My Podcast With Katie Allsup: The Ipad

Here is a link to our podcast on the EDM310 class blog!

Farewell!

This is my farewell post to all of my EDM310 classmates and Dr. Strange. I have enjoyed learning all of the skills we have reviewed in class and will actually miss commenting and reading my fellow classmates' blogs. I wish each and everyone of my classmates the best with all of their future endeavors and hope that we will all have some classes together here at South in the coming semesters. Dr. Strange, you're a great teacher, and I appreciate everything you've put into our class. Thanks again! That's all folks!

Final Blog Assignment

For this assignment, there are nine items/topics of which we are to address:

1.) I've learned so much in this class! Almost everything mentioned in the question were things I learned in this class and had never used prior to this class. These include: Google docs, spreadsheets, presentations, twitter, podcasts, plns, iTunesU, ALEX, Google Earth, blogging, commenting on blogs...the list goes on and on. My favorite of all of these listed was ALEX. I really do think the website will be very beneficial to me and my future career as an elementary school teacher. I will be able to access it for lesson plan ideas and such, and it gives me a source to turn to.

2.) I learned more in this class than I ever thought I would. I honestly cannot think of any tool/application that would benefit me more as a teacher that we did not discuss in class. However, the use of a Smartboard might be a topic to consider covering in future EDM310 classes because we will all need to know how to effectively use one.

3.) I certainly will not try to forget anything we've learned in this class! Though I may not use every tool/application we covered, I appreciate having the knowledge to do so if I wish. I, personally, do not see myself using podcasts to teach an elementary school class; however, I'm glad the topic was covered for those that are majoring in secondary education or special education.

4.) This may seem crazy, but when Katie and I did our interview and actually made a working video, that "excited" me. I was nervous and very unsure about how to approach the project, but I really enjoyed viewing our finished video. This is definitely a tool I will keep in mind for the future. I found it to be one of the most fun projects we were assigned.

5.) Honestly, nothing in the class seemed extremely intellectually challenging to me. I worked hard and viewed the tutorials, and I seemed to understand most of what I was assigned to do for the class. Figuring out how to make a video was a bit of a challenge, but once we figured it out we had fun with it.

6.) The only thing I really got bored with was commenting on so many blogs. I do see where there could be benefits to doing so, but it was a bit of a drag for me sometimes because it seemed so repetitive.

7.) I can't imagine what I would add to the class if I could. We covered so many skills and topics that I don't see where anything extremely vital could have been left out. However, going over the use of a Smartboard might benefit all of us a bit more than some of the skills we learned such as making a podcast.

8.) I feel like I have definitely become more technologically literate since taking this course. However, I still feel like there is a lot out there for me to learn. I feel like I'm at a nice medium, though, and hopefully will be able to share what I've learned with my future students.

9.) To maintain my literacy and to learn more, I will continue to build my PLN through twitter. I will also contribute to our EDM310 Alumni Blog. I will keep an open mind about new technology, also.

Final Post on PLN

I have continued using Twitter to build my personal learning network. I've added several educators from around the world and enjoy reading their posts just as much as reading the stars of hollywood's posts. Some of the people I have added and continue to follow include Karl Fisch, Nicholas Provenzano, Mr. Chamberlain, Web Wise Kids, and several other educators and educational groups around the world. I found most of them after I added Dr. Strange on the network. I really enjoy the links the Web Wise Kids post. Today is Earth Day, and they posted a link to the website of the whitehouse. The link included an article entitled, "A New Foundation For Engery and the Environment," and I encourage everyone to read the article. It includes some very interesting ideas for the future. I intend to continue building my PLN for the remainder of my college career so that by the time I graduate, I will have many connections to look to for advice with my teaching. I had never considered using Twitter or any other form of social networking to help benefit my career, but I'm excited to see where all this will be going!

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Project 12 Google Earth

Project 15 Interview

For this assignment, I worked with Katie Allsup. We interviewed each other about the edm310 class in general and talked about our opinions on technology. I hope you enjoy the video!

Project 14 Substantive Presentation

Katie Allsup and I decided to work together to create our substantive presentation. Our topic was one in which we are both familiar with--volunteering! I hope you all enjoy the presentation and learn about great opportunities to volunteer and help our community.

Blog Assignment Week 15

Welcome to my PLE!

WOW!! This seventh grader is very in tune with technology! When I was in seventh grade, I certainly did not even have a blog, much less a PLE. I thought doing online research for a paper constituted being technologically literate! Anyway, the young girl's PLE seemed great. She really seems to know what she's doing. My PLE definitely does not compare to her's just yet. I'm still adding people on my twitter account and checking tweets regularly. By the end of summer, I expect to have a decent PLE that includes people from all over the world. I'm very interested in education elsewhere, and hope to learn more by making new connections.

Two Questions That Can Change Your Life

When I read the title of the video, I began wondering what exactly the questions would be. I pondered this a moment before moving on to watch the video. The first was "What will your sentence be?" I interpreted this to basically mean what will your life be about? What meaning or difference will you bring to the world around you? At 19, I definitely do not have an anwer to this yet. I know what direction my life is going in; however, I'm not sure what my "sentence" will be just yet. The second question was "Was I better today than yesterday?" I really liked this question because I personally feel that there is ALWAYS room for improvement. I'm somewhat of a perfectionist, and I always try to do better than I've done in the past. Therefore, I hope my answer to this question is always yes.

Project 8

For this project, we were supposed to teach a lesson using some form of technology we have learned about in edm310. I chose to use a google presentation to teach about something I'm passionate about: giftedness and the Honors Program here at the University of South Alabama.

Blog Assignment Week 14

For this assignment, we were supposed to select a topic related to EDM310 and write a blogpost that sets forth our thoughts and feelings related to the topic. I would like to discuss time management. Many people have stated that EDM310 is a very time consuming class, and many have made up excuses as to why he or she cannot complete their work on time. Though I do agree that EDM310 can be very time consuming, I also feel that it is manageable. I live an hour away from Mobile and commute to school everyday. I work 20 hours a week, and I'm enrolled in 15 hours worth of classes. I also do not have DSL where I live because it is not yet available in my area, believe it or not. One of my classes is an honors course, which means I basically have to teach myself some concepts that wouldn't be expected in a regular course. Yes, sometimes I feel like I am overloaded. However, I have not yet submitted any assignments or projects even so much as one day late. This class has taught me major time management skills. I've also enjoyed commenting on the blogs of students and teachers around the world. Though it is a lot of work, it's work that I enjoy and benefit from.

Comments 4 Kids

I really enjoyed watching the video, Vivienne! Great job! Very creative and colorful. Keep up the wonderful work and good luck with all of your future activities. I will stayed tuned!

The above comment was one I left for a little girl named Vivienne. She had made a colorful video with a ship sailing off. I hope she keeps up the great work. It's awesome to see children so creative with technology!

Voice Thread

Blog Assignment Week 13

Dr. Seuss-The Zax

This video was SO cute! It also made a very valid point. The video basically showed how some people can be so set in there ways that they refuse to change at all. I, myself am a bit old-fashioned, and I'll admit that I wasn't a huge fan of technology prior to taking Dr. Strange's class. However, since then, I've seen how great a tool the internet and other sources can be. It's very important to be open to new ideas and ways of learning because new ideas may provide student with an easier way to learn.

PS22 Chorus of "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac

First of all, I must say that I LOVE this song. I've always thought Fleetwood Mac was awesome, but I appreciate Stevie even more now because she was so humble in regard to the performance. I was very astonished that she wanted the PS22 group to perform at Madison Square Garden. Had the group not published the video of their version to the internet, this great opportunity may have been passed up! This is a prime example of the benefits of posting work to the internet. Clike here to view their wonderful, touching performance.

Comments 4 Kids

For this week, I commented on a blogpost done by Room 1o. They were making butter for their fairy bread and made a video of them doing so. I thought this was an awesome, creative activity that differed from the norm and allowed the students to have fun at school! Below is my comment and a link where you may watch the video, too!

Hi, Room 10!

My name is Jessica Eaton, and I'm a student at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, AL. I really enjoyed watching the video of you guys making fairy bread. It looked like you all had a lot of fun!! Keep up the great work on the blog.

Jessica Eaton
Mobil, AL
http://eatonjessicaedm310.blogspot.com

Comments 4 Teachers Assignment 3

Hi! My name is Jessica Eaton and I'm a student at the University of South Alabama. I never thought I would be hearing about the internet being nominated for a Nobel Prize. Though it has led to great things, it has also had negative impacts on society. For example, what about exploitation? In my opinion, I do not believe the internet deserves such a prestigious nomination.

WOW! This is amazing. It's great to see how far technology has come. This would be a great tool in classrooms, especially science classrooms. Thanks for sharing!

These were my two comments for the teahers' blog. The ideas that were shared on this blog were truly amazing! I encourage you all to take a few moments and check them out.

My Google Questionnaire

When I began my Google questionnaire, I wasn't sure what I wanted to base it on, but I did know I wanted it to be an enjoyable topic. I chose to do mine on music. Twenty-two people answered my survey which included a total of seven questions. I asked the participants what his or her favorite genre of music is, if he or she had xm or satellite radio, and I also mentioned some upcoming bands/artists and asked whether or not the participant had at least heard of them. I was excited to see that most people had at least heard of a few of my favorite new artists. My survey showed the following results:

1.) The majority listened to music 1-2 hours per day. (43%)
2.) Most people seemed to like the alternative genre the best. (38%)
3.) Most people do not have xm radio in their vehicle. (81%)
4.) Most people said that they almost never download music. (43%)
5.) Most people also said that they almost never download music illegally. (52%)
6.) The majority of the people I surveyed had at least heard of Ke$ha. (71%)