BLOG ASSIGNMENT #5B

Summary of my Personal Learning Network (PLN)

     Since blog assignment #5, my PLN has grown. At the beginning, I stated that the only way I knew how to build my PLN was through Twitter. I was so wrong! Not only have I mastered Twitter, but I have established relationships with other teachers from around the world. I am following all of my C4T's that were assigned to me. Some of them are even following me back. In the process of finding articles for my blog, I am linked to different health and physical education teachers. I visit their blogs at least once a week. I already have a full list of ideas I want to incorporate into my classroom. I am using Symbaloo to keep all of my favorite websites and links together. Pinterest has given me tons of creative art projects that I want to implement into my lesson plans. My next quest is to join LinkedIn. LinkedIn allows you to connect with others that are in your profession or share similar interests and it gives the option to attach a resume. This will definitely work towards my advantage when I start applying for jobs. I know my PLN will continue to grow as long as I take the time to search for other mentors and possible future colleagues. I am so excited about what the future holds!

C4T #4

http://www.angelamaiers.com/blog

The Sandbox Manifesto

    In this post, Angela Maiers compares children playing in a sandbox to playing by the rules at work with others. She gives a manifesto to live by. "The Sandbox Manifesto is both a declaration and an invitation to keep the experience of the sandbox alive and to recognize and honor the wisdom we acquired through our experiences on the inside." She lists ten tenets to think about:

1. Sharing is caring
2. Messy is good
3. Imagination is your greatest asset
4. Sand is for filling buckets
5. Hugs help and smiles always matter
6. Take it to the community
7. The community means both friends and strangers
8. You have one job - be remarkable
9. You are the master of your fate and the captain of your soul
10. Play is the work

  In my comment, I expressed that I really enjoyed reading her blog. I agreed with Mrs. Maiers that we as adults have lost the innocence that children have when they play with each other in the sandbox. I also expressed that my favorite part of her blog was manifesto #3, imagination is your greatest asset. She tells educators to dream big and bold and be brave. Her blog was very inspiring. Below is the comment I left:

   Hi Mrs. Maiers! My name is Sammi Taylor. I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I will be summarizing my visits to your blog on my class blog on 11/30/14. This was a great post! I really enjoyed reading it. You are so right, we have strayed away from the lessons we learned playing in the sandbox. The innocence that surrounds the sandbox is something that I hope to instill into my students so they will carry it with them throughout their life. Your post challenges me to follow the rules of the Sandbox Manifesto. My favorite is the part where you said dream big and dream bold, anything is possible; be brave enough to believe it is true. So many times I have allowed fear to take over. Thank you so much for the inspiration!

Student Geniuses Stand Up in Grand Island

   Mrs. Maiers, along with John Michel, a US Air Force General, spoke at a leadership assembly at Grand Island High School where she launched the program Choose2Matter. Choose2Matter is a program that encourages students to bring out the genius in themselves. So many times students define themselves by test scores and extracurricular achievements. Mrs. Maiers wants students to know they can change the world starting today. "The no. 1 rule of Choose2Matter is Be Brave." In my comment, I agreed that students should not base their self-worth off test scores and extracurricular achievement. I told her I was glad to see that she had a great turnout from the students at Grand Island. I wished her good luck on the program and a Happy Thanksgiving! Below is the comment I left:

   Hi Mrs. Maiers! Choose2Matter sounds like an excellent program for high school students. I agree, students should not be judged strictly off extracurricular achievement or test scores. So many students judge their self-worth from how many A's they get on assignments and on how many clubs they can participate in. Bringing out the genius in them will show them they can make a difference. I am glad to see you had a high turnout from the students in Grand Island. Good luck on the program. I have really enjoyed reading your blog! Happy Thanksgiving! Sammi Taylor EDM310

BLOG ASSIGNMENT #14

Teaching Can Be A Profession by Joel Klein

    Joe Klein's article Teaching our children can be a profession: Column calls for changes in education. His main focus would be to professionalize teaching. He lists the problems and possible "solutions" that should be addressed.


Problems with teaching profession:
1. The academic programs
2. The recruitment process
3. The rewards teachers receive
4. The importance of seniority

Solutions to the problems:
1. Developing better academic training for prospective teachers
2. Recruit from the top one-third of new graduates
3. Rewards should be given based on performance
4. Professionalize teaching

   Mr. Klein suggests having better academic training for future potential teachers. Albert Shanker suggests that future educators be required to obtain "a supervised internship of one to three years." This would allow an in-depth evaluation of them. In my opinion, this is an excellent way to get high qualified teachers into classrooms. Academic programs should be monitored the same way medical and law schools are monitored. If the curriculum does not meet high qualifications, it should loose its accreditation. If the faculty is not training future educators to strive for schools to employ them, they too, should not be allowed to continue to teach.

   Mr. Klein states "virtually anyone with a college degree can become a teacher." Recruitment of future teachers are usually done in a four-hour block during a career fair. Although this can be effective, it is outdated. I agree that teachers should be recruited from the top-third of a graduating class. When we send our children to school, we are entrusting that their teacher is the best at what he or she does. I can remember my mother, who is a teacher herself, handpicking my teachers during elementary and junior high school. She wanted to make sure that I got the best education and a teacher that had a strict discipline mindset. Just like people want to go to the best doctors and lawyers, parents should have the peace of mind that their child is being educated by the best teacher.

   The problem with rewarding teachers based on seniority is that they are not judged based on their performance. He states the current approach is all teachers are thought of as being "interchangeable". I also agree that teachers need to be rewarded based on performance. Teachers that perform on a superior level should be awarded tenure. According to Webster's dictionary, "tenure is defined as the period or term of holding something, such as a position, and status is granted to an employee, usually after a probationary period, indicating that the position or employment is permanent." In my opinion, only high performing teachers and professors should be awarded tenure. I believe that the probationary period should be at least five years with each year being better than the last. This will allow first year teachers to set goals for themselves to achieve. If tenured teachers fall from this standard after a certain amount of years, tenure should be taken away.

   According to the article, some school districts are losing experienced teachers to middle-class communities, leaving other districts to hire non-experienced or non-effective teachers. Seniority has become a big problem for school districts. When there are layoffs or mandatory transfers, first year teachers are usually affected instead of least effective teachers. I do not believe in last hired, first fired. I think that there should be a universal standard that schools can follow in order to keep excellent first-year teachers. One solution given in the article is to professionalize teaching. How well an educator performs will be an indicator for a teacher to keep his or her job. Albert Shanker recommended developing a "knowledge base" with peer relationships, having merit-based career ladders, and requiring a national teacher examination that is very similar to the type of tests lawyers and doctors are required to take. In my opinion, having these requirements will definitely produce above average applicants.

    This is an article I recommend for all teachers and school board superintendents to read. As a future educator, I want to learn from the best so that I can teach to the best of my ability. Having the proper tools and knowledge will allow me to be on the same playing field as other applicants. A teacher should care more about shaping lives. The reward should not be whether I get tenured, but the joy and excitement of seeing one of my former students graduate and go off to college or start a career. That in itself is all the reward I need. I am here to inspire my students and get them to accomplish their dreams. In the words of Alexandra K. Trenfor, "the best teachers are those who show you where to look but don't tell you what to see."

C4KSummary for November

LEIGHAM
Leigham is a 5th grade student in Mr. Akerson's class in St. Louis. She was asked to write a post about "My device is an animal". In this post, she was required to convince readers that her iPod was an animal. This was a great way to use descriptive words. I was totally convinced that her iPod could be considered an animal. Below is the comment I left on her blog:

Hi Leigham! My name is Sammi. I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. This was an awesome post! I was really convinced that your iPod was an animal. You had my attention the entire time. Your words were so descriptive, by the end, I was thinking that an iPod could really be an animal. You have great writing skills. I especially loved how you incorporated a Bible verse. It really gave the iPod life. I can't wait to read the next one. Are you enjoying writing on a blog? Keep up the great work! Have a great semester!

CHRISTIAN

Christian is a 5th grade student in Mrs. Mena class at Camarena Elementary School in Chula Vista, CA. He was to write a post using sequence words. He chose to use the recipe for making a PB&J sandwich. Using a recipe was a great way to introduce sequence. Using number words, like first and second, gives a clear direction to what is suppose to be done in a particular order. Below is the comment I left on his blog:

Hi Christian! My name is Sammi. I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Al. I will be summarizing your blog post on my blog at the end of the month. This was a great use of sequence words! It was a good idea to use steps of a recipe to explain how things are to be done in a particular order. I especially liked how you are teaching your readers that the peanut butter goes on one side and the jelly on another. This is my favorite snack. I like to use strawberry jelly on my sandwich. Is PB&J your favorite snack too? Have a great school year Christian!

MARILYN

Marilyn is a 5th grade student in Mrs. Mena's class at Camarena Elementary School in Chula Vista, CA. After weeks of hard work, she was asked to write a reflection about what she has gained after taking a pre and post math test. She was very excited to see how much knowledge she gained about using division with decimals. In her class, they had intensive practice on finding length and width and how to get a 1 digit fact. I told her that it is wonderful that she has gained so much confidence in herself. I hope she continues to know that hard work does pay off. I believe she can succeed in anything she wants to accomplish. I wished her all the best for the rest of the school year. Below is the comment I left:

Hi Marilyn! My name is Sammi. I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, AL. Great job on your post! Great job on the test! I love your enthusiasm towards learning. You are correct, hard work does pay off. I hope you continue to strive for greatness throughout your school year. I am very confident you will succeed in everything you set forth to accomplish. Do you know what you want to be when you grow up? Keep up the awesome attitude and confidence. Have a great school year Marilyn!

BLOG ASSISGNMENT #13

What Can We Learn About Integrating Technology into Health and Physical Education?

Instructions: Watch these videos and read the article. Think about what skills you can learn to become an effective health and physical education teacher. Think about the importance of technology and how it can be incorporated in health and physical education. Summarize what you learned from these videos and article.

1. Integration Technology into Health Education (3:29) Betül Sahin

2. Physical Education and Technology (1:52) Kellen Glover

3. Using Technology to Teach Health and Wellness Mary Beth Hertz

4. Technology In Physical Education (4:00) Heather Lanclos

Answer the question in a post that adheres to the standards found in the ACCRS and in Writing A Quality Blog Post.

"Teachers will not be replaced by technology, but teachers who don't use technology will be replaced by those who do." - Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach


Integration Technology into Health Education by Betül Sahin

In Mr. Betül Sahin video, he talks about how to integrate technology in a health education classroom. Health education doesn't have to be boring with textbooks and outdated statistics. There are numerous exciting websites that keep students engaged in the lesson and offer teachers ways to teach their students to use tools to help them learn about healthy lifestyles, track their health progress, and compare their results to other students. He gives different websites that students can visit. If the internet is not available, there are software apps that can be used. For example, Zombiesrungame.com is an encouraging app to get kids active and running faster and further than ever before. As a future health education teacher, I learned that my class does not have to consist of me standing in front of my room, reading from Powerpoint slides, and giving outdated statistics. I want my students to get the content but also leave my class with the knowledge to keep an active lifestyle as an adult. I do not want my students to gain the infamous Freshman 15 pounds their first year in college. The tools I will show them can be used outside the class and hopefully passed to their family members.

Physical Education and Technology by Kellen Glover

Kellen Glover's video explains the importance of integrating technology into physical education classes. Technology is prevalent in today's students' lives that teachers have to be fully prepared to equipped their students with forms of technology. With a rise in obesity in younger kids, teachers must find all available resources to help fight this epidemic. Although technology in physical education is a relative new concept, it is important to incorporate and advance it to ensure success of both the teacher and student. He states "the traditional physical education classroom, which is a gym or outside with a bunch of sporting equipment is no longer accepted." He gives examples like treadmills and heart rate monitors, which are being used in classrooms K-12. I think all physical education teachers should be required to use some form of technology in their lesson. I can remember my gym teacher rolling out the ball and saying "go play and don't kill each other". This was not very affected because most students, especially the girls, would not participate. Most of them would sit on the wall and talk. If I am given the opportunity to do both health and PE, I would make sure that each student exercises at least 30 minutes a day. If they did not want to participate, I would try to engage them in other ways like letting them do what interest them as long as they were moving and staying active.

Using Technology to Teach Health and Wellness Mary Beth Hertz

Mary Beth Hertz, a K-8 Technology Teacher in Philadelphia, PA, gives different applications that can be used in health education. She states "there are so many apps in other core subjects like english and math, what digital technologies can be used in health?"

WEBSITES
Sugar Stacks - shows images of everyday food with the grams of sugar it contains in stacks of cubes
BAM (Body and Mind) - ran by the CDC, covers nutrition to mental well being. Very kid-friendly
Running Map - students are able to plan a route to run. Great for track teams and PE classes

GAMES
FatWorld - teaches the politics of nutrition
AdDecoder - teaches students to be more savvy about marketing tricks in the media

APPS
Pedometer - tracks how many steps the students take throughout the day or a workout
Calorie Counter and Diet Tracker - keeps track of daily calories and physical activity.

I personally use myfitnesspal.com daily. I love this app. I can program how many calories I want to intake and it lets me know if I am on track to my target weight loss goal. Also, I plan to use the Sugar Stacks website for my personal use. In my classroom, I will definitely be using the BAM website. It covers all health topics and is kid-friendly. I want to share websites that my students will be allowed to use at home. The AdDecoder is a very good game to use for my middle and high school students. They are bombarded with so many different images of what society wants them to look like. I want them to know the difference between healthy and fit. Be skinny doesn't mean you are healthy or fit.

Technology In Physical Education by Heather Lanclos

There are different types of technologies that can be used in a PE class. Heather Lanclos describes different websites and games that can be incorporated into any grade class.

C-motion - is a music driven X-game style experience where the mind and body are constantly moving.

MP3 players and iPods can be used to get students moving and dancing. Also, a teacher can develop a game by using the iPod.

Choosemyplate.gov is a program that can track student's food intake and physical activity. It will also manage their weight loss or weight gain goals.

Physical Educator's clipboard is a great tool for teachers to input lesson plans, assign students lockers, keep up with video and equipment inventory, and manage their classes.

Heart rate monitors use a chest strap and digital watch to analyze a heart rate. The strap transmits data to the watch. Monitors allow students to keep track of their heart rate and show them if they are exercising in their target heart rate zone. Students can use the monitors throughout the day. Some models will record how many calories the students burned in a day.

Teachers can incorporate video hardware machines into their daily lesson. WiiFit allows students to work on balance, yoga poses, strength, and high -intensity exercises. Dance Dance Revolution is a type of game that students can look forward to everyday. It allows them to move and dance. The students replicate the moves of the kids on the game. At the end, students are judged by the amount of correct dance patterns presented to them. Another prize for winning is being able to choose the next song. This is a great way to keep them active and show their creative dance moves.

I want to be able to use all of the technologies from this video. I want to make my class enjoyable and educational. Using technology in a health and physical education class will allow my room to become a 21st century state-of-the-art classroom. The skills and knowledge my students learn will allow them to become very active adults with few health problems.

PROJECT #12 SMARTBOARD PART B

PART B: Delivering A Lesson via the SMARTboard

Group 6 demonstrated a lesson on the Math standard - Use trigonometric ratios and the Pythagorean Theorem to solve right triangles in applied problems.

BLOG ASSIGNMENT #12

What assistive technologies are available to you as a teacher? How are they useful?

Group 6 consists of Caleb Fleming, Jennifer Cole, Kyle Faxlanger, and Sammi Taylor. We were asked to watch videos and answer the driving question, "what assistive technologies are available to you as a teacher and how are they useful?" In health education, I would issue I Pads to my students with disabilities. I pads are useful especially when I teach about different food groups and exercises that will maintain a healthy lifestyle. I Pads will improve the accuracy and speed of their work . I would make sure their learning was personal to their need. Also, I would reinforce effective classroom instruction and work using different assistive technologies.

PROJECT #10 INTERVIEW MOVIE

Mrs. Lydia Shantazio, 12th grade English Teacher, Davidson High School

C4T#3

http://rubberbootsandelfshoes.blogspot.com/

Classroom Tour 2014-15

Ms. Sandi Purdell-Lewis, a Kindergarten teacher in Canada, invites visitors to her blog to take a detailed tour of her classroom. Her goal is to make her classroom a place where both her students and their families feel welcomed. She wants her classroom to showcase what the students have learned throughout the year in Kindergarten. Her classroom is not meant to be overwhelming, but designed to spark her students' curiosity. She begins guiding visitors through the exterior door. When visitors first walk in, there is a station called the "command center". This is where parents will find the lost and found and students will find the scissor practice box. Next is the "cloakroom", what she believes is wasted space and should be used for an instructional area instead of storage for coats and shoes. Ms. Purdell-Lewis further takes visitors by the learning activity bins and toy storage where visitors can also find the line-up dots. Line-up dots are not only used for order during line-up, but for number practice. Next is the cosy corner for reading and her desk area. Following that, she introduces "the rainbow", which stores loose parts and is a station for games designed for students to explore their imagination. Next is "the house" with the tree changing seasons which is signified by colors of balloons. There is a dress-up area along with a cosy curl chair. The yearly calendar, which is the focal point of the classroom, depicts all lessons for the entire year. There is an art area with a digital projector and science area for students to explore. I especially liked how each station promoted and enhanced a skill for students to keep with them throughout their life. This was a very warm and inviting classroom and I hope each student loved it as much as I did. I am thankful for the tour! Below is the comment I left:

Hi Sandi! My name is Sammi Taylor. I am a student of Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. I will be summarizing my visits to your blog with a post to my blog on 11/09. My twitter address is @PoiseRed. I really enjoyed touring your classroom! It is very inviting and full of creativity! I really liked when you stated it is for the students and their families. Incorporating families is a great way to keep them involved into their child's learning journey. I also liked how each station is designed to promote and enhance a skill that students can carry with them throughout life ie the house and scissor practice sand table. Thank you for sharing your classroom. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving! Have a great year!

Dancing Skeleton

For Halloween, Ms. Purdell-Lewis had her students make a dancing skeleton from paper, Q-tips, and creativity (kids brought this). She listed the instructions on how to form the skeletons. She makes the comment "anatomy is not quite right, but our skeletons have personality." She displayed a few of her students' skeletons on her blog. My favorite was the skeleton with the top hat and cane. She also gives links to more projects and to a book about skeletons that could be read to the class. Below is the comment I left:

Hi Sandi! The dancing skeletons are great! The creativity really showed in this project. I especially liked the skeleton with the top hat and cane. It is great that you encourage free-flowing imagination in your class. I can only hope I will be as encouraging as you are when it comes to my students' projects. Also, it seems that your classroom is a very warm and inviting environment to learn and grow as a student. Thanks for the glimpse into your classroom.

BLOG ASSIGNMENT #11

What can we learn about teaching and learning from these teachers?

The videos that were assigned to the class by Dr. Strange were all different ways to teach teachers how to use technology and project based learning in their classrooms. These videos allow future educators, like myself, to explore ways to keep students engaged and not just give information and have them memorize it for a test. Dr. Strange posed the question, "what can we learn about teaching and learning from these teachers?"

Brian Crosby, Agnes Risley Elementary School

Brian Crosby is a 4th grade teacher in Sparks, Nevada, that teaches 2nd language learners. His class consists of at-risk students, which are students who qualify for a program that allows them to get free lunch. His students are working on a project using a high-altitude balloon to show how hot-air balloons are created. In this video, Mr. Crosby suggests not to rush students through their academic journey. He states "we can't race kids through school. It can't be a race. We have to keep making sure to give them opportunities to build scheme for the world." Students should be empowered to learn on their own. This is called active learning. I learned that it is important to always have your students engaged in their studies. When students do a project that is based on PBL standards, students should articulate their words, review their assignment, and shine when presenting their work. I learned that I should be changing my students lives. When they leave my class, I want them to leave with knowledge that stays with them, not memorized facts they will forget later. I also learned in order to build my students' personal learning network, I must connect them to other students and teachers from across the world.

Blended Learning Cycle

Paul Anderson is a high school science teacher in Bozeman, Montana. In his video, he discusses how a blended learning cycle works. Blended learning could be online, mobile, and in a classroom. A learning cycle consists of engage, explore, explain, expand, and evaluate. He teaches his students using this cycle. He uses the acronym QUIVERS to explain his style of teaching.

                                          Qu - Question
                                          I - Investigation/Injury
                                          V - Video
                                          E - Elaboration
                                          R - Review
                                          S - Summary Quiz

This acronym shows what Mr. Anderson implements in each assignment given to his students. I learned that there are many different ways to teach a class. Being in EDM 310, which is a blended class, has given me ideas on how to have my students engaged in learning when they are on holiday vacation. I can still introduce or fine-tune lessons through the class blog. So many times teachers have to reintroduce skills after school breaks. I want to alleviate that problem. I also learned to allow my students to participate in more peer reviews and grading of their classmates' work. This will allow me to get a different perspective on my students' work and take into consideration what the reviews are saying.

Making Thinking Visible

In Mark Church's video, he proposes a topic to his students in order for them to collaborate with each other. After watching a video, he asks the students to write a headline based off the main idea of the video. I learned working in small groups will not disrupt class. It is a good idea to allow students to share their thoughts and work together to develop a headline. As a future educator, I will promote group discussions. Students can get different views and ideas from one another.

Building Comics

In Sam Pane's video, he uses a very innovative and interactive way to teach his students to be good super digital citizens online. He explains to them how to evaluate what information is being advertised on websites they may go to for research. He asks his students "what kind of power does the internet give us?" Each student built a superhero digital citizen, which is a person that uses the internet responsibly, safely, and respectfully. They were to come up with a comic strip using their character and a picture of themselves showing how to be a good digital citizen. The superhero saves the students from making a mistake while using the internet. Making comics is a great way to teach visual presentation skills and text. I loved how he had them communicate with the superhero. I must teach my students to make good decisions while using the internet to do research for school or just for fun. The internet is not something to be feared, but must be used in a responsible way. I must help them recognize safe sites and how to exit out of a page they may have journeyed to by mistake. The concept of a digital superhero is a great idea to implement in my class one day. Not only does it show how to be good digital citizens, but it promotes creativity in my students' visuals and writing.

Project Based Learning

In Dean Shareski's video, he introduces a new approach to teaching core subjects. Classrooms in Canada are combining History, English, and Information processing into a blended course. With this approach, students are able to become engaged learners and develop a deeper understanding of the material. Students are also encouraged to take ownership of their projects and strive to do better on them. The teachers can give more feedback to the students about their projects. One teacher states "students can grasp things that they wouldn't have using paper and pencil." I really like this idea of a blended classroom. I would have my students know the history behind books that they are assigned to read. I would also have them present the assigned book using some form of technology, using the internet to gather information. I would expect more from them because they have time to spend on the project since they do not have to switch classrooms.

Roosevelt Elementary's PBL Program

In Roosevelt Elementary School, project based learning is a standard in each classroom. PBL is described as:
                                     - In depth learning
                                     - Integrated thematic instruction
                                     - Based on a real world problem
                                     - Research-based
                                     - Project and presentation

Each teacher is dedicated to teaching each student skills in public speaking at a young age. Each teacher also strives to teach students how to work together and communicate with each other. These are skills that students can use in everyday life like adults. This will help develop a great sense of community participation, which allows real-life experiences. This video taught me that students have a choice in their learning. It is up to me to get them to be self-motivated and help them discover what is inside of them that would allow them shine. Each student has a light, it is my job to help them keep it illuminated.

PROJECT #14 - PROJECT BASED LEARNING PLAN #2

Exploring Health and PE Topics

For our second Project Based Learning Plan, Group 6 developed a project to introduce students to an American epidemic, obesity. In order to get students engaged in the topic, we had them watch a video called Fast Food, Fast Profits, Obesity in North America. After the video, the above picture was presented to the class and the students had discussions about different health and fitness topics. Some topics discussed were obesity in America, organic foods vs non-organic, and should kids lift weights. For the project, the students were divided into groups. Each group developed a driving question from the Common Core Standards for Health and PE. After establishing a driving question, the students were given a few days to begin research and work on media presentations. They were also required to interview someone that was knowledgeable and experienced in Health and PE. Students were given three weeks to complete the project. The days were mapped out for them on the Project Calendar. Students were able to present their group project at the Exploring Health and PE Topics Seminar Showcase. The next class day, students were given a peer review/grading rubric to evaluate their classmates' presentations. In order to make sure all requirements were met according to PBL standards, we checked the Essential Checklist. As a group, we developed Rubrics for group project evaluation, individual performance evaluation, and peer review/grading evaluation. Here is the Project Overview.