Blogfolio

1. Introduction Video: Through this assignment, I felt we met standard 1. "facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity". I feel this because through having to video one another on an intro of ourselves and kind of why we want to be teachers, we inspired each other "face-to-face and in a virtual environment". Ourselves as students and as future educators inspired one another and also facilitated one another while completing this assignment. I have learned that it is not as hard as I thought to make a video about myself. My biggest problem I faced was not knowing exactly what I was going to say on my video, but after getting in front of the camera words just started flowing. I did not truthfully solve this problem, it just kind of worked itself out. I can integrate this knowledge by also making my students video each other doing introduction videos of themselves to get their creative thinking juices rolling to start off the year.

2. TED Talks: Through this assignment, I felt we met standard 5. "engage in professional growth and leadership". I think we met this standard not by ourselves completing it, but by watching great examples of teachers who fulfilled this entire standard top to bottom. I learned from John Hunter that I really want to work with gifted students at some point in my career. I was so inspired by watching the kids' creativity and the fact that they were fostering their own learning was so incredible. I want to help children be able to do that some day. The only problem I can really think of is that I forgot to post my post in class because I was so involved watching the videos, I did not even write anything down, so I had to post it later. I just rewatched some of the videos to refresh my mind. I will integrate this knowledge by introducing some of their examples that they used in their talks into my own classroom.

3. Concept Map: Through this assignment, I felt we met standard 2. "design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments". Frankly speaking, creating the concept map was to design a  digital-age learning experience, so we obviously met that standard because that was the whole point to the assignment. I have officially learned how to create a concept map. Before this assignment, I never fully knew what one was. My problem I encountered was that I had never created a concept map before. I solved this problem by asking peers, looked at different examples, and followed the rubric to the tee. I will integrate this knowledge into my future teaching, by using that application to help me organize my lesson plans and different learning activities for my students and future classroom.

4. DoNotTrackMe: Through this assignment, I felt we met standard 4. "promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility". We specifically modeled digital citizenship by downloading this and putting it on our own computers, so that we did not get tracked by websites. I learned that there are SOOOO many trackers out there, whether they are not harmful or worse, that they are harmful. The problem I encountered was that my computer in class would not allow the download to happen, so I had to wait until I was home to see the full results, which ultimately blew my mind. I never solved this problem. I have tried several times, using all different browsers, but it would just not download onto my computer in class. I will integrate this knowledge by teaching my students how to download this to keep them digitally safe while they are using the internet at school or home.

5. Augmented Reality App: Through this assignment, I felt we met standard 3. "model digital-age work and learning". I did not think that I had ever used an augmented reality app before, so I ultimately learned a digital-age skill by having to download one and be able to use it, to describe it to the class. I have learned what an augmented reality app is and their uses, and honestly they are pretty common now a days. I see them everywhere. My biggest problem was that I had never heard of an augmented reality app, so I was not quite sure what I was looking for when we were supposed to download one. I solved this problem by googling what an augmented reality app really was. I will integrate this knowledge by having appropriate augmented reality apps readily accessible to use in my classroom to further enrich and engage my students' learning.

6. Voki: Through this assignment, I felt we met standard 2. "design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments". By actually creating a Voki, we developed a digital-age learning experience. We had to learn to "incorporate this digital tool" to be able to use it and produce an intro to a hypothetical class and their parents. I learned what a Voki was because I never knew before. I also learned how interesting it could be to students to hear a voice coming from an animated face explaining activities to them. The only problem I faced was that I did not exactly know what all to include in an intro to a class. I solved this problem by thinking back to classes growing up and recent ones, to give me inspiration on what to say and it did. I will integrate this knowledge probably a lot throughout my career because it seems like students may enjoy and better engage while listening to a Voki give out directions to assignments and what not. It almost seems like they would think they were watching a cartoon.

7. Web 2.0: Through this assignment, I felt we met standard 5. "engage in professional growth and leadership". I think we met this through having to present our websites to the class. We had to "demonstrate the effective use of digital tools" by telling the class why and how our websites could be used in future classrooms, and also the effictiveness of the website as well. I learned that there are many many resources available for teachers to use to help organize ideas and lessons, better and safer search engines for kids, brainstorming tools, and many more. The main problem I faced was trying to figure out if the tool that was presented would be useful and relevant in my classroom or not. I solved this by anytime that something sounded and looked relevant, I put a star beside, so I could go back and look to use it later and try it out for myself. I will integrate this knowledge by making use of these many resources because there were a good few that seemed that they would be excellent in helping me organize my teaching and help students learning.

8. Our own website: Through this assignment, I felt we met standard 4. "promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility". I specifically did what was stated above in my website because my topic was Online Safety. I gave videos and written facts on how to safe while online. This alone promotes digital citizenship. I have learned how to create a website because I never knew how before. I did not realize how simple it was to just create a website. The problem I encountered was that I had never made a website before, so I was not sure what all information to include and how to format it. I solved this problem by modeling my website to be similar to other websites that talked about the same general information. I will integrate this knowledge in case I ever need to create another website or if I feel the need for my students to create a website. I will have the knowledge to do so and be able to lead them in creating in one.

9. My Movie: Through this assignment, I felt we met standard 3. "model digital-age work and learning". By creating a movie that told a story through at least ten pictures, a mp3 sound clip, and captions, our class "communicated relevant information effectively to peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats". We used still photos, sounds, and text to express our story. I learned how to create a movie. I always thought it would be so hard to create those cool little slideshow movie things, but really it was not hard at all. The biggest problem I faced was deciding on what story I wanted to tell that would be relevant and interesting to the class. I solved this problem by finally deciding on a story that I thought would interest my peers in class. I will integrate this knowledge by creating movies pretty often for my classrooms to peak their interests. I want to keep my classroom fully engaged through presenting information in a variety of ways, and I think using homemade movies is a neat and pretty simple way to do so.   

     I want to begin by saying I had no idea what I was getting into when I registered for this class. I knew with the prefix IT it had something to do with information technology. I did not know how much learning I would be doing and how many useful things I would be taking away from it. I have learned how to use a countless number of different types of technologies that will enhance my teaching in the future. I have learned how to blog, create a website, create a movie, create and use a Voki, along with many other smaller websites and apps. I think that my strong points were that I already knew how to use many basic features on the computer and internet. Also that I kind of have a creative mind and many things in the class were kind of left to our discretion. I think my weak points were that I was not always sure about my final product and also walking around the room while trying to explain something was really difficult. I think my strong points were strong because already knowing how to use most features, picking up on new applications and websites were pretty easy to do. I think my weak points were weak because I had never had to walk around the room and talk about my subject while using the iPad and focusing on what students were doing, so I found that to be difficult and one of my weak points. I think I definitely need to work on circulating the room and being smooth about it while still paying attention to what my students are doing. I want to use some of the things I learned while circulating the room in my future classes. I plan on integrating a piece of technology in each lesson that I will present. I think it is important that students today be well rounded. It may just be by presenting information in a variety of ways or it may be having students creating their own type of activity for a subject of their choosing. I think that the applications of blogs are semi important. I guess it depends on how the teacher uses it. I think it could possibly be used as a type of journal of sorts, but I am not sure with all the cyberbullying going on that I would be comfortable with requiring my students to post things where other classmates to see and potentially pose a threat. There is always that bad apple that could potentially ruin the rest and I do not want to see any of my students being persecuted due to a post they posted for school.

SAMR, LMS, Whiteboard, BYOD

     From just reading this article, I would not be able to tell you what SAMR or LMS stood for. I would have to do extra research for that. However, by reading further into it, the article gives a little insight into what they are. I perceived them to be tools for teachers that have different levels. I could agree with whoever wrote the paragraph including the SAMR model because they talk about teachers being thrown tool after tool and not knowing how to actually integrate these tools into their classrooms. I feel the exact same way with some of my classes. In some classes I am given examples of when and how to use certain applications or models to help enrich my students' learning. Then in other classes I feel as if I learn how to do these things and never see the applicability of them for a classroom, students, or even myself. Then I am left guessing what a LMS is. By the paragraph I would assume that it is something similar to the Blackboard that we use here at southern. I do see where something like this would be useful for the rest of our careers and also for our future students as well. I think the fact that so many classes use Blackboard, that having to continue to use them and teach others how to use them would be a breeze because we are becoming so familiar to it. I think interactive Whiteboards are good for some things, and then not as useful in other ways. I think it is a great way to gain students' attention because the start of it is pretty interesting, but with all of the up and coming tech tools, our students will not continue to be impressed. I sort of like the idea of BYOD in a sense, but not totally. I can see where that would seem like we should go to that, but I just think about all of the students that do not have access to devices to bring to class then making them feel left out, which is not what I want to do as a teacher.

A Conversation With a "Bad" Teacher

      This author starts the article by talking about what John did before he got into teaching and how he got into teaching. He goes on to talk about the horrible experiences that went on in just the little time that John was a teacher. He includes some crazy examples of what went on at the school where John was a teacher. He then starts a kind of summary of an interview with John. The author gives a list of the questions asked and the answers. They mainly talk about his time at the school, why he became a teacher, why he quit, why he wrote this book, and some specifics from the book.
     I kind of enjoyed reading this article after finding out that the principle he mentions was removed from her position. I feel that in a lot of places, not just the district mentioned in the article, just try "pass" there students. Like all they care about is their graduation rate and not if their students are ready for college or careers. My cousin has some learning disabilities and his special education teacher retired this year and his school district did not fill the spot for a few months into the school year. My cousin came from an area where he was learning nothing and was never given a chance, to moving in with my family and immediately receiving a much better education and situation. He started learning a lot better and was moving right along, even though he had a lot of one on one instruction in a special classroom, learning was still taking place. After, his teacher retired, they just kind of threw him in the general ed classroom without any help or accommodations. His teachers just started giving him A's with his work being all wrong, so that they would not have to deal with his problems. Because of this, his learning began to recess. I tell this story because that is what happens when teachers and administrators do not care about the actual learning going on and just care about their passing rate. No one actually learns anything and everyone is just hindered in the process when it comes to move up to the next level.

Kids Can't Compute-And That's A Problem

     This author starts by stating the old myth that kids are "digital natives" and are more tech savvy than adults. He goes on to state why people think this. He then goes on to talk about his first set of computers and how he had to operate them. He then talks about all of the things that kids do not know how to do within the computer, and then turning to what they can do on computers. He goes on to conclude his article by stating reasons why the younger generations will become problems due to their un-knowing of how to use the nitty and gritty of computers, and then he gives some solutions to this said problem.
     I can agree and disagree with the opening statement as well as the entire article. I think that a lot of kids cannot compute like people did in what I would consider the "olden" days. I consider myself to be pretty tech savvy and even I did not know what the heck he was talking about when he was talking about his old computers. I honestly do not know why I would need to know those things, seeing as most computers just do all of that stuff for you; its just not really necessary unless you want to be like a computer programmer or something like that.                                                                                                                                                                                          

Beyond MOOCs: Is IT Creating a New, Connected Age?

     Before reading this article, I had no idea what a MOOC was or especially what Beyond MOOC's stood for. After doing a little of my own research, to better understand the article, I found out that MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Classroom. This meaning that for a small price students could join this classrooms for their learning. The article about Beyond MOOC's talks about furthering the idea of MOOC's. They talk about them in the sense of using them for businesses, and ultimately broadening the secondary education experience. I however, do not like the sound of these MOOC's. I honestly do not like online classes what so ever. With my major, I have to take several online courses, and for me that's a several too many. I do not get the learning experience that I receive in a good ole fashioned classroom, with a teacher and your peers. I understand that these MOOC's mean a low priced alternative for people who may not can afford the traditional standard education, but I just do not learn anything from my online classes and they are not nearly as broad and general as some MOOC's. I just do not see how someone could trust the education and learning outcomes from classes like these. I will not try to say that I pay attention like I should in my online classes, but that is because there is no one in front of me or around me making me do so. I do not trust MOOC's in getting a secondary education, but maybe for other things besides college courses it could be useful.

My Movie

Online Safety K-12

https://sites.google.com/site/onlinesafetyk12/home

Common Core in Action: How Two Science Teachers are Implementing Common Core

     This author starts this article by talking about how math and English teachers are more directly tied to the Common Core State Standards. They state that teachers in fields other than these are not as familiar with the CCSS. The author gives us one example of a science teacher who is putting the CCSS in her classroom. This science teacher implements several reading and writing standards within her science lesson about Biofuels vs. Fossil Fuels. She gives specific examples of how she does this. The author then tells us of another teacher that uses almost the same ideas for his science lesson on Nuclear Power vs. Fossil Fuels. Both of these teachers then give advice on how to get started on implementing CCSS within your lessons and classroom.
     I really enjoyed this article from hearing that even teachers that do not have much ground within the CCSS, coming up with such great ideas to incorporate them within their lessons. I am a special education major so there are also no standards for my group of students, so I wondered how I would go about my teaching, and these examples really helped me realize that there is not much difference in the teaching, just thinking of different ways to incorporate standards that the students will be learning in other classrooms, within your lesson as well. I love hearing examples of teachers like the ones in this article. Not because they have come up with some great idea that no one else has ever thought of, but that they are not only thinking of the subject they are teaching to their students, but about the students' learning and accomplishments as a whole.

Evolving Classroom Education: Where is K-12 Technology Headed?

     This author starts the article by talking about past technology used in classrooms. He then goes on to mention where all technology in classrooms has come so far. He then tells that even where we are, will be considered old not too long from now. He then states three different policies or ideas that will probably come to place in then near future. The first is BYOD, which is known as Bring Your Own Device, it's pretty self explanatory. The second is Natural User Interface, which is the same technology used in Nintendo Wii, Xbox Kinect, and Siri. The third is Personal Learning Environment, if used correctly, could allow students to create their own learning. The author then states that the only way these technologies can take place is if public education puts aside its limits to allow these policies in classrooms to help student learning.
     I agree that with the technology we have today we should use it to our advantages in classrooms, but I do not think that we should go too far. I do not think that schools should just push aside their limits to allow these technologies in classrooms. Maybe change their policies to fit the ever changing world of technology, but not put aside all limits. I think that the first idea, BYOD, could be challenging due to the many types of students and that not all students have access to these types of devices even with them being so seemingly easy to have. I think the second idea is a neat concept that could really allow students to further enrich their learning through technology. I think the third idea is a little far fetched. I think that students need more structure from teachers to help decide their learning and the students not left to create their own learning.

Web 2.0

*Mindmeister: not for free; can make slide show; helps you with visual; can change font

Spiderscribe: it is free; have to delete things; concept map; no slideshow; can connect things from topics; can insert images, word documents, dates, and locations; more centered around businesses and meetings; more beneficial for personal use and not visual enough to actually use for teaching

Bubbl.us: free; very similar to inspiration; can make multiple headings; can import pictures; very simple

*lino: free; can post notes; due dates, word documents, pictures, and to-do lists; is an app so it can go on your phone; can change font and color; simple

Photobucket: combination of instagram and pinterest; can see whats trending; can share pictures; can search themes or certain pictures; can make it private; free to upload a certain amount; can buy more storage

Quintura for kids: a lot of potential; search engine for kids; not a good search engine to actually use; can get it as an app on your phone; not extensive but good at limiting

DuckDuckGo: search engine evolved around kids; filter bubble; helps kids use reliable sources

GoGooligans.com: search engine for kids and teens; didn't search well; its a "safe" search engine; free of tracking and scams

*Padlet: a blank wall; start clicking; can type anything you want; students can comment on posts; free

Text2MindMap; basically a concept map; free

Stormboard: can create different boards; can invite users (students) to join the board; can add comments to posts; can vote on posts; have to have code

Kidtopia: search engine for elementary/primary students; shows you different websites on specific topics; "safe" search engine; has adds; not very specific per search

*InstaGrok: mixture of concept map and search engine; gives you key facts for your topic of choice; gives you key facts per subtopic; can give videos and pictures; difficulty range, you can control the difficulty of the map; quizzes that come with it; has adds; free

*SlimeKids: search engine for kids; directory for multiple search engines; has an authors page

WikiSummarizer: visual summary of search; automatically expands; can edit it; can do word cloud; can do a tree view; all info comes from wikipedia

 Pearltree: combination of pinterest and concept map; can make categories or select websites; will take you directly to the website if you "pearl" it; kind of complicated; could be a good place to gather and store ideas but maybe not the easiest for kids

*Netvibes: kind of like pearltree but less appealing to the eye; has search engines within; extreme google; anything interesting you can click to get extra info on that topic and can bring you to that website; easy to refer because of the dashboard; can uncategorize and puts it all together; free; expensive premium

*Glogster: place where you can create online poster boards; can create timelines and different assignments; premade dates; can add videos and pictures to timeline; can save and print; has different fonts

Audacity: place where you can record pretty much anything; free; allows you to edit music or different recordings; can eliminate background noise  

Vimeo: kind of like youtube; video sharing website; free; doesn't look like it would be good to use for classroom purposes

WordPress: blog site; can create and follow different blogs; can tag things to link them; has more flexibility than blogger and a good alternative for it; maybe also more popular than blogger or easier to use; looks a little more interactive or socially interactive; comparative to tumblr 

*Compfight: comparative to google images; can download different sizes of images; free; using creative commons allows you to better use the images; shows you the license agreement for each image and what all is legally allowed to do with the photo

Diigo: can collect, organize, capture, store, tag, recall, and share any information in your library; can search for groups pertaining to your topic you want to search; free, but can go premium

Blabberize: can insert any type of image; can cut out mouth and record what you want it to say; can use for school projects; kind of like a voki but from an image; not very realistic, kind of crappy

*easel.ly: can create visual themes; can create concept maps; good to use for brainstorming; easy to use; free; can look at other pages

*Animoto: can upload images and videos; can create own videos; can create collages for pictures; free for up to 30 seconds of video; has more premium accounts for less limitations; has premade backgrounds

Bookbuilder: can create your own book; easy to use, especially for students; can change book language; can add pictures to your book; can share them for other people to see; creates digital books

*Weebly: makes creating a website very easy; good for slideshows; free, but could get more access with premium accoun; seems more together and organized than google sites; doesn't seem to have any issues

Storyboard generator: gives videos from personal views of a variety of topics to maybe show to class

*Tagul: exactly like wordle, not as limited and a little easier though; can make it into many different shapes, fonts, and colors; can buy merchandise to go along with your word cloud; free

*Edmodo: facebook for teachers; different categories to choose from; secure social network for classroom and teacher use; can ask questions on site and other users can answer and give examples; maybe have to certain info to be able to comment; there are different sections per topic; can create a classroom and can have students log onto it to post and reply

*Socrative: website for teachers to create quizzes and tests for their students; free; easy for class to join

*PodBean: podcasting; can post all lectures or just some lectures on there; if used enough can cost, but otherwise free

Pixton: for school version you have to sign up; could use it as an interactive tool; ex, for english, proper forms of there, their, and they're; can create comic strips

iCloud: pages: first few pages looks like Microsoft Word; different documents you can create; comparable to Word; free word processing tool; numbers: like Microsoft Excel; creates spreadsheets; keynote: like Microsoft Powerpoint; creates slideshows; easy

*infogr.am: can create charts; has different templates you can use; free; can customize after using





        
 

Voki

Bully

Bullying is becoming an increasing problem in the world today. There are all different kinds of ways to bully someone with all of this new technology and outlets to do so. I think the biggest way to help students and children understand that bullying is wrong is by making it aware what it actually is. I think awareness is a really good way to start because a lot of students may not even know what it is and how it actually effects other people. I also think that making people aware of all the negatives that come along with it as well will help. Also, making students aware of consequences of bullying and let them know that it will not be tolerated in your classroom.

Augmented reality snags a coveted spot in classrooms

This article starts by stating the definition of augmented reality. Then the author begins by stating how she uses it in her classroom. She talks about how much deeper the students go into their work because of the use of the augmented reality application. She states that it lets her students immerse themselves in their learning. She talks about specific examples from within her in art classroom. She goes on to give more specific examples of how a history teacher uses the app within his classroom. I really like the idea of integrating augmented reality applications into classrooms. Where it is appropriate. I also think that you cannot just expect your students to know how the application works. I think for students to gain actual learning, then they will have to fully understand how the application works. Teachers will need to be prepared to spend maybe an entire lesson on the application itself to ensure that enriching learning is happening, which is the whole goal in integrating augmented reality applications in the classroom. I feel once students know how to use the application, then they can be successful in using it to help make learning more emjoyable and a more enriching experience.

Five Essentials To Create Connected Students

This author starts by talking about the new iOS7 update and how her entire school was waiting until the exact release time in wifi stations to be able to download it. She then goes on to talk about how important it is to be a connected student in this world. She also goes on to say that not all students today have the technology available to be able to be a connected student because they may not have it readily available at home or at their school. She then states that because it is so important to make connected students teachers and professionals should help their students in learning the appropriate ways to be connected for the students' success. She then lists five essentials; 1. A connected author, 2. A connected publisher, 3. A connected conversationalist, 4. A strategic disconnecter, 5. A curious, lifelong pursuer of ingenious solutions. She feels that in the world today a lot of students are just consumers and that teachers need to switch their students to becoming creators by helping them stay connected in the right ways. I can really relate to this author in what are and what are not appropriate ways to be connected. I feel that so many of our social media sites are really hindering students for their futures due to some of the things they post. I agree in that, as teachers, we should help our students know what is and what is not appropriate because it is our goal to help our students succeed to the next level. I even see what should be very mature, college adults post things that are very innappropriate and that will hinder them from getting jobs in their future, so how are students in high school and junior high going to know the difference, if we do not help them know how?

21st Century Skills: Why They Matter, What They Are, and How We Get There

    The author of this book starts out by stating that students now need to know how to use what he calls 21st century skills. He says that students will need these skills to be able to succeed in higher education and in their careers. The author says that we need to get away from drilling so much of the old stuff and welcome in creativity, problem solving and critical thinking to be able to advance in the new America. Fourteen states have already agreed to implementing these practices in their classrooms.
    I agree and disagree with this author. I agree in the fact that students do need to have creativity, problem solving, and critical thinking skills to succeed in the new America, higher education, and their careers. I disagree with this author in the fact that he thinks we should stop drilling the older concepts. I think that in America, yes everyone loves the idea of getting a well paying job and career and going to college, but I don't think that it is for everyone. Our country would not run without lower level industry jobs. I think that the new skills that he talks about are great and wonderful, but do not think we should stop drilling the other concepts with it.

Why Tough Teachers Get Good Results

    This author starts out by talking about how tough and grueling her old music teacher used to be. She then states that an abundance of his old students from all corners of the country came to his funeral because they had respected him so, and they even played a concert in his memorial. She also states that most of them had gone on to become musicians, lawyers, and doctors. The author begins to say that the US expects us to be ahead of every other country in academics but we're pretty far behind and it is scaring us. She says it is because teachers are not being tough enough because they will be criticized and students will not want to learn, so they are being soft and almost babying their students. The author states many sources that disagrees with this statement. She lists eight practices that teachers should start implementing in their classrooms across the US to get good results. These eight tips are: 1. A little pain is good for you. 2. Drill, baby, drill. 3. Failure is an option. 4. Strict is better than nice. 5. Creativity can be learned. 6. Grit trumps talent. 7. Praise makes you weak.....8...while stress makes you strong. There were studies to prove each of these practices were effective in students learning, being more confident, more self-motivated, resilient and handling every day stress better, just to name a few.
    I can really attest to pretty much all of the statements made by this author because I have experienced almost every situation mentioned. I remember my softball coach and gymnastics coach growing up being so hard on me and I would get so upset about it but still I was one of the hardest working kids they coached, and it paid off. I never realized why they were so hard on me until after the fact, and it was because they saw my potential and to get me to the point they wanted, they were very strict. That is just one example that I remember very fondly, but I really agree with this author on every aspect. I also coach cheerleading now, and I have tried to be nice and kids will not take you seriously if you are. I have to be strict, yet rewarding, to get the results that I want out of my students. I think the same goes into a classroom. To get the results you want, you have to push your kids to it and make them try.

Do Not Track Plus

At first I was kind of confused how this worked then I figured it out. It was very alarming to see that just in like an hour it blocked 319 trackers. I am pretty positive I had only been on like four different websites and one of which there were no trackers. I realized that GOOGLE has a lot of tracking going on. They can track you from all different sites besides GOOGLE itself. I am really glad that I now have this installed because I am very cautious as it is when I get on the internet but I really am the biggest scaredy cat about getting hacked and all of my personal information stolen, so this puts me at a little more ease than normal.

Safe Practices for Life Online

1. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
2. There are many consequences for students who put the wrong terms on any account that they have online. I think the scariest thing is knowing that once something is on the Internet it can never be fully taken off, so something someone posts could potentially be stuck with them for the rest of their life.
3. sexting: sending sexual pictures or texts
    cramming: adding unauthorized charges to someone's phone bill
    cookies: small amounts of data made by a website saved by your browser
    trojan horse: a malicious code that is contained inside something seeming unharmful
    phishing: defrauding an online account holder of financial information by posing as a legit company
    spyware: software that allows a user to get information about a computers activities by transmitting data covertly from their hardrive
    rootkit: a set of software tools that allows an unauthorized user to gain control of a computer system without being detected
    zombie: a computer connected to the Internet that has been compromised by a hacker, computer virus or trojan horse and can be used to perform malicious tasks of one sort or another under remote direction
4. They all just seem very inappropriate for a students' screen name because of the foul language used.
5. These screen names have terms that would be more appealing to a predator type person because they put off a vibe that would be willing to do the things in their screen names.
6. Some of these screen names give away a students' full name or part of their name and year they graduate so close to their age and some give away a student's hobbies and name.
7. I don't think any of these screen names are appropriate because in some way or another they give away personal information about the student.
8. USM398, cheese123, lock756
9. I scored a 9
10. Most common: students give their passwords to friends; least common: password cracking program
11. I didn't even know there was a such thing as a drive-by download. I didn't realize it was so easy for people to hack into a computer and make it do things that were unauthorized. I didn't know that keeping your browser and computer operating system up to date helped at all. You would think that people would be trying to attack the new stuff because that's what everyone wants, not the old stuff.
    I think I am pretty safe on the internet after watching this because I keep my anti-virus and anti-spyware systems up to date and it runs backgrounds on EVERYTHING. It still is very scary to see how easy it is for something that seemed so small pretty much ruin a computer. I would like to know what types of sites are the easiest to get hacked from so that I can steer clear of them!

The Padagogy Wheel V2.0 and Bloom's Digital Taxonomy

     The Padagogy Wheel looks like it would be super helpful because there are so many useful apps that would apply to things that I would actually need or use as and educator. I could use a few of them with the students so that they there are using the same technology as I am. I could also let maybe an older group of students try out some that I have not used to see if they are useful and to let the students see what they can come up with without me having to tell them what to do or what they are looking for. I think any of these apps would be truly helpful in a classroom.
     Bloom's Digital Taxonomy looks very familiar to a list called Bloom's Taxonomy. Clearly there is a relation. The Bloom's Taxonomy is basically the first set of bolded words on the list Higher Order Thinking Skills and the Bloom's Digital Taxonomy seems like more of the second set of non bolded terms. This list is intended to help people see how learning is done. It is the order in which students learn from remembering to creating. You have to start at the bottom of the list because that is where the learning process starts. So this list of terms will be helpful with students learning in a more digital manner.

Inspiration Comments

Erika: very nice color scheme, it makes the words pop more and I can read them better, and I love this book!! Good idea about them creating their own wild thing, I love the creative aspects of learning.

Jacqueline: I think the colors could have been a little less harsh because it is a bit hard to read, but the chalk boards are a very nice touch!

Mary Kathryn: LOVE that book!! Good idea about having an actual bear with the book. Cool website too. Way to be prepared if students finish early.

Jennifer: I like your idea about the students "being" an animal and talking about where they are from.

Amanda: As a group it might be hard to pick out a favorite chapter, maybe do that as an individual thing, students may not agree on the same chapter. If you're wanting them to act out the chapter as a group, I would have each groups' chapter set before they start. I really like your context clue millionaire game!!

Jordan: I like how everything you're incorporating is "real-life" and its things that they can carry with them for a long time. Good idea about having the speaker know the questions the students have before they speak. Good activity for wave height.

Jonathan: Good idea to give them background information before starting. Good idea to have positive reinforcement with one of your activities.

Concept Map: The Secret Garden

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.7 Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).

I.       read the book

By reading the book, students will automically picture in their heads what they think is happening. They will be illustrating in their own head. The students will take turns reading aloud in class . This way students will be able to create their own view of the book while someone else is reading.

A.    pass out the book

B.    students take turns reading book aloud

1.    I will tell which student to read

II.     ask students what they thought the garden would look like

I will pass out paper to the students for them to answer on. I am having students write a page on what they thought the garden would look like. By writing it down, it is getting students to have to recall what they were illustrating in their own minds. I am using the garden because it is the easiest thing to specifically picture besides just saying the entire book.

A.    pass out paper for students to write on

B.    students will write on the paper what they envisioned the garden would look like

1.    students will have to recall from the reading what they thought the garden would look like

III.    watch the movie 

Students will watch the movie in class. I will just have the students stay in their normal seats during the movie. If a child has a circumstance where he/she cannot see the screen, then I will allow that student to move seats. The students will watch the movie to be able to see what other people imagined the garden to look like. I am thinking their perception of the garden will change due to actually seeing the garden compared to them imagining it themselves.

A.    students will watch the movie during the class period

1.    students will view the movie from their regular seats

B.    students will get to see what someone else thought the garden should look like

IV.    ask students to recall differences of the garden from the book to the movie

I will pass out paper for students to answer on. I will then instruct students to recall what they thought the garden would look like after reading the book. Then I will ask the same question but what they thought after seeing the movie. I will then have them examine how their perception changed after reading and viewing the movie, or if it did not change.

A.    pass out paper for students to write on

B.    instruct students to recall differences in how their perception of the garden changed and if it was a good change

1.    students will have to recall what they thought the garden looked like in the book and the movie

V.     write a page on what students think the garden looks like after seeing it in the movie

I will pass out paper to the students for them to answer on. I will then instruct them to write a page describing how they now view the garden after watching the movie. I am thinking their perception will have changed and I want them to be able to note that. Also, if their perception has not changed, I want them to be able to note that as well.

A.    pass out paper for students to write on

B.    students will write on the paper what they envisioned the garden would look like after seeing the actual garden in the movie

1.    students will have to recall what the garden looked like in the movie

John Hunter and the World Peace Game

I think if I were given the scenario he had, I might could do something really engaging for students that they would not really need my help at all. I do not know if I could come up with something so in depth as his. I think what he is doing is so great because I think a really good way to learn is just by doing and not having people tell you things, so the fact that he just sits out and lets the students have control of the game and class is really cool and a great way for students to learn things that might not have the chance to learn anyway else.

Common Core State Standards for ELA and Literacy

What is the purpose of the college and career readiness standards?
     To have our students more ready for college and careers after they graduate high schoool.
What are the benefits and challenges of the shift reading and writing non-fiction tests?
     I think benefits are that with non-fiction students will have actual knowledge from reading and writing, but then I think that it would be losing creativity and imagination within learning.
What are the benefits and challenges of having standards for Science, Social Studies, and technical subjects?
     I think those are equally important subject areas as all other areas so I do not see many challenges because I think any standards within those subjects will help students tremendously.

Use Arts Integration to Enhance Common Core

     The author of this post starts by stating two ways that teachers have gone about implenting the Common Core in specific classrooms. The first way stated was STEM and the second way was Arts Integration. This author argues that Arts Integration is the way to go because it makes the students more interested in learning and makes learning more enjoyable. The author goes through four sections that discuss this more in depth. The author then goes to state strategies to implement the Common Core through Arts Integration. The author then continues to argue that Arts Integration is the way to go because it was more enriching for the students as well as the teachers, giving a better and more fulfilling learning/teaching experience.
     I really enjoyed this article because I agree with the author because I enjoy the arts and think that they help with all types of learning. I think integrating the Common Core through Arts Integration is a great way because like the author of the article argues, it is a more enriching experience for all parties involved. The article doesn't really give much insight on how to do this though. It would have been better for teachers to actually implement through Arts Integration if there were information on how to do so, then that they just should implement that way.

The Biggest Fallacy of the Common Core Standards

     This author begins by stating a lot of the skepticism she has with the Common Core. She states that they have yet to be tested, so there is no evidence that they are going to do anything that their boosters say they are going to do. She tells that their boosters claim that our Nation's Security is at jeopardy if all states do not adopt the CCSS. She also tells of other dramatic claims made by the boosters of the CCSS. She goes on to say that in the one place that they actually have been implemented and tested, that only 3.2 percent of English language learners passed the new tests. She continues by stating that the CCSS seems to be set in stone, that no state can change it, but that as States, they have the right to change them as they deem necessary. The author encourages a high standard for learning but not one beyond students' reach, and she believes that the CCSS is beyond reach and unnecessary for learning.
     I won't say that I am new to the Common Core State Standards because I had to use them all semester last semester while making lesson plans, but I never actually did any research about them. Now that I am actually hearing what they are, I cannot agree to them either. I do not understand 45 states implementing a standard that is going to cause students to fail just so they can gain some of the Race to the Top federal funding. I think that education has always been in the States' hands for a reason. Because there are different learners everywhere. Each state cannot go by the same exact standard and expect to get the same outcome. Each state is different due to many different factors such as geographical location, population, size, race, income, and other factors as well. How can we expect with so many differences to get the same outcome? I think some of our state leaders have their minds going in the wrong direction when it comes to our students' education. I think that the states should do what works the best for their individual state when it comes to education and leave the federal governments' money out of it because they have enough problems as it is.

The Common Core's fundamental trouble

     The author of this article starts by stating that all things that are said about the Common Core State Standards, are not all truthful. She then offers up a piece of writing by another organization that stands against the Common Core State Standards. Their article starts by stating a few things that others have claimed to be positive things for the CCSS. They go on to say that they would hope that these claims were true but cannot believe that they are. They tell that the CCSS is not actually funded or run by states at all, that it is ran by the National Governor's Association. The authors state that the CCSS has not been fully implemented or tested at all. They write that the CCSS is just a harder standardized state test than that of the No Child Left Behind Act, that they said failed miserably. They believe that what happened with NCLB will happen with CCSS just in a more intense fashion. They believe that failing percentages will be significantly higher leading to substantially higher drop out rates for high school students also leading to less students graduating and being "college and career ready" which is the entire point of the CCSS.
     I can agree that there does need to be some set standard or goal that students should try to achieve, but not an outrageous one setting students up to fail. As a future Special Educator, these extreme standards will not help my students achieve anything if I follow them. I think there does need to be a standard set but there should be flexibility due to the differences of students in each classroom. I went to a public high school where there was an array of learners and we all had the same teachers. My advanced classes of course had different standards than the normal classes. Both classrooms learned the same material, but the advanced classes just always went a little faster and little more in depth. I believe that each classroom across America is different and how can someone expect them all to learn the same exact thing in the same amount of time if they don't all have the same amount resources and opportunities?

How Teachers Are Integrating Tech Common Core

 The author of this article is very excited about the integration of technology into the learning curriculum. He states of different ways to incorporate technology for learning into the curriculum. He lists several Common Core Standards that have different types of technology in their specific standard. He thinks that this integration is necessary for students due to the emphasis on technology in real life.

     I also agree with the author of this article. I think that students use so much technology outside of school already and that incorporating it into their learning process will help keep their attention and better relate for them, ultimately increasing their learning experience. I also think that as a Special Education major, I know that there are necessary accomdations for certain learners that need to be made through technology and this integration will also be very beneficial for them as well.

Introduction

I am from Monticello, MS. I am a Senior Special Education Major at the University of Southern Mississippi. I am 21 years old. I honestly do not know where I will be in my life when I graduate, so I am not sure if I will be teaching a classroom or not. I do, however, plan on teaching a classroom at some point. Right now, I coach a Special Needs cheerleading team, so I plan on continuing that for a while before making any long term decisions.