Progress Report for PLN

I am amazed at how much I have accomplished and learned since I have been enrolled in EDM 310. I would never have known that there were so many other tools on google besides just the search engine. The one tool that has just blown my mind is Google +. I was surprised that you could do so much with that one tool. My group and I have used this tool on many occasions and it is has helped us a lot. We used the Hangout tool. This tool is similar to Skype and Facebook. You are able to talk to your group through videos, all while typing on a document to them. It is so amazing that you can work on a project with your group, even when you are not with them.

Another great tool with Google is the Google Docs. This tool has been very useful with this class. It is just like email but instead it sends documents that you can either have as view only or you can edit them with your group. It is a great way for you to communicate with your group without being physically with them. It is a great communication tool that should be kept around.
I believe that all the tools I have used in this class are going to be helpful in the future when I start teaching. One tool that I started but never followed through on was Symabloo. It is your Personal Learning Network filed in a spot where you can find everything you possibly need and are using. I am going to start working it more so that I will be prepared and ready for when I start teaching.

C4T Summary for April

This week I was assigned to read Mr. Robbo's Blog. He has a lot of very interesting articles for upcoming Physical Education teachers. I was really glad to see that I was getting a chance to read and look over his blog. It made me more at ease seeing that there was a blog for Physcial Education teachers. When I first started this class I didn't know the reason that I would need to take it for majoring in Physical Education. Now my eyes have been opened to the amazing and wonderful things that can come from blogging with your class. I have learned a lot and hope to continue learning from this class and blog. 

Mr. Robbo, 

Hi my name is Mckinley Kennedy. I am in Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 Class at The University of South Alabama. I am so glad I got the opportunity to comment on your blog page. I am majoring in Physical Education and was confused when I realized I had to take this class.I didn’t think that P.E teachers had to know how to blog or even need to set up a blog. But I have realized now that it would be a really great thing for me as a Physical Education teacher to keep a blog up and running. I have really enjoyed getting to look through your post and see all the interesting ideas you have gotten to find. Thanks so much for sharing!

Mckinley.

Blog Post #13

   When I read the instructions of what we had to do for blog post #13, I was shocked. We had to try to go 24 hours without any electronic devices. At first I thought there was no way I was going to be able to do that. I tried, but unfortunately failed. There is no possible way that I could have gone that long without using some form of communication. All the electronic devices that are in my life, have been in my life forever. We are the age of technology. To take technology away from us is like taking all food away. We would not survive. I know that sounds really sad, but it is true.
    It was pretty difficult to cope with not using technology. I tried hard because I wanted to succeed. But in the end there was no luck. I feel that when I start teaching and my children walk in the gym, they will feel good, because I will be using technology. They will see it almost everyday. They will learn dances and do exercises from a big projector. My future students will be associated with technology and will learn a lot from it. It might not be the same way that the students in their regular classroom are learning how to use it, but it will be very beneficial.
   I was glad to see that we had a personal challenge blog this week. I am looking forward to reading how other students did this challenge.

Project #15: Smartboard Instruction #2

Progress Report for Final Project

For our progress report, we discussed ideas for a video involving EDM 310 and how we will use what we have learned into our futures as educators. Our video will be into the future.

Extra Blog Post: Just some thoughts.

  This is just an extra Blog Post containing to Blog Post #11. I stated that their are some education games for the Nintendo DS. I did a little research and found many games that deal with teaching the student. The games were under the title Edutainment. I find that so funny. It is still dealing with children learning, but they can still have fun at the same time. Isn't that what learning is all about? I believe that if students have fun while learning that it will spark some curiosity. What made me decide to write a post about this subject was the fact that there are so many kids that have a Nintendo DS. Mostly all the games they are playing are killing games. This I believe is promoting violence. I think it is okay that they have some of these games, but why not mix some educating games in there as well? Here are a few games that I found very interesting and I believe that the students would actually want to play. 

The first game I found was My Reading Tutor. This game will help the students learn how to read with also doing activities. This game has 14 books that the child will be able to read. There are games, and activities for every book read. If you want to get on a different track and let your children learn a life skill then there is a great cooking game. It gives the kids over 300 recipes and also gives them a  chance to make a shopping list that they can put the ingredients they will need for the recipe. This game is not only beneficial to the child, but also to the family. It gives the family a chance to have a family night and all put in a effort to help the child cook a great meal. I believe that is very important in a child's life besides education. The last game that really stuck out was FutureU: The Prep Game for SAT. This is a really great game to get students ahead for the SAT. It is a very fun game that lets you learn at the same time.

   There are a lot more games, but I wont mention all of them. I have a better peace of mind knowing that there are education games out there instead of just all video games about war and killing people. I just figured that I would do a little more research on what the Nintendo DS had to offer kids.. Thanks for the time.  Click on this link to see for yourself of what Nintendo has to offer. Nintendo Games

Blog Post #12

Blog Post #12 Due 4/22

Go to www.pecentral.org. Go look through Lisa Witherspoon's blog. See what useful information or activities that Mrs. Witherspoon has blogged about.  What could you do to spark the curiosity of your students in a Physical Education class? Write 2 to 3 paragraphs using Writing a Quality Blog Post. If available send Lisa Witherspoon a thank you Tweet. Mark it #edm310 so I will see your Tweet.



If you can tell I am majoring in Physical Education. I believe that looking at other teacher's blogs and looking at what they have come up with or even reading about how they might have changed a student's life that day can make me curious and eager to do the same thing when I begin teaching. The whole time in Edm 310 we have been reading and watching classroom teacher's blogs. I decided to shake things up a little bit and introduce everyone to the world of Physical Education. I have read Mr. Robbo's blog and found it very interesting, but I decided to go to the PE Central website to see what they had to offer.
   While reading and scanning through this great blog, I found a post that really struck me. The title was called So You Think You Can Dance? You don't see many teachers now a days that want to teach the students the different dances. When I was in Elementary School I had a PE teacher that taught us many dances. I remember seeming really interested in learning the dances. I believe that when a student goes home and tells or shows the parent what he or she learned that day at school, that the teacher did their job in sparking the students curiosity. Teachers that just do the same curriculum over and over again will never get the students attention. Lisa Witherspoon suggested this game to make learning dancing fun and entertaining. They have other such related games such as Dance Dance Dance Revolution and Zumba. These are just 2 of the many other dance activities you can put in your curriculum to make kids stay on their toes. Kids love dancing so I know that this would be a great thing to have in the gym.
  I believe that this would be a great plan to put in the curriculum. You not only have fun, but it also keeping the kids active. This is a very good skill for the kids to learn. They will learn different dance, music and other things about the cultures. I am really glad that I found this blog post written  by Lisa Witherspoon very interesting and I will be using something similar to this when I start teaching.

Creativity and Curiosity: My Thoughts-Special Post #12A

   In Edm 310 we have been working with technology and watching videos and reading post about how technology is making its way into the classrooms. I believe that creativity is everywhere now in schools. We just recently had to watch a Skype interview between Dr. Strange and Ms. Kathy Cassidy. It was very interesting to hear about all the great ideas that Ms. Cassidy has come up for her 1st grade class. Ms. Cassidy is a 1st grade teacher in Canada. She has her students doing blogs and working on the Smart board.  That is in Canada, but in the United States I believe that creativity is coming back in the classrooms. By students doing blogs it is increasing creativity, because the students are able to make a blog and write things that they want to write about. It is teaching them many things like being able to read and write, working on grammar, and just learning social skills. If that is not teaching the students creativity, I am not sure what will.

  So far out of all the videos and post I have read in Edm 310 I have seen a lot of creativity come out with the Smartboard. For example, my mom is a Para-Professional at a Elementary School. She works with Kindergarten and 1st grade. In those two grades you learn what are called sight words. As an example those words would be: like, as, I, me, etc. Well instead of just holding up flashcards and letting the students call out the word, my mom and her fellow teacher got creative. The put all the words on the Smart board and covered the words with poppable balloons. Each student would line up and throw a soft like ball at the screen. (Don't worry, it was safe and soft.) When the balloon would pop the word would pop up. The student then would have to say the word. I believe that is really creative. That is giving the students to be hands on in the lesson and it gave them all the opportunity to be attentive. 

  By students having the opportunity to be able to play on a computer increases their creativity. They will be able to see what all is on the computer and be able to realize all that you can do to be creative. When I was in Middle School, we were able to make up stories using Power Point. That increased our creativity and let us be kids and have fun and learn at the same time. As I stated above when the teacher comes up with a great idea to increase the curiosity of the students, I think it makes them more willing to learn. Those students learning their sight words in that class were eager to learn because the teacher made up a fun hands on activity. It gave the students that were probably going to be hands on learners rather then lecture learners the opportunity to learn at a better pace. 

  Since I have been in this class I feel as though I have become more creative already. Watching videos and reading Blog Post that Dr. Strange has assigned us has been a big help in getting ideas for what I would like to do with my classes. I have mentioned this a hundred times in this class, but I am majoring in Physical Education and I was not sure why I needed this class. I was talking to a fellow classmate that is also majoring in the same field as me. He told me that Dr. Strange had assigned him to read and comment on Mr. Robbo's Blog. This classmate told me that I should go to that blog and look around. I did and I loved it. I never realized that a Physical Education teacher could set up a blog for the students. I honestly believe that when I start to teach and I start a blog it will spark an interest in the young minds of the children I am teaching. I have pretty much stated that reading other blogs and seeing how other teachers are sparking a curiosity with the students. But so far in this class I have had more curiosity about learning than I have had in a long time. I believe that this class has helped me become more curious about what I want to teach my students in the future. 

C4K Summary for April

This month we participated in the World Blogging Challenge. I was super excited to see that I was being able to comment on a child's blog from a different area. The student I was assigned to for the challenge was Mike. He is a student that lives in Canada. He loves to play hockey and also video games. I really encouraged Mike to keep blogging because I enjoyed reading what he had to write about.

Week 1

On the first week of blogging Mike wrote about how he lived in Canada but he wanted to visit somewhere else like Europe or Hawaii. He wanted to visit somewhere warm since Canada has a cold climate. 

This is what I wrote:

Hi mike.

I was so glad to see that I was commenting on your Blog. I was also very excited to see that you were from Canada. That is the one place I have always wanted to visit. Canada seems like a great place to visit. I like ice skating and snow, but I live in a place where it never snows so I don’t get a great opportunity to go. If you are looking for somewhere to visit, you should go to Europe. I have never been there personally, but I have heard some great things about it. I have some family that lives there so hopefully I will get a chance to go one day. You can go to London, England and go site seeing. While site seeing you can go see Big Ben, The London Bridge, or Buckingham Palace.
Those are just a few of the many places you can go visit. If you also want to there are many places in the United States that you can visit. We have so many states with so many interesting things to do and see. It makes me real happy to see that you want to travel to other places and see what other countries have to offer. I hope that you are able to make it out to see the places you want to visit.
Good Luck,
Mckinley Kennedy

Mike:

Thanks for the great tips on where to go that gave me a lot of help. Canada is the best place on Earth in my opinion. I love living here if you were ever to come here you would love it.

Week 2:

This week I read another blog written by Mike. It was about a game called Minecraft. I am not much into playing video games, so I didnt know much of what he was talking about. But he did a really great job explaining what the game was. After I read his post, I went back and did my own research. 

This is what I wrote:

Hi again Mike,
I am glad I could help give you some ideas on great places to travel. I just read your post on Minecraft. I am no very familiar with the game, but it sounds really interesting. I was never big into video games when I was younger, but this Christmas I got a Wii and I am obsessed. I am not sure if you have one or not, but you should definitely invest in one. After reading your post on Minecraft, I decided to do a little research on the game. It sounds like a game I could be interested in playing if I had the time. You did a great job listing all the blocks that were in the game. Keep blogging and keep up the great work!

Thanks, Mckinley

Week 3:

This week was the last week for the World Blogging Challenge. This week Mike posted about the month of February being a Pink month. It all started because a boy wore a pink shirt and he started getting bullied. So now everyone wears a pink shirt the month of February. I think it is really great that people are standing up against bullies. 

This is what I wrote:

Hi Mike,
I really enjoyed reading your blog and learning so many interesting facts about Pink. Pink is my favorite color and I wear it all the time. It is nice to know that I am standing up for something that is real. It is so sad that children get bullied for such small things. I find it so sad. Thanks so much for posting this great post. Keep up the great work and keep blogging.

Thanks, Mckinley

Since the World Blogging Challenge is over, we were assigned to read another student's blog. It was written by a First Grader in Ms. Kathy Cassidy's Class. It was really hard to read what the student was trying to say considering the student was in First Grade. They are learning to read and write. The student wrote about liking his Wii and Hockey. 

This is what I wrote:

Hi,

It was great reading your post. I am glad that you are really interested in Hockey. I have never really had a chance to get into it. Where I live there was a Hockey team but they moved it. I watched a game one time and it was a lot of fun. I see that you have a Wii too. I just got one for Christmas and I love it. I have not played Hockey on it yet though. Keep up the great work and keep blogging. 
Thanks, Mckinley Kennedy

Blog Post #11

After watching First Graders In Ms. Cassidy's Class, I was so amazed. In every picture in the video there were kids with Technology. I am so happy to see that these kids are getting a great opportunity to learn such great things about Technology. Every student does a blog in Ms. Cassidy's class and they love.
  Another really interesting subject that stuck out in this video was the fact that they got to use their Nintendo DS. I work at a daycare and do after school care, every afternoon the kids come in the room and play on them. I had some different thoughts on the kids playing them. I was thinking that they could "rot their brains". I would always tell them to read a book, and that they would learn something doing that.  After watching this video, I can see the DS in a whole new way. I have decided that I am going to do some research on the DS so that I can see what all great things it has to offer.  This video was really interesting to watch. The children in Ms. Cassidy's look like they are learning a lot.

Next we had to watch the Skype Interview. This video was made in 2010 between Dr. Strange and Ms. Cassidy. I loved listening to the questions that Dr. Strange asked Ms. Cassidy. I find it amazing that just by the school putting computers in the classroom that  Ms. Cassidy could turn that into the getting her students to blog. After watching this I really feel that blogging could be a big part of my career. I will not only let my students blog, but I will also make my own blog so that the parents can keep up with what we are doing in class during the day.
 After watching all these videos of teachers making a difference in the classroom, it makes me realize that I can make a difference not only with my students but also with technology. In Ms. Cassidy's class, they rarely use a pencil and paper. They are using technology all around. It is so amazing how you can learn so much by just playing around on a computer and the smart board. I have a lot of mixed feelings about technology sometimes though. Should it be used for everything? I don't think so but then again I do. I really enjoyed watching the skype video. It really inspired me.

Blog Post #10

Do You Teach or Do you Educate?

This video that we were assigned to watch was so powerful. I could watch it over and over again and still relate to it in so many ways. I didn't realize that was a true difference in being a teacher and being an educator. I can honestly say that in my education I have a been taught by a lot of teachers. I have mostly had teachers that have been there to just teach, not to be a supporter or a role model to me. I know from experience that those kind of teachers didn't influence me in school. They made the curriculum that they were supposed to be teaching me boring.
    I had one teacher that was a true educator. She was my Spanish and English teacher. I had this teacher for 6th grade English and she was great at teaching and I learned so much. When I got to 7th grade I had a little trouble learning some things. Worried that I was going to fail the class, I went to her and asked if she could help me with what I needed help with. After that day she told me that whenever I needed help to come back. I went back everyday and got help with the confusing things. She would spend all the time that I needed to help me with that work. What I have found with a lot of teachers that I have had, is that they teach you a certain subject and expect you to learn in the hour or so you have for class. If you don't get it, they say "oh well" and they move on.
    This video really inspired me to lean more to becoming an educator instead of a teacher. It is excites me to think that I will have such a huge impact on a student's life when I start becoming an educator. I believe it is really important to be a role model to the students. Teachers need to support the students to reach their goals. I enjoyed watching this video and I was glad that it was assigned this week.


Adventures in Pencil Integration: Don't Let Them Take The Pencils Home

This post was assigned to us was very confusing at first. I had to read it over and over again to realize what was being said. I really think that pencils and paper are not a bad thing. These items cause creativity in a child. That is much more than having neither can do. The person was in this conversation was thinking that pencils were being a distraction and not helping the students learn. I really just didn't understand this post. With students taking home pencils, why would that affect the test scores? Whatever the person was thinking was crazy. Maybe I am being to harsh with the subject.
   As a future educator, I will allow the students to use pencils.

C4K Summary for March

C4T #3

    These are all the students I had to comment on for the month of March. My first post was to a class blog. They were studying the Titanic and they had three pictures posted on the blog about how they set up the classroom into 1st, 2nd and 3rd class, just like how they had it set up on the Titanic. This helped the students learn how the people were put on the Titanic. It was really great to see what the teacher did to help the students learn. I really enjoyed reading and learning all that the students had to say.

This is my comment that I wrote to the class.

   Hi Class 12.
My name is Mckinley Kennedy. I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class. I was assigned to read your 7th blog post, but I decided to read them all. I really enjoyed reading about the Titanic. That is a very interesting subject to me. I looked at your pictured above and since you are learning about the Titanic, it looked as though the class was spilt into 1st and 3rd class. That is a great way to learn about who was put in the 1st and 3rd classes. Thanks for sharing.

Blog Post #9

Mr. Mclung's Post: What I've Learned This Year (2008-2009)

     In this post Mr. Mclung is reflecting on his first year of teaching in Noel, Missouri. He explains that he did not know what to expect when teaching. He was a young and inexperienced teacher and did not fully understand what was going to happen. I myself can relate to that feeling of not knowing what to expect. That is exactly how I felt when I started the EDM 310 class. I also know that is the same feeling that I will get when I begin my teaching career.
      Mr. Mclung stated that all during college, he felt as though it was all about the teachers. I have never felt like it was all about the teachers, I have always been "put the students first", I feel that as a teacher that you need to think about your students when you are making up a lesson plan or planning something to do that day of class. The same concept goes toward lesson plans. Mr. Mclung said in his post, that "No lessons plans are perfect. The lesson you teach and the one you plan are always different". I agree with this statement 100%. It is fairly rare that you always follow your lesson plan when you are a teacher.
Two important points that I have learned over the years and what I will be using as a teacher is communication and being reasonable. Mr. Mclung mentions those two in his blog.                           Communication is the number one thing that you must use in your classroom. If there is a problem, you need to communicate to work it out. There is no time for drama in the real world. The second point is being reasonable. Give positive feedback to the students. We as teachers need to learn that if the student fails towards their goal, then we need to learn to pick them up.
    The last but very important point that Mr. Mclung touches that I really think hits home is to not be afraid to use technology. Before I started the Edm class I was not expecting to start using technology in my classroom. But now I am wanting to use it in the classroom. It will be a great thing to start using it in the gym as a Physical Education teacher. I cant wait to get my students started on a great learning career.



Mr. Mclung's Post What I Learned This Year (2009-2010)

     In Mr. Mclung's Post, this is his second year teaching. This time he is at a Junior High. That was a whole new ball game for Mr. Mclung. As he stated this year held many first for him as a teacher. While teaching at the Junior High, Mr. Mclung taught Social Studies and History. What Mr. Mclung explained in this post was that with becoming a teacher we have to learn to adapt to all the new things that come towards us. Teachers need to get out of their comfort zone, and not seem afraid to try new things while teaching the students.
      Mr. Mclung really mapped out what the future teachers needed to know before going out in that big scary world of teaching. I am really glad that we were assigned to read this blog. It is like a guide of what I need to know before stepping in the classroom.
     One point that Mr. Mclung stated that really stuck in my head was to let the students think for themselves. In my past schooling I have actually been lucky enough  to have had teachers that have gave me lead way to think for myself. Another point that Mr. Mclung talked about, that I think goes along perfectly with letting the students think by themselves is being passionate about what you are doing. I think that if the teachers are not passionate about teaching then the students suffer. Teachers are role models to their students, and they need to stay positive when teaching.
    I believe that reading this post by Mr. Mclung has really been a eye opener on what to expect when I become a teacher. I cant wait to be able to change lives and really make a big impact on my students.