Saturday, January 31, 2015

Blog Post #3

Peer editing is helpful but also delicate!   Peer editing involves a critique from people of your own age, in your class or even a group.  You should always be complimentary to begin.  Find something that you like about your peers blog.  Make sure that if you are going to correct something you feel needs correction, your own information is accurate.  Be respectful of their feelings.  Being constructive is the best way to avoid any misunderstandings.

Peer Edit Cartoon
https://www.google.com "constructive criticism"

When giving criticism, be thoughtful and helpful.  It is important to understand that this person you are giving a critique to may think that their post is perfect.  You would not want someone to come down hard on you on your own post so keep that in mind.  I think that the children's examples of how not to act are spot on.  You can damage a peers confidence and that will cause problems in their work later on as well.  I think that children need to learn how to correctly edit as it will be helpful for them to understand better how to create posts.  It will be important for them in the future as well.

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Blog Post #2

   1.     In the video "Mr. Dancealot", the author is trying to show what can happen when the learning activities, goals and assessments for a course are not aligned.  My opinion is that this video is a good example of what the author is trying to portray! The instructor is not in the proper type of classroom to teach dance.  The students aren't allowed to participate other than sitting and taking notes.  All of the students look completely baffled as to what the instructor is attempting to teach.  I thought the comment at the beginning that the instructor has taught this subject for 12 years was hilarious.  I highly doubt any of his students retained any useful information.  In the final scene during the final exam the students were paired up and holding their notes while trying to manage a correct form.  I don't think the students were given the proper instruction for the course in any way whatsoever.
photo of dance recital finale
(My daughters dance recital 2014.  Many hours of practice = prepared dancers.  Photo by Erin Byrd)

2.     In "Teaching in the 21st Century", Roberts states, "If teachers can only provide content, facts, dates, formulas, research, theories, stories, and information....Then our role in the lives of students is obsolete."  The world today has a plethora of opportunity for anyone with access to the Internet.  Google, Skype, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Google Earth, and various other avenues for information.  Students are now able to find literally anything they want to know about, any time, and as long as they have Wifi or an Internet connection. The world is literally at their fingertips.  Growing up, we had NO technology.  When I was in elementary school, a computer was a big square box with an even bigger tower to hold all the data pumping information into the computer.  There was no Internet.  There were no cell phones.  Teachers were our Internet, they were our technology.  Here in Roberts video, he outlines all of the limitless resources that students, as well as the entire world, have at their fingertips.  He also shows that now it is our role as educators to teach how to properly use and access all of these technological advances.  I think that Roberts is absolutely right.  Our world is ever changing technologically and we need to be prepared as educators as to the proper way to teach the next generations how to safely and efficiently use these materials.

3.  "The Networked Student" by Wendy Drexler had the query of why a networked student would need a teacher.  Drexler then proves how invaluable teachers are by listing off several things that teachers actually do for students obtaining their information from Internet or via networking.  I agree that teachers are the ones that show students how to actually create their networks and utilize all of the opportunities afforded by using all of this information.  Teachers show students how to properly use all of the information that they may gather and what is important as opposed to farce statements or material.  Teachers give students the tools they need to continue learning and navigating these sources long after they have left the classroom.

4.  Davis is very passionate about empowering students and affording the ability to learn and create for themselves.  She is not doing all of the teaching in her classroom.  She is not only allowing the students to learn on their own, but she is giving them the opportunity to escape the classroom and visit the world.  Her students are doing things in this video that I have never heard of.  In viewing the Edutopia website I found this article intriguing and so I took a look at it.  I think The 9 (or How to Spot Future Greatness in a 6-Year-Old) was a pretty creative post.  This teacher holds a blog and in this particular article, although on the complete opposite side of technology from Ms. Davis video, their thoughts seem to be similar.  Both teachers wish to give their students empowerment and trust in them to use their given materials wisely and effectively.

5. "Who's Ahead in the Learning Race?......OBVIOUSLY here in this video I can see that elementary students are farther ahead of Undergraduates as well as Graduate Students.  I am an Undergraduate.  I have 4 children and let me just say that they have been using Macbooks for a few years now and they have been keeping ME in the know as to updating my technological achievements!  Very impressive to see today's youth eating up their technological allowances like candy!
photo of daughter using macbook
(My daughter Mia working on her Macbook)

6.  Flipping the classroom is definitely new to me!  I am on both sides of the fence here on this idea!  In this video, the speaker/teacher makes a statement that I plainly DO NOT LIKE!!! While I agree that this will help us with taking our students to "that next level of learning" as she states, I do not want to be merely a facilitator.  Ms. Munafo from Hillburn Academy STEM Elementary School statement is that this will help her serve as a "facilitator.... and not have to waist so much time up in front of the classroom teaching the instruction".  I think perhaps she might want to rephrase that statement so as to not come across to some that she wants the students to do all the work at home and just ask her if they have questions the following day.  I am a parent, and thinking solely as a parent, this statement does not sit well with me.  I think this would be great for just an at home aid or assistance for the student.  I do not think that the student should be doing class at night from home.  That is just making room for the teacher to be even more obsolete in the future.

7.  After reading Locker Room into the Classroom, I think that I would really like to utilize these ideas and incorporate them into my classroom.  I feel it is important for students to collaborate and engage one another on all topics presented in their classroom.  I think that teachers learn from their students just as much as the reverse.  In this article, Craig Owens says that before he was an "honorary coach" his classroom consisted of hands raised, questions and answers directed to the teacher only, and not very much interaction among the students.  As I read, I learned that he was able to incorporate what he learned in the locker room into his own teaching and shared it with his colleagues.  Interaction and collaboration among students and teachers is crucial.  We all have different ideas and thoughts and they should be shared to compile one agreed upon conclusion.

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Blog #1

I have been told by several students here at South that EDM 310 is the hardest, most intimidating class that they have ever taken!  To be incredibly honest, I was terrified to take this course.  I was told that the instructor didn't really give very much feed back and that you had to spend every single extra second you have and devote it to this class.  I have also heard that the worry you will carry in this class is incredibly stressful due to the fact that you will not know what your grade is until final grades are posted.
computer stress
I feared all of these things that I have been told were going to be true!  That WAS my fear!  However, I think that I will be perfectly fine in this course.  I think that it is like any other course in that in order to get a perfect mark, you MUST put in the time required to maintain your duties and requirements.  I feel that my age has something to do with the way I feel now.  I have already spent the majority of my life working as a career woman and know that you have to be professional and diligent in your work.  This class will be very hard work, but in the end I will be more proficient and knowledgeable in this expanding world of technology!
I have taken several courses that were online.  I think that this course has an added benefit for all of us in that we are afforded the use of several lab assistants and instructors to assist us on our way through this course.  I felt one of my first classes was basically me teaching myself with little instruction from my actual instructor.  In reality, I know now, it was simply me not being as familiar with some of the software I had to use.  I am excited about the opportunity to learn more about this growing world of technology!
I think the most difficult thing for me will be overdoing it on my blogs.  I tend to get long-winded at times.  I have always wanted to start a blog so this will be great for my confidence.  I also am a bit concerned about making sure I put in enough time with this course each week.  I have four total education courses this term and they are all going to demand every second of my time.  I am nervous that I will neglect one or another at some point and drop the proverbial ball.
I think that the only way for me to address my "most difficult" aspect is simply time management.  I will just have to really stick to a tight schedule every week!  It is all about dedication and determination and I have both!
I have questions but so far they have all been answered during class times and here in the syllabus.   I think that I am more interested than concerned about working with other teachers and students from another part of the country or world.  I am excited but also nervous that we will not mesh well together or that we will not understand one another.  I don't mean linguistically.  I am referring to being on the same idea path or just simply not like me.  I will, of course, find a way to work with that person or student in a way that suits us both.  That is just something I am nervous about.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Practice Blog Post 1

Outline:
*All about me.
*Why I want to be an educator.
*Educators of the 21st Century.
*My passions

My name is Erin Byrd.  I am a wife, mother, stepmother, student and pet lover.  I am from Silverhill, Alabama.  I have two amazing children, Mia Kathryn and William, from a previous marriage.  I married Elvin, my true soul mate, in June of last year.  He has two sons, Noah and Harrison.  In November of last year we added to our family with the most charismatic dog, Murdock Beau Wrigley Byrd.  Murdock is a German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP).  We live in Daphne and are rapidly outgrowing our home.  Our family is complete.... for now.

(Mine and Elvin's wedding day.....totally kid friendly)


(Our family, top row, Mia Kathryn, Will, Noah. Bottom row, Harrison & Murdock)

I enjoy photography, creating art, sewing, antiquing, kayaking, fishing and watching my children expand their lives with extracurricular activities as well as educationally.  My husband is a civil engineer for AM/NS Calvert (formerly Thyssen-Krupt).  He is one of the smartest men that I know, also one of the most complicated men on Earth!  Our oldest Noah is taller than I am, is only 14 and a freshman at Daphne High School.  He is a member of Key Club and will start football in the Fall.  Harrison, 12, just started playing lacrosse this year and we look forward to traveling to watch him play all over the southern states.  Mia Kathryn, 9, is a member of the competitive dance team, Driven Dance Company in Robertsdale, Al.  She competes in national and local competitions from Atlanta to Mississippi.  My son Will, 7, is a natural athlete and has not come across a sport that he does not excel.  He plays baseball, soccer, football, golf, basketball and wants to try lacrosse next year.  Our children keep us very busy. We do everything as a family!

I have always wanted to be an educator.  I love learning!  If I had any advice for those of you reading this, it would be to never give up on your dreams or loose sight of them.  I regret most of all, taking off a year to regroup back in 2000 and it turned into 14 years.  I worked as a Paraprofessional from 2008-2009 and found my dream all over again.  I have put off school for this reason or that reason for far too long and at my husbands encouragement last September, I re-enrolled here at South to finish my degree in K-6 and Special Education.  I work on and off as a substitute teacher and it just fuels my desire to teach the youth of today!  When I see the excitement in the faces of an elementary student after they finally learn something.....it is simply priceless!  To know that I can help a child realize their dreams or passions will be the most rewarding gift.

As mentioned earlier in this post, I have 4 children ages 7-14.  With that comes the understanding that we are not in Kansas anymore Toto!  My youngest two received iPods when they were 5.  My oldest two both have cell phones.  They all have some sort of tech device.  The marvel goes even farther when you realize that they can all do more with their devices than most adults can!  I think that technology is now a part of growing up.  As a baby you grow and mature via crawling, walking, talking, running, etc.  Technology thrown in is easy for the youth of today.  They learn how to use it as they mature.  There are devices that even babies and toddlers can use, where all you have to do is tap a screen to give an answer.  Technology is teaching our youth faster than we are as humans.  In order for us as educators to keep up, we too need to be able to maneuver and navigate our technological devices so that we can keep up with the progress and advances made in education so that we may give students the best possible education.  There are several games and apps that you can download to help students learn how to read, do math and even learn a new language.  The possibilities are infinite.

This is a video that I took of a 4th grade class on Halloween this past year.  This is called Flow-cabulary.  You cannot tell me that watching this video does not spark an enormous smile from the joy and excitement these students embody!!




This is my son Will's 1st grade class during show and tell. (Will is the one in the sharing chair)



Here is a photo of the same students at the end of the day waiting on dismissal.  They listen to music and are allowed to dance and move about with free expression. (Will is of course the one break dancing)

I am a great artist. I am incredibly crafty.  I love reading stories with different voices.  I am a lover of reading and books.  For many years now all I generally read are children's books.  I would like to improve upon my reading skills and incorporating them into a classroom setting.  I would like to improve upon my mathematical skills. I hate math but really want to feel confident teaching it!  I would also like to improve upon my time management skills.  I think that a classroom and students benefit from a strongly managed schedule.  I tend to loos track of time during certain subjects.  As I'm sure we all do.

One other thing that you all might like to hear about me, I strongly believe that when you do have children of your own, if you don't already have them....you should be the following kind of parent and also try to incorporate as much of it into your teaching as you can:
Be funny!  Not just funny "ha-ha", be silly, stupid and just plain crazy funny!  Sing completely off key and loudly to shake things up or wake them up in the mornings or in the afternoon when energy levels are low.  Always tell them that you love them and that their personal best is all you expect out of them.  Give hugs.  Take lots and lots of pictures.  Truly engage each and every child that you come into contact and you will learn something in return.  Never stop being a student!!