Project 15 Smart Board Instruction Part II

Blog Post # 13

My Teacher is an App

My Teacher is an App is an article about online education for high school aged and younger students. Students are taking classes in 31 states online and their test scores haven't really been up to par with brick and mortar schools according to the research. The schools are for profit schools that are making money off of the rich and not providing the same quality education that students would receive in a traditional school. For some, these schools are a last ditch effort for students to learn the material and for others, they are just tired of public schools and are looking for something different.


The problem is; the students have to be dedicated to their education to benefit from online schools and they have to want to learn. The computer will not make you learn, it is merely there as a helping tool (and a pretty stagnant one at that) that will assist you in your learning. The students enrolled in totally virtual schools have to want to learn in order to be successful and then if they don't truly comprehend what is going on, they need a teacher. The companies that run these online schools are there to make money and don't really care if the students learn or not. As long as their numbers are up, they are profiting and doing what they are out to do. It is obvious Rupert Murdoch is happy with the virtual schools because he cares about making money for his company and it is easy to do with the poor education system in many areas. Persuade the parents and administration that your product works and off you go. The students won't understand why they aren't prepared for college and the parents don't realize that they have wasted money when they were already paying for their child's education through taxes and the public school system.

Instead of sending your child to a totally online school, parents need to take more of an active role in their child's education and make the school boards do what they are supposed to do. We pay taxes so our children can have a quality education. This means getting rid of the riff-raft and getting quality educators in the school system. That is not to say that online learning is not beneficial because students do need additional resources and online learning is definitely a way to supplement the material learned in class. The schools where the students learned online and in the classroom did remarkably better than the totally online schools. And if you were not dedicated to learning (like not going to Algebra because you didn't want to) then you are destined to fail that class and possibly drop-out if things aren't going the way you expected.

There are advantageous and disadvantageous to online learning and the key is to make it work by determining what will work and what won't work. In a brick and mortar school, you can work online and also receive classroom instruction. The teachers are there to guide the students in the right direction and have the knowledge to answer questions that may arise. The students are able to receive the social interaction that is needed and collaborate to get assignments completed and assist each other in their learning objectives. If you work solely online, you can work at your own pace, you may be ahead of your peers and that is OK. You can get help from a teacher or parent or another credible source when they are available and schools don't have all of the overhead costs associated with a traditional school building.


I enjoy online learning but I also enjoy going to a classroom every once in a while like we do in EDM 310. This set-up is good for college students who are paying for school and are more likely to go to class and complete assignments because it is worth it to them. For high school aged and younger students, the costs associated with going to school at a traditional school or online are not a factor to them; they are not paying for it. I don't see them really expressing any more interest in an online school than they would a traditional school. With all of this said, I believe we should take virtual schools for what they really are, a business, and treat them as such. You will only get out of these schools what effort you put in. There isn't a teacher that really cares if you succeed or not as long as they are making money. In a traditional school if most of their students are failing they get reprimanded for it. According to the statistics, the students in the online schools are failing but it is not the fault of the teacher, it is the fault of the students because they are not dedicated. Online schools have a time and a place but it is not in primary and secondary education. Leave it for colleges and let them test the system. College is already a business but at this point the students' careers depend on what they learn so they will do better.

Got the Metaphor Special Assignment # 1

Life is too short to be serious all of the time, isn't it? If I had a dollar for every time I heard that, I would be rich. But, it's the truth, isn't it? Life is too short for people to be serious all of the time and if we don't know how to step back, relax, and enjoy what life has to offer we will miss the joys of life.


Metaphors are used to help break the ice, put a smile on your face, get you to think a little bit more, or simply because they are funny. If we didn't use metaphors, life would simply be boring (no pun intended). We need to think outside the box, play chess with words, explore the open terrain until those that are confused with the use metaphors really get it. Yes, we could just come out and say what really mean but where's the fun in that? I like to have fun; I like reading things that push the boundaries of one's conscious mind and invites them to go deeper. If I can go to bed thinking about what I read because it contained metaphors that required me to think a little more, the author has done their job.


One book (or books depending on how you look at it) has more metaphors than any other book in the world. This book is the Bible. It is filled with them because God’s purpose was that we read, re-read, and read some more so we remember what he has told us. God wants us to think about what he is saying so we really get the message. In the Bible, Jesus gives several parables (metaphorical stories) and some are confused and others are not. The Bible is meant to be interpreted by different people in different ways. The only real meaning is the one God has assigned for you (the reader) at the time you are reading a book, chapter, or verse. So, if God is able to use metaphors with different meanings for different people throughout his book to connect with several billion people, why can’t an author use a metaphor to portray one central meaning to his readers? Metaphors are a way of life and have been for centuries. God has a sense of humor and so should we.

I believe metaphors fail to work with some college students because they are too focused on making sure they get it right. They are not looking for any type of humor in what they read because a lot of them are used to scholarly articles that contain facts and research instead of articles that simply aim to entertain. Also, a lot of scholarly articles could be written with some form of metaphor that would make them more interesting but it is college students writing them and they are stuck on being serious instead of having fun.


When we get to college, most professors don't say: "I want you to have fun in this course and you will still learn a lot". They begin by stating what the course is about and the objectives that need to be covered during the semester. This is usually more than what should be crammed into 16 weeks but that is what they require that you learn so the curriculum becomes stressful for college students. Now, it is work, work, work, and play (humor) is not even thought of by those looking to be successful business professionals, teachers, or engineers. What most of the students don't know is that when you get out of college, those extremely successful individuals you will eventually run into will almost always have a great sense of humor and if you are witty enough, you just might land a great job.

Ramsey and Craig Bowen Skype Interview

Progress on Final Project

For our final project, Group JAM, which consists of KaShondra Rudolph, Ramsey Willis, and Erwin Coleman will be doing a project using the green screen and iMovie.  We will teach a lesson and show some of the benefits of using the green screen and iMovie in education.

Blog Post # 12

Is 9 hours really enough for EDM 310?

In the middle of the semester, right around the same time students complete the midterm, they should complete a blog post stating whether 9 hours a week is really enough of a minimal commitment for EDM 310. They should base their decision on the amount of time they spend completing their assignments and the feedback provided by Dr. Strange and the lab assistants. This will allow the students to better prepare for the end of year review and help them see if they need to spend more time working on EDM 310 assignments. They should also answer the question Dr. Strange asked in the class session about why students have trouble commenting on other classmates work. They can cite resources (if they would like) to back up either of their claims (the nine hours a week is/isn't enough or about commenting on other classmate's work) but their posts should still meet the guidelines for writing a quality blog post and should still be substantial. It should provide valuable insight for Dr. Strange and help him understand the students’ point of view when it comes to time management and commenting on another students' work. Remember, we learn every day, the professors and the students.


As for me, I don't feel like 9 hours (even at a minimum) is really enough time to fully understand the material presented and discussed in EDM 310. I spend approximately 20 - 24 hours a week working on EDM 310 weekly assignments. I may be a little excessive but I want to make sure I really understand what is being said or discussed and provide valuable feedback or write a quality blog. Dr. Randy Pausch states in his video on Time Management "good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgment". Why is this so important for this class you ask? In the middle of the semester if the students have been making bad judgments and not getting the work turned in on time or have not been spending enough time working on the assignments, they now have the experience and should be able to evaluate themselves and make better decisions. It didn't take me to the middle of the semester to figure this out only because my ultimate goal is to get a 4.0 in all of my classes and if I drop the ball, I realize it is on me. My lack of effort will not result in me achieving this goal so I realized that I must change my behavior sooner rather than later. I did a self-reflection early and realized for me to be successful, I must spend more time on the assignments. I believe it has paid off and the effort I put into each and every assignment is noticed by Dr. Strange and the lab assistants.


Dr. Strange asked in a class session why it was difficult for students to comment on another students’ work. I provided this response during the class: "Dr. Strange wants to know why it is difficult for students to critique each other in public. The problem is the students fear that they may not be qualified enough to tell someone they are incorrect. Yes, we only wish to help them and make them better but who are we to tell someone their work is not good enough. Most of us will tell someone privately as not to embarrass them in public and potentially end their career before it has even begun. Others just haven’t developed that level of comfort yet and are therefore reluctant to “judge” another students’ work. At this stage we are all working to get a degree but as a teacher you are supposed to know more and are more comfortable telling someone they are incorrect." After that class meeting I am a little bit more comfortable telling someone they are incorrect or they are doing something wrong in public and I will definitely question whether someone really understood what they were supposed to do. I do this because I just don't think that everyone in the class gets what they are truly supposed to be learning in this class. This class is about being an independent learner, learning from your mistakes and understanding the world around you. I don't want someone who couldn't understand how to complete an assignment and didn't bother to find out how to correctly complete that assignment teaching my children. I want the teacher to be well informed and able to go get help if they need it. Sometimes, it seems like some of the students are just lazy. I have 4 children, a wife, and go to school and work. I don't have a lot of extra time but I devote the hours needed to the assignments that need to be completed in all of my classes. Some students don't have half of the responsibility that I have yet they cannot write a quality blog post. To me, this is unacceptable especially for individuals that are typically juniors and seniors in college. We are all going to be teachers, showing children how they should live their life. Shouldn't we live ours as examples for the future?

Summary of C4K Posts for October

Summary of C4K posts for October

For C4K #4 I commented on Andrea's blog. She wanted to visit and go to the top of the Eiffel tower in Paris. I told her I would like to visit the Eiffel Tower in Paris one day but didn't know if I wanted to go to the top. She also mentioned how she wanted to take her extended family with her and I told her it was great that she thought about the rest of her family. I mentioned that it would be an excellent trip for them.





For C4K #5 I commented on Angelo's blog. Angelo described what it was like to be a top notch rugby player and I told him I hoped to be as fit as a race horse one day. I told him that he gave a great description of what type of shape they had to be in when he stated that they were "fit like a race horse and eat healthy food everyday".


For C4K #6 I commented on Tevita and Dartania's post about the Canada vs. Tonga rugby match. The kids created a movie in imovie where they interviewed some people and asked them what they thought about the match. Some of the people were for Canada but they wanted Tonga to win. Tonga didn't win the match but the interviews went well. I told them that I had never seen a live Rugby match before but I would be interested in seeing one someday and I might even cheer for Tonga.

For C4K #7 I commented on Smantie's blog. Smantie taught the class about superposition and since I didn't know much about superposition, I asked Smantie to teach me about superposition as well.

For C4K #8 I commented on Donyae's blog. Donyae did a post on book called Frog Adventure that he was reading. He used the word HIGHGATE to describe the frogs adventure and how they lived in the book. I told him that it shows creativity and helps him better understand what he has been reading. It was excellent work and I let him know that.

Blog Post # 11

Mrs. Cassidy Skype Interview was very interesting because she teaches 1st graders and you wouldn’t think that 1st graders used technology like the rest of the world. The truth is they probably use technology more than any business or “older” person because this is all that they have known in their lifetime. Mrs. Cassidy stated that she did not have a Facebook account until recently but she has used twitter a lot. I, on the other hand, did not have a Twitter account until recently but I have had a Facebook account for years. So, I guess what I am saying is, just as she said, it depends on the individual. Some will be more apt to use a certain type of technology and another person might be more apt to use a different one.

In Mrs. Cassidy first grade class they are able to try several different types of technology and learn the different types of technology. They don’t have to like everything they use, but she does want to introduce them to many different types of technology that may assist them in their learning. She is taking what we are doing in EDM 310 and incorporating it into her 1st grade curriculum. So, not only are they learning how to write, they are learning how to write, post, edit, comment, create videos, create podcasts and interview individuals using Skype and possibly other forms of technology that allows this. They use computers (stand alone programs), they use the internet, they use video games but all in the spirit of learning. They are learning the things a typical 1st grader should learn, but they are also learning how to use technology effectively and safely. Based on what Mrs. Cassidy stated in the interview, I would not be surprised if she were probably teaching them about the effective uses of smart phones although I cannot verify that right now.


In my classroom (which will be high school teenagers) I have a challenge if they have grown up where they were not allowed to use technology in school. I only have this problem because I will be providing them with links that prove useful in trying to help validate a point I have made or a lesson I have taught. I will invite them to bring their smart phones with the understanding that whatever you are doing or have done on that phone you must be willing to share with the entire classroom at any time. This means that whatever is on your phone, if you decide to bring it to class, must be suitable to share with the rest of the class. Because I will be teaching Math, I will look for them to create PLN’s that will assist them in their advancement in the class. I will not hinder them from contacting someone outside of the class if they can provide valuable insight. There are a million and one ways to do one thing and no one person is always right. So I will invite them to share what they have learned from their PLN with the rest of the class.

I may run into some challenges by allowing all of the technology in my class. Like Mrs. Cassidy I will only allow things that are relevant for learning the material I want the students to learn so I may have to keep a close eye on what the students are doing on the phones. I also have to make sure the students are learning what I am teaching them; not only the subject matter but also the responsibility that comes with that freedom. Incorporating the use of technology into the curriculum and making sure I cover everything that should be covered that year may be a little challenging although I believe it is well worth the extra time it may take. I will allow the technology but the students will all be given the opportunity to show what they have learned using the technology they have chosen. If they are not willing to share what they have learned or if it is not appropriate, that student will be dismissed from enjoying the use of that technology in the classroom and the freedom that comes with that opportunity. I will have to think of ways to incorporate the use of technology in the classroom beyond what I have mentioned to allow for PLN use and other things like that but I will get that done as I am creating my lesson plans.

I may also run into some problems with the administration at the school. Like Mrs. Cassidy, all of the administrators may not be advocates of using technology in the classroom and may try to prohibit me from allowing students to use that side of their creative minds. As I stated in a previous posts, I believe this is because they are not comfortable with the technology because it is unfamiliar territory to them. Hey, I may have been the same way had it not been for this class and me now understanding what is out there and how to use it effectively. Although, this could be an impediment I will do my best to educate those that are not in favor of me using this approach by showing stats of how the students have progressed in the class. I will also show them how it has helped my students and what advantages it has had for them from comments from the students and letters to administrators from the students. Every attempt will be made to ensure that what I have allowed, and is working, will continue in the classroom to make sure my students are effective learners using every tool available to them.


Lastly, I believe the students will experience several benefits by this approach. The first and probably least obvious is that they are becoming adults and need to understand how to behave as adults. The freedom they enjoy in my classroom will help them make better informed decisions in the future. They will learn how to find information that will assist them in their development. They will be able to teach someone else how to use the technology to assist them with their education. All of this because I allowed them to be creative, use the technology they were familiar with, encourage PLN’s; learn new ways to do things. I want to reinvent the wheel. It has been around for so long with no changes because people don’t want to change what’s working. Why not change it? Why not try something new? You never know what is out there unless you explore. We limit ourselves too much today and I will not do that with my students. I want them to explore. I want them to change the world and if I can help them do that, I definitely will.