Questionnaire

The final questionnaire has been sent to your Gmail address. Send me an email if have not gotten it.

Your video reflection (personal evaluation) is due by midnight Sunday.

Wrapping Up the Semester

Some Final Things You Must Do

1. The BlogAssignments document has been changed again. The change today was to emphasize that the Final Reflection (due Sunday December 11) is to be focused on how you have grown (or not grown), how you have succeeded (or fallen short), what you have learned) or failed to understand), how you are different as a result of EDM310. This is YOUR REFLECTION about yourself. It is not an evaluation of EDM310. You will do that in a questionnaire the final week.

2. Next week is Mandatory Attendance Week. If you are not here next week your final grade will be reduced by 1/2 a letter grade.

3. Pay for Foliotek BEFORE you come to class next week. We will do Foliotek in class. If you have not paid for it, you cannot do it. NOTE: If you are taking EDM310 for recertification, or if you are a major in another college and not in the College of Education, you are exempt from Foliotek.

The Science of Sarcasm? Yeah, Right

If I had another week, this would be a Blog assignment.

The Science of Sarcasm? Yeah, Right

Read it. And if your response is "Yeah, right" here are some of the key quotes from the article:

Studies have shown that exposure to sarcasm enhances creative problem solving...

An inability to understand sarcasm [by kindergarten] may be a sign of brain disease.

...23% if the time the phrase "yeah, right" was used [on the telephone], it was uttered sarcastically

Sarcasm seems to exercise the brain more than sincere statements do.

...brains have to work harder to understand sarcasm.

Richard Chin, Smithsonian.com, November 14, 2011

And more. Read the article. You can say "yeah, right." But read the article! And leave a comment here.

Ramsey Willis Stars in E Brooks' Green Screen Demo

Did you miss the Green Screen demonstration by Elizabeth Brooks? Watch it HERE.




Video By Elizabeth Brooks
Demonstration by Elizabeth Brooks
Software: Premiere on the PC
Screen Recording Software: Debut Video Capture
Starring: Ramsey Willis

You really should watch this to understand how chroma key works!

Blog Post #13 Now Complete in Revised Blogpost Assignments (Version5)

In the first four versions of Blogpost Assignments, Blog Assignment #13 had two options which were "to be announced." They are now included in the latest version of Blog Post Assignments (Version5).

C4K # 10 Due 11/13/11 - SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS

C4K Assignment #10 Due 11/13/2011 is a different kind of assignment than usual. It has two distinct parts. Part 1 is different than what you normally are assigned to do. Read these instructions CAREFULLY.

Part 1.
A.You will be visiting Ms. Yollis' 3rd Grade Class in California. Do you know who Ms. Yollis is? She is the teacher who rejected 3 comments from EDM310 students because they did not meet her spelling, punctuation and grammar rules for 3rd graders. I hope you have read the post How's Your A? Some of You Wont't Make It Through the 3rd Grade. PROOFREAD your comment. I do not want an email from Ms. Yollis about your spelling, punctuation or grammar!
B: Thoroughly examine Ms. Yollis' Class Blog. That means clicking on all links and tabs; reviewing the material in the blog; exploring and understanding how she uses her blog; how she involves the students; how she involves parents; how she involves classes from around the world. Think about the instructional purposes of her blog. Be sure you watch the video on how to comment. You should also see the Cluster Map of visitors to her blog. Her count started just 2 days before EDM310's did. How do the number of visits compare? I ask you this to demonstrate that you must keep your eyes open AND think when you review her class blog. Ask yourself similar questions. Click on ALL links.
C: When you have finished this part of your assignment, write a thorough description and analysis of Mrs. Yollis' Class Blog, and all of its parts and links. Publish your post. This concludes Part 1 of your C4K#10 assignment.
Part 2 consists of a standard comment on some portion of Mrs. Yollis' Class Blog. Specific instructions are found in the C4K Assignment in your Google Docs. REMEMBER: PROOFREAD your comment before you click the OK button!

Metaphors - A Time to Learn

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:..." Despite the many opposites contained in the time for list found in Ecclesiastes, there is no mention of a time to learn. So I'll add that. I like to think that the reason to learn is not included is that there is no time we should not be learning. We do find "a time to seek and a time to lose." But we do not find a time to learn and a time not to learn. So we will take that as an encouragement to always learn.

This week we have the opportunity to learn about metaphors. Actually, most of you already know about metaphors. You certainly encounter them regularly. And you use them. If you are a Christian and you go to church, or if you read your Bible, you cannot escape metaphors. If you read children's books, metaphors are all around you. If you are a parent, you know about storks that deliver babies and a big jolly old man as large as I am who delivers presents to "good little boys and girls." If you watched the very first assignment in EDM310 you encountered Mr. Winkle.

I had expected you to substitute computers for pencils in the Tom Johnson assignment due last Sunday. Well, maybe I didn't expect that since many EDM310 students miss the metaphor (or allegory). It happens every semester. I guess that the correct statement is that I hoped that you would understand the metaphor, or that you would at least be suspicious that the post was not literally true. I was wrong. And I once again blame the situation on the type of schooling you have experienced in which you are taught that the teacher delivers truth; that you should memorize that truth; that you should burp it back on command; and then forget it after all the tests are complete.

So we now have a wonderful opportunity for learning.

Here are the results of the metaphor assignment:

119 still enrolled (started with 154)
109 active (10 never do anything but have not dropped course.)
20 clearly identified the metaphor. Five of these 20 wrote excellent commentaries.
9 identified metaphor after self described research or reading comments on the post
7 missed the metaphor but had suspicions it was not literal
50 missed the metaphor
23 active students did not do the assignment. My guess: they did not know what was happening in the post. If you did not do the post on time you should consider yourself as having missed the metaphor. You are hereby assigned the Missed the Metaphor Special Assignment.
10 inactive students did not do the assignment
119 Total

What is the Missed the Metaphor Special Assignment? This is it:

Read these three posts:

1. Metaphors: What They Are and Why We Use Them

In that post there is a Special Assignment. Do that assignment in a new post which is Additional Post #1. It does NOT substitute for Blog Post #14 as it did in the Spring semester.

Due midnight Sunday November 20, 2011.

2. Metaphor Discussion Update

3. Jennifer Asked: Why Use Metaphors? Here is My Answer

4. For more information also see:
You Missed the Point! It's Not A Pencil…"

Great Metaphor Posts This Semester

I am awarding a special prize to the 5 students whose posts on last week's assignment were especially outstanding. They will each receive a Kindle copy of the four educational books written by John T Spencer @johntspencer. Mr. Spencer uses the pen name Tom Johnson for some of his writings.

Here are the five prize winning posts:

Gretchen McPherson
Gina Phillips
Angela Pitts
Jenna Reynolds
Ramsey Willis

Prize For Others Who Got the Metaphor

I am awarding a Kindle copy of Mr. Spencer's book Pencil Me In: A Journey in the Fight for Graphite to the 24 other students who got the metaphor.

We all have an opportunity to learn. Even those who got the metaphor. Here is their assignment:

Special Assignment #1 for those who Got the Metaphor

Write a post about why we use metaphors. Give examples in history and literature and even EDM310. Due Sunday November 20, 2011.

And I have an opportunity to learn as well. My question is: Why do metaphors fail to work so often with college students? Or a better question: When do metaphors work with college students? And still another question: "Does the way people are taught affect their perceptions of what schools are about so much that metaphors (and sarcasm0 get lost in the process? If you have any thoughts on these three questions I would greatly appreciate your sharing them with me.

So off we go to learn. A never ending process!

Tweeting Tom Johnson

Look at tweets in #EDM310 for instructions on how to Tweet Tom Johnson.

50,000 Visits to EDM310

At approximately 11:57:24 PM CDT October 31, 2011 we welcomed our 50,000th visitor since January 9, 2010 to the EDM310 Class Blog. That is 661 days or an average of 75.6 visits a day. Our current traffic count is approximately 125 visits a day. The 50,000th visitor is from Quakers Hill, New South Wales, Australia, surfing with Safari and using an Apple product. They came directly to our web site at 15:57 (3:57pm) on November 1, 2011 (Australia time). If you are our 50,000th visitor, leave us a comment so that we can personally thank you!

We thank all of our visitors. We hope you have seen how we are trying to prepare students to use technology in teaching.

Come back soon!

Additional Skype Instructions - Deadline Now 11/13

We had hoped to have a list of local artists, teachers and government officials for you to interview. That did not work out. So we will follow Plan B.

You may interview anyone you wish as long as the subject matter is education and technology.

Some ideas:

Preferred Option:Contact the author of the book for which you did a trailer. See if the author will consent to an interview. If so, this should be your number 1 priority.

Special Opportunity #1. We will soon be announcing a contest which will involve making a video as part of the USA 50th anniversary fund raising drive. Details of this contest will be posted on the Class Blog no later than Monday October 31. Chris Smith, a member of the USA Development Team, will soon provide me a list of 5 - 10 names of graduates of USA with an interesting story to tell about what South has meant to them. A very limited number of you could use those contacts. If you are interested, send me an email. Better yet, find your own USA alumnus - maybe one who stated USA in the early years. Or any graduate with an interesting story about how USA has shaped their life. Interview them.

Special Opportunity #2.Interview Jarrod,the 2nd grader in Australia who is a prolific blogger. His mother has said that would be possible if we can make the time work. A Saturday in Australia would be best so that would be a Friday in Mobile. Jarrod attends the Leopold Primary School in Victoria, Australia. Victoria is 16 hours ahead of us. To interview leopold the best time to do it would be on a Friday between 3 and 6 pm (7 am and 10 am in Victoria). Let me know if you are interested. I have Jarrod's mother's email address. We can set it up. It should be a lot of fun and very informative!

Special Opportunity #3.
Kevin McLaughlin, one of the teachers on our C4T list, emailed me and suggested someone Skype him. An excellent idea!

Contact a teacher whom you have followed for C4T. I think most will say yes to a Skype interview.

Contact a Twitter friend and member of your PLN. Most would be delighted to be interviewed. You can tell them that they will be posted to the EDM310 podcast feed.

Contact a person whose work you have read/watched/listened to as part of a blog assignment. Most will be delighted to talk with you.

Contact a local teacher or school administrator.

Contact a USA faculty member (any department) or any USA administrator. Many will be willing to be interviewed.

Specific Instructions for the Interview:

1. Think about the questions that you want to ask IN ADVANCE. Share them (by email) with the person interviewed but warn them that you may rephrase the question or ask other questions.

2. Make this conversational. Avoid a scripted format. Interact with the interviewee.

3. Try to not go over 15 minutes so it can be one YouTube video without editing.

4. Start with a brief introduction of your guest and then ask them to tell you something interesting about their connection with your topic. Warn them about this IN ADVANCE.


You MUST read the full instructions on page 30 of the Projects Instruction Manual.

If you have trouble with the video and it threatens the integrity of your interview with an important subject (unlikely to be able to do over, etc.), then only do audio. Do not use this as a route to avoid trying your best to do video, however.

You may find it easier to record from the lab.

DUE DATE is now Sunday November 13.

C4K for This Week Now Posted

NOW POSTED

Delayed until late Monday or early Tuesday morning.

I am returning from deep in Texas where I have been for my granddaughter's wedding.

In Memoriam

ScreenJelly Replaced by Debut Video Capture Software

If you are trying to get a copy of ScreenJelly it has been converted to Debut Video Capture Software by MCH Software. You can get a free copy for home use from the MCH Site.

Understand Sarcasm and Satire or You Might be Dangerously Irrelevant as an Educator

As I said in the previous post, we now have 128 students in EDM310. Seventeen did not do Blog Post #5 leaving 111 who did. Of those, 24 students clearly did not understand the satiric/sarcastic nature of Dr. McLeod's post Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please? found on his blog Dangerously Irrelevant. Another six probably missed the sarcastic and satiric nature of the post. The posts of eight students were so poorly written that I could not tell anything about how they interpreted the post - or if they had even read it. Add all these up and we have 73 (65%) who understood Dr. McLeod's post.

Dr. McLeod Tweeted me on Tuesday September 20 concerned about this: "There's a certain percentage of your students that completely misses the irony in 'Don't teach your kids this stuff' :)"

I responded: "Ah yes! And they want to be teachers... About a third [last semester] and probably this."

My guess was correct. 35% missed it this semester.

The failure to understand the post even drew the attention of m.williams-mitchell. Dr. Mcleod drew my attention to this comment in the middle of the EDM310 comments this semester:

um…could someone please reassure me that the requirement for the class was to respond to this post as though one DIDN’T UNDERSTAND THAT IT WAS SATIRE??? I’m beginning to fear for our future.

Posted as a comment on Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please? by m.williams-mitchell, September 20, 2011 at 5:34 pm

And Now a Lesson

Let's look at the definitions of sarcasm and satire.

Definition of Sarcasm

sar·casm /ˈsɑɚˌkæzəm/ noun
1: the use of words that mean the opposite of what you really want to say especially in order to insult someone, to show irritation, or to be funny
Merriam Webster Learner's Dictionary

Definition of Satire

sat·ire noun \ˈsa-ˌtī(-ə)r\
1: a literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn
2: trenchant wit, irony, or sarcasm used to expose and discredit vice or folly
Merriam Webster Dictionary

1: a way of using humor to show that someone or something is foolish, weak, bad, etc. : humor that shows the weaknesses or bad qualities of a person, government, society, etc.
Merriam Webster Learner's Dictionary

As juniors in college I would expect you to recognize sarcasm and satire when you encounter these literary devices. Obviously that is not the case. So it is time for learning!

Dr. McLoed's meaning should be clear to you, if your are able to recognize sarcasm and satire, when you read the very last portion of his Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please? post:

don't do any of it, please



really

'cause I'm doing all of it with my kids

can't wait to see who has a leg up in a decade or two

can you?

Remember the Class Motto: I don't know. Let's find out.

That is what we are undertaking to do.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism

There are now 128 students in EDM310. Seventeen of those did not do the Blog Post #5 assignment. Nine of those who did the assignment did not attempt to answer the question Who is Dr. Scott McLeod? That leaves 102 students who answered the question. Of those, 17 copied considerable portions of Dr. Mcleod's About Me material without attribution and without identifying the material copied and committed plagiarism as it is generally understood in academic communities. Another 17 used significant portions of that same material without attribution and without identifying the material copied and a very strong case could be made that they also committed plagiarism. Consequently, I am absolutely convinced that at least a third of this EDM310 class does not know about plagiarism (or doesn't care, or both). And you hope to be educators.

We must talk. About plagiarism. We will do so during Part 1 of the Mandatory Attendance Week.

Here are two things you must do to avoid plagiarism:
1. Always provide the source of the material (or ideas, conclusions, approaches or concepts). We do this with pictures using the TITLE modifier tag. In blogs, a very easy way is to provide a link to the source material. In papers, and you use footnotes following one of many possible style manuals.
2. Always put quoted material in quotation marks. If the passage quoted is long, indent it in a paper or put it un a blockquote in a blog (the quotation mark icon in the post area of a blog).

Yes, there are some exceptions to these two rules. We will discuss them next week. However, you can never be wrong if you follow these two rules.

Why is it important to know about plagiarism and how to avoid it?
1. You can get an F in a course or be dismissed from the University.
2. You can lose your job in the education community.
3. You can fail to teach your students and they may suffer the serious consequences cited above.

Why am I not bringing charges against at least 34 of you? Because I think you do not understand plagiarism and how to avoid it. I will not have that option if it happens again.

Mandatory Classes

Mandatory Classes are in Week 8 which is next week. You must attend or your grade will be reduced by up to one letter grade. With permission you can make some substitutions.

Part 1 classes will be held as follows:
Monday 10/10 4:00-5:15pm
Tuesday 10/11 11:00am-12:15pm
Tuesday 10/11 2:00-3:15pm
Wednesday 6:00-7:15pm
In Part 1 we will cover Plagiarism, Google Docs, writing techniques, and other material.

Part 2 classes will be held as follows:
Wednesday 10/12 4:00-5:15pm
Wednesday 10/12 7:15-8:30pm
Thursday 10/13 11:00am-12:15pm
Thursday 10/13 2:00-3:15pm
In Part 2 we will cover movie making, Google Forms, special search engines and other material

You can come to any Part 1 AND Part 2 combination you wish. If you come at a time other than your enrollment time you must get permission.

If you do not attend BOTH parts you must have an acceptable WRITTEN excuse from a medical doctor, a University official or some other source acceptable to me. Otherwise your grade WILL be reduced.

IN ADDITION you must complete a midterm self-evaluation questionnaire no later than Sunday October 16, 2011. The link to this questionnaire will be sent to you no later than midnight Wednesday October 12.

C4K Assignment This Week and A Tale of Twitter

Last Monday, as I was working on C4K, I found a request for participation in a poll on which New Zealand flag you liked best. That became part of everyone's assignment last week. Then last Friday we got this comment on the EDM310 Class Blog:

Hi from New Zealand

I'm not sure if I am on the right blog but I wanted to say WOW!! Thanks so much for all the comments on our class blog. We have over the last week had so much interest in our New Zealand Flag Debate. We feel very special that your class have picked us and are interested enough to participate.

I just wanted to let you know that the children will be writing about their point of view and why they chose their flag next week. I will also be putting up the results of the poll.

I am also really interested to know what your study is at the moment and how it ties in with a junior blog?
You can contact me direct if you wish
l.laburn@pointview.school.nz

Keep those comments coming... The kids love comments!

Thanks again
Lynne Laburn @llaburn and the Room 3 children

So I responded that I found out about the survey on Twitter. Soon we will know how you responded to the survey as part of your assignment last week. Because of Twitter we are establishing new friends a long way away from us in two directions!

This week many of you will be connecting with Room 3 at Point View School in Dannemore, Auckland, New Zealand. The rest of you will establish a connection with Room 3 either next week or the next. All because of Twitter.

We begin now to visit class blogs as opposed to individual student blogs. Please follow the instructions contained on your C4K assignments this week.

Lab Will Be Open 9:00 - 5:00 Monday 10/3 and Tuesday 10/4

Lab Will Be Open 9:00 - 5:00 Monday 10/3 and Tuesday 10/4

Even though it is "Fall Break" Stephen will be in the Lab 9:00-12:00 Monday and Tuesday
Jacey-Blair will be in the Lab 12:00-5:00 Monday
Carly will be in the Lab 12:00-5:00 Tuesday

There may be other Lab Assistants there as well.

Rescheduled: Many Things REVISED

REVISED 3:58 PM September 28, 2011. No, it's not a baseball game. It is Many Things.

Too many people are planning to record their podcast in the lab tonight. And we need a Mac connected to an overhead projector to do the iMovie presentation. We will postpone the iMovie presentation until sometime in October. Sorry about that.

This change requires several other changes:

1. Short Movie (Project #11) originally due Sunday October 9 will now be due Sunday October 16.
2. SMART Board Instruction Part 1 (Project #13) originally due Sunday October 16 will now be due Sunday October 23.

New Schedule for Wednesday Workshops (and a Saturday)

Introduction to SMARTboard basics Wednesday October 5 6-8pm Anthony Capps (no change)

Introduction to SMARTboard basics Saturday October 8 10am -12 noon (no change)

Introduction to iMovie and Movie Making Wednesday October 12 4-5:15 pm and 6-7:15 pm and Thursday October 13 11am - 12:15pm Allie Howell Since this week (Week beginning October 9) is MANDATORY ATTENDANCE WEEK, we will incorporate the iMovie workshop into the mandatory class. You must attend ALL sessions of your class that week, not just the ones where we will cover iMovie.

Green Screens and Chroma Keys in Movie Making October 19 6-8 pm Elizabeth Brooks (moved from 9/12)

In Defense of the Luddite Professor Who Lectures

Hear the other side:

In Defense of the Luddite Professor (Doug Marshall)
Teaching Seminar
Library 312
2:30-3:30
Monday September 26, 2011

Dr. Marshall will make the case that traditional in-class lecture is an indispensable part of college education, and must remain an integral part of the curriculum. Click to register, call 461-1888 or just show up. I intend to attend!

Wednesday Workshops (and a Saturday) Corrected Schedule

We have started a series of special opportunities to learn even more!

This schedule is the Corrected Schedule. Also see Rescheduled: Many Things


Introduction to SMARTboard basics Wednesday October 5 6-8pm Anthony Capps
Introduction to SMARTboard basics Saturday October 8 10am -12 noon
Introduction to iMovie and Movie Making Wednesday October 12 6-8pm Allie Howell
Green Screens and Chroma Keys in Movie Making October 19 6-8pm Elizabeth Brooks

25% Complete

We have completed Week 4 which puts us 25% of the way through the Fall Semester. Is your work up to date?

I Keep Hoping!

But I am disappointed once again. Twenty-nine students (22%) did not post Blog Post #4 on time. That's about the usual percentage, but it is certainly not what I would like to see! What would you think if you were the principal of a school and 22% of your teachers did not show up for work?

Uploading Movies to YouTube

This week you are to create "Your Sentence" on a Mac in the lab. Here are some important things you should know.

1. Several students have asked "May I do this on my PC at home?" The answer is No for three reasons: a. We want you to come to the lab at least once; b. We want you to become familiar with making movies on the Mac. It is much easier than on a PC and will enable you to think about what computer you want to use for later movies. c. Allie creates a compilation of all movies and if they are already on the Macs it saves a lot of time.

2. Several students have found that YouTube will not accept their movie.

YouTube now requires that you create a channel before allowing you to upload videos. So...
Make your movie on the Mac. Using the Share menu item in iMovie, Export Movie. Select the This Is My Sentence folder on the Mac, Press Save. Open a browser, sign in to YouTube. Click Upload movie. YouTube will the ask you to create a channel which appears to be the same as signing in all over again. Click Upload again. Select your movie in the This Is My sentence folder. BE SURE YOU UNCHECK THE Make this movie personal BOX. Click the button to complete this and your movie will appear on YouTube soon. The next time you do this you can upload directly to YouTube from the Share menu in iMovie.

A 9/11/Veterans Day Tribute by the Third Graders of Tussing Elementary

A 9/11 Tribute by the Third Graders of Tussing Elementary, Colonial Heights, Virginia

Be sure you learn how to do something like this in your class.

Thanks to Tommy Carpenter for sending this video.

How Are We Doing?

It's Monday Morning Quarterbacking Time. How did EDM310 do? About the same as last week. Here are the figures:
Blog Post #3 On Time - 98 (73%) up from 71% last week
No or Partial Blog Post # 3 - 36 (27%) down from 29% last week

Do we have the correct information?

If you did not get a comment from me or a member of the lab staff this past week, send me an email. Include the URL for your blog. Maybe we have the wrong URL. This is especially likely if you are not getting comments from anyone!

Thank You EDM310

This comment was just left on the previous post. It is so special that I wanted to be sure everyone saw it!

1/4 Prep, 3/4 Theater has left a new comment on your post "C4K Assignments Now in Your Google Docs":

Just want you to know that you are all making a lot of fifth graders' days with all of your comments on our class blogs! I hear excited voices calling out, "I got a comment all the way from Alabama" in my classroom! Keep them coming! My students are loving it!
Marla Huebner
Sioux Rapids, IA
http://kidblog.org/2011-12Class/

That's what makes C4K so wonderful! Thanks EDM310 Students!

Add More Names To Those You Follow

Now that you are becoming more familiar with Twitter, it is time to add some more names to those you follow. A good list is found on the C4T site. Now add 15, 20, 25 or more of those names. Here is my suggestion of how to make it fairly easy:

1. Go to Twitter and sign in. (Yes, the web site. This is easier to do there.)
2. Click on Who To Follow (Really should be Whom to follow but we won't go there).
3. Search for a person's name or Twitter name (found on C4T)
4. You will find a brief description of who that person is. If you want more information before deciding whether or not to follow them, chick on their name that starts the paragraph about them. This will take you to their Profile Page. More information will be available including recent Tweets, # of followers, # following, etc.. You can even see whom they follow to get more ideas for names.
5. If you want to Follow this person, click Follow.
6. That's it!

Group List Now in Your Google Docs

I did not get an email indicating group membership for 24 students (18%). If you were among those, I created groups and assigned you to a group. Think about this: You are going to be a teacher. My students (your classmates) have trouble doing things on time and following directions. You students will have the same problems. It takes time to get everyone on board, but you have to keep trying. Here is an overview so far
Week 1: 17% did not do, or did only part of the assignment on time
Week 2: 31% did not do, or did only part of the assignment on time
Forming A Group: 18% did not join a group or did not have a person who followed directions about emailing me the members of the group (or were absent from a required class without an acceptable excuse).

Come on class! Let's all try harder!

Off On The Wrong Foot

When kids first start to put on their own shoes they often try to put the wrong shoe on the wrong foot. I guess we can call that "off on the wrong foot." Or when we fail to "put our best foot forward" it would be getting "off on the wrong foot." That is what happened to 31% of EDM310 students for Blog Post #2. Thirty-six students (or 26% of the class) did not have a post on their blog by 2 pm today (14 hours after they were due). Seven other students (5% of the class) did not submit all portions of the 5 part assignment. That is certainly "getting off on the wrong foot." So what should you do?

1. Resolve NOT to be late again.
2. Do all parts of the assignment.
3. If you get behind, do not be late on future assignments trying to catch up. Catch up when you will not make another post late.
4. You will not get a comment. That is unfortunate because we try and help you get better through comments.
5. You get a red block

on your record. That will change to a pink block when you catch up. That helps - a little.

One thing is clear from previous classes: You cannot afford to get behind in EDM310.

Be on time with your work.

A Time To Learn

When you start to learn how to ride a bicycle, you will fall off. When you start to ride a horse you may also fall off but it is hoped that you will be old enough to follow instructions and not fall off.

Experience teaches us that the first two weeks of EDM310 is like learning to ride a bicycle. Students fall off. Some even skin themselves up pretty badly.

For other students they stay on the horse, but have much to learn.

For a few (4 - 3%), we could enter them as jockeys in a quality race have have a good chance of winning (if the horse is good enough).

Two weeks are over. Did you fall off the bicycle? Did you stay on the horse but have more to learn? Can we enter you in the fifth race at the Fairgrounds?

Here are the major problems encountered in the first round of Blog Post Assignments:

Fell off bicycle with major scratches and bruises:

1. A student with a blog for which the URL does not work. Even worse a student who does not have a blog. (2 - 1%) The problem is we can't tell the difference. We think we have located all of these students and we have notified them by email. If we notified you by email that we can't find your blog, respond immediately with your Blog URL. We may have messed up the link or you may have messed up the naming or there may be another explanation. The cause of the problem is irrelevant (except to try and avoid making the same mistake again). The objective is to get a working blog with a working URL as soon as possible.

2. A student with a working URL (we get to a blog) but there is no post for Blog Assignment #1. (14 - 10%) This is a VERY BAD WAY to start the semester unless there is a good explanation. This includes students who have been in EDM310 before. ALL POSTS must be done THIS SEMESTER. Do NOT use your work from before. Leave it on your blog, but do all posts from scratch for this semester!

3. A student who did only part of the Blog Post #1 Assignment. (8 - 6%) Typically the part about Time Management was skipped by these students.

4. A student who did both parts of the assignment for Blog Post #1 but who separated the assignment into separate posts. (14 - 10%) Here were the instructions to be followed (from page 6 of The Blog Post Assignments Instruction Manual. I also discussed this in class.):

3. Each Blog Assignments must be in a single post unless you are instructed otherwise. You must make ONE post which covers ALL of the assignments for every week. Where it makes sense, combine into one set of paragraphs. When the topics differ, separate them with headings in bold within the post. See the instructional movie if you have questions. Or contact any member of the teaching staff.

5. A student who did not meet Mrs. Yollis' 3rd grade writing standards. (7 - 5%)

There were also a lot of students who fell off the bicycle but had no scratches and bruises.

1. These students did not answer the question "Do you know anything else about Dr. Pausch?" (70 - 51%) which was part of the assignment. Now I realize that I should have said "Answer this question (and if you don't know anything about Dr. Pausch, do a Google search". But I still expected an answer. Why? Because it helps our understanding a lot when listening, reading or watching if we know something about the person involved. I would hope that your curiosity would spur you to investigate on your own. After 47 years of teaching I now know that curiosity (about school work) has largely been killed by the 5th or 6th grade. I keep hoping, but I am usually disappointed. I sure hope I discover sometime how to get curiosity started again. It is obvious that my question did not work and I failed again.

So for those of us (including me) who fell off, what do we do?

We get up, dust ourselves off, get some iodine (shows my age) and bandages, and get back on to ride again. In other words, we examine our mistakes, correct those that can be corrected, and make every effort not to make the same mistakes again. If we do that, we will be OK. If we continue to fall off, we need more help.

For the successful riders: Carry On!

C4K Assignments Now in Your Google Docs

Be sure to review Instructions (p. 17 of Projects Manual) BEFORE leaving comments! Look carefully at the Class Blog. What can you find out about the teacher, the school, the class you are visiting? PROOFREAD your comments!

C4C Updated
In addition, assignments for C4C due 9/11/11 have been updated.

Lab Closed at 2:00

Due to Tropical Storm Lee the EDM310 and all COE Labs closed at 2:00 pm Saturday 9/3. We intend for the labs to be open Sunday 9/4 but this this subject to shange. Check the EDM310 Class Blog for the latest nformation.

C4K Will Start Next Week

The Checklist indicates that you have a C4K comment due by Sunday 9/4. I am moving all C4K assignments back one week. The first C4K comment should be done during the week starting Sept 4 and before midnight Sept 11. Just move all C4K assignments back one week.

I was thinking too fast when I made the schedule.

C4K assignments will be posted sometime Monday September 5.

Mastering Twitter

Approach Twitter in Stages
Week 1 - Getting Started with Twitter
1. Get Twitter Account
a. Shorter name is better
b. Send your Twitter name to edm310twitter@gmail.com Be sure to include your real name in the Gmail
c. AND SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT that I forgot to put here originally but added by @wmchamberlain in an extremely important comment which I have copied and pasted here:

Wm Chamberlain said...
Please fill out your bio on Twitter and add you are a pre-service teacher. There are a lot of people on Twitter that will not follow someone with no bio info. It would also be a good idea to "introduce" yourself to those you are following. The ed community is very helpful, especially to pre-service teachers.

d. Add to your bio that you are currently enrolled in EDM310. Many of my followers, and the followers of @wmchamberlain, know about EDM310.
2. Install TweetDeck
3. Get Delicious account and install link in browser
4. Follow all staff AND @wmchamberlain, @mcleod, @jshe, @pvbaggett, @classroom20, @TweetSmarter, @alwright1, @allonsdanser,@edm310_usa, @hadleyjf, @deananunn, @johntspencer, @ShellTerrell and any others you want
5. Create a column for #edm310 and if in Dr. Bagget's class #edu301
6. Spend 10 minutes in morning and 10 minutes later in day reviewing Twitter feeds and messages
7. Click on interesting links. If want to save link, add to Social Bookmarks using Delicious
8. Answer questions with @ responses if you have something to say (but don't worry if you don't)
9. RT interesting Tweets

Week 2 - Increase The Number of Those Whom You Follow
1. Follow the 57 people in @JohnMikulski Tweet (57 Must Follow Educators)
2. Follow my list of "Must Follows" which will appear in your Google Docs
3. Find 10 additional people to follow from those who are followed by any of the people who are listed in any of the lists (including those whom you started with)
4. Repeat steps 4-9 in the Week 1 instructions

Week 3 - Moved Toward Twitter Comfort
1. Provide at least one Tweet in which you have a link to an interesting site you have encountered. Be sure #edm310 is in that link. If about art, also add #edu301
2. 4. Repeat steps 4-9 in the Week 1 instructions EXCEPT spend at least 15 minutes per Twitter session instead of 10 minutes
3. Tweet people whom you encounter in readings, blog posts, etc.
4. Respond (even if it is just Thank You) to people who send Tweets to you @...

Weeks 4 and Beyond
Further instructions will follow

C4TAdded to Google Docs - 17 Students May Not Get C4T

Google reports that I have shared C4T1 Assignment with 126 students. I think I have shared it with 143. So 17 of you may not have gotten the document. Send me an email if you did not get it. Send email to edm310help@gmail.com

C4C will be posted no later than noon tomorrow.

Your Pictures Are Now Available

MW4
TT11
TT2
W6

1. Find your picture in the class section for which you are enrolled (not the one you are attending). The links to the class pictures are immediately above.
2. Click on your picture.
3. Download your picture by clicking on the down arrow at the bottom of your picture.
4. Add your picture to your blog by following the instructions on p. 12 of The Activities Manual

C4T #1 Due Date Changed

The first comment and post deadlines for C4T have been changed to September 4, 2011. We will discuss C4T more in class this week.


The teachers are eager to read your comments. Here is a Tweet I received from @jennyluca this morning (8/24/11):

Welcome Fall 2011 Class - Fall Materials Now Available

Welcome!




Want to find out more about EDM310? Want to get a head start on the class? (An excellent idea as you will find out soon!)

Links to the Syllabus and related materials are found in the column to the right.

Links to the Fall Student Blogs will be available August 22-25. Visit some of the Summer 2011 student blogs. The last post on all the blogs is a 5-10 minute Final Reflection which should interest you.

Read the post Eleven Key Attributes of EDM310 which is the second post below. Anthony Capps, Allie Howell (both Lab Associates in EDM310) and I used for the #rscon3 conference in late July 2011.

Read EDM310 Is Different. This is an assignment for the first week. Get ahead! You will be glad you did. In this document you will find references to The Chipper Series (17:51) and EDM310 for Dummies (3:54). These are movies done by former EDM310 students and also also part of the assignments for the first two week of class.

Watch these two movie to get a sense of what EDM310 is about and how it is different:

9 Differences in EDM310 (9:48)
Aspects of EDM310 (5:16)

Bring your computer to class. Be on time. We have a lot to do!

We look forward to meeting you!

EDM310 Students and Graduates: You Are Now More Valuable!

Baldwin County Public Schools Superintendent Alan Lee has announced that all students in the Bay Minette High School will have a MacBook starting this September. This is the start of an effort to do this countywide by the 2012-13 school year. "I would like to have 20,000 [MacBooks] in the hands of students by 2012-2013. That would be my goal" said Lee.

Baldwin Register, special insert Back to School... Back to the Future, Sunday, July 24, 2011, p.2.

Eleven Key Attributes of EDM310

1. Green - No paper in or out
2. Free - No Costs for Books or other materials
3. Blended 25% in class; 75% independent learning using internet materials
4. Lab Oriented - labs run by former EDM310 students - have created a true learning community EXTREMELY IMPORTANT
5. Project Based 16 projects in 15 weeks
6. Multimedia Projects and Writing - text, audio, podcasts, video, videocasts
7. Self-reflection instead of grades
8. Public - All student work is on their individual blogs Blog and all class materials and student work accessible through http://edm310.blogspot.com
9. Global Comments on Blogs to and from all over the world
10.Emphasize Creativity
11. Emphasize Impact on Community

William Chamberlain Awards Announced

The William Chamberlain Award of the University of South Alabama was established in 2010 to recognize students in EDM310 who demonstrate "an outstanding interest in and ability to use technology in learning."

The 2011 recipients of the William Chamberlain Award are

Stephen Akins (EDM310Summer 2010)
Allie Howell (EDM310 Fall 2010)
Josh King (EDM310 Fall 2011)

Congratulations Stephen, Allie and Josh!

Hadley Harrington Strange Awards Annonced

Two EDM310 students are the recipients of the 2011 Hadley Harrington Strange Award. This award is to be given annually in memory of my father, Hadley Harrington Strange, to someone who always asks questions and considers all alternatives.

The recipients of the 2011 Award are

Richard Howell EDM310 Spring 2011
and
Elizabeth Brooks EDM310 Summer 2011

Congratulations Richard and Elizabeth!

Ruth Hart Jessee Strange Awards Announced

Two former EDM310 students are the recipients of the 2011 Ruth Hart Jessee Strange Award. This award is to be given annually in memory of my mother, Ruth Hart Jessee Strange, to someone who has positively affected the lives of others.

The recipients of the 2011 Award are

Martha Yim
and
Amanda Bosarge

Congratulations Martha and Amanda!

Congratulations Elizabeth!

Chae Strathie, author of The Tickle Tree, found Elizabeth's Brooks book trailer on You Tube. He liked it. Here is his comment to Elizabeth:

Tickle Tree
To:efbrooks90

Hi Elizabeth

My name is Chae Strathie - the Tickle Tree guy!

I just came across your trailer and wanted you to know I really liked it. It was a lovely piece of imaginative production. My family and I were tickled pink!

I wish you all the best in your future career as a teacher (is that right?) and I hope you read your students some of my books!

With very best wishes

Chae

Congratulations Elizabeth!

Lab Hours July 25-29

The lab will be open 10-4 July 25-29.

Have a great break!

Final Questionnaire Has Been Gmailed

I have just sent the Final Questionnaire to all students at their Gmail addresses.

If you did not get the email or have questions, CALL ME or the EDM310 Help line.

Questionnaires must be completed by Midnight Sunday July 24, 2011. The questionnaire (and your video reflection) constitute your final examination in EDM310. You must complete both.

The E Fast Experiment

Soon I will write a longer post commenting on the E Fast Experiment and the results of its use in Summer 2011 EDM310. Right now I'll give you a quick summary.

Students had four options for Blog Assignment #14 which can be found on pp. 14-16 of EDM310 Blog Post Assignments Summer 2011:
1. A typical blog post on Pseudoteaching
2. A typical blogpost discussing a critique of the Khan Academy
3. Read one of some 15 books suggested and write a book report
4. Try to do an E-Fast (no electronics use) for 24 hours repeated up to three times if unsuccessful in maintaining the fast.

There are 30 students still enrolled in EDM310 this summer (2011) although only 28 are still active. We will use 28 as the base line for this report. Of the 28, four did not submit their Blog Post #14 on time. Three students read a book (Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman, 1984 by George Orwell and Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire by Rafe Esquith). Thirteen did one of the typical blog post assignments. Eight tried the E Fast experiment.

Of those eight, five were successful in going 24 hours without using any electronic entertainment or communications device such as a cell phone, computer, tablet, radio, TV, DVD player, etc. All but one of those participating in the fast found it more difficult than expected. Those who succeeded in fasting tried various strategies:
going to a farm with horses and goats (Amy Wilborn); spending a day with a boyfriend (Alana Escobio); spending a weekend with their family at the beach (Cinda Prescott who found it easier to do than expected); fishing, tennis and golfing (Heath Morris); being prepared by unplugging TVs, hiding phones and informing friends and family of the fast (Bobbi Jo Nelson). The three that failed all succumbed to the phone/smart phone. (Ouida McDaniel) called her mother. One of the students who failed the fast (Deana Nunn) even had her daughter answer SMS messages and telephone calls for her, sending dictated replies by SMS. Yet she still gave in and used her iPhone. Heather Rigby on her 3rd try turned off her iPhone but watched a funny You Tube video with friends on a friend's iPhone.

This assignment turned out to be a delightful experiment that demonstrated how ingrained the use of technology is in our current students and how it will be even more vital to the daily activities of their students in two years when they begin teaching. the posts of the students participating in the E Fast are a lot of fun to read. I hope you will do just that!