comments4kids week 12

This week I went to visit a blog by Michael. He did his first imovie, and he tells the world why he loves his dad. Even though his movie only lasted eight seconds, I'm sure the learning experience that Michael got will last him a lifetime. He's ready to take that camera anywhere, film anything, and share it with the world!

Morgan Bayda and Dan Brown

I visited Morgan Bayda’s page and got sucked in for a while. I love her creativity!. I have been a coach for a long time and I am in school to become a Physical Education teacher. For me, teaching and learning has always been a physically active thing for me, and screen time is new and sometimes frustrating (meaning boring) for me. However, I more than appreciate all of the new tools I’ve gained from this class and the invaluable connection with the rest of the world for FABULOUS ideas that I can use in any aspect of my teaching. I plan to further my education after I begin teaching, and may possibly be in the classroom full time then. I will look back and be so thankful for what I’ve learned so far.

I watched the video of Dan Brown. He rants that Universities are becoming so institutionalized that learning is on the brink of extinction. He says the internet has provided us with a means of moving forward where education hasn’t stepped up to the plate. Now that “facts are free”, textbooks become irrelevant and teachers are spinning around, frantically making a powerpoint for what could just be discussed during our valuable class time and remembered (probably) easier. It’s time for the two to join forces and work together as a catalyst for brilliant minds of our future.

Dan, I hope nothing but the best for you. You are brilliant and passionate and I hope somewhere along the way you find what you're looking for. Maybe you could start a mentoring program? I could see that soaring! Morgan, thank you for what you do. You inspire people (like me) to sit down and learn... and want to learn more. :)



Comments4Kids

Eric from Mrs. Kolbert's class has taught me something I never knew! There is a species of jellyfish that is immortal! It is able to transform from full maturity back to it's original polyp form and the cycle continues! I left him a comment letting him know we'll be keeping our eyes out for them here on the Gulf Coast.

Comments4Kids week 9

This week Lafayette is a student who was trusted with a camera to capture images for a school project. What was found was hilarious, mischievous, random pics of Laf all over the classroom. The lesson learned was not to trust Laf with a camera, but I beg to differ. What Laf did was probably expected, and creative nonetheless, even though the pics probably were few and far between for what they were actually needed for.

My out of order, (almost) better late than never, March 12 Blog Assignment...and still in the making...

ACCESS is a distance learning program intended to connect people from different aspects of teaching for the purpose of sharing information and learning. Between ALEX and ACCESS, there's more than enough to begin with. I love the links, the search tools, the opportunities provided to connect the otherwise unconnected student.





Alabama Learning Exchange

This website is so user friendly! I love how easy it is to navigate from one thing to another. It's very organized yet very broad. I've already used this site as part of an assignment for another class, and I'm sure I'll be back plenty to take full advantage! ALEX is a resource center for teachers and is a great place to start if you are a little confused or if you're well into developing your lesson plans.







Comments4Teachers, weeks 7,8,9



I have been following Wesley Fryer on his blog entitled "Moving at the Speed of Creativity".

Wesley is a very student oriented teacher (isn't that the best kind?)and his blog posts reflect this. He shares information with other teachers about presentation projects for students (Petcha Kutcha) and other online student portfolios. One of my favorite posts of his is his thanking of teachers for their selfless work, and I appreciate that he took time out to remind these teachers how much a difference they truly have the potential to make.

His last (my first) Pausch lecture ... His Legacy... My Future

Randy Pausch's video gives us lessons that can last us a lifetime. Pausch has been diagnosed with cancer, yet he has the most brilliant and peaceful aura about him. When he said his deathbed conversion was buying a Macintosh, I literally laughed out loud. This only makes me want one more!

He made me look back and think about what my childhood dreams were. I like how he said he "got more from the dream and not accomplishing it than from others that he did accomplish". I think being in tune with our own inner child will help us connect more with our students, making us more effective and personable.

Fundamentals are the cornerstone to build upon. His story about his coach not bringing a football to practice was very potent. He made a point that of 22 players on a team, only one on the team is holding the ball, and it's time to work with those other 21 players. As a gymnastics coach, I apply this mode of learning to my students. I teach safety rules, flexibility, correct body positions, tight muscles and pointed toes before I ever even attempt to teach a cartwheel or even a front roll.

Randy described a to us a time in his life when his coach was riding him extra hard one practice. Instead of beating himself up about it, he listened to another coach who told him that this was a good thing. What he's telling us here is that when you're screwing up and no one is telling you about it, they've given up. Let's hope that my mentors and teachers will have the persistence to ride me a little harder when I need a boost. This is a good thing. Some might consider this a brick wall... but Pausch mentions that brick walls are put in front of us only too see how badly we want something.


I think what sticks out to me most in this video is when he's describing one of his first assignments to an undergraduate class, and they came back just blowing him away. He had no idea what do to... so he called his Mentor. Andy Van Dam laughed and told him to tell them that they did a fantastic job... but it could have been better. He was pointing out that he didn't know where the bar should be and setting it would only be a disservice for the students. What an amazing viewpoint. This encourages students to want to be responsible for their own learning and to ask questions, work harder and smarter, and to think outside of the box. One of Pausch's mentors John Snoddy said "give someone some time, and they'll almost always impress you." So here's to having my cake and eating it too. Thank you Randy Pausch for one of the most profound videos I have ever watched.



Comments4Kids

I was able to review Day 108 of a kindergarten class. The teacher was so organized and the kids were engaged all day long, either inside or out, or using technology. Here is the comment I left on the class's blog:
I love seeing the word "sensory" in your kindergarten class. :) I'm sorry to hear that art didn't go so well, but maybe next time you'll have cooperation. I'm visiting this site as an assignment from a class I'm taking at the University of South Alabama. I'll enjoy coming back to visit often. Keep up the good work and the great attitude! You can check out my class blog here http://edm310.blogspot.com/ or my personal blog I've started (also an assignment for the class) at http://longeneckerhollyedm310.blogspot.com/

My Presentation