Blog Post #3

Peer editing is when you give constructive feedback on a classmates work. When peer editing you always want to be considerate and informative. You should always approach peer editing with a positive attitude. Think about how you want them to edit your work. I view peer editing as a chance to better my writing as well as the person's that I am editing. If you aren't honest with them then their writing may not improve.

I think peer editing is a great way for students to connect and learn from each other. It can be less intimidating to have a classmate view and critique your work instead of just turning it into the teacher for review. When you peer edit, you learn from the other person's mistakes as well as your own so it helps you improve. I intend to edit my classmates' blog posts the way I would want them to edit mine and follow the three rules stated in Peer Edit with Perfection! Tutorial.  

Blog Post #2

1. The main message in Mr. Dancelot is that you can't just feed students info all day (especially a subject like dance) and not have demonstrations and hands on activities to coordinate with the information. It is more effective to try things for yourself in a hands on manner. The author of this video rests his case at the end when all of the students had no clue how to dance because they weren't allowed to practice a hands on approach, they were only given diagrams and information about dancing. I agree fully with this conclusion. You will never learn by just listening to someone teach, you need to learn from applying the information given and executing the task on your own.

2. To me it seems like Roberts is trying to convey that teaching in the 21st century means that we need to stop underestimating the power of students ability to self teach and engage in a more meaningful way. We need to aid them in learning through the resources given to them through technology. Stepping outside the box of the normal "burp back" learning.

 I. Teaching in the 21st century
      a. "Burp back" vs. technologically advanced teaching
       b. How will students engage and apply
         c. What are the resources available
  II. How will you teach in the 21st century

I love the message in this video. I believe that this way of teaching can greatly impact and improve upon how I have always been taught. Students should step outside of their comfort zones and ENGAGE in all of the resources and information that is so easily available to them. We should have discussions and hands on projects instead of just receiving information and trying to prove that we listened by answering multiple choice questions. I think that this will be challenging at times but it will make teaching more interesting and more effective.

3. The Networked Student really made  me think about if a teacher was even needed with students having the access to so much information and resources. I have had the thought before that online classes would become more abundant and teachers would become obsolete. Why would educators be needed when we could just teach ourselves from the resources and ever growing amount of information available to us? This video made me realize and understand that we can never get rid of educators. If it weren't for them we would struggle to understand our resources and how to put them to good use. We definitely need the guidance and help to be effective in networking and sharing information.

4. The main focus of Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts is that students have the ability to design and execute by engaging in the information and resources provided to them. The students in the video were able to blog and network with other students around the world to share ideas and figure out solutions for their project. I like that she talks about not knowing everything and that the students teach her. She is right, students and educators should learn from each other not just the students learning from the teacher. This creates a better learning environment because students feel like their thoughts and ideas matter and are greatly appreciated by not only their teacher but their peers in the classroom and around the globe.

5. It is very obvious that elementary students are ahead of undergrad and grad students in the learning race. I am currently an undergrad student and I have not worked with half the technology that the elementary students are using. It has always been apparent to me that this is this case. Yes undergrad and grad students hold more knowledge in most things but these elementary students are learning new and improved ideas and technology every day. For instance, my nephew, who is in kindergarten, knows how to do certain things on a computer that I had no idea even existed. I blame this on the fact that when we were elementary students these things weren't available to us so know we are making up for lost time. It's no excuse though, that we aren't on the same level. We should be miles ahead of them in this race.

6. The concept of flipping the classroom is new to me. I do think that this is a creative way to not only save time in the classroom but to help get parents involved in knowing what their child is learning and what is expected of them. I definitely think this could be useful for me as a future educator. It gives students time to actually think about the lesson and the different strategies that can be executed to get answers. It would be convenient for them to be prepared to discuss these strategies and this creates the opportunity for them to teach me something I may have not thought of.

7. As a future educator I believe that team work is very important. We are all striving for the same goal in each class that we take so learning from each other plays a significant role. I want to make it a point to incorporate having the students discuss concepts and ideas as a class. I don't want to be their main focus and just stand there spitting out facts. I actually experienced this type of class last semester. It seemed irritating at first but it actually was effective for me in the end. We as a class discussed the material and threw in our opinions for everyone to comment on. It helped me retain the information and go beyond what was written in the book and what the professor had to say. That class was one of the only classes I have actually enjoyed and was not bored in.

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Blog Post #1

I honestly didn't know anything about EDM 310 until the first day of class. After attending class this past week I am extremely overwhelmed by how much goes into this class. A part of me is terrified of this class but I am also excited to learn new things. After I read the syllabus and checklist and watched the videos it gave me a sense of ease. I am the type of person who likes to stay organized so the fact that there is a checklist to follow helps me tremendously. I was worried at first that I would forget about posting a blog or finishing up a project but I believe that if I reference the checklist frequently and make sure I spend the required amount of time I will be just fine.

I am mostly afraid of the fact that we have to post blogs often for everyone to read. It makes me feel better though, knowing that I am not alone in doing so and that I have the support of fellow classmates, lab assistants, and professors. I am still, of course, nervous but, I am trying to keep an open mind and have fun learning what EDM310 has to offer!

Practice Blog Post 1

Outline:

 I. About Me

         A. My Hometown

         B. My Job

         C. My Family and Fiance
II. Future Educator
          A. Why I Chose USA
          B. My passion and Main Focus

Hi!

        My name is Lydia Lynch. I was born and raised right here in Mobile, AL. As of right now, I commute about thirty minutes to school and work from Satsuma, AL. I will be moving to the city of Mobile soon to cut back on my commute to work and school. I have worked at dressbarn as a sales associate for over three years now. I was an assistant manager at one point when I had taken some time off from school but I decided to come back so I stepped down to focus on my school work. This was my first retail job and I actually love it! I definitely don't want to work there for the rest of my life but it is a good job to get me through school. I have two siblings, a brother and a sister who are both married. They both have a son of their own. My sister's little boy is turning six soon and my brothers little boy is turning two soon. Being an aunt is one of the most amazing experiences in life. I am the baby of the family. My parents have been happily married for 36 years and are a perfect role model for my fiance and I. We have been together for 8 years next month and engaged since July 4th 2013. He just graduated from USA with a bachelors degree in Computer Science. We will be getting married this May! We couldn't be more excited!

        USA has always been my number one option when thinking about college. My main reason for choosing it was because it was close to home. Since I am extremely close to my family I didn't want to go too far. I have been attending classes at South since Fall of 2009. I took a year off because I was unsure of what I wanted to pursue. When I made the decision to come back I knew exactly what I wanted to do and I am determined to reach my goal. I ultimately want to be a Reading Specialist. I need to have a teaching degree to do so and I had the most credits towards Health Education so that's what I decided on. Once I get my bachelors in Health Education I will go on to get my masters and get certified to be a reading specialist. I have always had a passion for reading. Ever since I was little I loved to read any chance I got. I would love to be able to spread my enthusiasm of reading to students and other educators. Helping others learn how to read and to love reading is my main goal and I will do  anything and everything to do this effectively.