Comments for Kids Blogs

Post #1

This post was about Cyber-bullying.  The student defined what cyber-bullying is and provided some helpful tips to students about how to avoid getting caught up in this behavior.  I told the student that his post was well written and provided useful information for me as a parent.  I related that I have a 12 year old son who is beginning to become more of a technology user and that I would use his blog to help educate him about what to do, and what not to do when it comes to cyber-bullying.

Post#2

Cally's post "Will This Season Succeed?" was about her softball team being moved up one level because the year before they were defeating all their opponents by 10points every game.  Her post indicated the coach was focusing on teamwork and more work in the form of additional drills and strength and conditioning.  She was questioning whether the team would be successful. 
When I read the word softball, her post immediately grabbed by attention because I played the game through high school.  There is nothing like the smell of red dirt, grass, and a leather glove!  I told her that the post was interesting, thorough, and personal.  Teamwork is not only an important aspect of softball, but she will use this skill in everyday life as well, and that the strength and conditioning will also give her team an edge when playing those long, hot tournaments.  I asked her how she thinks playing better teams in a higher level will effect her personal and team performance, and wished her
the best of luck!


Stephanie's post was a summary of a championship basketball game in which she and her team competed.  Her team had beaten this team previously and her coach pointed that out in his pep talk.  She then wrote an exciting story about how the scored was tied at halftime and then again at the end of the game, with one of their players missing 3 free point shots with no time left, which sent them into a sudden death situation.  Their team finally won!
I told her the story about sudden death had me sitting on the edge of my seat!  She did a good job on use of descriptors and I could see the game unfolding in my mind.  I related that my 7th grade son plays on the basketball team and it reminded me of several of his games this season: real nail biters!
I asked her how she thinks that experience affected the team as a whole?


Matthew's post was a simple question of if anyone reading the post had played baseball and he provided the inventer of the game and year of invention. (Abner Doubleday, 1889)
I responded: 
"I have played softball all my life and have always loved the sport.  I now have a 12 year old son who has been playing baseball since he was 4.  He loves the game as much as I did.  I especially enjoy the time I spend practicing with him.  Thank you for sharing the information about baseball.  The game has changed a lot since 1889!
Have you ever played and if so, what is your favorite position?"

Post #3 

BC Pitcher's post was a single link.  Although the link wasn't active, I copied and pasted the URL in a new browser window to find out what he was trying to do.  It took me to a Padlet page.  
I responded to him that although his link wasn't active that I found out he must me learning how to use Padlet.  This was also new to me as well as blogging and he already knew more than I did. I also told him to keep up the good work and keep trying!

Jeff's post was about sacrifice.  He began by defining the word based on Webster's definition, then proceeded to give real world examples about sacrifice.  He used these examples to drive his point about sacrifice being a big word (in meaning).
I praised his post for being thorough and having real world examples to help me understand his point about the word having a big meaning.  I also commented that his analogy with sports was especially meaningful considering I was an athlete in school.  I asked him if he had ever had to give something up, like a vacation, to play sports.

Cierra's post was about a recent project on argumentative writing.  She had to created something that would present her argument of which place would have been better to live, Ancient Athens, or Ancient Sparta.  She didn't upload the project itself (PowerPoint), but she did provide details of what was required for the project, due dates, and how she accomplished her goal of finishing.
I replied that the details she provided about the project just made me want to view her PowerPoint. She did state in her blog that Sparta would have been better and a follow up to a comment indicated because they educated boys and girls.  My question to her was wondering if Athens didn't educate girls.

Comments for Teacher - Semester Assigned

Manaiakalni - Living Local, Learning Global

Post #1

I commented on the last blog post on Nov. 14th.  This teacher posted about a Student Film Festival that showcased films made by local students.  I had to do some research to find out where this place is located, and what types of technology they were using and how it was being used.  I viewed several of the students' videos and read some of her students blog post to familiarize myself with their culture and methods of using her blog. My post told the teacher these things and also how I looked forward to seeing more.

Post #2

I commented on a blog post Oct.16, 2013.  The blog author, Dorothy, posted a video that was produced by a team from Google showcasing the community and explaining how Google was partnering with the local school to drive education through the use of technology.  It was a touching video story showing not only the students and teachers engage, but family members at home interested in what and how their students were learning in school. 
I told her that technology has changed the way we live but I never thought about how much it can change the way we learn. I also said that this video was touching, bringing the community together and learning from one another.  I thanked her for sharing and looked forward to seeing what changes technology has made in her classroom and community. 

Post #3

I commented on a blog post on Sept. 17, 2013.  The blog author posted a video of a formal presentation of the "Memorandum for Understanding" between the City of Auckland and Manaiakalani Education Trust.  Free internet was provided to the children's homes so that the realization of the Tamaki Learning Network could be found.
I replied that this video about the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, symbolized the partnership with your education community and the City of Auckland and is an inspiration to those of us seeking to bring technology into the classroom to produce more knowledgeable students. It is also a testament to the leadership in both communities to truly put the interests of the children first. I concluded by saying that by putting the student's interests first and producing a better educated youth, it will be mutually beneficial to both communities. 

Post #4

The author's blog informed the readers about the ability of their students (non-mainland New Zealanders) to watch the America's Cup live in HD and surround sound, or at home on their devices with their families (free internet to the community), and how amazing it was that they also had information and data about the cup at the click of a mouse.  She also inserted a video that told the story of how their sailor ancestors were involved in developing their lands and ended with comparing their ancestor sailors to their America's Cup competitors today.
I told the author that the juxtaposition of the video about the ancestors and heritage with the information that their students could watch the race in real time and have immediate access to information an data made a great, and interesting blog!  Since she didn't provide any further details, I asked if the students had any work assigned that incorporated the America's Cup event.

Comments for Teacher - My Choice

Post #1

I chose to follow Natalie Turbiville's blog Walking in Mathland because of my background in teaching mathematics.  She posted about "Review Day" and how it can be a failure and waste of time but she also included things she does to keep students engaged and make it productive.  She uses very structured lessons, trying to change activities every 15minutes to keep them interested and also to help them help themselves.  Students will rely too heavily on the teacher, if allowed. 
I conveyed that I enjoyed this post mostly because I enjoy structure and also agree students (even some of my adults) will lean on the teacher if you let them.  Her methods places the responsibility back on the students and teaches time management as well. I told her I looked forward to reading her blog throughout this semester.

Post #2

Natalie shared a modified version of a bar trivia game that she used for test review days.  Team Trivia® is played in 3 rounds with three questions in different categories. First round point values are 5, 3, and 1 and can be used in any order, but only once per round. 2nd and 3rd round point values are 6, 4, and 2, in any order and only once per round.
Her bonus question usually has unlimited correct answers, correct answers can get from 1 to 5 points. Her example was: "write up to 5 equations (no more) of linear lines that are parallel to the line: y = 4x-12."
On the final question, teams wager up to 15 points.  If answered correctly all wagered points are added to the total.  If answered incorrectly, all wagered points are subtracted from the total.  If zero is waged, their scores do not change, regardless of answer.
I responded that this was an excellent idea and that although I have used Jeopardy and Hollywood Squares in class for review, this method would be a nice change of pace.  My adult learners may pick up on the bar trivia model!

Post #3

Natalie shared a project based learning activity she uses when teaching line of best fit.  The "Barbie Bungee" activity had students measuring the distance that the Barbie, or action figure fell when using rubberbands for bungee cords.  Rubberbands in 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12. The project packets consisted of three sections, data collection (white paper), line of best fit and pre-launch summary (blue paper), and post launch summary (yellow paper).  I would have never thought of this type of project based learning for math, prior to this course or reading this blog.  Natalie used NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) as a resource, and I plan to use them as well.
I responded that the title of the project immediately grabs your attention, and I would try "Action Figure Free Fall" because the boys might like it.  I also said the sounds of laughter indicate engagement and the photos of the responses show they are understanding the "how and why", which can be difficult in math.

Post #4

Natalie posted a video of a clip of the episode of "Friends" where Monica and Chandler were in Las Vegas playing the craps table.  She did an excellent job of luring me into her blog on teaching probability.  She acknowledged it is a hard topic to teach to children because gambling is the easy, natural activity to use, but inappropriate for the classroom.  She offered the alternative game of Beano.  Natalie explained the game and how she conducts her exercise to engage the students when teaching about the frequency of sums and other probability questions.
I told her I had never heard of this game until reading this post and that it was an excellent alternative when teaching younger children.  The fact that she posts pictures of her sessions and uploads worksheets for us to use is very helpful for this visual learner!
 

Comments for Teacher - Rotating

Post #1

The author wrote about an experience with students attending a STEM function (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics).  The goal of the STEM "stations" is to have an interactive way for students to learn about these topics using a hands-on, fun approach.  The blog post describe one station in detail (the station he worked).  Students were given paint sticks and washers and basic instructions on the building goal.  Students were encouraged to use their own wits and imagination.  The author was amazed at how long the students would stay just to try and figure out the best way to accomplish the build.
I told the author I had the privilege of participating in a STEM function through volunteering with our company and the excitement of the kids was contagious! They were so curious and ready to explore so they could learn.  I said it was a great program to show kids that learning about science and technology can be fun!

Post #2

Becky G is in in IOWA, Waukee Middle School, teaching Leadership Development and communications to 6th graders.  Her latest blog post was a reply to a chain letter answering personal questions about herself.  Although entertaining, it wasn't helpful in learning anything about teaching or technology.  I read a few of her prior posts and enjoy one about helping the class create a rubric for 3 identified behavior issues and a method of assessment.  I visited her classroom blog to discover she just finished a module on effective discussions.
I told her it was a nice change of pace to learn about the blogger personally and related to her that I have only one dog (only to rescue from a bad situation), because she was not a "dog person".
I commented to her Leadership Development and Communications class for 6th graders, that I didn't recall ever having a class like that offered to me as a student, and my 7th grade son had never seen a leadership/communications class either, but how necessary these skills are not only in everyday life, but in the working world as well.  I said I find myself teaching basic skills of communication and conflict resolution to that, unless they have some college background, have never been formally introduced to these skills.

Post #3

http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-new-nclb-no-curler-left-behind.html#comment-form
The New NCLB: No Curler left behind
by Karl Fisch

This was an interesting and timely post.  Karl provided some information about the USA's Olympic athletes performance and how they compared to other countries, not by medal count alone, as the press generally reports, but as the number of medals per 10 million people (USA ranked 22nd) and medals per $100 billion in GDP (USA ranked 23rd).  The blog took a sarcastic tone about how our Olympic athletes should be measured by the standards we use for our students, hence the creation of the No Curler Left Behind government program which would provide states incentives to produce better quality Olympic athletes.  Of course his proposals sounded ridiculous.  It was meant to be satirical and certainly got his point across about how our society and government's solutions have not produced the results they were intended to produce.
I told him I appreciated the sarcastic tone of his post and liked the reference to the creation of the No Curler Left Behind government program which would provide states incentives to produce better quality Olympic athletes.  I told him of course, his proposals sound ridiculous as they were meant to be satirical and he certainly got his point across.
I asked him how DO we change this educational system to one that is more learning centered and less "assessment" driven?

Post #4

The author, Brian Crosby, posted about how important it is to not only use blogs in the classroom, but to use the consistently!  He compared a blog to a piece of exercise equipment: no real  results if it isn't used consistently.  He also shared the fact that so much more learning happens when students are allowed to blog, like reading, writing, critical thinking, publishing media, and learning how to have discussions.
I responded by telling him his blog about blogs was inspiring to me since I have been out of the classroom for nearly 16 years and that to be an effective teacher, I would have to use a variety of technologies.  Blogs do seem time consuming, but as he pointed out, checking blog posts is no different than collecting papers to grade!

Khan Academy Review

Khan Academy (KA), a website for learning, is the brain-child of Salman Khan, graduate of Harvard Business School.  The idea originally developed from Sal tutoring his cousins in math via internet.  It transitioned into YouTube videos that began to gain viewers and sparked the website idea.  Sal left his hedge fund job to devote all of his time to the start up of this project.  The purpose of the academy is to provide an environment for everyone who has access to the internet, to learn, free of charge by utilizing over 5000 web-based video lessons.  As for its intended audience, Khan Academy states “we want to share our content with whoever may find it useful,” however after using the site myself, I found that the mathematics begins at grade 4, and other subjects are more suited for middle grades through college.

Khan Academy is a non-profit organization “with the goal of changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education for anyone anywhere”[1].  Because KA is non-profit, it provides all its material and courses free of charge.  When asked why KA was set up as a non-profit, Sal responded “because I wanted our content to be accessible to all people, for a long time in the future. Beyond your generation, do you have the confidence that a for-profit will stay true to its mission?”[2]  Since its inception, the media coverage for KA has been largely positive and media outlets such as the Harvard Business Review are making statements indicating that KA is “disrupting not only schools but also the education industry built around them”, which is a very bold statement.

A cursory review of the website can lead most people to believe the previous statement to be true.  KA offers courses in mathematics from grade 4 through advanced college courses, humanities, economics and finance, sciences and computer programming.  They also offer a variety of “partner content” which originates from other institutions, but is published through KA as well.  Their content specialists are a diverse group of people who have extensive knowledge in their subject areas and have previously or are currently teaching in their field.  Courses are delivered through the use of video instruction, but not all videos are simply an instructor writing on a board.  Some lessons actually take the learner to places like museums or use video storytelling while discussing historical topics, and some like the computer programming courses, are very interactive.  My background is in mathematics so naturally I was more curious about how these topics were presented.  I was disappointed to discover that most math lessons were of the traditional standup instructor, showing examples, and at times, explaining the “whys”, not very creative or attention “keeping”.

For younger students who may need more reinforcement or rewards, KA offers units in the form of “missions” and awards energy points and badges. This gives the learning a more gaming feel.  Interaction is encouraged by the use of questioning and providing answers to others questions for any video lesson.  Additional badges are awarded for being an active participant!  If you need help in a particular class, you can sign up to get individual help from a coach.  If you desire to use this product in your classroom, you can become a “coach” to your students.  The dashboard keeps you up to date on your missions, badges, points earned, recent activity, skill progression and more.

Another item of KA are the Knowledge Maps which “look like stars on a star map, with lines drawn between them to show relationships, giving you greater visibility into how subjects connect.”[3]  Even with all of the offerings of Khan Academy, it isn’t hard to find naysayers of the website.

Anytime something is deemed a breakthrough in education or touted as the new education revolution, there will be those who want to break the legs off of the pedestal.  Of the cons, several videos have been found to have incorrect information or have used incorrect terminology.  Mathematics professors, John Golden and David Coffey, have become famous themselves, by producing videos of their own: spoofs that point out these flaws.  Another criticism of the learning website is that it isn’t much different than the traditional instructor lead lecture method, but without the benefit of a person to ask questions or for an instructor to simply read body language to gauge understanding.  Also noted,

…the output of Khan Academy simply updates the repetitive practices of "drill and kill." But perhaps the most serious concern is this: that so many important people--Arne Duncan, Bill Gates, the producers at 60 Minutes--view the work of the Khan Academy as so remarkable that they may convince us to let it lead the way in transforming education. That, the naysayers shudder, is chilling, indeed.[4]

But even the naysayers cannot deny the power of this learning website.  Justin Reich, blogger for the website Education Week, says “I have summed up my position on Khan Academy as follows: Khan Academy teaches only one part of mathematics – procedures- and that isn’t the most important part.”  He also cites Golden and Coffey’s videos dismantling some of Khan’s video lessons, but in the same blog acknowledges that once these videos were brought to light, KA removed the lessons in question, and uploaded new ones within a matter of days!  Imagine getting feedback about your content, and making adjustments and publishing within that time frame.  It would NEVER happen with a textbook and its publishing company!   This is a pro then, right?

Speaking of pros, I read so many testimonials of parents and students praising the website for its course offerings, the manner in which they are presented and for many, the ability to hit the pause button, digest, rewind if necessary, and then continue, was the best part.  I am reminded of a recent study on programmed instruction.  Branching programs allow students to learn at their own pace and provide remedial instruction for students needing help while allowing other students to move ahead with their learning.  Pros to this type of instruction include immediate feedback, remedial instruction opportunities, and real time tracking of student progress.

So what do I think?  After viewing this video: Math Class Makeover and reading these case studies of teachers actually using Khan Academy in their classrooms: Khan Academy Case Studies, and using Khan Academy as a student to refresh myself on math topics before taking the Praxis Exam, I conclude everyone should have a Khan Academy account.  I really enjoyed my lessons and anyone that wants to refresh, supplement their primary learning, or learn something new (maybe not to mastery), Khan Academy has a place that fits.  As a student needing refresher, it was a perfect fit for me and it was FREE!  As a teacher, using Khan Academy as one tool inside the toolbox just opens up more possibilities and it’s FREE!  Jill Duffy with PCMag.com closes her review with this:

Khan Academy just gets it….if you are a student, parent, or just a life-long learner, Khan Academy will become a household name.  The site has been expanding rapidly, but has shown vast improvements in the last year alone.  Khan’s content is phenomenal, and that is what matters.[5]

---

[1] https://www.khanacademy.org/about

[2] http://hbr.org/2014/01/salman-khan/ar/1

[3] http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2397123,00.asp

[4] http://thejournal.com/articles/2013/02/07/the-math-of-khan.aspx?=THEEL

[5] http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2397123,00.asp

6 different search engines that do different things

Goodsearch  
Goodsearch indexes web pages and provides links. The different about this search engine is that it collaborates with organizations (including schools) to provide fundraising opportunities.  Every time you use this search engine to search, make a purchase online,  play games online and more, goodsearch donates to your cause.  So far, I have raised $165.45 for my child’s school.

WolframAlpha
Wolfram Alpha is not a traditional search engine, rather a computational knowledge engine. You can save and customize your own queries.  I entered several different mathematical problems that yielded phenomenal results.  Graphic representations, alternate forms, derivatives and integrals.  I also inputted random elements like silver and carbon and hydrocarbon just for fun.  The possibilities are endless and there is a low cost Pro version that will provide even more with interactivity by uploading data, files, etc. and creating customizable charts/graphs. I can really see the usefulness of this in a classroom.

Duckduckgo 
Duckduckgo is a traditional search engine like Google, but unlike google, searches you perform and links you click are not tracked and are not sold to third parties.  If you are concerned about privacy issues and don’t want to eventually be targeted by advertisers or by law enforcement, or just want to keep the details of your life from landing in the wrong hands, this search engine is right for you.  It was easy to use and provide plenty of relevant website results.

Dogpile
Traditional search engine that combines the results from 3 separate search engines.  As of today, dogpile is using Google, Yahoo, and Yandex search engines.  Upon investigation I found Yandex to be an internet company based out of Russia.  This was an interesting bit of information so I compared searches for “Syria” on Bing and Yandex and found variations in results with some overlap.

Socialmention 
Get real time social media search result and analysis.  Search categories are Blogs, Microblogs, Bookmarks, Images, Video, Questions, or choose ALL.  Type in any topic, phrase, person, etc. and view the results from most social networks.  A search for Valentine’s Day under ALL yielded results and analysis from friendfeed, youtube, answers_wiki, facebook, delicious, wordpress, ask, flckr.  Top hashtags, keywords, users and other analysis are displayed on the results screen.  You can sort results by date and timeframe. Out of curiosity I searched my own name and found things I thought were buried long ago!  Wow! 

ERIC 
The Educational Resources Information Center is managed by the U.S. Department of Education.  It is used to find information about academic research.  Journal articles, books, etc. are all available within the 1.3 billion records.  This search engine has helped me to research education topics so that I can provide relevant resources that are peer reviewed (required of most professors). The site is user friendly and provides more advance search options to narrow the results.

 

Add Images and Tag Modifiers to Your Blog

Plagiarism

Prior to the readings on plagiarism and copyright law, I had been educated by my company on policy and processes regarding this topic.  As employees representing our company we are required to maintain certain behaviors and comply with all applicable rules and regulations.  Not only are we to protect our reputation as individuals, but the company's reputation as well.  

We are stewards of company confidential information to protect our competitive advantage in the business. Lawsuits related to copyright infringement and plagiarism can damage our reputation as a company and create lost profit opportunities. We are encouraged to create original training material, properly cite sources, and request permission to use other material so that our company is legally protected and our reputation remains in tact.

Storytelling Video Assignment

Video Introduction

My Test Post Title

This is my First Post. I clicked the HTML button which I should always do in EDM510. I am now a Blogger!