On The Lighter Side

Such serious stuff on here all the time...I thought I would lighten things up. This is what we have to look forward too!!!
Click Here!

Mr. Chamberlain Needs Some Help!

Mr. Chamberlain sent via Twitter "I would love some #comments4kids on this third grade singing post It's A Grand Old Flag! (1:30) and Boo (:35)"

OK EDM310 Alumni. Let's leave some comments on Mr. C's Blog. Just click the link above, listen, leave a comment. Thanks!

Classroom Hack: Creating Postcards Using Student Work

Here is a quick way to let your students show off their artwork and get in a quick lesson on writing postcards. The picture above is a postcard I made in class from picture a student drew to go along with a media history assignment. I took the pictures and printed them onto card stock and cut them out. Then I had them write a postcard explaining the assignment and had them mailed. Soon the parents will get a surprise in the mail!

You can do the same thing with pictures of the students as well. Why not take a picture of the science experiment they are doing, the activity they are doing in their PE class, or them working on a computer? There is something special about receiving handwritten mail and it is even more special when it is from someone you love!

Please note: If you are using a laser printer you need it to heat up before running card stock in it. I print 25-30 blank pages first before I run the card stock through so it heats up enough that the toner sticks to the paper.

Universal Design Tool: VozMe.com

While I have had the VozMe code on my blog for several years, it has just been brought to my attention that VozMe can be used in two other wonderful ways.

VozMe allows text to be read aloud. One way to do this is for the publisher of a site to add html to the site that allows a button to be placed on the site. You simply highlight the text you want read aloud and then hit the button. The text is then read to you.You can also download the audio as an mp3. This is great for accessibility when the site owner has the technical skill to add the code. 

Another way to use VozMe is to copy the text you want to have read to you and go to the VozMe website. Paste the code into the box and hit the Create MP3 button. You can even choose between a male or female voice. Very simple to do and the audio can also be downloaded this way.

The third way, and in my opinion the best, is to add VozMe as a favorite or bookmark to your browser. You will need to find the instructions for your preferred browser on this page. Once you have the bookmark, all you have to do is highlight the text and click on the bookmark. It will open a new page and read the text too you. You can again choose from a male or female voice and download the mp3. How cool is that?!

Special thanks goes to Ira Socol for pointing these functions out to me. If you are interested in Universal Design (and you better be!) read Ira's amazing blog SpeEdChange. 

A New Me On the Horizon

In response to Elo Martin's Blog Post 2:

From working for Dr. Strange with EDM 310 students, I have learned couple valuable lessons about myself which relate to your comment. The first is this-- I enjoy the struggle to find new information most days. I have not always been that way, but I am now. Many students do not know what it means to be confident in their struggle. It is important to let them DISCOVER the value in the battle to find an answer/solution/reason to their problem. You said that you to appreciate learning things by "doing research for yourself"-- I wonder how many people in EDM would honestly agree.

The second thing I have learned, is that it IS A CHALLENGE, not to just do something for a student in need. After you have explained something five times-- its easy to kneel down, go through the motions in 2.5 minutes and say, "okay, now you try." Instead, I should begin by asking, "what have you tried so far? Why hasn't it worked? What are you going to try next?"

This little reflection has set me on a mission to evolve, I hope you're ready for the change!

Anthony

Notes from Alba Middle School

To find out how you can become more involved scroll down to find our invitation to you!


Additional information to come, including: The USS Alabama Project, The 30th Parallel Project, Operation Educate Judy Stout...

Dr. Strange committed us to:
1.) Sending an EDM team to help teach blogging in order to create a public place for Alba students to display their work to an authentic audience.
2.) Create a Youtube Channel for the affiliate high school to publish their videos. (does anyone have any suggestions for places to publish and view videos that are not ban from public school systems?
3.) Invited them to display their work at the University after their PTO display.

Hagler Projects
1.) Ms. Hagler and her associates are working on a documentary from their book In the Path of the Storms.
2.) They are also taking strides to "SOS, Save Our Ship" by taking pictures of the USS Alabama as well as teaming up with a high school teacher who is contributing a mural to the effort. They are planning to display this at the battleship site and beyond.
3.) Lastly, and possibly most relevantly to EDM, they are embarking on an adventure that has them connecting to classrooms around the world located on or near the 30° parallel.

Ms. Hagler and all those involved, we would love for any corrections, additions, comments, or new ideas that you have to contribute-- any edits necessary are welcome!

CLASSES!

So here I am finally starting all of my education courses....wow...this merged curriculum is crazy! Thankfully I am a good student, but unfortunately I worry way too much. To the EDM 310 students now, just do your work. Plain and simple. If you can't/won't do your work now in school then why/how would you teach in a school? See my point? So do your work and I promise you will be fine!! You will learn a ton! I am not even in PreSequence yet and my classes are already killing me and I just needed my alumni blog to vent to.
So thank you all! :)