Blog Post #3

Peer Editing

Peer editing is defined as working with someone your own age to help improve, revise, and edit his or her writing. People approach peer editing in many different ways, but I believe that the best thing to do is start the peer edit with compliments to the person's writing. As I saw in the video, Peer Editing, there are three important steps to remember when you are peer editing.

1. Compliments- stay positive/tell the writer what they did well
2. Suggestions- giving specific ideas on how to make the writing better
3. Corrections- check punctuation, grammar, sentences, and spelling

I will use these three steps when editing my peer's blog post. I will also be a critic as well as a supporter, because peer editing is very important. Why is peer editing important? Well, I will tell you. I believe that peer editing is a way of improving the writer beyond what the writer thinks he or she can do. When your peers write a paper, or a blog post, they write to what they think is their full potential. But, once someone peer edits their paper, what they thought was their full potential has improved. The second step in peer editing is giving suggestions, and this step is a crucial part of the process. When a suggestion is given, it does not mean that what your peer wrote is wrong. A suggestion gives leeway and lets the writer and the editor collaborate on ideas that will help to improve the paper, blog post, etc.  In my opinion, collaborating is the most important part of peer editing, because both parties share ideas and thoughts while also communicating with someone new to them. The communication that happens in peer editing can lead to more opportunities for students in the future. Students will know how to communicate their ideas and ways of thinking, and will allow them to someday further the education of future students.

Blog Post #2

Mr. Dancealot

 

In the movie "Mr. Dancealot", the Professor attempts to teach a dance class without any physical method of teaching. The central message in the movie is focused on methods of teaching that are interesting while also being fun. But also, how can you teach a dance class when you never dance? How can you teach any class without practicing what you are learning about? Haven't you heard the saying "practice makes perfect"? Well, I believe that "practice improves performance" is a better way of saying it. The author's conclusion made perfect sense to me. Professor Dancealot turned on a video camera, told the students to dance, and left the room. The Professor did not stay in the room to help the students improve their dancing nor was he there to help fix any problems that the students may have. The man at the end of the movie Mr. Dancealot said, "I thought I got it from what he said in class, but none of my notes make any sense." I agree with the conclusion, because I believe that just lecturing and not making the class active and entertaining leaves the students confused, bored, and they also retain less information. Teachers have to be involved in their students learning in a variety of ways in order for everyone to fully understand the purpose in learning a new subject.

Outline to Teaching in 21st Century
 

• Teachers are no longer the main source of knowledge.
• How to teach students how to handle these resources.
• What should curriculum be focused on?
• What tools can students use to further their success in the classroom?
• How to manage technology in the classroom.
• Students must be engaged.

I agree with Kevin Roberts' movie Teaching in 21st Century, because I have the same beliefs and also because he had many facts to support his statements. Teachers are no longer the main source of knowledge due to the rapid advance in technology. Technology is what I believe will affect me the most as a teacher. There are things that I am still learning about technology and it scary to think that I will be incorporating technology into my classroom someday. I have much left to learn about technology, but as a teacher it is my duty to give children all the knowledge that I have, and that is what I will do.

 

The Networked Student

 

In The Networked Student, the main question asked is "Why does the networked student even need a teacher?". The answer is simple. If the networked student dives into technology without having any knowledge about it, the student could potentially make the wrong decisions in articles he or she chooses or group he or she decides to join. The teacher is there to guide and inform the student on the right way to perform the tasks and get the information he or she needs through technology. There are rights and wrongs to technology just like there are rights and wrongs in the classroom. Computers are a virtual classroom and students must be monitored like they would be in a classroom. I really enjoyed this video, because it relates to me EDM 310 class, and it helped me see why we are only using technology in my class.

 

Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

 

Vicki Davis' video, Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts, she explains that teachers should not think that they should know everything before they begin to teach a subject. Vicki's class actually taught Vicki how to terraform on their virtual world with their avatars that they created online. I agree with some of Vicki's thoughts on teaching in her classroom, but others I do not fully understand. Vicki lets her students learn key terms on their own by using Google, I do not think this is an effective way of learning, because students need guidance. Overall, I think Vicki Davis is engaging her students in a very effective way!

 

Who's Ahead in the Learning Race?

 

After watching Dr. John Strange's video, Who's Ahead in the Learning Race?, I now believe that younger children are ahead in the learning race. There are many children who are eager to learn mostly anything, and they love to teach themselves. Hand a child a computer and they will automatically start clicking buttons, but hand one to a college student and he or she is hesitant to touch it for fear of messing up or breaking the computer. I am an Undergraduate at South Alabama and this is how I think: I am terrified of anything that is new to me. Although I am afraid of new things, I try them anyways, but I am always hesitant to start on my own.

 

Flipping the Classroom

 

Flipping a classroom is not a new term to me. My little sister came to me one day and said, "Emily, my teacher put a problem on the board that I had never seen before, and she made my friend go to the board and try to solve it without knowing what to do." To me, that is a little extreme. I like the approach that the video Flipping the Classroom explains. The teacher in the video explains that the student will attempt their homework at home after watching recordings of their teacher explaining how to do their work. This, to me, is an effective way of getting the students to engage in their learning, but the way that my sister's teacher chose to do class was not at all effective.









Test

Test

Blog Post #1

EDM310?

 

I never heard anything negative about EDM310 until my third semester in college. I had no clue that EDM310 existed nor did I know that it was required for me to take it. I had heard that EDM310 would be the most laborious class I would have to take in college. This statement created a fear in me, because I was not sure what to expect of the class.

 Fears

 

I have an enormous fear about EDM310. It's not necessarily about the class but about my memory. I have an extremely horrible memory, and I forget things frequently. I have to keep a planner of all the things that I have to accomplish every week, and sometimes I still forget to do things. I am a very responsible person, and yet I still cannot quite remember everything. So, I hope to put much focus on this class in order to achieve the grade that I want.

 

Past Courses

 

EDM310 and past courses I have taken at the University of South Alabama have one similarity. All courses I have taken at USA have been blended courses or have had some part of the class online. On the other hand, EDM310 is a full online class. There is no paper to turn in and none to receive. That is a scary concept but also a wonderful one, because this allows students to have all of the resources they need to succeed!

 

Difficulties

 

The tasks that I find to be difficult in EDM310 would be keeping up with my blog and making sure that I do all of my assignments correctly. Like I said earlier in my post, my memory is not the best at this time in my life, and I know it will be difficult for me to remember all of my assignments. I am going to make sure that I push through my fears and the things that I believe will be difficult in EDM310, stay focused, be on time, stay positive, never give up, and have a wonderful class experience overall!

 

Questions

 

There are two main questions that I have been wanting to know ever since the EDM310 class started. What is the best way to get all of the information I need so that I will not miss assignments? What can I do to make my blog and assignments more creative and interesting?

 

 







Practice Blog Post

Outline

• Who am I?
• Why do I want to be an educator?
• What does an educator do in his or her practice?
• What are my passions and hobbies? (video)

Who am I?

Hi, my name is Emily Tyne Johnson and I will be twenty years old at the end of this month. As you can see, I have an unusual middle name. I was named after my Granny, Emmy Tyne Johnson. I was born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, but I am currently living in Lucedale, Mississippi. While living extremely close to the Mobile Zoo in Wilmer, Alabama, I have had escaped peacocks running down my road many times! I currently work at Subway and have been employed there for two years now. I am a sophomore here at South Alabama studying Elementary Education. At first, my goal was to study Astronomy at Georgia State University, but that all changed when I started thinking about how important education is.

Why do I want to be an educator?

What does and educator do is his or her practice?

I hope to become a kindergarten teacher, because I believe children are the future of our world and without great teachers’ guidance, children will lose their way. Parents can only teach so much when it comes to the subjects that their children have to learn. Teachers are educated in a way that parents are not, and this in no way is me trying to belittle parents' abilities, but teachers are here strictly to do the teaching. Michelle Rhee, founder and CEO of StudentsFirst, states, "As educators, we have to approach our job believing that anything is possible. It is incredibly important that we constantly communicate to kids that they can accomplish anything when they put their minds to it." Rhee's quote describes why I feel so strongly about children's education. Children are the foundation of our society, and without someone there teaching them and pushing then forward, children will not enjoy learning like they should.

What are my passions and hobbies?