Blog Post Assignment #2

1. The Mr. Dancealot video begins with the teacher teaching a dance class from a power point presentation. At times, Mr. Dancealot tries to demonstrate the dance moves students need to learn in the class from behind the table. When a student stands to try to practice the dance, the teacher asks him to sit. This leads to the central message of the video, students need to have hands-on experiences to have a better understanding in classes. The author makes the case for this conclusion by showing how the students were confused on what to do when it was time to take the final for the dance course. In my opinion, I believe the author is trying to prove that students need fun learning activities in order to enjoy and succeed in a course. I agree with the author because I prefer hands-on activities instead of having power point lectures every day.

2. In Teaching in the 21st Century by Kevin Roberts, there are a several answers for what Roberts thinks it means to teach in the 21st Century. The main answer to this question would be teaching skills. Roberts believes that teachers should teach students skills on how to properly use their resources such as Google. Another point made is that Roberts wants students to know how to create. He believes students should know how to create Google Docs to be able to share information with other students and be able to use Twitter and Facebook. Educators should also use new skills so that students will be engaged in learning and have fun while learning. Lastly, educators should collaborate with other educators so that they can come up with new ways of teaching and new ideas can be spread across the world.

I agree with the way Roberts sees teaching changing. I believe that students use laptops, iPad's, and iPhone's everyday so these tools should be incorporated in their learning. I also believe that using these tools and teaching skills on how to use search engines and social networks will make learning fun. Roberts' ideas will affect me as an educator by making me stay up to date on technology and also making learning not only fun for the students but making teaching fun and more enjoyable for myself.

An outline of Kevin Roberts Teaching in the 21st Century.
I. Educators should teach skills on how to use technology.
II. Educators should teach students professionalism and how to create instead of plagiarizing.
III. Educators should rethink the tools they use and use more tools that will keep the students engaged.
IV. Educators should collaborate with other educators to get new ideas on how to improve students' learning experiences.

3. Wendy Drexler's Networked Student shows how educating students is changing. Instead of using a textbook and lecturing, she has her students to use technology. This video reminds me of this EDM 310 class. The student in this video is constantly sharing information with other students and reading scholarly journals and blogs. The student also creates his own blog to share information with people all over the world, similar to what we are doing. Drexler's video proves how books will soon be a thing of the past and everyone will soon start using technology for resources. This video has shown me what an impact technology can have on learning and teaching. It also shows me how much of an impact these blog posts can have on another individual and influence them to start their own blog.

4. Vicki Davis' thesis in the Harness Your Students Digital Smarts video is that every student cannot succeed by using only pencil and paper. She believes that technology should be integrated into learning in order for more students to succeed. I believe that Vicki Davis is correct and more teachers should use technology in their classroom. I have had better experiences in classes where the teacher not only lectures but also uses a hands-on approach where you teach yourself. I believe that this concept should be incorporated in learning at a younger age because every student cannot learn the same way. Vicki Davis' approach should be spread around the world so that every child can have this learning experience.

5. John Strange's Who's Ahead in the Learning Race discusses tools that students are using in Elementary school, Undergraduate, and Graduate school. I believe that Elementary students are ahead in the Learning Race. I am an Undergraduate student and I can say that some of the things that those students in Elementary school were doing, I have never done. I hope that with this EDM 310 class I will learn all of the things that those students are doing, plus more.

6. Flipping the classroom is a technique where teachers teach their students online the concept that will be discussed in class the next day. Flipping the classroom is a teaching technique that is very new to me. Watching this video was the first time I had ever heard of this new approach of teaching students. This approach will be useful to me as a teacher because it will allow me more time in the classroom to help those students who are struggling. It will also allow me more time to show the students fun ways to learn. I believe flipping the classroom allows more time for fun learning and engaging the students instead of just lecturing.

7. In Bringing the Locker Room into the Classroom, the author discusses ways to incorporate coaching into the classroom. The main idea I would use in my teaching would be collaboration. I believe that students should learn how to work in teams and share their ideas with other students. I agree with the author that coaching in the classroom should be used by more educators. This approach could help more students to succeed.

Test

Hey, you guys!

Blog Post Assignment #1

Before registering to take EDM 310, I heard a lot of intimidating things about the class. Many of my classmates in other education courses who were currently enrolled in the class told me that the class is very time consuming and a lot of work. From what I have been told by the instructor during the first week of class, my classmates were right. The biggest fear I have about EDM 310 is that I will not be able to handle the amount of work that is given. Another fear is that I will not know how to do the work that is given. I believe I know how to do most technological things but I am not sure if I know enough to succeed in this class. EDM 310 seems like a class that will be all about technology and doing work independently. Compared to other classes I have taken in high school and college, EDM 310 is very different. In other classes, teachers teach you what they want you to learn. In EDM 310, the instructor gives you an assignment list and expects you to do it yourself. EDM 310 wants you to learn on your own instead of forcing you to memorize certain information like in other classes. EDM 310 is a blended course but it seems that all of our work will be done online and I have never had a class that focuses so much on online work and no test. The most difficult thing for me in EDM 310 will be time management. I am the type of person that typically waits until the last minute to do assignments. I understand that with this class time management is very important and that waiting until the last minute to do assignments is not a good idea. Although I feel that I do my best work under last minute pressure, I will start assignments on time so that I will not fall behind or stress about the course. I believe that starting assignments on time and making a time management schedule will be the best way to address this difficult aspect of EDM 310. There are several questions that I still have about EDM 310. One question is, is the class as hard as everyone makes it seem? Is EDM 310 easier for those who are more advanced with computers or will it be equally challenging? Although I have these questions, I plan to keep up and focus in this class to make it as less challenging as possible.

Practice Blog Post One

I. About me
II. Family education background
III. Why I want to become an educator
IV. Educators work in the 21st century
V. My passion

My name is Heather Kennedy and I am 21 years old. I am from Mobile, Alabama and currently a Junior at the University of South Alabama. I chose to attend the University of South Alabama because it is close to home and it has a great education program. My father also attended the university where he received his degree in Secondary Education with a focus in History. My mother was an education major and received her degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Mobile. My parent's degrees in education influenced my decision to become an Elementary Education major. Besides my parent's influences, there are other reasons I decided to become an education major. For the past two years I have been an After-School and Summer Camp teacher at a daycare where I work with children age's five to eleven. My experiences with helping them with assignments and teaching them new concepts had a major impact on my decision to become an Elementary Education major.

The work of an educator has changed over the years in the 21st century. Educators now have to be sure that no child is left behind and each child's developmental needs are met. Teachers also focus more on problem solving and critical thinking skills. Another important aspect is to incorporate more use of technology in the classroom. Educators should know how to use technology just as well as the students do. With computers, cell phones, and tablets being the technology that children are growing up using, these devices should be incorporated into educator's lesson plans. Teaching and helping children is my passion and I hope that with this class I will be one step closer to becoming the best educator I can be.