Final Project #16

Progress Report on Final Project

The name of our group is called Kids R' Us and we plan on doing a lesson on how to write a friendly letter for second grader. There are five part in writing a letter and each of us are explaining a part. We have been communicating over Google Docs and we planned to meet us on Tuesday November 27, 2012 to record. Every member is doing their part and a great job.

Project #15

Final Report on PLN

During the course of this semester I have created a wonderful PLN through Symbaloo. My items on PLN from Symbaloo was very few in the beginning but I have to get around to visiting new websites that were useful to me and became a part of my daily life. I love the idea of having a PLN because now I feel more organized.

There were websites I never even knew about and now I visit and use some of those websites on a daily basic. I'm glad that I got the chance to experience new things that's making my life better during this EDM310 course.

My PLN

C4K #10 November

A 4th grade class from Daphne East Elementary School did a video on The State House. They learned a lot about Dr. Robert J. Bentley, the Governor of Alabama. They talked about the trains that travel around Montgomery and that the House of Representatives is where laws are made at. The kids that come to help the Representatives are called Page, which is something I didn't know. They also talked about how Dr. Robert Bentley pool is in the shape of the state Alabama. They were happy that they got to shake his hand and take pictures. They also informed that Lurleen Burns Wallace was the first lady governor of Alabama.

My comment was:
Hi my name is Shannon Watson and I'm a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed watching the video about The State House. Since I'm not from Alabama, I really learned a lot about the state and I can see that ya'll did too and really enjoyed this trip. I would love to visit the State House one day!

Blog post #12

When I was thinking about this assignment I wanted to do it on something that was important to me and could help me in my teaching career. I know I would have to deal with special needs students and I wanted to find a way to help them learn as well as other students. From my assignment I want you to think about how using the TAPit could help you in your classrooms. TAPit is the first ADA compliant interactive learning station designed to recognize the difference between an arm resting upon the screen and a finger or assistive device intentionally tapping an image.

• Watch this video: Language Skills with TAPit and write a paragraph about how using the TAPit can help students learn. Would you use this piece of technology in your classroom?
• At Apollo Ridge Elementary School in Spring Church, Pennslyvania they are using the TAPit to help special needs students. Write a paragraph on your reaction to this video: TAPit helps with physical therapy. Do you think this is a good and efficient way for teaching special needs students?

When I watched the Language Skills with TAPit video I thought that it was a good thing. It reminded me of the smartboard and it allows the student to go up to this device and play around with it. During the video you saw students going up to the board tracing the letters with their finger which helps them get an idea of how to write the letter. They are able to learn and have fun at the same time. Using the TAPit helps expand vocabulary, help them learn their numbers and names to different pictures. They are able to more the images around on the board. It also help the shy students come out of their shells and communicate with the other children and all the children are able to participate.

When I watched the TAPit helps with physical therapy, my heart melted from watching a students who lost interest in doing things because of his disability to reach things and when he used the TAPit, he seem to really enjoying it. You notice that he uses a ball to help him move the words around on the TAPit board and according to the video, he is more interesting in the TAPit because he is able to reach it and with all the colors and images it makes him want to learn. They are still trying to get him ready for doing desk top work but using the TAPit is helping prepare him for it. I do think this is a good and efficient way because it's an easy process and I believe the more fun you have using the TAPit, the more the child will want to learn.

C4K #9 November

I was giving a student name Ibarcoleb and he wrote a blog post giving thanks to the veterans. He paid his respect to a Mr. Wes Strolley who served in World War l l. He was at the Pearl Harbor Bombing on December 7, 1941. Ibarcoleb suggest that we should give thanks to all the veterans because they gave their time and life for our freedom.


My comment:
Hi my name is Shannon and I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed reading your blog post. I agree with you that everyone should give thanks to our veterans for all their hard work for our freedom. I was supposed to attend the Veterans Day Parade yesterday but we got rained out. I really appreciate your concern for the veterans. I wish to know more about Mr. Wes Strolley. I'm glad I got the opportunity to read your blog. I hope you have a wonderful day!

C4T #4

Post #1
I was assigned a teacher named Amanda Ooten and it's been awhile since she lasted updated her blog due to the amount of work she has to do. She written a blog post called Science Teaching for the Future and she explains how she enjoyed flipping her Honor Biology classes and is teaching her student teachers the reasoning behind flipping the classroom. Mrs. Ooten is a member of her school technology committee and is trying to look for funding for a pilot program of Google Chromebooks in her classroom. She also enjoys getting email from students who read her blogs. She explains how she tries to flip her AP Biology class but the amount of content and the pace made it nearly impossible. Some of her videos she had on YouTube have been removed due to a noticed from Pearson that they were violating copyright laws by posting images of the videos but she's in the process of appealing it.

My comment:

Hi, my named is Shannon and I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed reading your blog post. I also think that it is important to flip the classroom to help your students. I'm glad I got the opportunity to read this post.

P.S. I hope you were able to find funding for the pilot program :)

Post #2
Amanda Ooten has not updated her blog yet so I had to read the one before post #1. Her previous blog post was called My Classroom Flipped, Part 2. She explains that she flipped her Advanced Placement Biology class and they suffered a bit for about 3 weeks and she felt like the worst teacher in the world. The students were not able to keep up the pace for the assignment she assigned and wasn't learning the material. But she found a way to solve the problem by during a few lectures instead of the students going home and doing the assignments. They still were able to watch videos and do class discussions. She tries to challenge the students by asking probing questions, forcing them to make connections with the previous chapters and put them in group during the lectures to discuss ideas with one another. With this change there was more energy in the classrooms. I flipping the classroom is a good idea because even though the students are giving work to do at home, you should still have a lecture to see what the students are actually learning. It also gives the teacher an idea on who needs help.

My comment:

Hi my name is Shannon Watson and I'm a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I have read a lot about flipping the classrooms and the more I read about it, the most I agree that it is a good idea and very helpful. I glad to hear that your Advanced Placement Biology is adjusting well to flipping the classroom!

Blog post #11

After watching Ms. Cassidy's video, Little Kids...Big Potential and her skype video, I understand how important technology really this. Ms. Cassidy used many different technologies in her classroom to teach. She used the computers, Nintendo, blogs, wiki, and Skype. The first thing that came to mind was, how was she able to monitor all these first graders with these technologies?. I was really impress with how the kids reacted to everything.


It's amazing to see first graders write blogs and using wiki to search for information. I thought to myself, I don't even remember using the computer a lot in first grade. Out of all of the technology that Ms. Cassidy use in her classroom, I thought I would mostly like to use blogs in my classroom. By using the blogs the students are learning writing skills and how to communicate with others by receiving comments on their blog posts. One of the students states how you're supposed to say positive things while commenting on someone's post. I feel that blogs will help them become better writers and allow them to put out there own ideas. Also, it will be good for them to get feedback from family members, friends, and other kids their age. From watching the video I can see that they really enjoy writing blogs and being able to post videos of what they are learning in class. One problem I see is making sure that the students are safe while using the internet. All computers should be monitored at all times and certain websites should be blocked.


From watching the skype interview by Dr. Strange, I discovered that Ms. Cassidy has been working with technology for 10 years. It all started when she received 5 computers in her classroom that were not able to download programs. Ms. Cassidy also talks about how she had support from the Technology Coordinator at her school and how the principal didn't mind her using those computer in class. For the safety of the children, Ms. Cassidy sent home forms for the parents every year making sure that they were okay with their child being online and creating blogs. I thought that was a good idea. I admire Ms. Cassidy for wanting to teach her student through technology because it is a fun way for them to learn and it's something that they enjoy.

C4K November #8

I was given an 8th grade student from Iowa name Caleb Z who wrote about his trip to the Grand Harbor with his family. He wrote about how he got to take his friend Alex with him and his sister got to take two of her friends. He explained almost everything movement they made. Like when his friend Alex came out the house and had to go back in to get his skateboard. I felt as if I was reading a book, which is a good thing, which caught my interested. Caleb made it where you could visualize everything that was going on during the trip.

My comment for Caleb:
Hi, my named is Shannon Watson and I am an EDM310 student at the University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed reading your blog post. I felt as if I was reading a very interesting book. I like how your decided every single thing you did. It was very interesting and I could also picture every move you move. I also like how descriptive you were. I glad you had a fun. Just watch out with your capitalization and spacing after a period but good job! :)

C4T Teacher #3

Allanah King wrote a blog post and was asked to share some of her thinking around modern learning environments in Auckland. She had made a powerpoint presentation showing how people should use an iPad to teach. She also engaged ideas of different ways for children to learn. For example she said using MLE will help with discovery time. This will help children make choices, connect with learner's passions and build independence. She shows how teaching on an iPad will help motivate students, connect with parents, and teach kids how to spell their first 1000 words and so many more. I really enjoyed watching this presentation because it allowed me to think of creative ways I could use to help teach my students

My comment:
Hi, my name is Shannon Watson and I am an EDM310 student. I really enjoyed watching your presentation. It allowed me to think of creative ideas I could use to help teach children. It seen like using an iPad to help children learn is very helpful. I think by teaching on an iPad is a good idea because it allows the kids to experience things on their own and how to have fun doing it. I'm glad I got the opportunity to read this post!

Allanah King has written another blog post on E-Learning to support Mathematics and Bookmarking. Allanah Kind has a request to support teachers that participated in a Numeracy professional learning contract. She posts a link on her Delicious on line bookmarks so the resource will continue to be useful and stay current.

King had made a powerpoint presentation on "Mathematics E-Learning", where she has links about measurements, geometry, statistics, time, etc... I clicked on the problem solving link and I found it very helpful. It was a way for students to practice problem solving.

My comment was:

Hi, my name is Shannon Watson and I am an EDM310 student at the University of South Alabama. I'm glad I got the chance to view your blog again. I really enjoyed looking at your powerpoint presentation. I clicked on a couple of the links you posted and I found it very helpful when I clicked on the problem solving list. I even catch myself trying to figure out some of the problems. :)

Project #14

Blog post #10

I'm a Papermate. I'm a Ticonderoga


John T. Spencer posted a cartoon on his blog called Adventures in Pencil Integration. One of the cartoons is a papermate that cost less and breaks all the time. The other is ticonderoga which is more expensive but it is a high quality product. Even though these cartoons are different, they are somewhat saying the same thing. Everyone tries to save money in any as possible by buying cheap products. Papermate is very cheap so that's what people will buy. But people fail to realize that papermate breaks more often so they end up buying more and spending more money. On the other hand, Ticonderoga is very expensive but it last longer because of the good quality of the product. In other words, it's worth the money. People don't realize that even though something cost a lot, it will do you good in the end instead of products that are no good.

 Why Were Your Kids Playing Games
In Mr. Spencer's blog post he tells a story about how a teacher was called into the principal office because his students were playing games in the classroom. According to the principal, games were not allowed. The teacher tries to explain to the principal about how these games are helping the students learn, but the principal never gives him a change to explain how.

You can see that the principal is more concern about the "role memorization test" that he fails to see that the teacher is actually trying to help prepare them. I feel that if students are not having fun while they are learning then most of the information being taught to them is going in one ear and out of the other. Learning should be exciting with a good experience. I think the more fun you have learning new things, the more eager you are to learn.

Don't Teach Your Kids To Read This Stuff. Please?

When I read "Don't Teach Your Kids To Read This Stuff. Please? by Scott McLeod, who is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Kentucky, Founding Director of the UCEA Center of the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership of Education (CASTLE), an Blogger, the author of a book called "What School Leaders Need to Know about Technologies and Social Media", and one of his quotes are “If the leaders don’t get it, it’s not going to happen.”, the first thing I noticed about his blog was the writing style. I wonder why he made his post that way. Dr. McLeod was making a point about how your students and children should not be reading or writing on the internet because it is unsafe. He made a list of negative things about the internet.

When I read this post my reaction was "Wow, did he have a bad experience with the internet?" I agree and disagree with what Dr. McLeod about some of the things he was saying. Some parts of the internet are bad and there are sites that children should not be visiting, but you also have to know the using the internet is a helpful tool. With everything been done with technology you can't help but use the web. I agree with Dr. McLeod about how pens and papers aren't going anywhere because people don't need to always rely on the web to do things.

Project 11 Green Screen