Blog Assignment #3

Peer Editing

A useful technique to help students improve their writing is to have fellow classmates edit it. This is commonly known as peer editing. The best approach to this system is to make sure students are giving constructive criticism rather than destructive criticism. In fact, the first thing they should do is give compliments regarding their partner's work. It is very important to stay positive in order for students to feel comfortable sharing their work. Then, they can move into providing suggestions and corrections for their partners to improve on. This process ensures that students get the feedback they need in a way that also lets them get involved with their classmates.

I think peer editing is important because it allows students to see mistakes that they wouldn't normally have seen before.They may think it sounds good while they are writing it, but they could miss a lot of common mistakes. It also gives them a chance to learn how to receive constructive criticism. Students will have to face criticism as they graduate and move into the "real world." So, it is important for educators to not only teach them how to give constructive criticism, but to also teach them how to take it from others. I know I will try to give my fellow classmates in EDM 310 as much constructive feedback as possible. In order for my peer editing to be successful, I will compliment them at the beginning of my comment, provide a few suggestions for how they can improve, and give them a compliment at the end. Hopefully, I can also improve on how I take criticism from my fellow classmates.

Sources

What is Peer Editing?

Peer Edit With Perfection Tutorial

Writing Peer Review Top 10 Mistakes

Blog Assignment #2

In this blog post, I will respond to several videos in order to depict what teaching in the 21st Century will be like.

Mr. Dancealot

I believe the central message of this video is that not every lesson can be taught by lecturing and having students take notes. Students need to be engaged in order to truly comprehend the skills they are trying to learn. The author of this video makes the case for this conclusion by creating a scenario in which students are learning how to dance in a dance class that requires them to stay seated and listen to lecture. This resulted in the students being confused and not being able to follow through with the skills that were learned. I agree with the author's conclusion because not every lesson can be taught by lecture. Sometimes students need to be hands-on with a lesson in order to truly learn.

Teaching in the 21st Century

Kevin Roberts, the author of this presentation, makes the case that teaching in the 21st Century means that students should be engaged in learning by using technology to assist them in problem-solving and other useful skills. He suggests that teachers should be there to guide the students in how to effectively use technology and filter the knowledge they gain from it. He argues this by showing us that students can find information anywhere at anytime through social media sites, websites, and search engines. Therefore, there is no need for a teacher to stand in front of them and hand them the information when it will not be handed to them in the real world. He also argues that teachers should be instructing students by posing questions about skills that are very much needed in the adult world. How will a student learn how to change a tire? I feel that Roberts is making an accurate assumption of how teaching will be changing as technology becomes more advanced. Every day education is changing to include technology more and more. This will affect me as a future educator in that I need to keep up with how technology is changing in order to suit my students' learning needs.

The Networked Student

This video describes a learning situation in which the student learns on his/her own by using technology to research the subject. The student uses a variety of websites, videos, and blogs to further his/her knowledge of the subject and then shares it with others from all over the world. I see this as a beneficial teaching technique to create individuals rather than spoon-feeding the information. It also gives students a chance to be creative and learn by pulling from several learning techniques. The video also poses the question "Why does the networked student even need a teacher? To which they respond by describing how teachers are still involved in the learning process as mediators and guides for the students. The teacher is still necessary in order to make sure the student gets help when needed. I believe networking is needed in order to create more active students and it is realistic for how the real world works.

Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

The thesis of this video is that students can not always learn from a piece of paper and a pencil. Sometimes it is necessary to implement technology in order to empower the students to be engaged in the lesson. The benefits to them using this technology is that it allows for a customized learning experience, it makes them be active learners, and it helps prepare them for an ever-changing job market. My reaction to this argument is that it can be very beneficial and technology is always changing so the earlier students can harness these skills, the better. My only issue with this is the fact that not all school systems have the materials to enforce these new teaching styles.

Who's Ahead in the Learning Race?

From the results depicted in this video, I have come to the conclusion that those in the elementary school systems are ahead in the learning race. They have the opportunity to use new technologies to assist in learning that those in undergraduate and graduate school did not have when they were young. It is clearly a benefit to start the young off with technology to assist them in their learning so that they can shape technology in the future. I know I am pretty behind in the learning race when it comes to technology because I never got the chance to learn all the functions of technology. If I had gotten the chance to start at a young age, I believe I would do better in all my endeavors. 

Flipping the Classroom

The concept in this video is very new to me. I've never heard of "flipping the classroom" until now. I think this approach could be useful to me as a teacher because the students get the chance to experience the material before they get in the classroom. That way the time spent in class will be focused on questions they have and intellectual discussion on the subject. It also gives them a chance to research the information further at home.

Test

Test

Blog Assignment #1

In this blog post, I will talk about what I thought of EDM310 before I got to the class, my possible struggles for this class, a similar experience I've had to this class, and how I can address my struggles and fears for EDM310.

All I knew when I signed up for EDM310 was that it was required for my major. I had no idea what it was going to be like and I hadn't heard anything about it from fellow students. I knew it had to do with technology in the classroom, but I didn't really know what kind of class it would turn out to be. As I figured out what all was to be expected of me in this class, I was overwhelmed. I am not good with technology at all. I get frustrated with technology very quickly and give up on it. So, I'm not really that excited to tackle the assignments we have to complete. I already feel stressed and like I won't be able to keep up with everyone else. The most difficult part of the class for me will probably be trying to maintain patience while dealing with using technology in ways I've never had to. The best way for me to deal with that will probably be to just ask for help. Instead of giving up, I will try to get help when I'm confused or don't understand exactly what I'm supposed to do.

However, I had a class that was a lot like EDM310 in high school. It involved learning about the different ways to use technology and it was very hands on. We even had partners for each section so that we could figure it out with the help of another person. I ended up getting a good grade in that class, so hopefully I will manage to do the same in this class. I don't really have any other questions about EDM310 at this moment, but I'm sure I will later on this semester. I will just have to make sure to ask instead of just trying to do everything by myself.

Practice Blog Post

I'm going to talk a little bit about myself, what my passions are, why I chose to go into the field of education, and what exactly an educator does.

I was born on April 20, 1995 in Biloxi, Mississippi. I have lived in south Mississippi my whole life and am eager to get out and see new places. I chose to attend the University of South Alabama because it was away from home, but close enough to where I could easily go home in case of an emergency or if I was homesick. My mom is a stay-at-home mom and my dad works at a Mississippi Power Plant. I also have a younger brother who is 15 and loves video games. On campus, I am part of an organization called Silver Wings which promotes support of the military and involvement in the community. I currently am the Developmental Officer and I will take over as Region President this spring.  My interests include anything that involves creativity or art. I like to paint, craft, design, and write. Lately, I've been working on creative writing the most because it is a skill I want to improve and then share with people everywhere. I am also interested in learning about other cultures and exploring places I have never been before. However, I am most passionate about reading. I can spend hours in a book store just looking at all the options I have to read. It is extremely easy for me to get lost in a story and once I start I can't stop.  My favorite book right now is The Book Thief and I made sure to insert a picture of my favorite quote from it.

An educator's work entails not only teaching the students, but also being concerned for their well-being. An educator needs to be a positive role model for his or her students. Educators have to keep up with new technologies used in the classroom and new ideas that could help with the learning processes. They are responsible for creating lesson plans and working in a group environment to makes sure other teachers are on the same page. They must also interact with parents in order to help their students succeed. Their work doesn't end when school does. They have to take assignments, papers, and tests home with them that they have to grade. I decided to become a teacher because I think it is a very rewarding job. It will be a lot of work, but to be able to pass down knowledge and wisdom will be very satisfying. More specifically, I chose to be an English teacher because I want to help students become more passionate about reading. I hope to make a difference in my students' lives one day.