Comments 4 Teachers Assignment 2

Hi! My name is Jessica Eaton and I'm one of Dr. Strange's student's in his EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, AL. Your post was very helpful for me because, until I enrolled in this class, I didn't have a gmail account. I had been using yahoo, but Dr. Strange required us to get a gmail account. This was definitely a good idea. Your tips were very helpful, and I'm sure I will keep them in mind in the future.

Thank you,

Jessica Eaton

Wow! I really enjoyed watching the video about google! Very funny! But it’s definitely true. As a student at the University of South Alabama, I use Google multiple times each day to assist me with research, and you really can find ANYTHING. It’s definitely the search engine of my choice! Thanks for sharing!

Jessica Eaton

The comments above are the two that I left Lisa Thumann on her blog. Her blog was very interesting because it included helpful information that I know I will use in the future. In the second comment, I am referencing a video entitled "Just Google." It's a parody of the song "Beat It" by Michael Jackson. I will include a link so everyone may view it. I found it not only entertaining, but it also rings true.

"Just Google"

Blog Assignment Week 12 (No Week 11)

Mr. Chamberlain's Blog

I really enjoyed listening to the voice thread on Mr. Chamberlain's blog. It was a creative way for the class to stay connected with little Kaia since she is unable to read yet. I'm also sure Kaia is learning a great deal pertaining to technology by listening. This proves that one is never to young to be come familiar with the most useful technology of today. I also thought that recording a voice thread instead of simply leaving a comment in text made the comment more personal and the connection to Kaia stronger. This is much like calling and talking to someone over the phone rather than just sending an SMS text message. It's great to see a class of 8th graders in Missouri become connected with a 3-year-old in Qatar. It's amazing what technology can do today!

Kaia and Skyelar's Blog

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the girls' blog and looking at the pictures they had taken. In one post, under a picture where Kaia was examining a shell, she mentioned that some things that initially look discarded and ugly at first sight can be very pretty if you look at them just right. It's nice to see that Kaia and Skyelar are not only learning about technology at such an early age, but they're also learning the importance of taking a deeper look at something. In the most recent post, Kaia posted a picture she had drawn of her baby sister. Yet another trait is exhibited through the blog: creativity.

Singing Hearts

At the end of the post, a question was asked, "Is the risk of exposing ourselves and our children online worth the connections that will be made and the lessons that will be learned?" In my opinion, the answer is definitely! Of course there are some risks involved, but there are risks involved with nearly everything one does online. Yes, this even includes Myspace and Facebook. But most people are willing to take the risk on both social networks in order to stay connected with friends. Therefore, I don't see the problem in exposing oneself or children for the sake of learning new information. I find Kaia's blog inspiring. This is evidence of one putting the internet to great use.

Comments 4 Kids
Kia ora!

My name is Jessica Eaton and I attend the University of South Alabama in Mobile, AL. I am going to school to become a teacher. I really enjoyed listening to you speak Maori. Keep up the great work and keep posting to your blog! Thanks for sharing!

Jessica Eaton
http://eatonjessicaedm310.blogspot.com jessica.eaton3@gmail.com

The post above is the comment I left for the kid I was assigned. His name was Paul and for his post he had a video in which he spoke Maori. I found this to be very interesting and fun to listen to. I hope Paul continues to post to his blog. Maori is a beautiful language!

Ps. "Kia ora" means Hi!

Paul's Blog

Blog Assignment Week 10

Morgan Bayda's Blog Post

Wow! I was initially very surprised at how well I could relate to nearly everything Morgan Bayda wrote in her post. She stated that she struggles to keep awake during lectures while the professors just recaps the readings she didn't do because there's simply not enough time and many of them were not relevant. She also mentioned that in her small class, while she was encourage to speak about the topic at hand to her professor during discussion, she was never encouraged to speak individually to her classmates about the topic. I honestly can't relate to that; In my honors classes and seminars, there may only be 15 people enrolled in the class. This allows for a great class discussion, and many times half of the class time is spent debating an issue back and forth (with peers). I'm also taking a Lifespan Development course this spring, and though there are 70+ people in the class, we are still able to debate and discuss with our fellow classmates about the topic at hand, and our professor even encourages this.

Morgan also mentioned how blogging and using twitter to collaborate with her peers was actually a relevant form of learning for her. I think this is what Dr. Strange has been trying to explain to us throughout this course; You can learn A LOT from people who are doing/going through the same things you are. You just have to be willing to look for people on twitter, build your PLN (personal learning network), and keep an open mind. Bayda also mentioned how she posted on twitter about her frustration in finding affordable and safe volunteering opportunities, and in less that twenty four hours, she was provided a link by TEFLScotland that included a list of several great volunteer opportunities. She stated that she "can now make a difference without going broke." This is a very good example of how building out PLNs will benefit us in the future. Not only will we be able to gain knowledge from others, but eventually we'll be the ones sharing this knowledge.

"An Open Letter to Educators" by Morgan Bayda

Comments 4 Kids

Dear 2km,

My name is Jessica Eaton, and I'm a student at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, AL. I really enjoyed watching the dance, and it looked like all of you were really having fun. Keep up the great work and keep having fun!!

Jessica Eaton

The above was comment on the blog of Leopold Primary School. In the post, the teacher wrote about how some of the students were involved in a school assembly. Some of the little girls performed a dance that was very cute! I hope the school continues to keep the little kids involved.

2KM @ Leopold Primary School!

Time Toast Timeline

Click here to view my timeline on my educational path!


I decided to do my timeline on something that's very important to me: my educational path. It starts from high school, includes my graduation, and my acceptance to the Honors Program here at the University of South Alabama. I also included my predicted date of graduation from the program at South!

Skype

Prior to enrolling in this class, I had never used Skype to communicate with anyone. However, I have recently discovered it and WOW! It's awesome! I used to play golf in high school with my best friend, Shelton. Since her dad lives in Texas, she decided to go to school in San Marcus. I only get to see her about 2 or maybe 3 times a year, which is very sad because we are close. However, with Skype, I can chat with her any time. It's almost like we're having a conversation in person. This is one of the best forms of new technology!

Blog Assignment Week 9

Alabama Learning Exchange

The first thing I noticed when I googled the Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX), was the the website was VERY well organized. On the home page, you can choose to explore things such as lesson plans, courses of study, web links, ect. Then, each topic is broken down between either subjects or for the teacher or student. The website provides links to the Alabama Department of Education, career and technical education, counseling and guidance, and several other links that may be useful to teachers everywhere. I didn't know anything like this even existed!! There is even a link you can click that will provide access to several podcasts that cover many educational topics.

ALEX is used to help students, teachers, and administrators share educational information through things such as links and podcasts that pertain primarily to education in the state of Alabama. You can create an account and become a frequent user. My favorite part was the link that led me to the courses of study. You can choose nearly any subject ranging from math to art to physical education. You are able to view objectives, and choose the grade level at which you teach. I believe this may be the most useful thing I have learned about in this class because I know I will definitely go back to this website later when I am teaching.

Alabama Learning Exchange

Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, and Students Statewide (ACCESS) Program

When I first started to explore the website for the ACCESS distance learning, I found that it was interesting, but compared to the Alabama Learning Exchange website, very overwhelming and slightly confusing. The website states that their goal is to "create equity through additional educational offerings for all Alabama public high school students." This distance learning could truly be a blessing for some students who are very interested in learning, but because of the location of their school and the school access/use of resources, are not able to explore everything they may wish. The program was started in 2004.

I explored the tab on the website that strictly pertained to the students who might use this type of distance learning. I was surprised to see that the program provides students with access to 10 AP, or advanced placement, exams to practice with! WOW! I wish my high school teachers had known about the program and shared this information with me because I was in AP English and AP Chemistry as a high school senior. This tab on the website also has information for parents so they will know just exactly how distance learning will benefit their child. The program also provides ways to help you decide if you are ready for distance learning. I think the program is a great way to help students prepare for the transition between high school and college.

ACCESS

Comments 4 Kids

This week I was assigned a student named Robert. He is in Room Six. He and some of his classmates made a video of a race that some of them had ran. One little girl won the race, and they were all very excited to be a part of it. I was very surprised that students that young were making videos and posting them online! That's very awesome!

Blog Assignment Week 8

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

When I began watching Mr. Pausch's lecture, I was very impressed by his amount of enthusiasm. How could someone that is terminally ill be so...well...seemingly happy??? I like his positive attitude. He didn't feel sorry for himself and remained strong throughout the lecture. He even did push ups in front of the audience and made jokes saying he was in better health them most of them. Everyone enjoys a good sense of humor, and I'm sure it put the audience at ease. Throughout the lecture, Pausch spoke of some of his childhood dreams and how he either achieved them, or learned something from them. He then spoke of how to help other's achieve their dreams, and how we can achieve our own dreams. He stated that anything is possible, which I think is a statement many children today need to hear because they like self-confidence.

When introducing the three topics he was going to discuss, Pausch stated that "enabling the dreams of others is even more fun." I recently learned in my lifespan development class here at the University of South Alabama that studies have shown that people are generally happier with their life when they are helping others rather when they are simply concerned about their own success. Randy Pausch's lecture emphasized this point. He stated that his childhood dreams included experiencing zero gravity, playing in the NFL, writing an article for the World Book Encyclopedia, being Captain Kirk, winning stuffed animals, and being a Disney imagineer.

Surprisingly enough, Pausch either achieved or learned something from all of his dreams. Pausch stated, "Brick walls are there for a reason: They let us prove how badly we want things." I found this to be a very interesting quote because to achieve anything worthwhile, you've definitely got to be determined. Even if things get in the way, if you really want something to happen in your life, you'll work through it, find an alternative, or make it happen. You've got to be an active dreamer. Pausch also stated, "Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted." Basically, even if your dream doesn't come true as you had it planned out in your head, maybe you should look to see what you gained from trying to make it happen. If you think about it, sometimes the experience of a dream not coming true may be even better than if the dream had come true.

Because I am a HUGE Disney fan, I was very interested in his dream of become a Disney Imagineer. It just so happens that Aladdin is my ALL TIME favorite Disney movie, too! Overall, I thouroughly enjoyed this video, and it was definitely worth the time spent watching it. Randy Pausch is an inspiration, and I believe many people could learn a lot from him, if by nothing else but his attitude. He quoted someone saying, "When you're pissed off and mad at someone, you just haven't given them enough time. Give them time, and they will most likely impress you." Obviously Pausch knows the value of patience. I think it would be an awesome experience to just meet and talk with Randy Pausch.

Comments 4 Kids

Wow! I am very embarrassed to say that I was very irresponsible and did not read the syllabus in regard to our Comments 4 Kids project. Though I have commented on ALL of the kids' blogs that I have been assigned, I failed to realize that I needed to make a post in my blog regarding the comments. I apologize for this, but starting now I will continue to post about all of my comments. For this week, I was assigned a student named Gerardo. In the post I commented on, he discussed the pros and cons of being out of school for a break. He stated that he was happy to be out because he didn't have to learn. I encouraged him to always keep an interest in learning. I also encouraged him to find something that interests him, even if it has nothing to do with school, and learn all he can about it. I hope the young child never loses the will to learn.