A light bulb moment

I had a 'light bulb' moment when I saw this video and had to share it. This video is a great picture of the type of teacher I want to be. I want to be the musical stairs, not the plain stairs or the escalator. I don't want the students to take the easy way, nor do I want to teach the easy way (the escalator). I don't want to be the hard, boring teacher teaching things the same old way (the original stairs). I want to challenge and engage my students by presenting the same old things in new and creative ways (the musical stairs).

Tools for Mac and iPhone

Recently an App Store has been added for all Mac computers. Available at the App Store is Whiteboard Collaborative on the Mac and also for the iPhone. The whiteboard on both works simultaneously. There is also an app on the iPhone called TouchMouse, and you can download the app for your Mac from LogiTech. Your iPhone becomes a mouse to be used for your Mac. Both the WhiteBoard and the TouchMouse could be great tools for a classroom.

The Bosarge Daily: All Bout EDUCATION

Have you seen the Bosarge Daily? Do ckeck it out. Amanda Bosarge was an EDM310 Superstar in the Fall 2010 term. Via Twitter.

EDM310 Class Blog Nominated for Edublog Award

You can VOTE for EDM310 as Edublog selects the Best Use of a PLN 2010.

Click on the link above and VOTE. EDM310 would appreciate your vote, but you should also seriously consider voting for Comments4Kids. If it had not been for Mr. Chamberlain and his insistence on commenting on kids' blogs, the world (and EDM310) would be very different.

Thanks.

Luidia eBeam

Check out this link for a relatively inexpensive piece of equipment to make the whiteboard in the classroom interactive : e Beam.

If you have any experience with the Luidia eBeam in the classroom, could you post a few comments? I was interested in knowing more about FREE applications available to use with it to support the variety of subjects. My daughter's school has purchased a few and the kids love it! I am currently trying to raise funds to purchase one so that both third grades have a dedicated eBeam rather than sharing.

Thanks for your input!

Happy October everyone!

Jackie Gorski

Another Creative Product from EDM310 Alumnus Dillon Rogers

Dr. Strange! ~
I made this for an LP on Alcohol Awareness in one of my health classes.

I absolutely could not find an appropriate video on YouTube or for free that would get the point across to younger students about the basic ideas of alcohol (K-3rd graders). So, I made this video Alcohol is a Drug.

This took me about 1 1/2 hours to make between editing photos and making it look perfect in my own mind, but is the most simple video I have ever made and anyone could definitely do this as a theme for several different units. I used iPhoto, made a slide show and pulled it up into iMovie. I edited it just a tiny bit more, but then I uploaded it to YouTube and stuck it in my LP! Now I can share it with anyone. :)

I will literally jump at any opportunity a teacher gives me to do something creatively. I haven't had as many opportunities this semester (it makes me miss EDM), but don't worry, I'll never give up!

Please feel free to share with the class or anyone else you know and critique for what you will!
Thanks again,
Dillon Rogers

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! :)

The Doc's Alter Ego

Papa J is courtesy of Louis and Clark Productions.

Reflections on My First Week of Teaching EDUC 210 Technology for Teachers

I am requiring my EDUC 210 students to write a reflection from each weeks readings and class discussion. Obviously I need to model this as well. Here is the top three things I learned from the first class:

1. I talked way too much. I need to allow time for conversations to develop, and not to dominate the group time. While it is true that I have a lot of experience (and a lot of opinions) this class is not about me. I can't get to know my students if I don't let them talk.

2. Developing a one hour a day class is much different than developing a one night a week class. I need to better anticipate difficulties my students may have. For example, when a student at school has a problem in class. We can find the solution the next day. When I have a similar problem with the night class, that student will have to wait a week for help unless we can sort it out through a call or email.

3. A group of pre-service teachers can really get me excited. Who doesn't want to talk shop with people so excited about what they want to do?

I am really excited for the next class. Now that I have the first one down and I feel much better prepared for the next one, I am ready to jump back in and share and learn together.

New Alumni

Hello fellow alumni! I had the honor (?) of taking the EDM class in the summer. Everyone said I was crazy! They all told me horror stories of the time constraints for the class, but I didn't believe them. Boy, was I wrong! My first post was "Dr. Strange must be speaking Greek!" But my second was "Woo hoo! Learning Greek!" Yes, the course was a challenge, but one I was felt I was ready for. I'm one of those people who never sees a problem, just opportunities. So, I jumped in with both feet kicking! This is my second degree. I spent 10 years in the military. I've been to third world countries. And I coach youth sports. This was one of the hardest things I have ever done. But I am so glad for it. I learned a phenomenal amount in an extremely short period. But I fought through the challenges and came to realize so much about myself and the tasks I can really do. I would like to thank the entire EDM staff for their help, guidance, and friendship. If I can ever do anything for any of you, just ask!

New EDM 310 Students

I was searching the internet for information for a paper I am writing and accidentally (maybe it was fate) came across this picture and thought about Dr. Strange and his new EDM 310 students.

I remembered how I felt when I first walked into his classroom carrying my new, shiny laptop. I was so proud of my new computer and really felt like this would be an easy class. I already knew a lot about technology. After all, I was already on Facebook and I had made LOTS of purchases online. Then Dr. Strange goes over the syllabus and explains his expectations for this class. Was he crazy? I felt like grabbing my laptop and running out of the door. Then I thought about all the challenges I will face as a teacher. Will I be able to run from them? No. So I decided to accept the challenge and I am glad I did. I learned so much from this class not only about technology, but about myself. I am now more willing to accept challenges with a grin (most likely someone in my PLN has gone through the same challenge before) and go the extra mile to create a technological footprint I will be proud of.

People talk about 'getting their feet wet' when they are learning something new. My advice to new EDM 310 students, forget about just getting your feet wet, jump in and start swimming. Trust me. The water is great!

Happy Birthday Stephen!

Special thanks to Olivia for the delicious Cake.

Congrats to All Future Teachers in EDM 310

Congratulations to all of you future teachers that have the privilege of learning under Dr. Strange. Open your minds to learning everything and more, in ways that YOU get to determine. Take in the entire EDM310 experience. Collaborate with your colleagues. Don't set the bar for yourself, just go as far as you can. If you do just that, then a top grade will be easy to earn. Even more importantly than the grade, you will be entirely satisfied with your performance. Don't focus on the A, focus on the experience of learning with few boundaries. Now, don't get the wrong idea that the recipe for success in this course includes "let it happen." Oh, no. The recipe for success includes what you put into it. Discipline, desire, and determination make this a class that you will want to take again.

Now is a great time to prepare the technology aspect of your future classroom. The next 16 weeks is a first draft. Right now, you have the time to begin outlining your technology plan and get some things in place for your professional life, without students, parents and principals demanding your time. Have Dr. Strange tell you his secrets. He has tons of them!

Don't miss out. Make it ALL count. Get ready to enjoy the ride.

An EDM310 Alumni,

Jackie Gorski

PS- Dr. Strange has had no input to this. I really wanted to share this with the new folks, since I am an oldie (but a goodie :)).