involve my parents in everything. I never want my parents to feel that they do not know what is going on in my classroom.
7.) I looked at the "Plagiarism Checker" and I thought that was fantastic. You copy and paste your children's work into the box and it will tell you if it is plagiarized or not. I think he put this in his useful links because he can tell if he students are really doing the work or not. The other link that I viewed was Discovery Education. This was a great site for teachers because it gives you free lesson plans. It also has a puzzlemaker that you could use to make assignments for your students.
8.) His internet safety rules are excellent. Internet safety is something that I feel should not be taken lightly. I have a little sister who is 11 and likes to get on YouTube. She can view videos of Justin Beiber and some of her other favorite artist. I have to stress to her all the time not to get on YouTube without supervision because if you are not careful you can pull up inappropriate videos. I think internet safety should be taught and our  students should be reminded of the safety rules for the internet each day.
9.) I was assigned to the "March Madness" post. It was a great post and talked about how people get worked up on their brackets. I like basketball, but I did not complete a bracket. The team I wanted to win was Duke, but that did not happen. Mr. McClung completed his bracket and he said he was going to watch it fail, but I am interested to see who is going to come out on top.
10.) Some things that I liked about his blog was the tabs at the top. I personally think it was easier to navigate that way. I also liked how there was an archives tab on the side where you can access previous years work. I thought that was very interesting. I found that you could chat with Mr.McClung when he was available. One other thing that I liked was the music on the blog. You could make it personal or for a class blog like this you could put the schools song on it.
11.) I thought this class blog was awesome. It was easy for anyone to navigate through it. I liked how he involved everyone the parents, teachers, and student. He keeps his parents involved and they are aware of what they are doing. I think parent involvement is very important because you want your parents to have a part in their child's education.
12.) This class blog was by far one of my favorite that I have visited. You can tell that Mr. McClung cares a lot about his students and his class blog. He involves everyone in his blog and I think that is awesome. I think that Mr. McClung has a great teaching method and I love how he is involved with his students. He makes his classroom environment fun and exciting for his students.
13.) There is not really any more comments that I would add to this blog. I think this assignment was great and I learned some awesome ideas to incorporate in my future classroom. When I become a teacher I just hope I have as much enthusiasm as Mr. McClung has for his classroom. He is a teacher that knows exactly what he wants for his students and his classroom and makes it happen. This is a great blog to keep in mind while I am in school and even after I graduate.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Blog Post #10

Morgan Bayda Post
After reading this post by Morgan Bayda,  I could relate to her. There are many times I feel cheated at Universities and I am glad that I am not the only one that feels that way. There have been countless times that I sat in two or three hour classes and come out learning nothing. Most of the time, the professor is reading off the slides or out of a book which makes it  hard to stay awake and learn. My education courses are where I learn most of my materials. I know that EDM 310 is a great example of that. We are learning materials and tools that we will use throughout our education experiences and in our classroom. At the end of this course, we are not going to walk out feeling like we have learned nothing.  Although, Dan Brown made many interesting points, I cannot say I agree with him. I personally think that dropping out of school is never the answer to anything. This post and video was great and I am glad that we were given the opportunity to comment on it.

Don't Let Them Take Pencils Home
pencil
I thought this post by Tom Johnson was awesome. I do know that students take advantage of tools that they are given. I think we should teach children proper ways to use their educational tools. If students want to play hangman, then they should. Hangman is a great way for students to work on their vocabulary and reading skills. Like the post says, "Children are learning even when we don't think they are." That is true because children are always learning in their own individual ways. If kids are playing games, having fun, and learning from it, then why can't they play games? I thought this post rocks and took an interesting approach on the use of technology. I will keep this post in mind on my educational path and for my future classroom.

Comments for Teachers #3

a character seating in a chair reading a bookPost #1- I was assigned to At the Teachers Desk blog. I commented on Creating a Textbook Based Reading Class You Can Live With: Part 1 by Mr. Chamberlain. In his post he writes about how he decided to experiment with his reading program. He was required to use a particular series and was expected to use the workbooks. He decided to add a twist to the reading program because he noticed that the students were bored and so was he. The students were reading a non-fiction story on ghost towns in the west. In his lesson, he added visual components, which I personally think is great. Each student was given a checklist of the assignments for that week and also listed the day that it was due. Here is a few of the assignments he added to his list to make it more interesting. His students would chose two out of six different activities for vocabulary and they would also view a map of McDonald County. The students would then label the ghost towns of Coy, Wylie, Saratoga Spring, and Erie and explain why they think they are no longer there. His students had different note taking techniques that they could use also.  I liked how he used checklists to make it easier for his students to stay organized and broke down each assignment.

My Comment: My name is Jennifer Hackney and I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. I think what you are doing in your classroom is great. I like how you took the initiative to create a fun and exciting reading program for your students. The checklist that you created was a great idea because it is a great way to keep your students organized and let them know what assignments are due.  I like how you incorporated activities to go along with your reading assignments to make them more interesting and fun for your students.

Post #2-This is part two of Mr. Chamberlain's Creating a Textbook Based Reading Class You Can Live With a series on modifying a textbook based classroom. In this post he listed different approaches he uses for vocabulary. His students were to choose two of the approaches and here is what they could choose. The students could create graphic representations of each vocabulary word, write definitions of each vocabulary word, write definitions, create flash cards, use in graphic organizer as outlined in skills section, create a word web with synonyms of the vocabulary, or create a word web with antonyms of the vocabulary. Mr. Chamberlain says,"That only one out of four students choose to write the definitions and the ones who do are the student's who grasp vocabulary the best." Flash cards allowed his student's to have social interaction with a partner because he allowed them to practice that way. Creating a synonym or antonym word web worked best for many students. Many of his students would use visuwords to find synonyms and antonyms. Visuwords is a website that makes connections between words visual. I found this to be interesting and awesome. Before he changed to this method his average written test scores were in the mid 60's. Now, his average test score is in the high 80's. I think this is awesome!

My Comment: Hi, My name is Jennifer Hackney and I am student in Dr. Strange’s EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. I have to say I have really enjoyed your post. What you are doing in your classroom is great! You have given me many ideas on ways to incorporate vocabulary in my future classroom. I also find it awesome that your students test scores went up. That just shows that you are doing a great job in your classroom and you really care for your students. Thanks for your post. You can see a summary of your post on my personal blog at htttp://HackneyJenniferedm310.blogspot.com

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Comments for Kids #4,#5, and #6

children from all over the worldFor my fourth "Comments for Kids" I was assigned to Miss. Garden's class in Pt England School in Auckland, NZ. I was assigned to Maru, a sixth year student in room seventeen. In his post, he writes about his class receiving netbooks. Each student was given a netbook and was able to take it home also. Maru is super excited about receiving his netbook and said it was like receiving a Christmas present.

My Comment: Hey Maru, I attend the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. I am a student in Dr. Stranges EDM 310 class. I think that it is awesome that your class received netbooks. You will see what a great benefit that they are for your education. Technology has many great benefits and it is great that you have it at your finger tips at all times. I wish you all the best of luck with continuing your education and make the most out of the great uses of technology.

For my fifth "Comments for Kids" I was assigned to Mrs. Lagitupu class in Pt England School in Auckland, NZ. I was assigned to Mauina, a year eight student in room twenty-one. In her blog, she writes about the 6.3 magnitude earthquake that hit Christchurch, NZ. She describes the event as people having lost their lives and many have no place to live.

My Comment: Mauina, I am student at the University of South Alabama. I am in Dr. Stranges EDM 310 class. I really have enjoyed reading your post. I feel for the people affected by the earthquake. The magnitude of the earthquake shows how powerful an earthquake can be. It is really sad to think of all the people who were injured and lost their lives on that tragic day. That is why we need to be thankful for our lives each and every day and not take it for granted. Living on the coast, I have seen my share of what nature can do. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. Many people lost their homes and had no place to go. Though we were affected by a natural disaster the community as a whole pulled together to rebuild.

For my sixth "Comments for Kids" I was assigned to Mrs. Phares' class. I was assigned to Shawnee blog a student in Mrs. Phares fourth period class. In her blog she writes that cyber bullying is wrong and it is sad when people bully each other.

My Comment: Hey Shawnee, I am student in Dr. Stranges EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. I have enjoyed reading your post about cyber bullying. I agree with you that it is wrong and I don’t understand why people do it. Maybe it makes them feel in control of that person. Bullying is a major problem in our society today and that is sad. My motto is treat others how you would like to be treated. No one likes to miss treated, so we should all try to get along.

Blog Assignment #9

What I've Learned This Year
Chalk board that says teachers plant seeds of knowledge that grows foreverI really enjoyed reading this post by Mr. McClung. In his post, he writes about his first year of being an elementary teacher. Here are some of the points that he learned. Be flexible because there will be obstacles that come along and as a teacher you have to change your plans. I liked what he said, "No lesson is ever perfect. The lesson you teach and the one you plan are always different." When things may go wrong, we have to work with it and turn it into a positive situation. He also writes about communicating and that it is the best medicine. I agree with him 100%. We need to have positive communication with our students, parents, co-workers, and also our bosses. If we have issues you need to talk it over to solve any problems. I will take Mr. McClung advice on communication. He suggests that you practice good communication skills because it is the hardest skill to develop. I do not have the best communication skills with others because I am very quiet and shy. I know that communication is something that I personally need to work on. Another point that he made was listen to your students. I think that is very important. I personally think that teachers should take time to learn each and every individual student. I want my student's to trust me and come to class ready to learn. I want to make a difference in my student's life and be the teacher that they look up to. His last point was never stop learning. As a future educator we have to be open and willing to learn. We might be an educator, but we are still not going to know everything. I have learned so much reading Mr. McClung post. He pointed out some great points and I know we will all probably feel a little over whelmed our first year of teaching. So, we could all take the advice that he wrote and use it.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Blog Post 8

young man looking at the sky with words in itThis Is How We Dream, Part One and Part Two
This video by Richard Miller was interesting and it was done in a unique way. I liked how he showed the information in the background of the presentation because it keeps your attention and you are able to see what he is talking about. In the beginning of his presentation he pointed out some great points. With technology you are able to instantly communicate globally with others. Dr. Miller believes that we are at the greatest change in human communication and in human history.

I personally like the idea of multimedia and I think it can have a tremendous impact on our education. Multimedia can give a person a chance to show off his or her creativity. I think creativity is important because it gives you an opportunity to think outside the box and come up with something unique. Dr. Miller has done work with his team and they not only used text, but also images, films, Skype, etc. to make a more unique project. He also showed a document that he shared with his students that he had handouts and also a visual available.

 I thought the presentation on Dr. Martin Luther King was great. It was done in a creative way and I liked how he used text, video, and sound in the presentation. That shows that we can make presentations creative if we put our mind to it. Dr. Miller said,"Large restrictions are the ones we place on ourselves." I agree with him 100%. As a future educator, one thing that I do not want to hear in my classroom is "I can't do it." I want to stress to my students that they can do anything if they put their mind to it. Overall this video was great and I learned a lot of useful information from it.

Chipper Series and EDM310 for Dummies
I thought these student produced videos were great. EDM310 was a great example of how I felt the beginning of the semester. There was plenty of times I wanted to pull my hair out and pick up my computer and throw it because I felt overwhelmed. Once you start to get the hang of the class it is not that bad as long as you keep up with the work and don't get behind. I think I would like help create a video. It would be interesting to go around campuses not only at the university, but also in town and talk with teachers about technology. It would be interesting to know how many teachers use a smartboard in the classroom and if they actually know how to use it. I believe there are a lot of teachers who don't use a smartboard because they don't know how to use. I love smartboards and I want to learn how to use it more because when I graduate I want to be ready to use a smartboard in my classroom.

Learn to Change, Change to Learn
This video was awesome and had many great points. Technology plays a tremendous role on our students. Children are living now through twitter, facebook, email, and text messaging. Children learn not only in the classroom, but also through the community, at home, in libraries, in museums and on the web. We have classroom systems when we could have a community system. One point that stuck out to me was about the standard testing. Economically, it is a foolish idea because the jobs that our students get are not going to call for a right answer approach. Instead, they are going to look at how you work with teams, synthesis, how you use content, etc. This is why we need to learn to change and change to learn to better ourselves.

The Secret Powers of Time by Philip Zambardo
This video is awesome and was done in a creative way and I liked how he drew what he was talking about. He pointed out some great points in the presentation. He pointed out there are people who dwell on the future, past, and present. I liked how he said that in different cultures people have a different pace of life. People from the North are more future oriented than the people in the South. One statics that is scary to me is that he said,"That every nine seconds a child drops out of school." Children don't see how important education is for their future and to know that every nine seconds a child drops out of school is sad. Another point that I liked was about family values. Now, only 20% of Amercians have sit down dinners with their family. He said," You can't have family values if you don't have sit down dinners." I think family dinners are important because it gives everyone in the family an opportunity to come together and communicate with each other.

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by David Pink
This video was very interesting and had many great points. This video pointed out that people who are paid more money in the workforce did a poorer job than the people who were paid less. If people would pay their employees enough to get the issue of money off the table they will do better. Three factors that lead to a better performance is one autonomy which means is desire to be self directed. Second, is mastery which means to urge to get better at stuff. Purpose is the third factor that leads to a better performance. More and more organisations want to have a purpose because it makes coming to work better and also better talent.

Project #13 Smartboard Instruction



Driving Lessons
A Smartboard Lesson by:
Jennifer Hackney, Kenneth Nelson, Ashleigh Skelton, and Miranda Tidikis

I personally think that our group did a great job on the smartboard presentation. We did a short presentation on driving lessons and after the lesson we then had a quiz. We used a device called a clicker and they were able to answer the questions using the clicker and after the quiz they were able to get immediate feedback on how they did. The clickers are great to use because it was fun and it was a great way to get students to interact with the smartboard.

I learned so much from this project. All though no one in my group knew much about a smartboard we were all able to come together to create a unique lesson. I am so glad that we used the clickers for our lesson. I have used the clickers before at my junior college because that is how one of my teachers did her test. So, it was cool learning how to construct smartboard questions using the clicker device.

Here is the results of the google form. The two young ladies that took the quiz did a great job. They seemed very interested in the clickers because it was something new to them and they also did excellent on the form. I know our lesson was basic and they knew the information anyways it was still great to have them interact with us.
2responses

Summary



What should be worn by the driver and all passengers at all times?
seatbelt seat belts
What is a cushion in motor vehicles that inflates upon impact. It cushions people from being thrown into the wheel, dashboard, and windshields.
airbag air bag
When someone is tailgating you, this is what you should do
speed up00%
slam on breaks00%
if you feel uncomfortable pull off the road and let them pass2100%
fix your mirrors00%
A pedestrian is walking across the street in your path of driving you should
A pedestrian is walking across the street in your path of driving you should00%
slow down and come to a complete stop and allow them to clear your vehicle2100%
bump them with your car00%
all the above00%
When there is no traffic at all, it is okay for me to text message.
True00%
False2100%
A yield sign is red because it means I should stop.
True2100%
False00%
_____________________ is dangerous driving that can result in accidents.
High-risk behaviorHigh-Risk behaviors
_____________________ is any violation of the current traffic code.
Traffic ViolationTraffic Violation
_____________________ is any display of aggression by any angry or impatient or passenger of a motor vehicle.
Road rageRoad Rage
Untitled Question
True00%
False2100%

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Progress Report on PLN Project #10

symbaloo symbol
For my PLN, I used Symbaloo. It was very easy to use and to understand. I tried to color coordinate my PLN. For fashion, I used pink and had the websites of my favorite purses, clothing, and shopping places. Orange was for news broadcast, such as weather, local news channels, and global news. The black is for sports. I am not a huge sports fan, but I wanted to be somewhat up to date with the news. I have Nascar, ESPN, and Dukes basketball home website on my PLN.  The brown represents everything that I use for school. For example, our classblog, timetoast, USA home website, and Sparknotes. I used blue to represent for social networking. I have Facebook, Twitter, class blog, Skype, and my email accounts on it. Red is for all other websites that do not fit into a category, that I use on a weekly basic.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Blog Post 7

Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhootd Dreams
This lecture is awesome and is worth the time to watch it. Randy Pausch is a great role model. He did not let the hardships of life bring him down. Randy Pausch was diagnosed with cancer and he passed away in 2008. I watched more videos posted about him and he truly was a great person. He has made a great impact on people and has made a tremendous difference in education. His story has made a great difference in my life. The doctors only gave him a few months to live, but he still keep on living for the time he had left. Dr. Randy Pausch was a husband and a father to three small children. He was such a great person and he will always be remember. I would defentitally check out more videos on him because they are great.

In his presentation, he pointed out many of his childhood dreams. I like how he said, "That you need to have specific dreams." I agree with him. Everyone should have childhood dreams. Although, you may not acomplish some of your dreams it can still have an affect on you. For example, Mr. Pausch did not accomplish the dream of playing for the NFL, but football still was apart of his life. He was ok with not accomplishing his dream of playing with the NFL, but he probably got more stuff more valuable. One of the points he made was that experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. I think that is well put because we can all learn from our experiences.

In his lecture he gave many great techniques that you can use for teaching. I noticed throughout his speech he used a lot of props for his lectures. I thought that was very interesting because it actaully keeps your attention. He used technology, videos, and group work. He used technology beyond searching the internet for information. Here is an example of what I mean. Alice is a program that teaches computer programs and this is his professional legacy. The children were able to make movies and games. They also are learning how to program and yet they don't realize it. One thing that he said, "Millions of kids having fun while learning something hard." That is a great concept because we should want our students to learn, but also have fun while doing it.

In the closing of his lecture he gave some great tips. Here is few of his tips: Get feedback and use it, show gratuitde, don't complain just work harder, be prepared, and find the best in everybody. No one is all evil because everyone has a good side. He pointed out, "That it is not how to achieve you dreams but how to lead your life." If you live your life the right way, the dreams will come to you. Again, this lecture was awesome and was worth every minute of watching it.

Comment for Teachers #2

Post #1-Manaiakalani Research
I was assigned to Manaiakalani blog. Manaiakalanin Project is research that has been collected from 2008-2010 based on e-Learning. The focus question of this project was "What is the impact of the Manaiakalani Project on literacy teaching and learning? There are seven schools in New Zealand given the oppurtunity to particpate in this project. The research focused on the achievement of students in Literacy, including speaking, reading, and writing. It also focused on the use of technnology for students. Here are a few things that were found from the Manaiakalani Research: Students achievement levels had risen by 2010, it took two to three years for teachers to implement the project, and took about two to three years for teachers to full integrate e-Learning. Here is a link to the blog for more of the data collected through this project:

My Comment:
My name is Jennifer Hackney and I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. I really have enjoyed everything in your blog and it has some great information. The Manaiakalani project is awesome. Sounds like you and your team are making a tremendous difference in students lives. As a future educator, I want to be the teacher who makes a difference and I want my students to be eager and ready to learn.

Post#2- T.E.A.M
New Zealand Earthquake
This post is from Manaiakalani on the New Zealand earthquake. TEAM stands for together everyone achieves more. This is so true, because if everyone works together it will come out better in the end. Team work is the best for anything. In this post, she writes that on television they showed streets coming together for cookouts and encouraging each others in this devasting time. This was a great example of team work.

My Comment:
I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. The recent disaster in New Zealand is devastating. At times like this is when team work is effective. Like you said, "Together everyone achieves more." I have never been in an earthquake, but I have experienced a hurricane being on the coast. When Hurricane Katrina came through my hometown in Mississippi, it was destroyed by the storm. Everyone in our community came together and supported each other and helped with the clean up efforts. This is just an example of how teams are great. In natural disasters it is best when everyone in the community works together to rebuild. I send all my prayers to New Zealand because they have lost so much and are in need of help. My personal blog is http://hackneyjenniferedm310.blogspot.com if you would like to check it out.

Project #11 Short Movie

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Comments for Kids #1, #2, and #3

For my first "Comments for Kids" I was assigned to Mrs. White's fourth grade class in Crozet, Virginia. Mrs. White is a passionate teacher and you can tell that she has a heart for her children. I commented to Eli's blog. In his blog, he writes about water war games and the winner would receive ten dollars. Eli describes his games using water noodles, water guns, and water soccer. I enjoyed reading his post and as I read his other post, it was apparent that he has a great passion for writing.

My Comment to Eli: I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange's class. I really enjoyed reading your post. I love water games and you gave me some great ideas on new games that I could play. I look forward to hearing more from you and thanks for the post.

My second "Comments for Kids" I was assigned to Mr. St. Pierre's class. He is a 5th grade teacher at Terryville Elementary School in New York State. I was assigned to comment to Michael's blog. Michael's blog was about how he liked to play with Lego's and how he loved to build cool stuff with the Lego's

My Comment to Michael: I am a student at the Univesity of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama in Dr. Strange's class. I agree with you that Lego's are cool. I have a nephew that is always playing with Lego's and making the biggest mess throughout the house. I also enjoy building things with him because you don't realize all of the cool things you can build. I really enjoyed reading your post and keep on writing.

For my last "Comments for Kids" I was assigned to Hope a fifth year student from Pt. England School in Auckland, New Zealand in Mr. Chris Mark's class. For her post she had a picture of herself titled, "This is Me." It is so great what these students are doing at such a young age.

My Comment to Hope: I am a student from the University of South Alabama in the United States. I am an Elementary Education major in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. I think it is great that you have your own blog. Technology is great and it is so cool that we can communicate with each other from opposite sides of the world. I wish you all the best of luck in continuing your education.

Blog Post 6

The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler
I really enjoyed this video and thought its creation was interesting. I like the idea of connectivisim. According to this video, connectivism is a theory that learning occurs as part of social networking of many diverse connections and ties. It allows you to use all tools of technology , such as internet, blogging, search engines and many more. I also liked how you can connect with other s which strengthens the learning progress. I personally learn more when I work with others and have different people’s opinions. An example of this is our blogs. I always learn from what people comment on my post because people can interpret things differently than what I took it as. So, it is great to have other people’s opinions because it can make you think out of the box and open your mind up to different outlooks.

Another point that I liked about connectivism is the students take charge of their education. The students don’t have books and the teacher hardly lectures. I am going to be completely honest, when a teacher is lecturing, unless it is a topic I am interested in, I tune them out. I tend to learn more when I am on the internet navigating to find information. For example, I have learned more information in EDM 310 than any other class this semester because you have to do the work on your own. Of course, there is help when you need it. Reason I say this is because you don’t have a teacher standing in front of you telling you a bunch of facts. Instead, we have to use technology and learn the most from it. I know what I learn from this class will always follow me through my education

So, you ask why the Networked Students need a teacher? Well, for one, we don’t know everything. So, we are going to need some guidance from the teacher. The instructor teaches the students how to properly communicate with each other and I think that is very important, especially this day in time. I am sure that most of us text on our cells phones. How many of you shorten your words for example, letter “u” meaning you? I know that I do and when we properly communicate with others we need to make sure that we don’t use that type of communication. The teacher can also teach you how to maintain your personal network and skills that will be needed for the 21st century.
student working with a smartboard
A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment (or PLN)
I thought this 7th grader did a great job on her PLN. She had it well organized and you can tell that she had spent a lot of time on it. She gave me some great ideas for my own PLN. I liked how she had a note taking program on her PLN. I think that would be great to add to mine because there are many times that I just write down notes and a lot of it is unorganized. And sometimes I don’t remember what the note was for. So, the note taking program could be helpful and a great tool to have.

Critiques on Smartboards
In both, Why Smartboards are a Dumb Initiative and Why I Hate Interactive Whiteboards; I can see their point of view. Yes, they are expensive, but I think they are great tools to have in a classroom. When doing observation hours for a class last semester, I saw firsthand that students like working with smartboards. I noticed the students were eager to come to the board and participate in class. I think participation is a main key to effective teaching because we want our students to be engage and eager to learn.

A blog that I found was, Smartboard Survey-teachers like’m. I thought this was interesting because the results came from 237 teachers who did a survey on the use of smartboards. A question that was asked “was how many teachers find that their students are more engaging with the use of the smartboard?” 214 teachers agreed and 23 disagreed with the question. This just shows that smartboards are great tools to have in a classroom and are beneficial to our students. So, as future educators if we have a smartboard, we need to make sure we use it!
Here is the link:

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Project 9b




Nicholas Sparks is one of my favorite authors. I am not a big reader, but I love his books. I fell in love with the movies, but the movies do differ from the books. So, it is a good idea to read the book and watch the movie. I found all the information on Nicholas Sparks' personal website. The images for his books came from his website, and the movie photos were found on google. For the books, they did not list the day that the book was released, so I made up a day, but the year and month is correct. Here is a link to his website: http://www.nicholassparks.com/

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Blog Post 5

Judy Scharf Podcast Collection
Judy Scharf's post had many helpful tips for a podcast. I liked how she pointed out that students love to do podcast and I agree with her. I personally believe that students love working with technology and podcast are a great tool to use. One of the benefits she listed was  that students can enhance their communication skills. That is so true because the students get to work together and talk among people and classmates. I believe that if we start our children out at a young age working with other people, it will have a positive effect on them in the end.

Eagles Nest Radio and Class Blog
The podcast I listened to was All Roads Lead to Rome. It was hard to believe that these kids are only in elementary school. The children did a great job and you can tell that the kids had there act together and they sounded professional.  I also learned some information about Rome that I didn't know. One thing that I liked was the music throughout the podcast. I think that is a great tool to add to a podcast. Overall, these kids did  awesome. I think it is fantastic what these young students are doing. They are opening themseleves up to the great uses of technology.

The Education Podcast Network
The Education Podcast Network is a great tool for teachers. It shares information about podcast programs among teachers. The teachers are able to share ideas and knowledge amongst each other. I believe this network is great for current teachers and future educators. This network shares many podcast that are very helpful. I think all teachers and future educators should use this network. The network will grow as people share information and ideas.



Project 9a

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Project #8

Podcast Project by Jennifer Hackney and Kenneth Nelson

We interviewed Raymond Hunt and Mr. Fry from Denton Middle School about the pros and cons of technology in the classroom.

Click the image below to listen to our podcast.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Blog post 4

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?
Scott McLeod is an Associate Professor at Iowa State University. He is the Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education, also known as CASTLE. This is the only organization that educates schools and teachers about technology. Mr. McLeod is one of the leading academic experts for school technology issues.

I enjoyed this post made by Mr. McLeod and he made some great points. First, when I was reading I thought he was serious, but as I got to the end, I saw his sarcasm. Technology is becoming more advanced, which is a great thing. I believe that technology can have a bad influence on children, but the wordly things can to. We should not let the negative issues of technology hold us back from all the great things that technology can provide. I believe the good outweighs the bad.

The iSchool Initiative
This was a really great video. I personally like the idea of having an iSchool. It would allow chiildren to have access to great tools in the palm of their hand. It would also cut down on the use of paper, which is great for our enviornment. I also like how you can have access to textbooks on the itouch. This would be a great benefit to our students because they would not have to carry around heavy bookbags that can actually cause shoulder strain!

The only problem that I have with the ischool is sending emails to the parents about homework and assignment due dates. Sending emails to the elementary school aged parents is ok, but not to the older ones. The only reason I say that is because when they graduate from high school and they go to college, the Professor's are not going to send parents emails about assignments. So, I think it needs to be the student's responsibilty in remembering and doing assignments. Other than that, I think the ischool would be ideal. It would have such a positive impact on our students.

The Lost Generation
I thought this was a great video. It is sad, but a lot of what she was saying is true. Their are many parents who put there job, before their children. I personally believe that family should come before anything else. It was cool though how she made something negative into a postive. I think she had a great approach to it. It surley caught my attention.

Music NotesEric Whitacre's Virtual Choir
This was really amazing. You would not have thought that everyone would sound beautiful together, considering they had never met before. This just shows what a great benefit techology is. Technology can be used for so much, but I have to say, I have never seen anything like this. It is crazy to me that these people used the internet and formed something so beautiful.

Teaching in the 21st Century
This video was inspiring to me. One thing that pointed out to me was that students do not need to be entertained, they need to be engaged. I thought that was very well put. Entertainment is short-lived and engagement has long term results. Isn't that what we want for our students? We want them not to just memorize information, but learn from it also. Our goal as teachers should be to provide our students with meaningful and powerful engagement.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Comments for Teachers #1

Post #1- Fluency Timerchildren on laptops
My teacher was Mathew Needleman. The post that I commented to was Fluency Timer. Mr. Needleman created a software application that timed and recorded students as they read. The students were then able to listen to themseleves. After the students listened, they were able to hear their mistakes. The students were very eager to keep reading and improve their reading skills.

My Comment:
Hi! My name is Jennifer Hackney and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am majoring in Elementary Education and I am in micro-computing system (EDM 310). I think it is awesome that you have created a software that will help students become more fluent in reading. When I was younger, I had a hard time with reading, and it would of been great to have had this software . I love that your students are eager to read more and improve their reading skills. It is always great to see students ready to learn. Your blog is great and has awesome ideas to incorporate in your classroom. Our class blog is http://edm310.blogspot.com and my personal blog is http://hackneyjenniferedm310.blogspot.com if you would like to check it out. I look forward to your future post and talking with you.

Post #2- Close the Computer Lab
This post was by Mathew Needleman. In his post he talks about schools that have computer labs, but are not using them. The reasons why computer labs are not being used are:  the computers are barely working; the lab is not staffed; and locked labs with broken computers. Mr. Needleman suggest that schools have both, school libraries and classroom libraries. If computers are in the classroom the teachers will have constant access. Also the computers will become a great benefit for teaching and learning.

My Comment:
Mr. Needleman,
My name is Jennifer Hackney and I am a student in Dr. Stranges EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. I think you brought up some good points. I like the idea of having school libraries and classroom libraries. I believe it would be great if all teachers could have computers in their classroom. When I was in high school, I can not even remember how many times I went to lab and the computers didn’t work. That was very frustrating, especially when you are trying to get work done. I look forward to your future post. My personal blog again is http://hackneyjenniferedm310.blogspot.com and my twitter is @jenniferhckny if you would like to check it out.

Blog Post 3

college students in a classroom on laptops
Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today
I really enjoyed this video. It was the true life of a college student, from over priced books to costly tuition. There has been plenty of times that I have bought a textbook and never taken the plastic off of it. One thing, that I don't understand, is why do students pay for school and don't even show up. College is tough and we have to pay for it, so we might as well do the work and come to class. One reason why I chose to attend South is because of the small class sizes. I really enjoy the smaller classes and many of my teachers know me by name.

I liked how the video picked out the hours that students spend on their cell phones, internet, watching television, and listening to music. I know I am guilty of those things, especially the use of cellphones. I probably spend a combined two hours texting and talking on the phone through out the day. Sometimes, I spend more time on facebook and wathcing television, than I do on my school work. Now, I get my work done, but still procrastinate. One thing that I did not notice in the video was procrastination. I think it plays a big role in college students today. I am sure there are alot of students who stay up late the night before to write a paper that is due the next day. I know I am guilty of it.

"It's Not About the Technology" by Kelly Hines
I really enjoyed reading the post from Mrs. Kelly Hines. It was filled with some great information. I liked how she pointed out, that its not all about the technology that helps the students learn. I agree that teachers must be learners. As future educators, I believe, when doors open for us to learn new things, we should jump on it. We should always be ready and willing to learn. I also agree that we should be up to date on research and tools that can be incorporated into our classroom. As this will help us to see how students learn individually.

Technology is useless without good teaching, that is so true. I have seen first hand how technology is wasted by a teacher that is not trained or does not feel comfortable enough to use it. I think all teachers should be properly trained in specific technology such as, the Smart Boards. That way, we know the teacher understands how to use it for their lessons. I also, have seen first hand how students interact with the Smart Board. The students loved working with it and were more involved during class. I think it would be great if all teachers could have a Smart Board, but I know they are pricey. There are some teachers who don't like to use technology and that is when technology is being wasted. Many teachers don't want to change their way of teaching, but I think all educators should be willing to try something new.

Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
I thought this post was blunt and straight to the point. This made me think, is it ok to be techologically illerate? I know teachers take on a tremendous responsibility all ready. Many teachers may feel as though they don't have time to learn. Others teachers are set in their ways and don't want to change their style of teaching.

Staying up to date with the newest technology can be very hard. I know that technology is changing constanlty. I think as future educators, we should make the best of it. We should incorporate it in our lessons because students like using technology. I think if teachers use technology in their classroom they will find that there students are more involoved and keep their attention longer. For me personally, I will strive to learn the latest technology and apply it to my classroom.

Gary Hayes Social Media Count
The Social Media Count is really cool. It is crazy how much social networking and the internet is constantly rising. This shows us that technology will play a tremendous role in teaching. That's why I am glad to have this class because it is taking us out of our norm and opening us up to all kinds of new skills we will need to be successful with the use of technology. Technology is constantly changing, so we will obviously have to be up to date on the new trends of technology.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Blog Post 2

Did You Know?
I thought this video was awesome. It was filled with so much useful information. This video showed how much technology is used throughout the world. For, example the use of Google, to Myspace, to online dating. I think, sometimes we get caught up in our own little world we don't see what goes on. For example, I never thought that China would soon be the number one English speaking country.

I think the use technology is very great, but also can be taken advantaged of. For example, the illegal downloading of music. I would of never thought that 694,000 songs were download during this five minute presention. I also think it is crazy that if Myspace was a county, it would be the fifth largest. That just shows how much a demand social networking is. This video really opened my eyes and made me look at things at a different perspective.


Mr. Winkle Wakes
This video was so cute, but sad. Mr. Winkle just awoke one day to find the world had changed. It shows how much technology has changed over time and is still changing today. The use of medicine has came such a great way. Now, there are cures for some cancers and diseases and 50 years ago that would not of been true. It is all because of technology,we are able to do that.

When Mr. Winkle arrived back to the school 100 years later, it was still the same. I hate to say it, but that is true at some schools. Many schools can't afford the use of technology and I think that can hurt the students in the long run. I think we should strive to get schools to have technology in the classroom because it will have such a great impact on our students. When I was in elementary school we did not have many computures at all and if we did,they did not work. So, when I got to middle school I did not know much about computers. I knew the basic stuff, but that was it. I love that technology is having such a great impact and it is only going to get better as years go on.

Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
Sir Ken Robinson is a creativity expert. He provided so much useful information for teachers. This video makes me think back from when I was in school. Did anyone ever hold me up from my creativity? I think creativity is very important and I love to see students being creative. When I was in high school, I was in a childcare class where we went to daycares and worked. When I was there, the students in the preschool class were given a colorsheet with a dog on it. One student colored the dog purple and the teacher told the little girl that dogs are not purple and for her to redo it. Although, the teacher saw no wrong in what she had done,I found that to be very wrong and I feelt bad for the little girl. I think her creativity was being taken away from her.

My favorite part of the video was about the little girl who was drawing a picture of God. Her teacher said," No one knows what God looks like." The little girl responded by saying," They will in a minute." I thought that was so cute. That just shows that our students can be creative and we don't need to take that away from them. I think as upcoming teachers we need to have assignments that opens up our students creativty. Like Mr. William said, " Everyone is born with creativity."

Cecielia Gault Interview Sir Ken Robinson
Cecielia Gault goes to a Performing Arts school. She seems to be a very smart little girl. She did a great job with this interview with Sir Ken Robinson. I think all teachers would like to have a student like Cecielia. She has her act together, that is for sure. I know when I was her age, I would not of went out and interviewed someone. So, I find that awesome that she done this interview.

I like how the interview picked out that we need to make better use of technology. I find that so true because their is so much, as teachers that we can do to make our classroom better. I also liked how it picked out the myths of creativity. One myth is that only certain people are creative. I agree with him 100% because everyone is creative and has the ability to be creative.

Vicki Davis: Harness Your Digital Smarts
I think Mrs. Davis is an amazing teacher. She seems to have a real passion for teaching. I like how she incorported technology in her classroom. Her students also teaches lessons, which I thought was great because it gives the students a chance to be the teacher. Mrs. Davis said, "We need to empower our students." I think that statement is so true. We need to get our students more involved and motivate them to be the best they can be.

I just wish there were more teachers like Mrs. Davis that uses technology in a classroom. I know for a fact there are many teachers, especially the older generation that are against the use of technology. I know when I become a teacher, I will use technology in my classroom. You could also get students to use the Smartboards and to help with the lessons. This class is a great example of how to use technology and I am learning so much from it. I plan to take what I learn from this class and incorporate it in my classroom. I personally think all teachers should stive to be like Mrs. Davis and get our students more invovled in the great use of technology.

little girl on a computer