Project #16 Progress Report

Dr. Strange wants us to share what progress if any we are making on our Project #16. Project #16 is our final project and we had a choice of three different projects. Anna Zhou and I chose to do a 15 minute video that will benefit future EDM 310 students. We are planning this primarily using Google Docs but also Skype and email as well. We are well along in the planning stages and are going to commence filming early this week. We hope to have a very entertaining yet useful video to present to the class during our last week.

Blog Post #12 My PRP

Create a Personal Recommendation Page (PRP).
This activity or project is good for getting students familiar and comfortable with Google Docs.
Directions:
Step#1 Using Google Docs create a page on which you recommend free software programs that you like and or use.
Step #2 You must have at least three different categories of programs. i.e. photo editing, presentation, communication, networking, etc...
Step #3 For each category you must recommend three programs.
Step #4 You must have an image and a link on your page for each program.
Step #5 You must either embed or link the finished page to your blog.
Take a look at my PRP below.
My Personal Recommendation Page

Blog Post #11 Ms. Cassidy the Technology Queen

For this post Dr. Strange had us watch a skype talk with Ms. Cassidy, a first grade teacher in Moose Jaw Saskatchewan, Canada, who uses technology quite a bit in her class. We also had the privilege of watching a video she produced showing her students engrossed in using technology. Ms. Cassidy has her 1st grade students blogging, making movies and pod-casts as well as a myriad of other applications of technology. I am totally blown away by what I have seen and heard! I teach 6th grade and was hesitantly considering ways I could use technology in my classroom until I saw this. Now I feel a bit sheepish about my hesitation since watching 1st graders blogging and making movies. I teach Science and what I am thinking about doing, once I return to my classroom, is to start by creating a class blog. I think I will tailor the blog to help my students get a head start on the material in my class. I will do this by posting a syllabus, the Power Points for each chapter, any test reviews, and any quiz and test dates. I will also have an announcements area that will hold any pertinent information my students might need quickly. I will also take class time to show my students how to access the class blog. Once I get the class blog up an running I am going to work with our IT guys and get them to help me put together a time when I can use the computer lab and teach my students how to blog on their own. Once they are comfortable blogging then I will let them gain experience by personalizing the class blog with pictures, student work etc... and also give them opportunities at least once a week to update their own blogs. I am also going to try to get the school to install a Smart Board in my classroom so that I can take advantage of the resources available to me on the internet. With the help of the Smart Board we can do virtual dissections, watch up to date videos on just about any subject area, and travel to other parts of the world to see first hand what we are studying. Since my school is located in Nairobi, Kenya I would like, if possible, to also set up an online relationship between my school and one here in the States. I think both schools would benefit tremendously from this! The greatest challenge I am going to face will not be my fellow teachers or my administrators but rather the unreliability of the local internet and electrical grid. We lose our internet at the drop of a hat and even though our computers all have battery backups sometimes the electricity is off longer than they can last. Why bother you might ask? Well I think that by getting these programs started in my class I will see a huge boost in my classes appreciation and interest in Science. I think these strategies will go a long way towards getting them to engage at a much higher level than I have previously been able to! I look forward to the days when my students are excited about Science and look forward to being in my class not because of my personality but because they are eager to learn!
Links:
First Graders in Ms. Cassidy's Class
Skype Interview With Ms. Cassidy

October C4K (Comments For Kids)

C4K#3
Student: Jessie
School: Peace Wapiti Academy, Alberta Canada
Comment:
Hi Jessie,
My name is Paul Bedsole and I am a 6th grade teacher who is working on getting my Alabama teaching certificate renewed. I usually teach in a small school similar to yours called Rosslyn Academy. Rosslyn is located in Nairobi Kenya and I teach Science and Math. I can definitely relate to your experiences starting in a new high school. I took French in grade 10 and did not enjoy it very much so I feel for you there. I will say this though, my high school French came in handy when I went to Madagascar last Christmas break so don't dismiss it out of hand. I am glad that you are starting to get the hang of high school and speaking from experience it will get better. Many of my most treasured memories are from high school and I hope this will be true for you as well! My advice is to get involved! Start with something small and simple, like photography, and see where that takes you! You have the best years of your life ahead of you so enjoy!
C4K#4
Student: Diane
School: Oregon Episcopal School / Online School for Girls
Comment:
Hey,
I really enjoyed your post! My name is Paul Bedsole and I am currently a student at the University of South Alabama. I am a teacher who normally lives and teaches in Nairobi, Kenya at a small school called Rosslyn Academy. I am currently in the States to get my teaching certificate renewed. I think you have done a really good job of researching global corruption and you obviously have become somewhat of an authority on it. I am not so sure that I agree with the UN that 80 billion dollars will wipe out poverty but then again I am not an expert. You are correct however, that 1st world countries are not immune to corruption. I think they are just better at hiding it. Living in Kenya I have had the, you might say "pleasure" of seeing blatent corruption first hand. I found it very interesting that several people who commented on your blog brought up the topic of corruption as a positive thing. Corruption is a way of life in Kenya from the lowly taxi drivers all the way up to the highest public officials. Corruption is the bane of our existence but, at the same time, you can hardly do anything in the country with out it. For example if you want to get a building project done right and on time it all depends on how much you "encourage" the builders to do so. So, while I don't condone corruption in any form, sometimes it is a necessary evil. Great job on your report and I look forward to reading many more!
C4K#5
Student: Fone Bone
School: Hillcrest Elementary School, Surrey B.C.
Comment:
Hi Fone Bone!
My name is Paul Bedsole and I am a Middle School teacher, who is attending the University of South Alabama, to get my teacher's certificate renewed. I normally teach at a small school in Nairobi, Kenya. I really enjoyed your web site and I had a lot of fun surfing through it! I can't wait until you fill out all of the sections on your website! Your I Am poem is first rate and you are right the pictures do add a lot to it! It is nice to meet another person who enjoys rugby! What is your favorite team? Who is your favorite player? Stay warm up there in B.C.!
C4K#6
Student: Hunter
School: Unknown
Comment:
Hi Hunter,
I enjoyed both of your latest blogs but because I haven't read "The Outsiders" I thought I would comment on your "Hello World" blog. I am a 6th grade Science teacher who is working on renewing my Alabama teachers certificate. I normally teach at a small school in Nairobi, Kenya where I also coach soccer. What position do you like to play in soccer? Do you have a favorite professional team? I love Manchester United and have since I was about ten. I also enjoy watching "The Call of the Wildman" but sometimes I get a little disgusted when he does things the hard way. By the way which of the Rocky movies do you like the best? Well I have enjoyed reading your blogs and I hope to do so again real soon!
C4K#7
Author: Dr. Santolli
Location: Ireland International Conference on Education
Comment:
Hi Dr. Santolli,
I really enjoyed your historical blog about Trinity College! I have traveled extensively and I love to visit places like this that are steeped in history! I haven't been to Ireland so thanks for sharing! I just wanted to briefly answer the questions you left in your blog. Queen Elizabeth I founded Trinity College to consolidate the Tudor rule and promote the protestant faith in Ireland. Trinity College's famous alumni include; Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's travels; Ernest Walton, Nobel prize winner for his work with atoms, and Samuel Beckett, Nobel prize winner in literature. The Library of Congress receives two copies of every book published in the U.S. Vellum is finely worked leather made from calf skin. Just curious, but what has been your favorite part of the convention so far?
C4K#8
Student: Kara
Location:Lochearn School Alberta, Canada
Comment:
Hi Kara,
My name is Paul Bedsole and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. USA is located in coastal Mobile, Alabama. I am working on getting my Alabama teaching certification renewed. I normally live in Nairobi, Kenya where I teach grade 6 Science. I really enjoyed your blog! You have really done a great job of portraying your beautiful town and province! It reminds me of my trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons! I can definitely see why you have so many tourists in the summer! We have a lot of tourists who come to our beautiful beaches so I know what that is like. We also get a lot of folks who come down in the winter and we call them snowbirds. Do you have a special name for the people who come to your area? You are doing a great job with your blog so don't stop! I look forward to reading and seeing more!!!

C4T#3

IDEAS AND THOUGHTS by Dean Shareski
Post 1
Teacher: Dean Shareski
Blog Summary:
Dean's October 25th blog is about the Instagram application and how he finally realized it's importance. Dean was at first skeptical and a little bit put off by Instagram because of the many filters posters were using with their pictures. He was also a bit miffed at the lack of basic amenities like being able to crop a picture. Dean finally though figured out that the main strength of Instagram was not necessarily the program itself but what could be accomplished with it. He realized it was a great tool for telling a storyies using pictures. Dean now wishes that more schools would use it to tell their stories.
Blog Comment:
Dean,
I really enjoyed your blog about Instagram! I am an avid amateur photographer and have never heard of Instagram before. After reading your blog I think I will check it out. I am like you in that I have a hard time moving away from apps that I know! So it may be a while before I switch over if I ever do.
Post 2
Teacher: Dean Shareski
Blog Summary:
The Impact of Twitter on Blogging
Dean in his Oct. 31st blog is discussing a pole he put on his blog to determine what effect if any twitter has on blogging. His hypothesis was that since Twitter is easier and less time consuming that it would have a negative impact on blogging. What Dean found instead was that there was a pretty even split between the blogging categories in his pole. The findings are as follows, 31% never regularly blogged, 17% had a blog before twitter and blogged more before, 18% created a blog after twitter and blog regularly, 13% had a blog before twitter and blog more now, and 21% had a blog before twitter and blog the same now.
Blog Comment:
Hi Dean,
I found your latest blog very interesting. I am new to twitter and to blogging having done both only for a couple of months. Your findings were not what I would have expected. Like you I would have expected for twitter to have a negative impact on blogging. I guess it just shows how interconnected social media tools are. Where one leaves off another picks up so that in the end you have a seamless blend.

A World Where Grades Will Be Left Behind

A World Where Grades Will Be Left Behind,
An Interview of Sebastisn Thrun by Mary Beth Marklein
Summary:
The USA Today is celebrating it's 30th anniversary. Mary Beth Marklein, as part of that celebration, is interviewing some of the USA"s most visionary people to talk about what we can expect in the next 30 years. One of these visionaries is Stanford professor and Google VP Sebastian Thrun. Sebastian Thrun was so moved by the experience he had teaching 160,000 students in an online artificial intelligence course that he vowed to never again teach in a traditional classroom. What he did instead was to found Udacity an online education company. Thrun's dream is to use Udacity and several other online education companies, that he controls, to create a series of free online courses that would be taught by star professors from all over the world. Thrun believes that the world of education needs a revamp and that in the next 30 years internet based educational programs will play a big part. Online courses will be free, available to thousands of students and will be personalized to the individual student. Grades will be a thing of the past. There will not be time limits for students to master skills but rather each student will be mastering them at their own pace.
Reaction:
I enjoyed reading what Sebastian Thrun had to say in his interview with Mary Beth Marklein. I think that Thrun's dream of offering online classes taught by the best professors available free to perhaps tens of thousands of students is highly commendable. I think Thrun's vision is great but only targets a narrow scope of the educational world. The issue is student accountability. I just don't see students below the college level being personally accountable to do what is needed with out oversight from teachers or parents. In order for an educational program to work you have to have accountability.
I also found it interesting when Thrun makes the statement that he wants to do away with grades yet is planning on having a system of quizzes and tests attached to his courses. What is he going to give students who take these quizzes and tests, a pass or fail? I do like his proposal of letting each student master skills at their own pace.
I think Thrun is on to something with his idea of free high quality education and it will work at the upper educational level. In my opinion, what needs to happen at the lower levels, is to have a classroom in which students are being taught primarily online via courses like those proposed by Thrun. However each classroom would be under the direction and monitoring of a technology savvy teacher who would hold their students accountable for completing their tasks. This could eventually change and become an entirely online class with the teacher monitoring remotely. I think that teachers will have a role to play in education for many years to come but the type of role they play will change drastically. I just pray, for the students sake, that teachers will embrace the change!

Blog Post #10

Part I: Cartoon Explanation
Having just finished making my book trailer, and having to borrow a friends Mac to do it, I think this cartoon could be about computers. My friend and I had a conversation about Macs and PCs and some of the pros and cons of each. The main thing that I have against Macs is that they cost so much. I think others feel the same way and I think this cartoon could be depicting that. The character on the left could represent PCs and the character on the right Macs. I like Macs and I think the software they come with is great but I just can't get over the price. I just can't justify paying two to three times more for a computer. I just wish that Macs were more comparable in price!
Part II:
Author: John Spencer
Title: The Con Academy
John Spencer is a very unique writer. I love his style and his careful use of sarcasm to make his point! In his post entitled Con Academy Spencer pokes fun at areas where our school system needs improvement. He specifically targets the way in which our school system goes about selecting and implementing educational programs and strategies. Spencer targets two areas in particular with his witty sarcasm. First he goes after the administrations focus on money. He believes, as do I, that just because something is free doesn't necessarily mean it is good. Unfortunately what a program costs is often the ultimate criteria for whether or not it gets used and if it is free so much the better regardless of its merit. The second thing Spencer is poking fun at is the common occurrence of administrators deliberately ignoring the advice of their teachers when it comes to the implementation of educational strategies. This often ties in directly with what a program costs. If the program is free many administrators have a tendency to overlook negative feedback or advice and focus more on saving their school money. I wonder what Mr. Spencer would have to say to those administrators who believe that the more an educational program or strategy costs the better it must be?
Part III: Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff! Please? by Scott McCleod
Reaction:
I absolutely loved Scott's satirical poem! I think he does a great job of portraying the struggle he faces getting teachers and administrators to accept technology as more than a convenience. I agree with him on almost all of the points he made with the exception of one. I think he doesn't give enough credence to parents and teachers fears of what students can get into on the internet that may be a negative impact. These are real fears and the news is full of stories of misled young people. I think the main problem is that parents and teachers don't know enough about technology and the internet. This lack of knowledge makes them feel out of control and they feel very leery of trusting something they don't totally understand. It also makes it difficult for them to trust someone who is promoting the internet and technology. It seems to me that the solution is to educate teachers and parents so they can play a more active role in their kids lives and not feel like they are on the outside looking in. By educating them you give them confidence in an area they previously felt inadequate in as well as giving parents commonality with their kids not to mention the unlimited possibilities for teachers both personally and in their classrooms.
Scott McCleod Bio:
Scott McLeod, is currently serving as the Director of Innovation for Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency 8 in Iowa. He is an associate professor at the University of Kentucky and is on leave from that position. Dr. McLeod founded the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE), the nation’s only academic center dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators. He is the co-creator of the video series, Did You Know? (Shift Happens). He has received numerous national awards for his technology leadership work, from the cable industry, Phi Delta Kappa, the National School Boards Association, and the Center for Digital Education. Dr. McLeod blogs regularly and his blogs include Dangerously Irrelevant, Education Recoded and The Huffington Post. He is also an author who just completed his first book entitled What School Leaders Need to Know About Digital Technologies and Social Media.
Scott McCleod is a very thought provoking writer and makes a great deal of sense when it comes to technology and its role in our classrooms and preparing our students for the future. If this is an area you would like more information about then please check Scott's website out at the following link!
Scott McCleod

Project #11 Green Screen Movie

This is a video entitled The Misadventures of Mouseman that Anna zhuo, Keely Smith and I put together. Enjoy!

Project #14 Smart Board Basics

These are some of the skills that I have learned to do on a Smart Board.