Project #8 Book Trailer

If for some reason you only hear music and only see a black screen change the viewing quality to 720p.

Blog post #6 Personal Learning Networks

PLN stands for personal learning networks. These are used by people everyday, sometimes without knowing what they are. Social media outlets are mostly what PLN's are made from. From Facebook to Twitter social media is the main source of how people communicate in the world today. These personal learning networks can help teachers by getting them in touch with other teachers that may know more about the subject one is trying to teach. To get the insight of many people to help with the learning process even as a teacher is priceless. The more people that are in a persons personal learning network the more valuable the personal learning network is. I think that it is great to have personal learning networks. Having the knowledge that I can contact someone that I am comfortable with and being able to pick their brains about subjects without actually having to sit down and do a long interview is great.

I had already started having a personal learning network before taking the EDM310 class, I just didn't know that's what I was doing. I have a twitter and a facebook account already set up. The more research that I have been doing and the more blogs I have read have contributed to me following more people on twitter and facebook. As time goes on I am sure that I will continue adding more and more people to my personal learning network.

Blog Post #5

The first two video's of the assignment for this blog post are interviews with Anthony Capps a Third grade teacher in Baldwin County that talk about some of the projects that he does in his class.. Project Based Learning Part 1: Experiences of a 3rd Grade Teacher and Project Based Learning Part 2: Experiences of a 3rd Grade Teacher are the links to these interviews. The things that I have taken away from this interview are that that kids in Mr. Capps class are very eager to learn and love doing most of the projects that he sets forth. He explains, in this interview, that the projects he does also keeps him learning things. I love the thought of doing projects based learning and Mr. Capps, by explaining just how much the kids in his class enjoy it, has only strengthened that thought. The one project that really intrigued me was the one about writing letters to a congressman. The students had to do a lot of prep work to get these letters ready and Mr. Capps explains what went into this project during the interview. Another thing that interested me in these interviews was the way Mr. Capps explains how well it is received by the administrators of his particular school. From what Mr. Capps explains project based learning is very well received and liked by the administrators. This type of reception leads me to believe that project based learning is the type of teaching that is going to gain ground and take over the traditional method of "burp back education" as Dr. John Strange puts it.

In this interview,iCurio Mr. Capps does a short explanation of what iCurio does. iCurio is a search engine that is put together for educational purposes. There is a lot of material out on the internet that is inappropriate for students. iCurio makes it so instructors can be less wary of where students get their information. This website also has other features that Mr. Capps explains in detail like the folder options for storing information that students have gathered. I believe that this is a suitable search engine for educational benefits. iCurio will be something that I look into further, and once I've done research on it, may possibly use it for my educational endeavors.

Discovery Education is a short video interview with Mr. Capps about how he uses discovery education. Without going into to much detail, as I encourage you to watch the video, I will tell a little of this application. Discovery Education sounds to me like a very useful tool in the arsenal of a project based learning educator. This application brings video and experts of certain areas into the classroom via video. Video and reading these days go hand in hand in our technologically based civilization.

In The Anthony - Strange list of Tips for Teachers Part 1 Mr. Capps and Dr. Strange go through a short list of things that may help teachers who are just now coming into the field of teaching and those that have been teaching for years. After watching this short interview I find that they come up with a short list of things that should be used by every teacher. The most intriguing one to me is to be flexible. I find that if you are flexible, and not just set into one way, that as a student or teacher you can enjoy the fruits of labor put into the projects put before you. Being flexible allows for small or large adjustments that may be necessary. If one was not flexible with this it would make for a very unsatisfying project.

In Don't Teach Tech - Use It Dr.Strange and Anthony Capps talk about whether teaching technology or just implementing it is better for students. The overwhelming result from both Anthony and Dr. Strange is that it should be implemented along with the regular teaching. Mr. Capps says that scaffolding the projects and the implementation of technology and leaving time for reflection has helped his students very much. I must say that I agree with how Mr. Capps thinks. We don't need to teach the technology only give time for the students to get the basics and they will more than likely know more about the technology that we do.

One last little bit of information is given in additional thoughts about lessons. In this very short video Mr. Capps explains the four layers of a lesson. As I end this assignment I can only think that I have learned a bit more about how project based is implemented and how well it does in the eyes of those instructing it.

Blog post #4 Questions and how to ask them.

Questions are what keep the mind learning. If there were no questions then that would mean that people would know everything there is to know in the entire scope of reality. Now we know that is not the case because we pose questions to people and ourselves everyday. I was told, from a very early age, that the only stupid question is a question not asked, and I believe that philosophy works for me even to this day. Questions can be very confusing if not asked in the right way or manner. What is the right way to ask a question to a group of students? Well the answer is not a simple one but there are a few things we as educators can do to help us get our question phrased so students are engaged.

What do we need to know about asking questions to be an effective teacher? There are a lot of things that one needs to know in order to ask a question effectively. We need to know the goals of the questions we are asking. If we only give students yes or no questions are we really stimulating the mind of a student? There are ways to get a great question and get the students minds stimulated. One technique is to ask a question wait 3 seconds and then call on a student at random. The theory is that the students do not know who is going to be called on and therefor start thinking about the answer they want to give. How we phrase our questions can be a good way of getting students to be involved. Another way of getting students involved is by putting a question on the board at the beginning of class and having students think on the question throughout the class.

For further help on how to ask questions the right way I will provide links to websites that have strategies. The right way to ask questions in a classroom
Asking questions to improve learning
Three ways to ask better questions in the clasroom
Asking better questions in the classroom
Questioning styles and strategies

Project #3 Presentation

C4T #1

For my comments for teachers assignment I was directed to US History Teachers Blog, where I have had the pleasure of commenting on Mr. Ken Halla's posts. The posts that Ken places on his blog are mostly about US history.

The first post that I commented on was about mistakes that changed History. There wasn't much said on the post because it was a video. The video contained some interesting mistakes that changed history. One of the facts was on the Archduke Ferdinand's assassination. The comment that I left told of how I liked the video and that part in particular. I also told about my time in Sarajevo when I was in the Army.

The second post that I commented on was one that said Mr. Halla's was going to put on a presentation for flipping the classroom. Not much was said in the post itself but attached to the post was a slideshow of his presentation. The purpose of his presentation was directed toward teachers and how they can incorporate this style of teaching in their own classrooms. The comment that I left told of how I appreciated him putting up the slideshow on the blog and of how informative that I thought it would be for my own usage as I told him that I was currently in school to become a teacher.

Blog Post #3 Peer review the right way

Peer reviewing can be quite a daunting task. It is really difficult for me because I do not like to ruffle feathers and upset people by giving criticism, whether it is bad or good. I know that I must overcome this thought process in order to become a good educator. I always feel like I'm being picky over things when I peer review someone else's work, yet I know this isn't true. I have a feeling that after I get finished with EDM310 I will have a little bit of a better grasp on peer reviewing.

After watching the videos and flipping through the presentation that was given I feel that the peer reviews I've done in the past did not do justice to the paper I was reviewing. The thing that really got pointed out to me was the punctuation and grammar. I have been known to be a comma hater in papers. One of the things that I found that I have done in the past is to get off topic when sitting with someone to review their work. Peer reviewing is a great thing and can be very helpful if you get the right peer to review your work. By staying on topic, being nice, having constructive criticism, and being specific on the types of errors in the paper a peer could give you a much better outlook on your project than either a boss or a teacher could, because it is easier to listen to a peer than to feel you are being judged by a superior.

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!