Second Graders Research, Present and Reflect

Second Graders from Gulf Shores Elementary School engage in research, make presentations, and reflect on their work.

The Presentations

Presentation Number 1

Presentation Number 2

The Reflections
A Conversation with Two Second Graders: Doing Research and Making presentations

About Over But...

1. You MUST have Foliotek checked before 4pm on Thursday December 5, 2014. As of the posting of this notice (5:25 pm Wednesday 12/3/14) 19 students have not yet had their Foliotek checked. They are:

Britton Mia
Chapman Christina
Cuhaj Kellie
Garrett Joshua
Gossett Savannah
Harris Candace
Johnson Arneetia
Kennedy Faith
Lynn Shelby
Meyers Cortnee
Miller Kela
O'Berry Robert
Parker Taylor
Reed Ross
Rodrick Emily
Stapleton Sabrina
Taylor Daniel
Thomas Justin
Wake Tiffany

You are asking for SERIOUS trouble if you do not get your Foliotek checked!

2. You must submit your Final Questionnaire no later than Sunday midnight December 7, 2014. You will be sent the link at about 8:00 pm tonight (Wednesday 12/3/14)

3. You must submit your video FINAL REFLECTION no later than Sunday midnight December 7, 2014.

Dr. Strange's Version of Blog Post #14

I have written my response to the assignment for Blog Post #14. Unlike other blog post comments, I will not cite grammatical errors or any other specific issues that I may have with your post unless they are so significant that I feel is essential that I leave a comment.

One general comment: Most students commented on only three issues although by my count (see my post) there were 10 issues that could be addressed. Since I never said Pick 3 … I expected a more thorough response that I generally got.

Here is the rubric I used:
Grammar/spelling: ≤ 2 mistakes - 4 points; 3-5 mistakes - 2 points; > 5 mistakes - 0 points
Follow directions (Outline, Paragraphs, Conclusion) Yes 3 points; No - 0 points
Addresses issues 12 to 9 - 9 points; 6 or more but not all - 8 points; 4-6 - 3 points < 4 - 0 points Response (Thorough, Accurate, Convincing) All 3 - 9 points; 2 of three 6 points; 1 of 3 - 3 points; 0 - 0 points
Conclusion (Appropriate, Convincing) Excellent 5 points; Very Good 4 points; Good 3 points; Poor 1 point; Unacceptable - 0 points

I have read all but 10 posts. I will finish them either later today or tomorrow evening. Three students did the original assignment before I changed it. They were omitted from this grading system There were 31 possible points. The average score was 15 (C). The median was 17. The mode was 0. There were 16 zeros because of no post or a late post.
Here are the grades I gave after evaluating your posts: Zero points (late or no post) F; 1-9 D; 10-17 C; 18-23 B; 24-31 ( the best grade was a 30) A.
Here is what you should do:
Read my post.
Compare your post to it.
Evaluate your post using my rubric as best you can.


When I finish evaluating all posts I will figure out some way we can individually share your grades.

My "Blog Post #14"

Start your blog post with a list of all problems and their associated “solutions” (or changes recommended without an identification of a “problem”) that need addressing as identified by Mr. Klein or attributed to Albert Shanker.

General problems not further discussed in the article:
“Using technology to improve teaching and learning“
“adopting a knowledge-based curriculum“
"starting education before 5 years of age"
Major issue:
Professionalize teaching and make it well-respected

What is needed to accomplish this:
"better academic training for prospective teachers"
math preparation must be improved
improve training in basics of reading instruction
new approach to recruiting teachers
B.A degree must be replaced as entry requirement. Must recruit from top third of college graduates
change how we reward teachers
establish ways to remove incompetent teachers
pay teachers according to performance
if layoffs necessary do not use rule of last hired but rather least effective
create self-policing procedures for the profession
establish national board
establish standards to be met by teachers
establish "mechanisms for removing incompetent teachers
change admission requirements to colleges of education - attract best students
professionalize course work in colleges
create national teacher examination testing pedagogy and content knowledge
create "more school choices“: end mandatory assignment of students to neighborhood schools and substitute widest possible choices
end treatment of teachers as workers in a factory


Take each individual item in your list. In a paragraph, indicate whether you agree or disagree that the “problem” identified (if any) is really a problem and whether or not you agree with the proposed “solution.” In all cases, defend your position with clear arguments and facts. Identify opinions as such.

Former New York Superintendent Joel Klein identifies three general problems and one major issue that require changes to the educational system of the United States. The three general problems identified by Mr. Klein included “using technology to improve teaching and learning," “adopting a knowledge-based curriculum," and "starting education before 5 years of age." Mr. Klein did not discuss these issues other than to identify them. I agree that we must use technology to improve teaching and learning. I would argue that this is best done when the learners have the tools readily available to them at all times - personal computers connected to the Internet) rather than group or class tools such as SMARTboards. I am not sure what is meant by adopting a "knowledge-based curriculum" If Mr. Klein means acquiring and storing information in one's head rather than developing the ability - and the desire - to ask questions and seek information in the most efficient ways possible, I would disagree. We must not continue to support a burp-back method of teaching. It results in no real learning, just short term memorization. Instead we must use project/problem/challenge based teaching and learning where the emphasis is on having students who say "I can do…" rather than "I once knew…" I also agree with Mr. Klein's suggestion that we start the education of children before the age of 5. Of course that is happening already, but not in classrooms designed to foster learning. A unified approach would help all children, not just those who live in well educated households where young children are encouraged to learn (to ask questions and seek answers) at all times.

The major suggestion of Mr. Klein is to professionalize teaching. I have outlined the ways in which he suggests we accomplish this objective above. I will add my thoughts to these suggestions.

Math preparation must be improved - My EDM310 students, all of whom want to enter the profession of education, are woefully unable to do basic math. I have been testing my students for 25 consecutive semesters. Over 1/3 cannot correctly solve a majority of problems such as convert a two place decimal into a percentage or convert a two place decimal into a percentage. This is also true for basic multiplication and division. When you add word problems taken from a GED High School equivalency exam, the results are even worse. Only about 20% of the questions are answered correctly. Should my students be able to do basic 8th grade math and 12th grade word problems before being allowed to enter the profession of teaching? I think so. But our current educational system operates as if that is not a necessary requirement. So I have given up on math.

Basics of reading instruction - I support this but have no data to share about how well prepared my students are in reading instruction.

Recruit from the top third of college students - It certainly does not happen now. Are grades in college a good predictor of effectiveness as a teacher? I would think that better teachers would have better grades in college but the correlation is probably lower that we might expect. I do not have data on this but I will try and find out. Certainly good teachers must also be good learners. Why are all students not good learners? Some do not attend college to learn but rather to engage in social and other activities. Too many have not been taught to learn but have been taught to burp back information. I have had many very good students who flunked out because they were not good learners. After growing up, they returned with a different attitude and were successful learners. In the next few years the technology that enables us to predict with surprisingly good accuracy what a given individual will do on a specific day will be put to use in helping us better predict who will be successful at teaching. Until then we may be stuck with inadequate predictors of excellence in teaching. Consequently I would not limit my hiring of teachers (or admission to teacher preparation courses) to the top quartile of a college class, but I would probably put them higher on my list of candidates until I had direct evidence of their teaching abilities and commitment to learning and to the profession of teaching.

Change the reward system for teachers - better pay and mechanisms to remove incompetent teachers. I strongly support both but I am not sanguine about the latter. A great objective but we are unlikely to attain it.

Self-policing procedures for the profession - Again a lofty goal but unlikely to be attained given the history of teaching and the local nature of its administration.

Attract better students to college of education - Again, I support that but unless issues of pay and competence are addressed this will not happen.

Create a national teacher exam - I am not sure to what extent content knowledge is important. The question is are the members of the profession able and willing (even eager) to learn. When we look at the difficulties in increasing the use of technology in teaching and learning we come face to face with large segments of current teachers who are not willing and able to learn new things - new ways of teaching. That is even true, to a much lesser extent, with students seeking to enter the profession of teaching. I have far too many students who are unwilling learners. And a few who appear not to be able to learn.

Create more school choices - I would hope we could improve the profession to such an extent that it wouldn't matter what choices families made about schools. That is very unlikely, however. I cannot envision a system where this could be instituted and which would also achieve the outcome Mr. Klein desires.

End the "factory like" conditions for teachers and teaching - I couldn't agree more. Will it happen? Probably not in the short run.



Write a conclusion to your post that is appropriate.

I agree with most of Mr Klein's suggestions. His goals, while not fully agreed upon, are generally accepted by me. We end up, however, never figuring out how to bring about real change. How do we do it? That is the question that is most important. I do not have an answer to that question. Do you?

Lab Hours Thanksgiving Week

For the Thanksgiving Holidays the Lab will be OPEN and CLOSED as follows:
Wednesday November 26 - Open and Staffed 9:00 am - Noon
Thursday November 27 - Closed
Friday November 28 - Closed
Saturday November 29 - Open and Staffed 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Sunday November 30 - Open and Staffed 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Still More Thank You Notes for C4K Comments

Another Thank You!

I just want to thank all the students who have been commenting on my middle school students' blogs in Germantown, Wisconsin. They have been so thrilled to hear from your students! It has been awesome feedback, and we hope to continue the feedback going both ways! Thanks so much! Chris DeBuhr, literature and language teacher

And Another!

Blog Post #14 Changed

Blog Post 14 Teaching Can Be a Profession by Joel Klein

Read Teaching Can Be a Profession by Joel Klein which was published in USA Today on November 17, 2014.
Start your blog post with a list of all problems and their associated “solutions” ( or changes recommended without an identification of a “problem”) that need addressing as identified by Mr. Klein or attributed to Albert Shanker.
Take each individual item in your list. In a paragraph, indicate whether you agree or disagree that the “problem” identified (if any) is really a problem and whether or not you agree with the proposed “solution.” In all cases, defend your position with clear arguments and facts. Identify opinions as such.
Write a conclusion to your post that is appropriate.


NOTE: This assignment is a change to the assignment previously posted. If you have already completed the assignment as original provided on November 16, 2014 and have posted your work on your blog, you are exempt from this version of the Blog Post 14 assignment. Nevertheless, I suggest you do it since these issues are vital to discuss.

Foliotek Instructions

1. You must have registered for Foliotek unless you are exempt. You must access Foliotek through USA ONLINE, not directly on the web. The following are exempt from using Foliotek: a) those seeking only recertification or license renewal; 2) students who are not seeking candidacy status; students who are not Education majors. Foliotek costs $ 35 for one year. NOTE: Several students who are in their first semester at USA report they are not being charged for Foliotek. If this happens to you, notify me or a lab assistant.

To register and pay for Foliotek follow these instructions:
a. When using Foliotek use Chrome or Explorer browsers ONLY.
b.Go to the USA Online Login page.
b. Login. Your User ID is your J number. Your password is the last 4 digits of your social security number.
c. Click on Sakai. Then click on a class which requires the use of Foliotek. Then click Foliotek in the left column. If you have not established a Foliotek account, do so. You will have to pay by credit card. After all information has been entered you will have to Accept the Foliotek rules, etc.
2. Once you have registered and paid for Foliotek and Accepted the Foliotek rules, etc. you will be able to post to Foliotek.

Think of Foliotek as a storage device in the sky where you will store evidence of your accomplishments in the College of Education. Every course you take in the COE has state established standards which you must meet. You must store the evidence used to determine whether or not you have met these standards in Foliotek where anyone desiring to can see that evidence. Your instructors will provide detailed instructions of what evidence must be submitted for what standards. You then place electronic copies of that evidence in Foliotek.

In EDM310 all of your evidence for all of the standards associated with EDM310 is in your blog and the EDM310 Class Blog. Therefore your blog and the Class Blog are what "go" into Foliotek. Since your evidence consists entirely of blogs we only have to provide Foliotek with links - links to your blog and the Class Blog. Therefore completing the Foliotek requirements for EDM310 is quick and easy.

You will need:
1. A list of the standards associated with EDM310. They are:

Literacy: Oral and Written Communications (3)(c) 1.(iii)
Literacy: Technology (3)(c) 4.(i)
Literacy: Technology (3)(c) 4.(ii)
Literacy: Technology (3)(c) 4.(vi)
Professionalism: Ethics (5)(c) 5.(ii)
Professionalism: Ethics (5)(c) 5.(iv)
For Elementary Majors ONLY: General Special Education: 290-3-3-.34 (2)(g)2.(iii)

Note that the standards are grouped into Literacy, Professionalism and Teaching K-6(for General Special Education). (There are other groups.) Also note that there is one small letter i (or two or three of them) at the end of the numbering system. These are VERY IMPORTANT. Be sure you pay attention to them!

2. You will need the URL to your blog and the URL for the Class Blog ( http://edm310.blogspot.com )

3. Then follow the instructions in Foliotek Instructions.

4. After you have completed Foliotek, your entries must be checked in person by one of the EDM310 staff members. This is an ABSOLUTE requirement and it must be done before 6 pm Sunday November 23, 2014. If one of us does not sign off on your Foliotek entries in person you will get an I in the course. And if you do not complete Foliotek (which is a GREAT hassle for you and an even greater hassle for Dr. Strange) no later than Friday February 13, 2015 your I will become an F no matter what you would have gotten in the course.

Two Important Updates

Blog Assignments:
1. The assignment originally assigned as Blog Post # 15 due November 30 has been changed to Blogpost #13 and is due November 16. The revised Blogpost Assignments (Version #5) Doc is now available.
2. The assignment for Blog Post #14 (due November 23) will be posted in Version 6 of the Blogpost Assignments later this week.
3. The Blog Post Assignment # 15 (due November 30) has been changed. See the Version #5 of the Blogpost Assignments.


C4T#4:
You are to select your own C4T Teacher. You can select anyone from the C4T#3 sheet or you can find your own. When you make a selection send an email to edm310help@gmail.com. List the mane of your C4T and provide a link to their blog.

Mandatory Class Times Changed for Week of November 16

I have changed the times for the Mandatory Classes the week of November 16.

The Tuesday/Thursday Classes will meet AS SCHEDULED on Tuesday November 18. They will not meet Thursday November 20.

The Monday Wednesday 4 Class will meet WEDNESDAY November 19 (NOT on Monday as previously scheduled).

The Wednesday night class WILL MEET from 6:00-7:15 on WEDNESDAY November 19.

Mandatory Classes

Mandatory Classes This Week
Classes will meet Tuesday and Wednesday ONLY this week.

Lab Open But Not Staffed Today

Sunday November 2, 2014

The Lab will be Open but not Staffed today Sunday November 2, 2014.

Becca is sick and we have no one able to fill in.

So if OPEN will work for you then come to the Lab today.

For assistance email or call.

So You Forgot To Save You C4K Data

Too many phone calls and emails!

I have opened up the tabs at the bottom of the C4K Assignment Doc for the rest of today. Select the date(s) you need by clicking on the Tabs at the bottom left of the sheet.

When you have finished, select the Tab for this week.

Even More From Canada

Ms. Purdell-Lewis has included Elizabeth Barnett's book trailer in her class blog Rubber Boots and Elf Shoes after using the book Pete the Cat in her class. In a comment on Elizabeth's blog she writes: "I just ended a Pete the Cat blog post with your book trailer. I hope that lots of people check it out."

I encourage you to check it out as suggested by Ms. Purdell-Lewis. Read the entire post Elizabeth's trailer is at the end of the post.

Project #14 Will Be Collaborative. Due Date Changed

In the instructions for project #14 I said "NOTE: Watch the Class Blog. I may change this to a collaborative project."

It will be a collaborative project.

It will now be due November 2 instead of October 20.

What Fun! PLN Connections Are Important!

Another message to Elizabeth Barnett from Ms. Purdell-Lewis in Canada!

Your post "Project 8 Book Trailer" [Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes by Eric Litwin]:

That is a LOT of fun. I loved the music that you picked. It fits Pete perfectly. We are making a Pete class book in my K class right now. My kids will enjoy watching your trailer tomorrow while we have our snack. Thanks for telling me about it.

Kids in Canada enjoy the work done by a EDM310 student. Did you realize how small the world really is? Blogging is so powerful! And so important!

The Count for Week 8

Did Not Do the Following:

Blog Post #8 10 students (8.7%)

Special Post on Smartphones 31 students (27%)

C4T#2 21 students(18.3%)

Video Book Conversation Not Posted 15 students(13%)

In Trouble at Midterm 34 (29.8%)

F or D Likely 19 (21.1%)

C Likely 15 (16.7%)

B Likely 12 (10.5%) However 8 of these could easily slip to C.

A Likely 68 (59.6%)

Good Advice From A C4Teacher AND A Special Assignment

Ms. Sandi Purdell-Lewis, a kindergarten teacher in Canada, left this comment on Robin Hinson's post Blog Post 2:

It looks like you are viewing some thought provoking videos as part of your course work. 21st century resources and ways of thinking require that we change how we teach in the classroom. Facts, figures and instant recall is no longer important - the ability to find, assess and use information is. Using technology as a tool (not only a toy) is a vital part of our classrooms. Teachers also need to be using that technology - being willing to constantly learn how to use new applications, or old ones in a new way. If we want networked students, we also need networked teachers. And since I am a kindergarten teacher, I am going to put in a plug for good old fashioned play. To quote a teacher I greatly admire: if you don't have a sandbox, you don't need an iPad.

Special Assignment

Take a look at Rubber Boots and Elf Shoes. Leave Ms. Purdell-Lewis a comment on her latest post. You do not have to add it to your C4T summary post. I will check this directly. Due midnight Sunday October 19, 2014.

Ms. Purdell-Lewis also sent greetings for Thanksgiving. Today (October 13) is Thanksgiving Day in Canada! Remember that when you post your comment.

November Mandatory Class Meeting Times Have Changed!

Change Your Calendars. November Mandatory Class Dates Have Changed!

We will not meet Nov 10,11,12 and 13 as scheduled.

Instead WE WILL MEET as follows:

MW 4 class Wed November 5 AND Monday November 17.
W 6 class Wed November 5
TT 11 and TT 2 Tuesday November 4 AND Tuesday November 18

Revised dates are mown shown in Checklist Master Version 8

Change Your Calendars Accordingly

Remember that there is an automatic reduction in your final grade for every mandatory class you meet. (Wednesday night mandatory classes missed reduce your grade 2/3 letter.)

You can come to other classes that week to make up any absences with my advance approval.

Any acceptable excuses must be in writing and must be approved by me - preferably in advance.

Book Trailers Are Powerful. Just Ask Madeline Files!

In an email to me Madeline wrote:

I wanted to share this with you. I am going to GSES for my reading essentials class. I was reading the book I did my book trailer on to my student, and Mrs. Doss let me show the trailer to the whole class! She put this picture on their Facebook page and sent it to the newspaper.

Midterm Questionnaire (Exam)

You have been sent a gmail with a link to the Midterm Reflection. This is considered to be your Midterm Examination. Answer it honestly and complete it no later than midnight Sunday October 12, 2014.

Even More International Connections

Heather Howton has received a comment from Glaucia Rosas who teaches at a bi-lingual school in Sao Paulo Brazil. She is also a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University.

Check out Heather's post and Glaucia's comment.

The world is watching your work!

Another Thank You for Comments

Twitter Really Works!

On Oct 1, 2014, at 5:13 PM, Coley Stephens wrote:

Dr. Strange,
So, I know you said that twitter would help build connections all over the US. I did not really think of it to that extreme until I tweeted something about Chi Omega's Songfest event. I thought I had tweeted it on my personal account. I have had people contact me about giving awesome silent auction items for donation, and are willing to ship them here to us. All for Make-A-Wish Alabama! I am so speechless. I'm sure you did not need reassurance that twitter actually works, but I figured I would share my excitement!

Thank you for teaching me awesome things!
Coley Stephens

Special Assignment Due Midnight October 12, 2014

A recent study by Zogby Analytics reports several interesting findings regarding young people aged 18 - 24:

1. 87% say their smartphone never leaves their side.
2. 80% say the very first thing they do in the morning is reach for their smartphone.
3. 78% say they spend 2 or more hours per day using their smartphone.
4. 68% say they would prefer to use their smartphone instead of their laptop or personal computer for personal use.
5. 91% say that having a camera on their smartphone is important (61% very important)
6. 87% say they use their smartphone camera at least weekly. 59% use their smartphone camera at least every other day. 44% use their smartphone camera for still or motion picture taking every day.

Cameras were added to smartphones starting in 2002. The first iPhone also had a camera. It became available in June 2007. Seven years later there are over 1.75 billion smartphones worldwide. (Source: emarketing) This means that 24.1% of the entire world population (7.263 billion as of 3:32 CDT 9/27/2014 - Source: World Population Clock) now has a smartphone. Your students will have lived all their life in a world with smartphones containing cameras.

This assignment has two parts to it.

Part A

Write at least two paragraphs on the implications for education, school, teachers, and learners that flow from the above data.

Part B

Assume that all of your students will have either a smartphone or a tablet with a camera. Generate as many ideas as you can as to how you might make use of these tools for learning purposes for kids whom you will be teaching. Make use of the Alabama College and Career Ready Standards where appropriate.


Doubt the validity of this assumption? Look at what has happened among EDM310 students in the last 5 years. Click the image to enlarge it.

Combine Parts A and B into a single post. The Title should be: Implications and Teaching Opportunities for Camera Use in Teaching and Learning.

This post is due midnight Sunday October 12, 2014.

Book Trailers Do Attract Attention!

The author of the book that I used for my book trailer emailed me and I just thought I would share with you what he wrote!
-Lauren Lee

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

From: Sharon Bruder
Date: September 29, 2014 at 9:51:10 AM CDT
To: laurenleeyancey@gmail.com

Hi Lauren:

Thanks for writing. I liked your book trailer. Thanks for sharing the story with others.
I wrote Love You Forever after we had two stillborn babies. For me, it was a fantasy about the life my kids would never have. I wrote it just for myself and didn't think of it as a book. Much later I started using it at storytellings and I was surprised at the response. I decided to try to publish it. My usual publisher didn't want to do it [It's not a kids book"]. I finally went with another publisher. "Love You" got terrible reviews. It didn't get one good review in Canada. Still it sold 30,000 in 1986 which made it the bestselling Canadian kid's book that Christmas. Then it 1987 it sold 70,000. "Wow!" said the publisher, "Don't expect this to last". It didn't. In 1988 it sold 1,000,000 and has been selling about 1,000,000 a year ever since.

I think the book works because it lets people think about what life is all about. I never meant this story to be for other people, but I get great satisfaction from thinking that it may have as good an effect on other people's lives as it has had on my own.

Bob Munsch

If you get a thank you note from the author of the book you used for your book trailer, let me know!

Congratulations Lauren!

To watch the video go to Lauren's post Project 8 Book Trailer or just click the picture at the top of this post.

Mrs. Tharp Requests Your Help

I received the following email today and have made C4K assignments as Mrs. Tharp requested.

See what happens after you start teaching as a result of EDM310?

Hi Dr. Strange,
I'm so glad to see you are still changing the world, one future educator at a time. I have been teaching lots of math and being a Mom for the last 4 years. This year, my administrator awarded me a new elective called "math gaming" where we try to meet a few math electives while having fun. I have turned it into a technology class and my 7th graders are blogging 2 or 3 days a week. They have some pretty great things to say and we've connected with several schools around the world using William Chamberlains comments4kids as a launching pad. You probably have any number of classes to choose from with your EDM students, but if you are looking for new kids to comment on, our class can be found at Mrs. Tharp's Math Gaming.

We would love any feed back from you or your students, along with suggestions of how to take this further. These students will be with me until January, then I will have a new group to introduce to the world. Thanks for igniting a spark so many years ago that has finally become a flame with me!

Your friend,
Kimberly Tharp

Rubrics - What Next?

Individual Performance In A Group - Complete for yourself and all other members of you group for the 3 Rubrics Project. Deadline Wednesday October 1, 2014 midnight.

C4C Blog Post Evaluation - Use starting September 29, 2014 for C4Cs that you do weekly. Do yours as well. We will assess the status of this rubric in our next mandatory classes in October.

Project Evaluation Rubric - Think about the current rubric I sent you. You will discuss further as a group during our next mandatory class (in October) to determine what (if any) changes are necessary before we actually use it.

Alex was Excited!

In case you did not read the message I reTweeted, here it is:

Mr Salsich! Mr. Salsich! Molly got commented on KidBlog by someone in Alabama! That is so cool.

Alex


Your comments make a difference!

Everyone Read This Post!

I have opened the previous pages for C4K and C4T.

You MUST be sure you are looking at the correct page.

At the bottom of every page there are tabs which allow you to choose the page you want. Here are pictures of the tabs:

After you have used the page, PLEASE RETURN TO THE MOST RECENT PAGE (C4T #2 or C4K#3 Due 9/28/14).

These will be open until Monday morning at about 6 am. They will then be closed and not opened again except for the most recent page.

TT2 Test Creating Link in Comment

Leave a comment on this post. In that comment create a link that works and that takes the reader to YOUR EDM310 Class Blog (not the Class Blog). Use either Your Name's EDM310 Class Blog or My EDM310 Class Blog as the item you can click on to go to your blog. Post your comment. CHECK it. If it does not work, figure out why and try in a new comment.

TT11 Test Creating Link in Comment

Leave a comment on this post. In that post create a link that works and that takes the reader to your EDM310 Class Blog. Use either Your Name's EDM310 Class Blog or My EDM310 Class Blog as the item you can click on to go to your blog. Post your comment. CHECK it. If it does not work, figure out why and try in a new comment.

Thank You for the Comments on C4K!

I wanted to thank all of your students for commenting on my students' blogs. As an 8th grader it is so exciting to have adults from another state read and respond to your writing! Their faces truly light up when they see others' responses. Thanks again! Allison
@allison_freitag
afreitag@n-tama.k12.ia.us
Traer, Iowa

W6 Test Creating Link in Comment

Leave a comment on this post. In that post create a link that works and that takes the reader to your EDM310 Class Blog. Use either Your Name's EDM310 Class Blog or My EDM310 Class Blog as the item you can click on to go to your blog. Post your comment. CHECK it. If it does not work, figure out why and try in a new comment.

MW 4 Test on Creating Link in Comment

Leave a comment on this post. In that post create a link that works and that takes the reader to your EDM310 Class Blog. Use either Your Name's EDM310 Class Blog or My EDM310 Class Blog as the item you can click on to go to your blog. Post your comment. CHECK it. If it does not work, figure out why and try in a new comment.

You Must Be A Self Directed Learner

We discussed in class this week why the staff has been instructed by me not to do your work for you. Lindsey and Becca explained that many students exert no effort on their own before seeking help in the Lab. I have experienced that myself.

I talked about an example of the opposite kind of behavior. Edna Montgomery came to the lab seeking help. Her problem was that could do, and had done, her sentence videos on the Macs in the lab but she could not repeat that process on her personal iMac. She asked me why that was the case. I did not know. I asked her what she had done. She had taken all of the steps that I thought were reasonable. No Lab assistant was there who knew how to solve the problem which was how do you record yourself using iMovie using the new iMovie software on a new iMac.

I had to figure it out on my own, just like you will have to do most of the rest of your life. You may encounter problems, like Edna did, and it is absolutely appropriate to seek help. There are lots of sources, including the Help button, Google, Lab Assistants, and other students. I was standing there and she asked me. That was quite appropriate. She had experimented with several things which she thought might solve her problem. They did not. I expressed great curiosity in the problem so I joined her in the quest for a solution.

What did I do? I repeated Edna's approaches since they seemed reasonable and I wanted to make sure that there was nothing in that effort that led to the lack of success. I got the same result she did. I then tried several ideas of my own. They did not work either. After having made a sincere effort to solve the problem, I clicked on the Help button. I reviewed New Things in iMovie. None of that applied but there was a link How to Import A Movie. Since that was what we were trying to do, I read that article. I then followed the prescribed steps. It appeared that that effort did not work either. I tried again and Edna checked off the steps on the Help page as I did them. Still no success it appeared. Several more tries with slight changes yielded no result. I then looked carefully at the screen and scrolled down on a portion of the screen where I expected to see the movie. I found most of my movies that I had done while following the directions on the Help screen. I then threw all of that away and arched while Edna did it by herself. She was successful and literally shouted for joy.

What does this tell us about what we expect from EDM310 students?

You have to have made a good faith effort to solve the problem before you ask for help. One of the objectives is to prepare you to be an independent, lifelong learner.

You must be seeking to learn, not to complete a task which is what a lot of students seem to be seeking.

Even when you follow directions, you may have to explore some more.

Insisting that you work on a solution before we help you is an absolutely necessary teaching approach which you must incorporate into your practice. Some EDM310 students seem to think that is rude, or inappropriate. That is not the case at all. Teachers can demonstrate but they must not do the work. Students must be learners, not a scribe. We all learn by doing.

In addition, you must understand that you, as a teacher, will never "know it all" as some EDM310 students insist is the case. That will never be the case so prepare yourself to be a lifelong learner.

Oh My!

Last week there were 63 instances in which C4T#1 and Project #15 were not completed on time. I extended the deadline to Wednesday midnight and 12 (19%) were completed by then.

This week there were 113 missing posts for the 2 videos due and the Google Presentations. Wow. Oh My!

If it were not for the sermon my priest gave this past Sunday (the Master pays the workers the same after differing hours of work - everyone was paid for an all day shift even if they worked only 3 hours), I would not have extended any of these. But the sermon seemed a message to be lenient once again. So the Presentations and two sentences will be accepted without penalty if submitted by Thursday Midnight 9/25/14.

Not Many Took Advantage of the Extension

I just do not understand. I offered to not penalize all 63 late Project #15 and C4T#1 posts if they were completed by Wednesday night even though they had been due Sunday midnight. Only 19% were corrected in time to avoid the penalty. I just do not understand. And students in EDM310 hope to be educators!

Are Your ALT and TITLE Tag Modifiers Working?

They should be!

To check the TITLE tag modifier, place your cursor over the image on your post. Your source (which you put in your TITLE tag modifier) should appear.

In addition, GOOGLE is never an appropriate source. Look for the original source. Google always provides it and you must use the original source NOT Google!

To check the ALT tag modifier, go to W.A.V.E. (Web Accessibility Tool) and paste in the url for your blog. Green tags should appear next to all your images.

The use of these two tag modifiers has been a requirement since Blog post #2. If you do not have these working, learn from third graders in Mrs. Yollis' class. See p. 12 of the Activities Instructions.

You must have them working for all your posts by next week. We will check them in class. In addition you must know how to write the code to create a link in a comment. You will be tested on this in class next week. Practice!

In addition, you MUST have your picture on your blog. It must be a head shot of you and you alone! If in doubt, use the one I took.

A Lot Missing

There were three posts due yesterday at midnight:

Blog Post #4

Project #15 (Search Engines)

C4T#1

How many students did not post their work by 6 am this morning?

Blog Post #4 - 6 (not too bad based on historical figures)

Project #15 (Search Engines) - 23 Not so good (20%)

C4T#1 - 43 Terrible (36%)

Why so many missing projects?

Since this is the first time you have had a project due and also the first time C4T had to be posted, I will allow you to post C4T#1 and Project #15 by Wednesday midnight and give you one quarter the penalty you otherwise would receive. If not corrected by Wednesday midnight the regular penalties for late or missing work will apply.

Blog Post #4 is not affected by this extension of time with a modified penalty.

Only C4K #1 This Week

My Mistake. You only have to do C4K#1 this week. We will catch up two weeks from now. I just changed the Checklist.

Sorry about that!

Kids Having Technology

Here are some new data which should convince you that you cannot escape the technology revolution in our schools.

Percentages of 0-8 year olds (third graders) who have access to the following :

“72% percent of children age 8 and under have used a mobile device ... up from 38% in 2011.
38% of children under 2 have used a mobile device for media (compared with 10% two years ago).”

Source: MarketingProfs.com

Read more.

You will NOT stop this, whether you like it or not and whether it scares you or not.

My guess is that much of the time kids (and adults) use technology for entertainment purposes. Educators must find ways to encourage kids to use technology for educational purposes. It can be done, but educators must know how to do that. That is one of the objectives of EDM310.

Think Your Comment Was Not Posted?

Let me refresh your memory. From p. 14 of the Projects Instruction Manual:

Some teachers moderate the comments left on their personal blog and/or on the blogs of their students. This means that you may not see your comment until it has been approved. That may take one day or many days. You do not have to worry about it whether it ever appears since you will summarize the post and your comment and you will post these summaries to your blog on a regular basis. This also applies to C4T and C4K.


Do not worry if you do not see your comment!

C4T Assignments Now Posted

C4T Assignments Now Posted

Mandatory Meeting Dates - A Reminder

Tuesday Thursday Classes Meet Both Days This Week (9/2 and 9/4)

Monday Wednesday 4 Class Meets Wednesday This Week (9/3) and Monday (9/8) Next Week

Wednesday 6 Classes Meets Wednesday This Week (9/3)