Blog Post #15 Final Reflection

Project #13 Collaboration

Final Project

Project #15 SmartBoard Instruction

Final Report on PLN

Final Report on my PLN
     Honestly, trying to figure out how to customize a PLN for me was little difficult. I tried using a few sites that Dr. Strange suggested, but nothing really worked for me. That is, until I figured out that my computer was keeping track of what websites I visited and how often I was on those sites. I then figured out how to create a PLN that works for me. On Safari, you can choose twelve sites to have listed at all times. For me, this was the perfect PLN. I have the websites I use the most in one convenient location. Any other websites that I find, I simply Bookmark and place into the appropriate folders that I have already set up. On my PLN, I have the following sites as my main pages:

1. Blogger
2. Google
3. USA Online
4. Pinterest
5. Facebook
6. Twitter
7. Delicious
8. Skype
9. YouTube
10. Gary's Social Media Count
11. The New York Times
12. South Alabama

My PLN helps me stay organized and help me get to these websites quickly. I'll admit that I didn't understand how beneficial a PLN could be at first, but now I really appreciate having it set up. I am very excited to keep working on and improving my PLN. I know that my PLN will be extremely beneficial to me as a student and future teacher!

Comments for Teacher in November

Mary Worrell

Comment 3.1

     The first post I commented on Mary Worrell's blog was titled, Slippery Slopes. Worrell was discussing the article, MPAA: you can infringe copyright just by embedding a video. After summarizing what the article reports, Worrell asks the questions, "How often do you embed videos on your Facebook profile? On your blogs? On your Twitter feed? How often do your students do it?" These questions made me think how often I see embedded material in every day life. I know I have seen at least ten videos on Facebook that were posted within twenty-four hours. Also, every time I go to any of my classmates' blogs, I see videos from video hosting tools. In Worrell's post, she states that the ease of sharing the videos is what makes these tools so useful and convenient for users. I agree with Worrell because it is incredibly easy for users to embed videos, which is beneficial to human kind in my opinion. Video hosting tools help make sharing information simple, which helps humans become life long learners. Therefore, it is a cause for concern that the Internet is constantly being challenged, particularly with embedded information. As Worrell states, "...a decision to view embedded content in this way could have far more reaching consequences than intended." By considering embedded content as online piracy, we would be limiting our information and knowledge. We would be essentially holding ourselves back from reaching our full potential. 

Comment 3.2

     The second post I commented on was titled, The Importance of Teaching Brainstorming. I was interested to see a teacher's perspective on brainstorming. Sure, I remember my elementary teachers' explaining how to brainstorm, but that was the end of it. When it came time to assign a paper, I was always told what to write about. I never was pushed to come up with my own topics until college. After reading Worrell's post, I was excited that Worrell understands the importance of assign papers to her students that they have to brainstorm and come up with a topic without her assistance. I think that it is crucial for students to learn how to think on their own without being spoon-fed by a teacher. I also believe that students tend to put more effort into papers that they are able to have some control over. If the topic is one that the student is interested in, they will research the topic more in depth and plan out the paper ahead of time. I commented on Worrell's post that the best papers I have written were on topics that I was allowed to choose, and I thanked her for sharing the importance of brainstorming with other bloggers.

Blog Post #13

Comments for Kids in November

Comment 3.1

In my first assigned C4K for the month of November a young girl named Seanan had written a reflection of the month of October on her experiences in the classroom.  She shared several stories about her projects and assignments given in class, as well as some of the experiments that the class had partook in during the month.  Seanan told a story about Monster Bash, which is a festival during the Halloween week that many of the students look forward to all year.  At the Bash they had a chocolate fountain, games, and had a costume parade that students were judged in (that was Seanan's favorite part of the Monster Bash).  During English class Seanan was assigned to write a scary story that related to Halloween.  Lastly, she shared that a project they completed during October was of historical theme.  Seanan chose to complete a project about the thirteen colonies.  My comments on Seanan's blog post were brief.  I told her how much I enjoyed reading her blog, and the fact that she was using her blog to educate others all over the world is very important.  I also said that I was jealous of her class' ability to use a blog in the first place and to keep listening to Mr. Spicer; from a teacher like him she can learn a great deal.

“One hundred percent of the shots you don’t take don’t go in”.

                 Wayne Gretzky

Comment 3.2

The last comment for the month came from Kayla Waite.  Kayla is a tenth grade student who is a part of Jamie Lynn Martin's English class at Baldwin County High School.  Ms. Martin is somewhat of a local celebrity her in EDM310.  Kayla's post was a reflection on a reading she was assigned, and created a post about a feeling that could be related with to a character in the assigned work.  Alienation was the topic of her post.  Throughout the post Kayla used some of her own life experiences to draw a picture of the struggle the protagonist was enduring.  I left Kayla comments on her blog post pertaining to the feeling of alienation.  She seemed innately in-touch with the feelings that many adolescent teens endure throughout their high school career.  I gave her substantive and reliable advice that said to keep your head up and keep looking forward to college.  

 These are my last C4K comments from EDM 310. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading student blogs from all over the world. I have seen how much potential students do have and how creative students can be. I never thought that students would be able to blog as well as they do, or would be able to create videos that they were able to post online. I will incorporate blogging in my classroom when I begin teaching, because it does seem like the students enjoy being able to blog and receive feedback from visitors around the globe. I have learned that blogging will help my students become lifelong learners and networked students, both of which will help them become successful adults in the future. Thank you to Dr. Strange for assigning the students of EDM 310 C4K each week, and thank you to all the teachers who have encouraged their students to post blogs. To all the student bloggers that I have read, great work and keep blogging!