Project #9 - PNL

These are the tools that I use for my Personal Learning Network. I am actually thinking about setting it as my homepage because it has all the links to the websites that I use. I used Symbaloo for my PLN because it is neat and organized.

Project #8

Blog Post #6

"What do we need to know about asking questions to be an effective teacher?"

Every teacher is different and every teacher has different teaching styles; therefore, teachers have different ways to ask questions. The video Asking better questions in the classroom by Joanne Chesley is a great video that explains the difference between open and closed type of questions. Open questions are questions that can be answered and elaborated on while closed questions are questions that a student can answer with either "yes" or "no". I think that teachers should ask questions that are related to the subject. Teachers should know how to ask the question properly instead of throwing extra words in the question that might cause to confuse the student. However, I do agree with Maryellen Weimer and her post Three Ways to Ask Better Questions in the Classroom about playing with the question by leaving the question unanswered and let the students build up information and discuss different answers. I think this is a great idea because it always keeps them on their toes and gives the students something to think about in class.

Another thing that I think we need to know about asking questions to be an effective teacher is to know the limits of our students that we are teaching. We should not give our students a question that Albert Einstein could not answer, but instead know what they can and can not answer. Also another idea to be effective when asking questions is to start off with easy questions to let the students get their confidence up, and then gradually have the questions get harder as class goes on.

I am the student that pays attention to the topic of discussion in class but never answered during class or raised my hand in class to answer any questions that were asked. I usually keep my thoughts to myself, and there were a lot of times when I am right, but then there are times when I am completely wrong. I never want to chance it because I always feel like I will embarrass myself in front of the whole class. I plan to improve on this as I take this class throughout the summer.

Blog Post #5

The Langwitches - Flat Stanley Podcast is about a first grade class that read the book Flat Stanley by Jim Brown and made a podcast about it. Each student had a role in the podcast and was able to brainstorm with their teacher about the story-line which they were going to use. Each student also worked with their parents and thought of a city or place which they would like to travel to. I think it is amazing what these first graders did in their podcast. I know when I was in first grade, I did not even know what a podcast was. Also, I loved the imagination these kids had because it just simply made me smile because I could tell they were very happy in the podcast.

Langwitches - Podcasting with First Grade is about another first grade class that did a podcast about a book that they were currently reading. The book was called "Vacation under the Volcano" by Mary Pope Osborne. After reading chapter at a time, the class would discuss and summarize the what happened in the book by asking and answering their own questions. In the podcast, the students would pretend to be interviewing the two main characters of the book who were Jack and Annie. The boys were Jack and the girls were Annie in the interview and each student had a segment of the podcast. Each of the students learned many skills that included listening, speaking, storytelling, media, technology, and many more. All of the students were eager to listen to their voice over the podcast and they very happy with their success.

The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom by Joe Dale is a clip that describes the benefits of podcasting in the classroom. He explains that students that being taught that were born after the year 1980 are called Millenial's. He also explains that podcasting allows for differentiation in the classroom. Mr. Dale also tells how parents enjoy podcasting because they can see and understand what the students are learning in the classroom. I think that this is extremely beneficial because I know when I was younger my parents always asked what I was learning in school and by watching the podcasts the parents know whats going on.

Project #7

Project #3 Presentation

Blog Post #4

Coach's Eye

A tool that I think could be very useful for when I become a physical education teacher is an app called Coach's Eye. Coach's Eye app was first introduced to me when I was reading from John Hahnstandt blog The Flipped Coach. After doing research on the app, I found this video on YouTube that explains what the app does and it is called Coach's Eye: Change the Game.  The Coach's Eye is an application that allows a student, or athlete, to record themselves while participating in an activity. After performing the activity they will then be able to break down the video in slow motion once they have finished. For example, if a student wanted to know how to throw a football more accurately they would record themselves with the Coach's Eye app, and then be able realize their mistakes and correct them. Lets say the elbow was to far out, the Coach's Eye app would allow the athlete to see that and then fix that on their next rep when throwing the ball. Here is an example how the app works:

Chris May

The tool that I decided on is a Wii Fit program. Because I am planning on becoming a PE teacher I could use this program constantly. The Wii Fit program easily incorporates technology and a fun time into a PE class. Many students would prefer to sit around and play video games rather than move around and learn about sports and other things. If these students prefer video games over actually moving and playing games then they get the best of both worlds by playing a video game while being somewhat active. Another beneficial aspect of using a wii fit program would be assisting disabled children. If a child is unable to run. jump, or swing a bat they will now have a way of being active while also associating with other students so they do not feel left out of any activities. In this video it explains how the Wii Fit system helps children with dyspraxia learn to better stabilize themselves and not become as clumsy. Dyspraxia is disease that causes people to be much more clumsy than the average person and also affects their motor skills. Implementing a Wii Fit program into a high school level PE may be a bit pricey but the benefits outweigh the costs. The Wii Fit would not only elevate these students level of fitness but help their morale by making them feel much more normal and accepted. Also, what the students learn in the Wii Fit program could benefit them for the rest of their lives by learning how to exercise properly through the program.

Corey Waldon's Blog

Open School ePortfolio for Authentic Assessment

An ePortfolio is a collection of student work that is used to document effort, progress, and achievement over time. By using this student become more involved with their learning, goal setting and decision making. ePortfolio is a great tool for authentic assessment because it allows teachers and students to work beyond just multiple choice test.

Open school ePortfolio is a free tool designed to help students and teachers manage their portfolio process.  Teachers can use this tool to create projects and divide students in groups to complete them. There is also a way parents can login and get more involved with their child’s education. There is also an option where teachers can create a grading rubric. The rubric is readily available to students to give them guidelines to follow to achieve project goals. Students can complete projects and assignments by using text, images, and links. There is a goal setting option too, where students set their own personal goal and can follow their progress towards those goals. Open school ePortfolio has an easy grading process where submitted projects can be graded quickly by using the grading rubric. The tool also has an app where students can gain access from an ipad.

I will use ePortfolio to engage my students in project based learning. This tool gives me the ability to place my students in groups that would allow them to do cooperative learning. My physical education class will be based on integrating technology with physical education. I will post assignment s inside Open School ePortfolio and my students will have to read instructions that would guide them through all their projects. This tool would benefit my classroom because it would allow my students to do work outside of the regular classroom setting. If my students need to get in touch with me they could email me or leave comments. ePortfolio gives me daily contact with my students and I will always try my best to be available for them. I will give assignments that focus on health issues and why physical education is important. The group assignment will involve students watching YouTube videos and research on statics dealing with physical fitness and benefits of great health.

C4T #1

For my C4T assignment, I was assigned to Jason Hahnstadt who has a blog that is titled The Flipped Coach. Jason Hahnstadt is currently an assistant varsity football coach and assistant track coach at New Trier High School in Illinois. He also teaches Physical Education at Kelinworth School District. His blog is about taking the flipped classroom model into athletics and physical education.

In my comments I explained who I am and why I was commenting on his blog. His latest two posts were titled Flipping in Physical Education 2.0: It's all about the videos! and What is Flipped Coaching?. These two posts were similar because they both involved using technology in coaching and teaching physical education. In the post he basically explains the concept of a flipped classroom which is to teach or coach using technology by recording videos and having the students or athletes learn from the videos. In my comments I also mentioned how I am going to be a physical education teacher and that I will use his version of the "Flipped Classroom" when I start to teach and coach. 

Blog Post #3

Peer Editing

After watching this videos, I learned a lot about peer editing. Peer editing is when someone, who is the same age as you, tries to help the writer improve his paper by staying positive, being specific, and complete all three steps of peer editing. According to the videos and slide show, the three steps to peer editing are compliments, suggestions, and corrections. My favorite video was Writing Peer Review Top 10 Mistakes because of the little kids and their funny acting skills. In all honesty, these students are right because every person is different when they peer review. The video What is Peer Editing? and the slideshow Peer Edit With Perfection Tutorial were both really similar and stated the same facts. They both stated that in peer editing one should always remember to stay positive, be specific, and complete all three steep of peer editing. One thing I liked about the slideshow was that it gave examples of a paper that need some peer editing.

I think I have done a good job, so far, in my comments that I have left for the members in my group. There is always room for improvement but I stay positive and tell them what I really thought was interesting about their posts. I believe that my weakness in peer editing is being specific. Whenever I am peer editing I always try to be specific, but sometimes I get mixed up with my words and don't know how to word them correctly. Obviously I will have more chances to improve my peer editing skills, so I hope to do better in the future.

Test Blog Post

This is a test blog post.

Blog Post #2

Mr. Dancealot

Mr. Dancealot is a professor that teaches a dance class with out showing them how to dance. Instead he makes them take notes in a desk rather than them actually dancing. By the time they are suppose to dance, they do not know how to because they were not taught hands-on. If Mr. Dancealot would have taught them the right way by showing them hands-on in the classroom, they would have been more successful. Professors that teach this way will always have a bad reputation for teaching because they do not teach the actually skills but instead just give the information.

Harness Your Students Digital Smarts

Chris May’s Part

The video "Harness Your Students Digital Smarts" focuses on Vicki Davis's way of teaching. Mrs. Davis teaches in a classroom that is full of technology use. In the video Mrs. Davis is teaching her students about a new program. While talking about this program, Mrs. Davis brings up a very interesting point, that teachers do not need to know everything about a subject to teach it. She goes on to say that she is learning new things about the program just like her students are. She even says that her students have taught her things about this new program. I really enjoy her way of teaching, mainly because it is all interactive and there is no type of lecture in the classroom. It is all physically learning skills through technology instead of listening to a teacher lecture all day.

The Networked Student

Kai Lopez’s Part

The Networked Student is about a student in high school who has a teacher who never lectures and believes in connectivism. Connectivism is based off the belief of learning from social networking. He uses social networking to learn and share opinions by using Google Scholar and his schools library database. After gathering his information, he then creates his own blog so he can post about what he has learned. Then his classmates and others on social media can leave their comment and opinions on his blog post.

Now the question, "Why does the networked student need a teacher?" The teacher basically ties up all the strings for the student and is there for him if he has any questions. The teacher can show him how to be organized and creative with social networking. The teacher hopes that the student will continue using social networking and use it to help him with his work in the future.

By posting this video, Wendy Drexler, is trying to help students, parents, and other teachers understand networked learning in the 21st century. Drexler is showing how networking can be successful in a student or teachers work. Technology has been evolved to where it makes networked learning acceptable and easier to learn.   

Teaching in the 21st Century

Corey Waldon’s Part

“Teaching in the 21st century” by Kevin Roberts. His big question is what does it mean to teach in the 21st century? For me, to teach in the 21st century you must be able to talk and relate to your students in a way in which they can understand. The big word I saw in the video was engaged and I think to teach in the 21st century you must be able to engage with the students to maximize their learning. In order for students to learn in this time period teachers have to provide the basic fundamentals of learning and ways to learn. Robert sees teaching changes from books, pencil, and paper to social networks, blogs, and online web browsing. What I think Robert sees is technology and the advancement of education by using it. I feel that Roberts is right that teaching is not the same and that if we continue to teach facts, dates, and theories then what are we really teaching.

If Robert is correct this will affect me as a future educator because I will have to learn how to adapt to this new change. Future teachers themselves have to pick up the new technology and use it to teach children more about life and how to survive instead of just basic learning. Teachers must be open-minded and willing to try new things to accomplish the main goal, which is to educate their students. To me teachers are role model for kids and we must get them to express their thought and feelings openly while respecting them and learning from them. So instead of giving notes daily and forcing uninteresting lists of dates and facts into student’s minds, as a teacher we must give assignments that allow them to apply their own knowledge of a subject to expand their thinking. As a teacher we must also teach the relevance of the material and how it will benefit the student long term, and it goes beyond the walls of their classrooms.

Blog Post #1

If I Built a School

Krissy Venosdale's is a GiftedEd teacher who teaches 3rd through 6th graders and has a passion for inspiring kids to help them reach their goals. In Krissy's blog she has a blog post titled "If Built a School" which explains how her biggest dream would come true. She dreams that one day she will receive a letter in the mail from someone wealthy that will give her the opportunity to capture her dream to build a school. Her school that she would build would have all these amazing features which all the students, parents, and teachers would enjoy. Krissy gets wonderful feedback of her blog post and everyone who commented on her post loved her dream.

Sugata Mitra

Sugata Mitra is an Educational Researcher who gives students the opportunity to learn. I am very impressed with his "Hole in the Wall" experiments because I would have never thought that those kids would have wanted to learn. Its amazing how he gives them the opportunity to learn and they love it  because they want to know more and more as they go. Also their curiosity in the experiment motivates them in teaching themselves and others.

What do I want my students to know?

I would be teaching Physical Education at the high school level and I would like to have them know how to diet properly and how to be able to stay fit. This is something that they will always need and for them to understand the concepts would effect the rest of their lives.

What do I want my students to be able to do?

I want my students to be able to use what I am teaching them in class and carry it on through the rest of their lives. As long as they give it their best and do not quit then I will be happy.

My primary way of teaching my students...

My primary way of teaching my students would be to show them how I, personally, do the activities and tell them what my mindset is and how I can achieve what needs to be done. I wish to set an example for them and if they can not do it my way then help them find a new strategy for them to complete the activity.

What tools I will use in my classroom?

Physical Education classes are taken places in classrooms, courts, and fields. During the class room session I would use the computer and the textbook mainly. But for the courts and fields, I would use cones, different kinds of balls, and weights to come up with different activities for the students to participate in.

What role will students play in my classroom?

Students role in the classroom is extremely important because I would need for all of them to participate in the activities. Also, students would learn how to work as a team and build relationships. They will also be able to work on their strengths and weaknesses.

Blog Post #3

Technology in Special Education

Special Education is taught easier using technology because technology makes it easier to communicate back and forth between the student and the teacher. Without technology, the students would not be able to learn as much as they need to from the teacher. Also, students that use technology can get their work done faster. Students doing their work with technology get their work done twice as fast.

I would use technology for special needs students in my classes just like Lacey Cook does in her classroom. I would use it to make all the special needs students participate and get their work done. Also, having them type on the computer what they are trying to say would help me understand them.

Apple Education Apps

The app I would use in the classroom to teach special needs students would be this app called TeachMe: Toddler. This app teaches six different subjects. It teaches letters, abc phonics, numbers, shapes, colors and counting. This app gives the student an award when they get an answer right which will want to make the student participate in the activity. For example, they will get a sticker and coins when they get the colors right.

Gary Hayes Social Media

In Gary Hayes Social Media Counts there are counts on different ways to use technology. Every second more and more people are using technology. I think that these counts mean as my professional career as a teacher that technology will keep on growing.


Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today

A Vision of Students Today by Michael Wesch is a video that has questions and statements by students that wonder about technology and school. A group of students surveyed themselves and asked questions that were quite shocking. The video shows how much more students are interested in using technology than they are regular textbooks. People read more online articles or web pages rather than a hard copy book of any sort. As students are growing older and deeper into their studies they are using more technology.

C4T Summary #1

Andrea Hernandez is a teacher in Jacksonville, Florida whose blog is called EdTech Workshop. In her recent post titled Hitting Plublish (Once a Week), Andrea writes that it takes her a while to hit the publish button. Usually her post's are saved drafts or in her mind but she took on the the challenge to just write and publish once a week. She talks about students having fear in writing blogs, so she suggests to just let the student write then publish those post without having fear.

Another post of Andrea's was called Coaching the 21st Cetury Teacher - Notes. In this post Andrea writes about a teaching session she went to that teaches about how to use the iPad. Her results were good, because she was happy that she was able to make her notes organized and able to share notes with another person who was in the same session. I commented about how I think iPad's are great to keep neat and organized notes. I also wrote that more teachers should learn how to use the iPad to make their life easier.

Blog Post #2

"Did you know? 3.0" by John Strange

I found Dr. Strange's video, "Did you know? 3.0", very interesting and full of facts that I have never thought about before. I just cant believe how technology is growing. One fact that stuck out to me was that the top jobs, 10 years from now, do not exist yet. Just when I thought that people have thought of everything, here they come with more jobs and even more technology than I ever could see coming.
Are we prepared for the jobs that will be available in 2030? I really don't think we. Because technology is improving everyday, it is exciting but at the same time it is scary. Will we be just like are parents and not know how to use an iPhone or a computer? I wonder how different it will be then than from the way it is now. I think the main message of Dr. Strange's video is about informing people that the world is changing.

Mr. Winkle Wakes by Mathew Needleman
The video of Mr. Winkle Wakes by Mathew Needleman is about an old man who falls asleep for a hundred years. Once Mr. Winkle wakes up, he notices everything has changed since he was last awake. He didn't know what a computer was or didn't recognize any buildings around him. The video shows how everything can change within a decade.
The video makes me wonder what will still remain or be the same after a hundred years from now. How much technology will change? We will be surprised just like Mr. Winkle was if we went to sleep for a hundred years and then woke up and saw that everything was different.

The Importance of Creativity by Sir Ken Robinson
I have never heard of Sir Ken Robinson, but I agree with him in everything he says in this video. Public education needs to be changed and be more focused on creativity. When creativity is less focused on, then people have the fear of being wrong and no one should ever have that fear. People can be very successful for their creativity but sometimes they think they could be wrong and don't show their creativity.
One part of the video that stuck out to me was his view of intelligence. He tells that intelligence has three parts to it, which are, diverse, dynamic, and distinct. He also tells this story about Gillian Lynne who is a dancer and now a multimillionaire. He explains how she had a hard time keeping still during class. She went to the doctor and discovered that she loves to dance. In order for her to think she had to be dancing. If she went through the same process today with a different doctor, they would give her medicine for a disorder called ADHD. She would have never discovered that music helps her think and would have not be as famous as she was today.

A Vision for 21st Century Learning
A Vison for 21st Century Learning is a video that explains what students do and will be able to do in school. Students in school today sit down in front of a teacher and take notes. They get all these facts stuffed into their heads and read textbooks about what they are studying.
In the video they show students being able to study through a video game. For example, taking a trip to Ancient Rome and being able to experience the daily life back then. I think if this invention ever happens, it will be successful in the school systems.

Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts by Vicki Davis
This is a video about a teacher whose name is Vicki Davis who uses technology to connect her students to the world. She teaches a class that blogs at coolcatteacher blog which won an award for best teacher blog award. Her class is like Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class, where she has her class's blog on a webpage.
Davis, who is from a small rural town in Georgia, helped found the global project Digi Teen where students from around the world study digital citizenship. On this Digi Teen network all the students can connect with other students and teachers.

Project #2-Wordle

Blog Assignment #1

About Me

Hello, my name is Kai Alan Lopez, and I am 18 years old. I was born in Madison, Wisconsin in 1993. I lived in Pardeeville, Wisconsin for the first 8 years of my life and then moved to Elberta, Alabama, which is where I have lived since. I have 5 members of my family including myself. My mom’s name is Kari, and my dad’s name is Tim. I have two younger brothers named Koi, who is in eighth grade, and Kré, who is in fourth grade.

 I enjoy playing sports rather than reading books or studying. I like to spend a lot of time at the recreational center playing basketball. My major is Physical Education and I would like to become a football or basketball head coach. I am attending the University of South Alabama because I was given a scholarship to be a manager for the football team. One day I hope to be coaching basketball or football on the college level with my dad.

Time Management

I have never heard of Randy Paush or listened to one of his lectures, but after watching his video on Time Management made me realize that managing time is very important. I agree with him on people focusing more on money than on time, and I  agree with him about time and money can be very equatable, but people just don't seem to get that. Also, I like his ideas on planning. He says that it's good to plan each day, week, and semester and that is something I think that I should start doing because right now I am not good at managing my time and I need to get better.

Practice Post

This is my first post.