C4K #1

C4K #1

For the C4K assignment this week, I was assigned to Alex’s blog. In his most recent blog post, he wrote a scary story called, “The Girl in the White Gown.” I commented on his post by saying that I like to read scary books, but I don’t like to watch scary movies. I also stated that he is doing a great job on his blog, and I asked him what his favorite scary movie or book is. This is a very interesting kid!

C4K #2
For this week's assignment, I was assigned to Robert's blog. Below is my post:
Roberts,

My name is Lindsay Curtis, and I am a junior at the University of South Alabama, located in Mobile, Alabama. I am a Health Education major, and I am taking a class called EDM 310. My blog and our class blog can be found at http://www.edm310.blogspot.com/, and http://curtislindsayedm310.blogspot.com/. In this class, we are learning how to use different technologies to learn more about how we can use technology in the classroom. I am assigned to your blog this week, and I must say that your post is interesting! Your Grandma's party sounds like it was very fun! I love to swim and spend time with my family. I bet your sister was glad that her tooth came out! I remember one time I swallowed one of my loose teeth!


I really enjoyed reading your post! You are more than welcome to check out my blog! Have a great day!

-Lindsay Curtis


     I really enjoyed reading his blog post. He said that we went to Coco Key with his family, and they had a party for his Grandma. He also mentioned that they went swimming, and his sister lost her tooth! I told him what a pleasure it was to share his blog with me. I also gave him the links to my blog, and the EDM 310 class blog.


C4K #3
For this week's post, I was assigned to Ellie England's blog from Galley Hill Primary School. Below is her post, and my comment:

At the half term i stayed at my nans, i was ill. On saturday i am going to my uncles to see if he is doing well, his ill. But it is going to be a long drivie to get there. it going to take about 5 hours to get there. my dad going to be tied. Now its your turn to tell me!





Ellie,

    My name is Lindsay Curtis, and I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. I am a Health Education major, and I am in a class called EDM 310. In this class, we learn how to blog and use many other means of technology! One of the parts of my class is commenting on other people's blogs, and I am assigned to yours this week!
     I am sorry that you were sick on your break! I hope your Uncle is feeling better too! I had a short break from school this past week, and my family went on vacation to West Virginia, to Snoeshoe, a ski resort. It was so much fun! It was my first time to ski and be in snow! I loved the cold weather there on the mountain! That is what I did during my break! Thank you for your posts, you are doing great!
     Visit my blog and our class blog sometime! Here are the links, :) ---

http://edm310.blogspot.com/
http://curtislindsayedm310.blogspot.com/


     Have a great week!
        Lindsay Curtis


Ellie was asking her peers to respond to her post by telling her what they did over their break. Some students responded by telling her they did very exciting things such as going to the zoo! One friend stated that they had a bad cough and headache! Aw man!




C4K#4

This week, I was assigned to "Domo Animate"/ "Epic Dude's" blog. This kid loves video games and animating! This was his post, and my comment:



I went to this website called www.DomoAnimate.com. I actually made my own animations. I made four videos. My favorite one I made is Domo The Legendary Cop. I’m a big fan of Jexx. He makes cool Domo videos. My newest animation is The 2012 Domo Olympics. My first animation was A Very Domo Christmas. If you want to check out my videos search TheMostEpicDomoOfAll.




Hi!
     My name is Lindsay Curtis, and I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. I am in a class called EDM 310 for education majors. This class teaches us how to use a blog, and many other means of technology, so we can be the best teachers we can be! I am assigned to your blog this week! I think your blog is pretty cool! I see that you like video games, and animating. I just watched a lecture on virtual worlds, and how you can create them! It was so neat! I will have to check out some of your videos! Visit my blog sometime!
http://curtislindsayedm310.blogspot.com/

Have a great week!
 Lindsay Curtis

C4K#5


NO C4K THIS WEEK!

C4K #6


This week, I was assigned to a 4th grade class blog. The first post on the blog was about a lesson that they did with Skype to connect with a classroom over 300 miles away! Here is my reply:

Hello!
My name is Lindsay Curtis, and I am a student at the University of South Alabama, located in Mobile, Alabama. I am an education major, and I am taking a class called EDM 310. In EDM 310, I am learning about all kinds of technology, and how I can use it in my classroom as a future teacher! I really liked your post! I love Skype, it is so cool how you can video chat with someone a long distance away! I really liked your lesson to connect with another classroom. It goes to show that through technology we are able to engage and connect with others, and learn something everyday! Thank you for your post!


C4K #7

This week I am assigned to Jackson Bate's blog. In his most recent blog post, he mentioned having a "staycation" for his spring break. Here was my response:


March 28th, 2012 at 3:00 pm    Reply

Hi Jackson!

My name is Lindsay Curtis, and I am an Education major at the University of South Alabama, in Mobile, Alabama. I am taking a class called EDM 310, and in this class we are learning about all kinds of technology that will help us be better educators in the future! Every week we are assigned to a student’s blog- all over the world! For the next 3 weeks I will be visiting your blog, and leaving you comments!
I love staycations! There is nothing like spending time with family! This year for my spring break, I worked part-time, and went to the beach one day with my husband! I hope you have a great time! Talk to you soon!

-Lindsay

Blog Post #6

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture




     After reflecting on Randy Pausch's Last Lecture, it is clear to see what an inspiration he has been to myself and millions of others around the world. In this last lecture, Randy speaks on many different topics, both personal and professional. There are many things that he discussed that are worthy of repeating, and definitely worthy of remembrance in my future career as a teacher, mentor, and leader. We all have dreams, whether big or small, we all have them. Everyone should have the permission to dream. Randy sees this in his own life as he communicates his childhood dreams. Sometimes we have stepping stones to jump over before we can achieve goal or task. "Brick walls", man oh man they seem to be put up everywhere when you feel like you are close to achieving success. Brick walls are there to push you to greatness, and to shut those out who are not willing to work. As an educator and mentor to my students, I will see brick walls and barriers come up in my student's lives, and I will strive to encourage them and lead them.
     I like how Randy compared his life to a football game, and how he mentioned his old coaches. Just as Randy's childhood football coach put boys in unlikely positions, I must think outside the box and think of each student individually and encourage them to step out of their comfort zone. How will you know you could be great at something if you don't try? Enthusiasm. That is a quality I want to possess as a teacher- Randy exhibits enthusiasm. "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted". This holds true to my heart. Experience is important. Something that I say all the time to my husband is, "The important things are important." Experience is important. Experience is what makes the difference. Even as a very experienced teacher years and years down the road, I will STILL be experiencing so many new things. I will learn from students, just as Randy said.
      It is clear to see that Randy's doings in the virtual reality world are nothing to be just put aside. This man has drive. After applying to different schools, different jobs, and whatever else he could get his hands on- he was sometimes denied. He never gave up. I must strive to never give up on my students. If I stop critiquing them, I have stopped caring, which is a tragedy.
     By bringing together the program Building a Virtual World, Randy was able to bring 50 students from all different programs in the University to make a project-based class that was all group work. This was a huge hit around school. Randy wasn't scared to step out of his comfort zone... he was able to fight for virtual worlds for the sake of educating students in a fun, exciting way! I want my students to have fun while learning. I want them to see that learning is not a passive experience, but an exciting world!
 

  I could seriously type on and on about Randy and his awesome stories and accomplishments. This last lecture is one that I will never forget!

Timeline Project #9a

Blog Post #5

 Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?  By: Dr. Scott McLeod


     The blog post by Dr. Scott McLeod, a professor at Iowa State University, Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please? was very interesting. Dr. McLeod argues that students who have been educated without technology will be at an advantage in the future, compared to students that have not. I agree and disagree with his point at the same time. Yes, technology has it's place inside the classroom, but the amount of emphasis spent on technology, I feel, doesn't give a student an advantage or disadvantage.
     Also, with a high percentage of today's youth learning and everyday experiencing the technology around them, a need for instruction with technological advancements will not be needed. The future is coming fast, and students will be able to operate things that we can't even imagine.

Videos-  Travis Allen


    After watching Allen's two videos, The ischool Intuitive  and Travis Allen's Zeitgeist Young Minds entry (Mobile Learning), I was awakened to the power (sometimes scary power) that technology has over education, and to some extent- our lives. Seeing education becoming more and more driven by technology in today's age, I can't imagine what this means for the next few generations. I think about this class, EDM 310 as an example. This class would not exist if education was not heading towards technology driven techniques. Dr. Strange sees the need and importance of future educators to become aware of the teaching world that they will be stepping into years ahead. Am I ready? Are you?


Eric Witacre's Virtual Choir


     Wow!!!! Eric Witacre's Virtual Choir is one of the coolest performances that I have ever seen or heard. I love music, and I applaud this video! This is just another example of how technology really can play a neat role in our lives. Bringing together this wonderful choir put a smile on my face. This is a beautiful video! I wish I were a part, but I am not a singer... Lalalala!


Teaching in the 21st Century  By: Kevin Roberts


     The video, Teaching in the 21st Century, by Kevin Roberts was a striking video. I do agree that emphasis needs to b put on the student, with a student-centered approach, but the teacher still does have some responsibility in guiding and encouraging students. When I look back on my career as a student, I see that it took effort on both sides- I had to learn from the instructor, but also had to find the best way to learn and apply the material to my life so that I could gain knowledge. As a future educator, I must strive to keep the student's interests in mind, while challenging my students to develop a learning style that fits best for them.

Reading Rockets



Reading Rockets is a wonderful website that is useful for anyone in the education realm. I love coming across resources like Reading Rockets that offer assistance on learning strategies. After browsing all the different tools on the website, there was one that helps with reading comprehension called Jigsaw. I see reading comprehension as a challenge to many students, including myself at times! With this tool, students are able to take parts of a story, and put the story together like a puzzle! This seems like a wonderful activity, useful to any classroom!

My Sentence Video

Blog Post #4

Langwitches- Podcasting With First Grade


     Within the Langwitches Blog, there was an article/video where the teacher explained that her students enjoyed a podcast done by some second grade students. The teacher stated that "having an audience matters", so these first graders were on a mission to make a podcast of their own! These students were ready for someone to enjoy all the hard work that they put into the podcast! On the blog is a video where the students are interacting with a program for Mac called garageband. In this program, you can edit, add music, sounds, and many other things to podcasts and recordings. The teacher was so delighted that the students were engaged in this activity. After listening to the podcast on the blog, I was tickled to death! These first graders really did construct a wonderful podcast! It was really cute and funny how they went into garageband and added all the sound effects as each student spoke. Great work!

Harry Dell- The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom

     In the video/article by Harry Dell, The benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom, Harry explains how beneficial podcasting can be in the areas of student engagement and learning. Some of the points that Harry covered were as follows. Podcast make interacting with students outside of the classroom possible. Today's student knows a lot of technology, and podcasts make that knowledge come to life in the classroom. Podcasts encourage project-based learning, which leads to a more non-traditional learning situation where the lesson is student-based, rather than teacher-based. They also promote creativity and innovation, where students can make the project their own, and use their strengths to make the presentation. One last point is that parents can view the student's work.

     From personal experience, I have only had one interaction with podcasts since I have been at the University of South Alabama. I liked the idea of a podcast so I could go back and listen to the lecture again and again until I felt comfortable with the material. I vote yes to podcasts!

Judy Scarf- Podcast Collection

     In Judy Scarf's web page, she gives information on what podcasts are, and how they are beneficial. She explains that a podcast is a "radio-style" talk show. She too realizes that students love them! She gives tips on how to construct a successful podcast. I will be sure to implement her strategies in my future classroom and podcasts:

• Make sure that the students and myself are familiar with the software
• Have a list of topics ready
• Allow plenty of time for completion
• Invite people to listen to the finished product

Presentation Project #5

Post #2 C4T

C4T #1

I am assigned to Will Deyamport's blog, Peopology. It is a blog that posts about various topics such as education, technology, leadership, and many other topics. The post that I read on his blog was an interview with a makeup artist and editor, Melissa Rich. Throughout the interview, Melissa expressed her love for beauty, and the passion that she has to make people feel beautiful. I expressed to Mr. Deyamport my passion for education, and how as a Health teacher I can too encourage my students in health, fitness, well-being, and overall self-esteem. I enjoyed reading his blog, and I am excited to get interacting!

-Lindsay Curtis




Mr. Deyamport,


The post above probably doesn't make any since considering my comment that was supposed to go before it did not post! Let's try this again... :)

Hi! My name is Lindsay Curtis, and I am a Health Education major at the University of South Alabama, located in Mobile, Alabama. I am taking a class called EDM 310. This class allows us to learn many different types of technology to use in the classroom. Our class blog is found at http://edm310.blogspot.com/ and my blog can be found at http://curtislindsayedm310.blogspot.com/. I am assigned to your blog for this semester, and I am excited to start interacting online. I have never used a blog before, (hints the above comment) so this is all new to me!
I read your interview with Melissa Rich, and it was wonderful! Being a woman, I can relate to Melissa's love for the beauty industry, it is in our blood! Being a future health educator, I plan to promote well-being, health, and fitness. I am aware that some students won't have very high self-esteem, and I want to make the classroom a warming place for that student to get plugged in, Just as Melissa uses her love for beauty as a door to influence others, I will strive to influence my students in a positive way! Melissa is a beautiful woman, inside and out! Thank you for your interview, and for your time!
I think that I will enjoy my blogging experience with you! It is pretty amazing how much technology has shaped our lives. What would you say is your favorite technological advancement?

Thank you for your time and posts!
-Lindsay Curtis



C4T -Post #2




     This week the post that I commented on on Mr. Deyamport’s blog was called “So You Want to be a Doctor When you Grow up: Tips for Educators Considering Doctoral Work. Mr. Deyamport commented on my last post, and he responded very nicely. In my last post from last week, I asked him what technological advancement was his favorite, and he said that the Internet was by far the best because it has revolutionized the world. I commented back agreeing that the Internet has revolutionized the world, so much it is scary! 
     For this week’s post, I told Mr. Deyamport that I know many people that are pursuing doctorates and furthering their education. His post contained information to look for when choosing a doctorate program, and ways to make the schooling process a little smoother. Dissertations are a topic that he talked about in his post, and he stated that in order to make the dissertation go a little smoother, the student needs to pick a subject that they are passionate about. I commented by agreeing with him. I enjoyed reading Mr. Deyamport’s post, and I plan to keep up with his blog!






Mr. Deyamport,

I hope that you are having a great week! I enjoyed reading this post. I have many friends and family that are pursuing doctorates, and furthering their education. I have heard that the dissertation process really is the most challenging. Pursuing a subject that you are passionate about makes sense, and really would make the process smoother. I am thinking about pursuing a Masters, and who knows...maybe a doctorate! Thank you again for your post! I will be in touch!

-Lindsay Curtis

C4C #2

     For C4C #2, I was assigned to Lateria Smiley’s blog. After reading her responses on the videos that our class was assigned to watch, it was clear that Lateria and I share some of the same views. She pondered what life would be like for her students as a future educator. Will students sign into computers when they enter class? What will the classroom look like? These are also questions that I have thought about the past few days. Lateria also sees that if you aren’t quite up to par on the technology of today, not to get yourself down. It is important as a future educator to be familiar with the technology so that you can teach your students effectively. I enjoyed reading Lateria’s blog post #2, it was a pleasure!

Blog Post #3

Peer Review- Public Comment


     Before peer reviewing Lateria Smiley's Blog Post #2, I tried to decide whether to peer review on her page directly where the public could see, or whether I should email or message her privately. I feel that peer review is  a great way to keep one another accountable with grammar, clarity, and overall writing quality. Publicly reviewing Lateria's blog post I felt, was a great way to let her know what I was thinking, and to let others read the review. I enjoyed reading her post, she had some wonderful thoughts!

                                                                                                   

Technology in Special Education

     After watching the video, Technology in Special Education, it is clear to see that technology is making a great difference in Special Education. Without technology in the classroom, classroom activities can become difficult, and technology helps this area of difficulty in many ways. Communication is one area that technology makes easier and more efficient. Some students cannot speak clearly or have trouble expressing ideas. With a computer or activity pad, the students can type out words to make sentences to communicate more effectively. 

     Also, technology makes assignments easier and time efficient for students. Some students that might have motor problems will take more time with written work. With a portable mouse that can be pointed to letters, the student can do his or her work twice as fast has if they had dome it by hand. The students in this video not only are excited about the technology, they value it. They see the purpose of making their assignments faster and more efficient, and they know that they are gaining valuable experience for the future. 

     As a future educator, I would see that all my students understand the technology and the use of it in the classroom. For special needs children in my classroom, I would make sure that my students can use the technology effectively, and make sure that they can benefit from it. I know that with technology in the classroom, it will open a door for a better relationship between students and teachers in regards to classwork experiences, and communication. 

How the iPad Works With Academics for Autism

     After watching the video, How the iPad Works With Academics for Autism,  it was neat to see how big a role the iPad can play in education for children with autism and other special needs. I browsed the Apple website for apps that I feel that I could use in my classroom with special needs students. One of the apps that I found was the Fish School in HD app. This app allows students to recognize letters, shapes, and numbers by the colorful fish that form them. This would be a great app to include in classroom activities for students with special needs because of the bright colors, cute fish, and fun scenery that this app has to offer. 

Gary Hayes Social Media Count

     Gary Hayes' website, Gary's Social Media Count was full of overwhelming facts! After watching the numbers rise on social media joins, tweets, new accounts, searches, and many other things, let's say I had a bit of a headache. Mr. Hayes has opened my eyes to the virtual world- which is really becoming the real world. As a future educator, I see that technology is all around, and it is not going anywhere! This will effect my career in many ways. Not only will the classroom look different in many ways in regards to the teaching methods, but the students themselves will have an understanding of the technology around them, and how they can use it effectively. I as a student and future educator will strive to keep myself educated on the technology that is, and is to come.

Michael Wesch- A Vision of Students Today

     Michael Wecsh, along with Anthropology students at the University of Kansas constructed a video, 

A Vision of Students today, that gave me chills. The students held up signs to describe certain things related to the education of today that they are engaged in. Some students held up papers stating how many hours they spent on facebook, youtube, and other Internet sites. Some students held up papers explaining that they spend hundreds of dollars on textbooks that they will never open. This video would send a strong message to educators, professors, and heads of schools.
     If I were in a authoritative position in the education system, I would be disturbed by this video. Who knew old fashioned education techniques don't work? The students in this video made it sound like the classroom is a torture chamber. (Although as a student, we all think that sometimes.) I feel that professors would see this video and see that there is a wake up call that needs to be made in the way we educate students.