Blog Post 2

The professor dancealot video was entertaining and pointed to some glaring holes in the way in which we teach our students. I think that the author of this video was trying to show that active participation in the class room is needed to learn. It is seen in this video that the professor is only giving the students lecture about how to do dances and not actually letting them participate in the learning process. The argument is showing that students need to be actively involved in the learning process in order to comprehend what needs to be done. By showing the students not being allowed to get up and do anything and then not knowing what to do by the time of the final the author shows that he believes the way in which things are taught does not help the students. After watching this video and seeing just how it actually looks I tend to agree with what the author of this video was trying to get across. I sometimes have felt that I did not learn anything in some of my classes because I was not allowed the opportunity to get the hands on portion of the class. It's like trying to learn how to drive without ever getting behind the wheel of a car.

In the video put together by Dr. Strange of Kevin Roberts powerpoint, Roberts thinks that teaching in 21st Century is going to be a lot different than that which most of us have had. Roberts thinks that teaching is not going to be about the information aspect of learning but is going to be how to channel the information gathered from the multiple sources available. Teachers will not be the ones to give out the dates, or information but will be teaching students about what to do with that information and how to channel it correctly. He provides valid arguments in that most students will use the current technology to get the information. It is so much easier to get the information from the internet than is was in the past through newspapers or the encyclopedia. Roberts pointed out that information is so readily available from sites like google, twitter, and facebook. Students do not need teachers that are going to spew out facts and dates they need a teacher that will guide them and show them how to use these outlets of information to further learn. To me Roberts has the correct outlook on how teaching is going to be in the future. I completely agree that this is the way that teaching is going to be done if it is not already starting to change. If this is going to be the way that teaching is done then it is going to change the way that I will have to be as an education. I will not be relied upon the teach the next generation about the history of the world but I will be relied upon to teach students where to find the information and how to use it to benefit them.

When one asks the question why does the 21st century student need a teacher I say because that student needs to be guided in how to use that information. Lets say for instance a student does a project on the history of Rome. This student finds all the information that is needed from internet sources that are reliable but now what does he do with it. This is where a teacher comes into play. The role of this educator is to guide the student into making the proper citations and how to not plagarize. The networked student is learning not just providing information. The student is setting them self up for what they will have to do in the work force later. The video showed great points in how the teachers of the 21st century will be people who guide and show how to use the information that is being presented instead of spewing out facts and information.

The argument that Davis is making is that every student should be involved in their learning process. Its not just the teachers responsibility to teach but also the students responsibility to aid in the learning process. Davis is showing that teachers do not need to know everything when it comes to a certain subject. The fun in being an educator and a teacher is that learning is always constant for teachers and for students. I think that Davis is correct in the way that she thinks and this way of doing things is going to lead to a brighter future for generations to come. To teach students to blog and use the internet effectively and not just for entertainment will help students become effective learners. To see all of this type of technology for teachers and students makes me very exited about becoming an educator and to spark the learning process.

Flipping a classroom is a new idea to me that I have not heard of until I saw this video. Flipping a classroom to me seems like it would be a great way to have the students come to class with some knowledge of what will be taught in the class to next day. This seems to me like it would alleviate a lot of downtime due to having to introduce the topic and teach it all at the same time. This would expedite the teaching and learning process. I do believe that this technique would be great as a teacher as it will give students time to watch the video and get some one on one learning done. Once I get to the teaching part of my career if the school that I instruct at does not have this implemented I will suggest it to the administration.

Blog Post One

There really hasn't been that much that I have heard about EDM310 other than I had heard that it takes a lot of work and time to complete up to expactations.

There are quite a few fears that I have about EDM310 and one of them has already happened to me. Even though I know that this post is late and that late work is not acceptable I will still post it as this was one of the fears that had. The fear is that I would not look at the work that was do and miss an assignment. After this post there will not be another late post from me. As for more of my fears, I fear that I won't be able to do what is expected of me and that I will fail the class.

There are some major differences between EDM310 and the rest of the classes I have taken up to this point. It has been a real shock to my system to not be told when things are due in class and instead have to fend for myself and make myself look up the due dates. I'm not saying that this is bad or that I don't like it. In fact it is very good practice for helping me not procrastinate. All of my other classes have the syllabus but also announce in class the due dates and times of classwork and homework.

The most difficult thing for me to do in this class will be to remind myself to keep checking on the times and dates that everything is due and try to be early and on time with everything. The experience that I have had with being late with this first blog post has taught me a valuable lesson "always be on time and keep track of what is going on. If I can learn this lesson and take heed to what it means I believe and can tackle this most difficult part of EDM310.

Practice Post

I am John McPeek and as a child I was born and lived in Virginia because my parents were both Military. When my parents ended their time in the military we moved to Houston, Texas where we lived until I was 6 years old. When we left Houston we moved to Big Point, Mississippi where I lived out the rest of my childhood and my parents still live there today. As an adult I followed in my parents footsteps and joined the military where I was moved around quite frequently. My first duty station was at Ft. Sill, OK where I stayed for 4 years. During those 4 years I temporarily lived for 2 months in Haiti as well as a 7 month stint in Bosnia. When I reenlisted I chose a different place to go; I chose to go to Ft. Lewis, WA. I lived there for 4 more years and finished out my military career there before moving back to Big Point, Mississippi where I still reside today. As for some of my interests I enjoy camping, fishing, and playing video games. I enjoy watching sports on t.v. and spending time with my wife and children. Let me give a brief history on my family dynamics. I am a father of four girls and if that isn't enough I have 2 dogs that are girls as well. I have been married to my wife for 14 years and have enjoyed every minute of it. I have raised 3 of my girls to adulthood and have 2 beautiful grandsons to add to my family as well. My fourth daughter is in the 7th grade. I have decided at long length to enter the field of education because there have been teachers in my past that have had large influence in my life. As I said before I was in the Military and while I was there all I really enjoyed doing was teaching the other soldiers what I knew. When my career with the military was over and I got new jobs the only thing that brought me enjoyment from those was after I learned the job I wanted to teach others what I knew. This brought me to the realization that I would have more fun doing a job that revolved around teaching and educating. I attend USA because it is the nearest 4 year college to me and the one that has great ratings when it comes to the education department. One of my passions includes being a passionate fan of the Green Bay Packers Football Orginization.

My Test Post Title

This is my first post. I clicked the HTML button which I should always do in EDM310. I am now a Blogger!