Personal Learning Network

I started my personal learning network as a coach, which I teach young girls the skills of volleyball. Being a coach has introduced me to alot of great people. Since I want to be a physical education teacher, these people are great to know. Currently I work at the University of South Alabama as a graduate assistant for the volleyball team, which I got by networking through the late athletic director of South Alabama Joe Gottfried. The head of the volleyball team is Nicole Keshock, she is a great coach and I have learned alot from her. She allows me to further my career in the sports world, by letting me run practices at times and being involved with the day to day affairs of coaching a Division I volleyball team. In the spring I also coach a club volleyball team and talking with the other coaches in the club I use them as references when I need help in thinking of ideas for drills to use in my practices. Facebook is a great way for me to communicate with the other coaches since we have different schedules and don't get to see each other that much. Another person I have in my PLN is the volleyball coach at LeFlore Magnet High School Barba McCovery, I help her in the summer with her volleyball team. She is also a P.E. teacher at LeFlore, so she answers any questions I have about physical education. My personal learning network is going to continue to grow the more people I meet through out the years.

Project 11: You Tube vs. Teacher Tube

My group's topic was You Tube vs. Teacher Tube. Jessica Debose, Frederick Patterson, Jahmarkus Rabb and I learned alot about You Tube and Teacher Tube. We showed how You Tube is a place for any individual to post a video, of any content for the world to watch. Teacher Tube is a place for teachers to go and find great videos about education related issues. This site is made for only educational videos to be posted, which is a good idea since most schools block teachers from visiting You Tube on school computers. To visit You TubeClick Here and to visit Teacher Tube Click Here

Goodbye EDM 310

I will truly miss my teacher and classmates of EDM 310. This has been one of the best classes I have taken. I hope we keep in contact with each other because I would love to see what everyone will do with their teaching career. Adding people to my personal learning network would be a great way to keep in touch with each other. So long for now:)

Summary of EDM 310

I learned so much from this class and I will be using those things from now on. When we learned how to create a blog I liked that because I always want to know how people did that. The thing that I will use when I become a teacher is iTunesU, it was a great place to find things for students to learn and do. The best thing was google, I have used google before, but I never new that they offered so many different options beside their search engine. Google docs, forms and iGoogle are great to use as a teacher or a business professional.
The one thing I wish we would have learned but didn't was how to create our own website. Google got me interested in learning how to create my own website, when I was playing around on my iGoogle page one day. I have started a website for my wedding that I am planning by using google.
Everything I have learned in EDM 310 will be used when I become a teacher. I will not forget what I got out of this class. The more I use what I have learned, the better I can teach it to other people.
I wasn't excited about EDM 310 because I use a computer everyday. Being showed things that I have never used on the Internet was what I like the most.
I can't think of anything in EDM 310 that was intellectually challenging. Sometimes when I had to post something on my blog about a site we visited, I had difficult sometimes trying to think of something to write.
EDM 310 never had a boring moment for me, I always had something to do. This class was interesting so it made me want to keep up with what was going on in the class.
I don't think I would change a thing about EDM 310, it was a great class to take. One thing I'm sure future students might like is more instructional videos to help them with the assignments.
At the moment I am technologically literate, taking this class has made me learn alot more about technology. I will be using what I learn in this class to stay technologically literate by using it at my current job and in other classes I take at south Alabama.

New Classroom Rules/7 Brilliant Things Teachers Do With Technology

The three list had some good topics that are important. I picked one from New Classroom Rules by Education Innovation. The one rule I picked said, "come to school everyday, unless you would rather just go online." I liked this because I wished as college students we had the choice to go to class only when we needed help. It would make it easier for students who work, have a family and go to school. The next one I picked from 7 Brilliant Things Teachers Do With Technology by Doug Johnson. The topic I picked said, "use the kid's own devices to teach them." This is something that I agree with as a future teacher. Why not let the kid's bring their own devices to school because I am sure they use it at home, where they do most of their work. Some devices allow the kid's to collaborate with others, make their own videos and have access to the world wide web.Click HereTo visit New Classroom Rules and Click Here to check out 7 Brilliant Things Teachers Do With Technology

At The Teachers Desk

I found some great topics on this blog. Most of all the post were on topics that were important to know. Having collaborative professional blog's is a good idea. It allows people to post articles that are important and might effect other peoples lives. As a teacher, it would give teachers the opportunity to keep it touch with some new things other teachers are doing in the classroom.Click Here to view the blog

Toward A New Future of Whatever: Michael Wesch

This was a very interesting video. The two books about 1984 were books I have never heard of. The media does shape our way of life, my generation has grown up with cable, internet and radio. I don't know what we would do with out technology, it shapes who we are like Michael Wesch said. The more the world grows, the more things will change and shift do to the media. Classrooms in the future will be different and students will learn with technology as a main tool. YouTube is just the beginning of things to come. I am glad I can say that I was around when YouTube was launched and got to experince the excitement that evolved around it.Click Here To check out the video

Why Is It Important For Students To Post Their Work To Blogs?

The more students post their work to blogs and other sites, the more other people can view their work. Students work is no longer just seen by the teacher and thrown in the trash after the year is over. It is saved in the clouds as Dr. Strange says. In my edm 310 class I was assign to watch a video call Mr. Winkle Wakes and I had to leave a comment about what I thought. When the author read my post he left a comment and a few days later my teacher sit up a time for him to skype in to our class, to talk to use. Another example of students posting their work to blogs is the assignment I had about Dear Kaia where a group of students did a voicethread for her. There are a lot of reasons for students to post their work to blogs.Click Here To check out a website I found about why students should go public with their work. The teacher talks about the pros and cons of this topic.

Believing Inventing , and Implementing Technological Pedagogies: Anthony Capps

Anthony had a very detail post about Dr. Miller's video. I loved when he said, "I believe it is an educator's responsibility to help their students discover what they love." I agreed with him 100%, I never felt that way growing up about my teachers. But I hope when I become one that I can help my students find who they are and what they truly like to do.Click Here To check out Anthony's great blog

Comments4Kids

This week on comments 4kids we commented on students in middle school at Bluford Elementary School. They are located in Philadelphia and their school is named after its famous attendee, Guion Bluford, the first African American astronaut to travel in space. I didn't know this and thought that was pretty cool. The students went on a field trip to a art museum name Arthur Ross Gallery. They viewed an exhibit of paintings of West Philadelphia in the 1860’s, by an artist name David Kennedy. My student's name was Jeromaine and he reflected on his visit to the museum. He picked a painting that was 3D because he said it makes him feel as if he is right there in the painting.Click HereTo take a look at their blog

ACCESS: Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators & Students Statewide

ACCESS was started by Governor Bob Riley's Task Force on Distance Learning. The purpose of ACCESS is too, "provide equal access to high quality instruction to improve student achievement through distance learning opportunities." I think this is a great idea, I wish this was around when I was in high school. They are doing a great job exposing students to the growing expand of media and preparing them with the social skills they will need to function in this society.Click Here To browse ACCESS's site

ALEX: Alabama Learning Exchange

ALEX is a state program in Alabama that the Alabama Department of Education designed to allow teachers, students and parents access to educational materials. The website is full of resources that are useful for teachers to find lesson plans, students to use interactive activities and parents to find web links to help their children with school work. When I become a teacher I will use this website because I found some useful information that would help me with my students. The lesson plans for physical education where good and they have something for every subject in school.Click Here To browse ALEX's site

Dear Kaia

Great Story!! Kaia is a cute girl who lives in Qatar. At the time this story took place Kaia was three years old. This story began when a group of 8th graders commented on Kaia's blog because her and her father posted a photo essay they made when they went on a outdoor adventure with their camera. The 8th grade students commented on her blog, but Kaia's father ask if they could make a video because she was learning too read. So the students decided to make a voicethread and they talked about what they liked about Kaia's photos. I think what the students did was cool. I am sure they will remember that experience for the rest of their life. Getting to know people and learning something in the process is a great way to let students be creative.Click Here To see Kaia's blog

About: New Media Literacies Project

When searching the web I found out a little about the group NML. They are based with in MIT's comparative media studies program, as a research group. The purpose of the group is to look at how they might best prepare young individuals with the social skills and cultural competencies necessary to turn in to full participants in a growing media landscape. Also, to raise public understanding about what it means to be literate in a internationally interconnected, multicultural globe.Click Here To learn more about this group

New Media Skills: NML Staff

In today's world people will need all of these skills to fully engage with today's participatory culture. The new media literacies are something that people have to learn in order to function in our society. I think they are skills you need to be a effective worker, but I don't know about artist or citizen. Maybe I need to look at these two a little different. Over the years I have learned how to multitask and pretty good at judgement. These two skills have helped when I work for other people. Most jobs require you to multitask at work, it makes you more productive. Skills that I wish to acquire as I get older are negotiation and play. When watching the video play seemed to be a weakness of mind, hopefully as I get to learn more and experiment with new media I can become comfortable with it. Therefore, as teachers of the future we need to continue learning and educating ourselves more on these skills.Click Here To check out the video

The Networked Student: Wendy Drexler

This video really broke down what a networked student is. If I compare my collegiate career with this video I don't think I would have been one of those students. Most of my classes taught out of a textbook. Edm 310 is the only class I have ever taken that has challenged me to think about the future. Learning how to be a good tech literate teacher is preparing me to teach networked students. To be able to teach a network student I must show my students tools of technology that they can use, how to build a personal learning network and most important is how to communicate properly. All of these things and more I have learn from edm 310, which I will use in the future with my own students.Click Here To check out the video

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

This was a very interesting video that made you think about the future of learning. The way teachers teach and the way students will learn is going to change in the next few years. The dream that Mr. Miller has is possible, but like he said we will need inspiring teachers of new media composing, spaces that foster collaborative learning and creativity. I have learned alot over the years about media and since I have started edm 310 I have learned far more than any textbook I have read in school. When it is my turn to be a teacher I hope I am ready to write with multimedia. If I take what I have learned from edm 310 and apply it on a regular bases to my everyday life then teaching multimedia to my students will be easier. Since most students in elementary and high school use the web for school already. I think that they will be able to write with multimedia. All of the students that blog, is a good example of students using multimedia. Which makes the future look promising.Click Here To check out the video

iPods In Instruction

It seems that Duke University in Durham, NC. was the first school to give students iPod's to use in the classroom. Since then more schools have followed in their foot steps. The students who use them rave about the potential the iPod has and the different ways they use them in the classroom. Some people don't like the use of iPod's in school because they think it is a distraction and students use it for recreation purposes rather than for school work. I feel it a device is make to make life a little easier for students, why not utilize its positive capabilities. The iPod has changed the way students learn in the classroom, they are know able to take the classroom where ever they go. Therefore, when is my University going to jump on the band wagon:)This is a website I found about iPods in instruction Click HereTo see when iPod goes collegiate.

iTunes University

Learning about iTunes University makes me want to buy a Mac, but I need to save my money because it is pricey. iTunes U is free educational media available to people all around the world. As a student I have grown to like listening to lectures in the business category. I get to learn about building a business, how to become a entrepreneur and making a business plan. As a future teacher I think I will use iTunes U as a resource for my classes. It is useful for so many topics that any teacher could use it in their classroom. Since my major is physical education, I saw alot of topics on health exercise science, anatomy and physiology. I wish my teachers would use iTunes as a resource in the classroom!Click Here If you want to download iTunes.

Dr. Christie's Site

The best thing I saw on Dr. Christie's site, that would be helpful to me as a teacher is her helpful tips and resources on web design. She broke down the parts you needed to have a really good web page. She also gave good examples of some really great web pages and really bad ones. I think as a teacher I could use and design my own web page, so that my students could have access to their teacher outside of school. What I would like to do with my web page is have healthy tips and exercise ideas for my students to do at home by themselves or with their family. Also, I could use the information she gave on web design at my current job. It will give me some ideas on how to make our web page better. I know I will be coming back to this site in the future.Click HereTo check out Dr. Christie's Site

Comments4Kids

This week on comments 4kids we commented on students in a first grade class they are learning how to read and write. Mrs. Cassidy is their teacher and she is doing a good job because the students had alot of post up with all types of things they have been doing in the classroom. My student posted a blog about a skype they had from a geologist who talked to them about rocks, they were so cute.

"What I've Learned This Year" by Mr. McClung

This was a great post, he really help me get a better picture of what to expect my first year of teaching. I am sure that was a very scary and exciting time in his life. From the post he seemed to find his way thru teaching better than most teachers I know. It takes some teachers years to get to the point he explain in his blog. Listening to your students and not being afraid of technology are some key points of being a good teacher. I hope my first year of teaching is great and that I can remember to not bet myself up when things don't go thru as plan. We all make mistakes, its what we learn from those mistakes that make us better.

Can Wikipedia be a trusted source of information?

I am a true believer in that, you can not trust everyone or everything. If it is to good to be true, then it's probably not real. Wikipedia has its' pearks and its' flaws. It is great that Wikipedia makes all types of information available to the public thru the Internet, but if people want to get on Wikipedia and post information for the world to see, then the public should know who is changing or posting the information. They should make some type of rule for posting information on Wikipedia, it should be a consequence if you post information that is not true. How are people suppose to trust the site if you don't know if the information is correct? Come on Wikipedia get your act together!

Class Presentation

Comments4Kids

This was another great assignment, getting to look at other students work from across the world is great. The post I read was about a student who got a puppy and how excited her family was. She did a great job, it was well written.

Did You Know 4.0

I am not sure if we are suppose to do this. I was confused about what you were tring to say in the blog. So instead of not doing the blog I'll take my changes by going ahead and doing it anyway. The facts that were mention in the video were interesting. I have never read that information any where before. Learning about how much technology has grown and will grow in the next couple of years is remarkable. By the time I have children they will be learning things in school way more advance than what I was taught. I am in my mid-twenties and half the time I can't keep up with the latest tech gadget that comes out. When I’ am in my fifties, I wonder what will be the latest and newest technology on the market.

Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture

I have seen this video before it is really sad. He made this lecture for his kids but, it turn out to help more people than he thought. He had a lot of heart to get on stage and do what he did. The lecture is about really achieving your childhood dreams, how he enables his students to dream and how you can achieve your dreams. He makes you feel that anything is possible and how every individual should dream. I know I have alot of dreams that I want to accomplish but, sometimes like Mr. Pausch said you hit a brick wall. When that happens you have to work a little harder if you really want that dream to happen. Life is not easy but, when you never give up on something you truly want it makes you a better person. The only person holding you back from your dreams is yourself.

Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

Illiterate is such a strong word in my eyes, but to each their own. Yes I do believe that every teacher should know something about technology. No one is perfect, everyone learns at a different pace. Students graduating from a college should defiantly know a lot about technology. For those who are older and did not grow up in the tech. generation, should try their best at learning something about technology. I feel that younger teachers and tech. smart people should help those who are struggling with tech. problems. What ever happen to, if you don't know ask someone who does? When you can't ask someone for help when you have a question, it makes it where you can't make mistakes and everyone makes mistakes once in a while.

"It's Not About the Technology" by Kelly Hines

Mrs. Hines touched on a great point in this blog. Teachers are going to have to want to learn. Doing everything by the text book is not going to work in the years to come. Teachers have to find ways of getting the students interested in learning. No one is perfect, so if mistakes are made then think of it as a learning opportunity. When teachers bring technology into the classroom it is working as a aide to further educate the students and show how what they learn in the classroom is applied in other places beside school. I feel that technology is a tool teachers can use, but it is up to each individual teacher on how they use it. By getting your creative juices following then it will show in your students because if you are excited about learning then it will motivate them to want to learn. A teacher may not motivate ever student they come in contact with, but inspiring a couple is better than none.

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today

This video told a true story about the collage experience. If I could add something to the video it would be, "I will earn a degree that is of no use with out experience." My fist degree is in hotel management and tourism administration. This is a great degree, but most people who work in this industry do not have a college degree. Why do we have to be in a classroom learning information from text books, when the job market wants people who have experience? I have a problem with understanding why we go to college because when you go on a job interview one of the first things they ask is, "what type of experience do you have." It makes me think that they have not read my resume. Why do they think people go on interviews? I always say how do you expect someone to get experience if you never give them a chance. Therefore, I wish I would have saw this video when I was a freshman in college. It probably would have open my eyes to what college is really about.

Comments4Kids

This week we commented on students who are learning how to use blogs as a personal writing tool. I guess every student got to pick there own topic to write about. My student wrote about his/her teacher. He/She must have interviewed the teacher (Mr. Stevens) because he/she found out what Mr. Steven's favorite food, sport, movie, car, animal, game, and much more. Also, I saw that the students go to school in St. Louis, Mo. I love St. Louis my best friend lives there...F.Y.I. :)

Comments4Kids

The students at Point England School have a blog where they post work they do in the classroom. I looked at three of the students work and they our working on short story's. They made videos where they talked about their schools immersion assembly. The teachers an their students dressed up as different characters and perform scenes from puss in boots, little red riding hood, sherk and the evil step sisters. The videos of the three students I saw, seem to have really enjoyed themselves. The teacher Mrs. Lavakula is doing a great job and I can't wait to see what else she will be posting on her class blog.

Integrating ICT into the MFL classroom: The benefits of podcasting in the classroom

Their are many benefits of using podcast or videocast in the classroom. I did learn that podcast help in giving students a chance to work on project base learning, allows students to use their higher order thinking skills and gives parents a way to communicate by seeing whats going on in the classroom. The students seemed to love creating and designing their own podcast. Reading seems to be the area that podcast are used the most in the classroom for younger students and allowing students to use podcast in their blogs is what older students seem to use it the most for. Since I am tyring to become a physical education teacher, I'm not sure what I would really use podcast for in my class. I have some idea but, not really sure. Any Idea?

Last Years Videocast

They did a good job. I'm not sure what my podcast will be on but, I hope I do as good of a job as they did. The video was interesting and I learned a lot of things from it. One thing I need to work on is how I am going to make my podcast exciting, what will be my topic, and finding ways to make my podcast unique. If anyone has any idea's let me know:) I was thinking about having a theme for my videocast. It sounds pretty good but, I might have to think about that idea a little more. Before I do anything I need to get a camera for my laptop, I think that would be a great idea since I do need that in order for my project to work.

Video in the Classroom Introduction

Using video in the classroom is a great idea, I would have never thought of using it in that way. The only way I have seen video used in the classroom is by students watching a videotape or CD. The videos or usually boring and the students don't get a chance to interact with it. Mr. Needleman has developed a way to let the students make their own video, which I think is a cool idea. Learning how to read can be a challenge for some students, but giving them an opportunity to get creative and learning reading can be fun is a step in the right direction.

iTunes:Podcast

After listening to the six podcast assigned to us, I learned many new things about iTunes I didn't know. SmartBoard Lessons Podcast, KidCast, ConnectLearning, EdTechtalk, MacBreak Weekly and This Week in Photographyes were all great podcast. Each one had its own flavor in how they connected with their audience. Some were a little boring at times but, being able to move through the podcast to get to areas you wanted to hear was wonderful.
SmartBoard Lesssons Podcast talked about google docs, apple's iTouch and other tech devices teachers could use in their classrooms. I thought how the two teachers that were doing the podcast, were in two separate places was cool. They talked about some applications on the iTouch and iPhone that would be useful in my everyday life and the classroom.
MacBreak Weekly talked about a group of students who were taking Japanese at their school and went on a ten day trip to Japan. Two of the students were interviewed an they talked about what they learned, how the Japanese culture is different from theirs and different places they could go to in their own town that would give them more exposure to the Japanese culture. Both of the students had a good time on the trip and hoped to return to Japan one day.
Therefore, listening to these podcast gave me an idea of how podcast are done. I have never created one, but I know in the near future I will be doing one. I can't wait til I get a chance to do my own podcast and I hope it is as good as the podcast I listen too.

Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

What Vicki Davis is teaching in her classroom is a great idea. She is opening her students to so many different opportunity's. Letting them interact with other students around the world on the computer, is a way for them to see different places with out leaving the classroom. I wish this type of class was offered in every school around the world. Introducing technology to students at a young age will get them knowledgeable on computer basics, software and other skills needed for any new programs that come out.
All of this technology talk is getting me excited about the future of education and all of its possibilities. Teachers like Vicki Davis are paving the way for future teachers like myself. I thank her an other teachers like her, who are dedicated to their students and their future. When I become a teacher I want to provide my students with the tools to succeed and inspire them to perform at their best.

Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity

After watching this video, I would agree with Sir Ken Robinson about how important it is to allow children to be creative growing up. The way school systems are structured, does not allow children to be able to express their creativity or imagination. Being a education major, I find this is a serious issue and is very important. I feel that people start there children in preschool putting pressure on them to be academically ready for some ivy league school. When you are in preschool your brain is not even fully developed. Let kid's be kid's, they should be playing with blocks or coloring. If parents want to help there children while they are young, start by reading books to them. Those children who are read to at a young age have multiple opportunities to open their minds to creative thinking. Sparking a child's imagination is allowing them to learn they can do anything. Most teachers and parents forget that every child does not learn the same. The way class material is taught to children, is to teach the whole class one way an if a child gives a different answer then it is marked wrong. In my opinion it gives children the idea, they can't be creative.

Mr. Winkle Wakes

This was a cute little video. The point they were trying to make is important. The classroom has not really changed, over the past hundred years. Teachers still lecture, textbooks are still used and some type of writing utensil is used to do homework or classwork assigned by a teacher. This is the way my parents learned, there parents learned and all the generations before them. In my generation we have used some type of technology in school. I can remember when we got apple computers in my elementary school and how cool it was to go to the computer lab to use them. Those computers we used then are out dated, compared to the apple computers we use now. Even the way we save documents has changed. Remember when we used flop disk and how big they were. Now we use USB drives an they are so small you can put them in your pocket.
In my opinion going all the way tech in classrooms is going to take a while. Making sure every student in the classroom has a computer can be a challenge at times. Computers cost money and some students don't have the income to purchase one. At the secondary level students have to depend on their parents to purchase their school supply. Some parents at inter-city or rural schools can barely pay there bills. So how can you ask them to purchase a computer when they can barely put food on the table. I know some might say that the schools can purchase computers for the students, but some school districts can barely pay their teachers. Therefore, going all the way tech in classrooms has its advantages and down falls. In the near future I hope to see technology in ever classroom but, til then Mr. Winkle's and I will keep chipping away at our stone tablets:)

Did U Know? 3.0

When I first got to the page I thought it was going to be a long boring video, but it turned out to be better than I thought. The only problem I had was the way the words popped on to the screen. Its like trying to read the small print on the television when a info commercial comes on, it goes off right before you get to the last word....I hate that. Other than that, that was my only complaint.
The facts that were mention in the video were interesting. I have never read that information any where before. Learning about how much technology has grown and will grow in the next couple of years is remarkable. By the time I have children they will be learning things in school way more advance than what I was taught. I am in my mid-twenties and half the time I can't keep up with the latest tech gadget that comes out. When I’ am in my fifties, I wonder what will be the latest and newest technology on the market. For the moment I’ am going to enjoy my twenties, while I can and keep using my crackberry.....I mean blackberry:)

My Classmate!

I would like to introduce you to one of my classmates. This is Stephanie Tinney.

University Of South Alabama

If you would like to see the University I attend, go to the homepage by clicking on the link icon.Click Here

Welcome!! My First Blog:)

Hi, my name is Marissa and I am from Theodore, Alabama. I attend the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama and my major is physical education. I want to be a P.E. Teacher because after deep soul searching to find a career that I would enjoy, teaching seemed to be the best fit for me. Having played sports through high school and at the collegiate level, I am use to sport activities.....plus its fun:) I started this blog because of a class I am taking this semester called Microcomputing Systems. It is a very interesting class and I can't wait to get started on all the projects we have to do. This is a new adventure for me, an one thing I love is to learn something new and meet new people. I hope you take a look at my blog because I am sure I will be posting things regularly.