Mike and Meal Worms

My KidsComments assignment this week was to read about meal worms, which is a post by blogger Mike R. in Mrs. Goerend's sixth grade class. Mike told about how meal worms eat oatmeal and have two eyes, six legs and are light brown with brown lines on their backs. More information than I thought I'd ever need to know about meal worms, let me say! Mike also said that meal worms go from meal worm to pupa to beetle, which is a life cycle like a frog's. I told Mike that I'd much rather hear about meal worms than spiders! I love to hear that kids are learning about all kinds of science and are engaged in the lesson.

ACCESS Distance Learning Program

The ACCESS (Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide) Distance Learning Program was begun in 2004. It is a program that brings technology into Alabama high school classrooms that gives the students opportunities to access programs outside of their own school. ACCESS was developed to provide distance learning opportunities that will improve student achievement, such as Advanced Placement and dual enrollment courses. It also offers core subjects and electives like foreign language or ACT preparation, in addition to remediation materials for the Alabama High School Graduation Exam. It is extremely beneficial to rural schools that can't offer courses that urban schools can. ACCESS also provides support for teachers and administration.

How can this program not be good for high schools in Alabama? It provides many students with the means to advance in their education where they wouldn't have been able to previously. As a prospective physical education teacher, I don't believe I will be able to utilize ACCESS to the extreme that other teachers will, but I know it is available and I can encourage its use. I would like to observe a class that uses the program to get a better feel for its effectiveness, however, I don't need much proof as I think the concept is outstanding.

Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX)

The Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX) is a portal, if you will, through which educators, parents, and students can access a wide variety of educational materials. The website homepage is very simple and features links for Courses of Study, Web Links, Lesson Plans, Personal Workspace, Professional Learning, Podcast Treasury, Search and Help. By clicking on any of those links, one can utilize the resources in a timely, easy manner. Educators can also communicate with others using Listservs and find interactive resources. Some of the resources available are: Thinkfinity from the Verizon Foundation, the Alabama Virtual Library, and Alabama Public Television. ALEX received the 2008 Digital Education Achievement Award from Best of the Web for Technology Initiative.

I think The Alabama Learning Exchange will be invaluable to any current or prospective teacher. Although my focus is physical education and there are no ALEX teacher created lesson plans for that course, I will still be able to utilize many of the other features. It will be like having an encyclopedia at my fingertips, but with so much more information and resources. If I can't find what I am looking for, I will be able to contact other educators and possibly create a network that way. As a whole, ALEX is going to be a valuable resource that I can use at any time. All of it's different facets will allow for a variety of research that will be extremely beneficial.

Davsim's Blog

My student blogger, Davsim, at Edublogs has a really cool layout. It has the prettiest green color in it and my favorite color is green. Davsim is from Croatia. He wrote about his confusion in technology class which I can totally relate to! He also mentioned that his soccer was going well and that he is happy. How refreshing! Finally, he mentioned that he is doing "not so bad and not so good" with his grades. He said he could do better and it's good to see that he recognized that. I gave him some words of encouragement. I hope he enjoys reading my comments.

Students Blogging

I recently visited Mr. Goerend's Classroom and read some of the writing that his students have done. The kids write about various topics, from their first football game to reading to pizza to you name it. It is very cool to see these kids writing about things in their life. I think introducing them to blogging is a good way to get their creativity flowing as well as giving them an outlet to express themselves. I believe that introducing students to blogging will only enhance their learning experience. It would be nice to see it become more widespread.

I commented on several of the student's posts. Sara wrote about something close to my own heart - reading. I probably wrote a little more on that than I should have! Dmitriy wrote about his dog, Madi, chasing squirrels. I told him about our new puppy chasing our chickens. Carter wrote about his new gecko and I told him about my son's leopard gecko. Tommy wrote about how much he loves Halloween. Finally, Drake wrote about his new phone. The children were pretty descriptive in their writing, which was a joy to see. I think Mr. Goerend is doing a wonderful job.

My First Personal Learning Network

One good thing about a Personal Learning Network is that it can grow with you. For those of us who are just beginning to venture into the career we want, a personal learning network is probably going to be an invaluable resource for the future. At this point in time, my personal learning network is a fledgling entity. I am not yet in my field of interest, which is physical education, but I am and have been making small steps toward it. The components of my personal learning network are my technological baby steps toward my goal of being a physical education teacher and volleyball coach.

PE Central

PE Central is "The Premier Web Site for Health and Physical Education." It is jam-packed with resources and information for students, parents, and educators. Some of the resources it offers are: lesson ideas, assessment ideas, jobs, professional information, and related websites. While doing research on PE Central, I also found it as a page on Facebook called "Physical Ed Wants You!" Additionally, there is also a blog site called "Physical Education Info from PE Central" that has interesting information on a variety of P.E. topics and links to other P.E. sites. You can also subscribe to a free newsletter from the site. One of my favority aspects of the site is the "Kids Quote of the Week" section.

p.e. links 4 u

Where to start? This website is exactly what the title says! It has a ton of links for all kinds of physical education issues, from health, fitness and nutrition to state P.E. standards. It is also a digest with articles that can be researched and referenced. There is also a forum for questions or comments for the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE). It features lessons and puzzles from the Puzzlewise/PE Health program. There is a news section and a section where various types of grants are listed. You can also receive a free monthly emailed digest from pelinks4u, and an update of the latest pe news.

USA Volleyball

One of my dreams is to coach my own volleyball team one day. Until then, I am a huge fan and at the USA Volleyball website, I can find information on every level of volleyball from juniors to beach. USA Volleyball is "where the Olympic journey begins." I have been trying for several years to develop a club team in South Mobile county, to service the girls who cannot travel or afford to pay the club fees in Mobile. Phillip Bryant, Commissioner of the Gulf Coast region, has been instrumental in assisting me in my endeavors. He is always extremely patient and helpful.

Alabama High School Athletic Association

As a referee for high school volleyball, I am a member of the Alabama High School Athletic Association. The website has all the information one needs in reference to high school athletics in Alabama, including sections for schools, coaches and officials. Lane Lawley is the Southwest District Director of officials for volleyball. He has been a wonderful mentor to me over the past several years and he is a great official, too! Once I become a volleyball coach, I am sure the AHSAA website will be even more beneficial to me.

Bobby Golden on Facebook

My friend and classmate from high school, Bobby Golden, is a personal trainer and very physically active guy. I am a prospective physical education teacher and through Facebook, Bobby and I can discuss the physical aspect of physical education. He can give me pointers, not only for my own personal physical training, but for my future students and volleyball players, as well. Bobby has recently begun rock climbing, which is something I would love to try myself, so he will be able to give me good information on that, too.

Connecting Great Distances

Three-year-old Kaia and her Dad, Jabiz Raisdana, live in Qatar. One day, spurred by what he read in the book, The Last Child in the Woods, Kaia's Dad decided to take her to explore the world outside her home. While outside they took pictures of all kinds of things, from garbage to the sunset, which Jabiz made into Kaia's very first simple photo essay. He then posted it to his Twitter network and exciting things began to happen. A teacher in Missouri, Mr. Chamberlain, shared the photo essay with his students. After conversing with Jabiz via Skype, the students and Mr. Chamberlain then created a Voicethread and Youtube video commenting on and congratulating Kaia's work. Mr. Chamberlain, his class, Jabiz and Kaia created a web sensation, albeit unknowingly, and set educationally technical minds and hearts aflutter with their interactions.

I must say that as a result of a father's simple acts of encouraging, teaching, and sharing with his child, something wild and wonderful has happened! How could Jabiz have known that his adventure with Kaia would elicit such a response? Of course, he couldn't have. However, how awesome for us that it did! For those who are learning about or interested in the technological world as it applies to education, it is events and breakthroughs like this that will serve to excite and inspire us.

The magnitude of possibilites for technology in education is staggering. There are so many things that we can learn to do with technology to aid in the instruction of our students. Creating a simple photo essay and sharing it with the world, so to speak, is one way to advance learning and promote goodwill. The simplicity of it is very appealing, especially if you are a teacher just beginning to utilize the technology. The programs that Mr. Chamberlain, his class, and Jabiz and Kaia used, including Voicethread, Skype, Youtube, and Twitter, all have tremendous potential for classroom use. Although Jabiz expressed concern about the privacy issue and allowing the public into Kaia's life, I agree with some commenters that the benefits will probably be worth it. I think parents, students, and educators alike will benefit from the variety of ways technology can and will be used now and in the future.

iPods in Education, Let Me Count the Ways...

Apparently, I am technologically behind. I thought I was something when I received my iPod Classic for Christmas last year. I was so excited that it would hold 30,000 songs! I have actually added some pictures and unsuccessfully tried to add a video to it (can't quite figure it out yet). I have even downloaded some podcasts to my iTunes library but they have not made any further than that. I'd like to know one thing; how was I to know that I had also received a cutting-edge educational tool? I am only just now finding information that tells me all the different ways I can use my iPod and I must say, the possibilities are staggering!

Duke University handed out iPods to one of their freshman classes in a one-year pilot project to see how they could be utilized in education. Students in that first year used them for gathering field notes, conducting interviews, podcasting, and audio blogging. They also used them as portable hard drives and even signal generators in an engineering class. Instructors used them for podcasts, audio recording references, to record lectures and to record or receive audio files. They were used in several different courses including theater studies, economics, and foreign language.

In researching iPods in Education online, I found a couple of websites that had a lot of great ideas. The Online Education Database article, 100 Ways to Use Your iPod to Learn and Study Better, is a wealth of information. It includes links in various categories such as: study guides, podcasts, tutorials, applications, and classroom help among others. The website http://www.slideshare.net/ has a slideshow by Grace Poli at Jose Martin Middle School in Union City, New Jersey entitled, A Classroom in Your Pocket; iPods in Education that gives several ways iPods can be used. Her suggestions include musical lesson ideas and a neat section called, "Unexpected Uses of the iPods."

Now that I know I have something more valuable than my own personal jukebox, I intend to check out and use some of the ideas for my iPod. It is fascinating that technology allows us, as students, teachers, or just your average Jane, to access and utilize so much of it.

iTunes University - What a Wonderful Tool

iTunes University, part of iTunes, is an educational tool provided by Apple that gives free educational media to anyone who has an iPod or iPhone. Educators, whether individual or collective, can upload lectures, presentations, and numerous types of media content for student perusal. By collective, I mean that university departments at Yale and Stanford utilize iTunes University. It is also utilized by PBS and numerous K-12 programs. The educational possibilities are vast because students can access and use the program from anywhere with their iPod or iPhone.

As a student, I can access the program and use it for research. It offers programs such as edutopia and MITOpenCourseware, among others. Better yet, I can access it from anywhere and use it to study, watch a lecture, or receive a digital lesson from an instructor. I can also browse information from a variety of higher education institutions about the programs they offer or enrollment data.

As a teacher, the program offers several different avenues to involve students in mobile learning. I can use it to present a lecture, upload any kind of media I want my students to see, or create a podcast for my students. The Apple website states that iTunes University is "the engine for the mobile learning movement." If that is the way education is moving, I want to move that way, too.

Dr. Alice Christie's Google Earth

I thought Dr. Christie's Resource Guide for Google Earth was both very informative and easy to understand. From describing what it is to giving examples for lesson plans, Dr. Christie gave simple descriptions and great links for more information. I am a prospective physical education teacher and I hope to put a twist on traditional physical education when I get my own classes to teach. I think Google Earth will be one way that I can implement my plan.

I have already taught a course in a P.E. elective on learning how to use a compass. I think using Google Earth would allow me to enrich and expand that course to make it more interesting and exciting for the kids. For example, part of the course could be devoted to bringing the kids into the computer lab and teaching them how to use Google Earth. They could have the practical hands-on compass experience and then we could see how we could apply that to Google Earth or vice versa. Of course, I would have to develop the idea more fully to give the students the maximum benefit of the program, but it is an exciting prospect!

Mr. McClung's Advice

J.K. McClung's blog, What I've Learned This Year, on the blog site At The Teacher's Desk, is very insightful and wonderful advice for any teacher, whether new or experienced. I was surprised, however, at the number of grammatical errors in his blog, which were distracting to me as I read. It appears that many of those commenting on his blog simply overlooked the errors in favor of congratulating Mr. McClung on the content of his post. I, however, seem to have a problem with an educator posting any work containing grammatical errors. No doubt I am, perhaps, overly critical. On the other hand, I was impressed, as well, with the content of his post.

His first point, which I will sum up in his words, "let your audience drive your instruction" is very helpful to me as a prospective teacher. I already know that I will have difficulty in mastering this because I have a real fear of losing control of the classroom setting. It will be a challenge to learn how to make my classroom a welcoming place where the kids can feel comfortable while maintaining my own sense of control. In following this piece of advice, I think I will be able, also, to incorporate three of his other points: when things go wrong, try to better the situation (with a smile, of course!); encourage students to try again; and listen to students.

I think his third point is good for anyone, but especially for teachers. He said, "Practice all you can and build those strong relationships with teachers and students." He based this point on the fact that communication is essential. The other teachers and the administration we deal with daily will be supremely important as allies in this "fight" to educate our youth. Of course, I think any new teacher would be wise to communicate and listen to the advice of more experienced teachers. They "know the ropes", so to say. I believe that communicating and building a strong relationship with students will also help us to follow his last piece of advice which was, "never stop learning." Any teacher open to communication and willing to forge a good relationship with his or her students will undoubtedly continue to learn.

Finally, Mr. McClung advised us, "Don't fear technology." Anyone with eyes can see that our world is increasingly a technological world. If we intend to teach students of today who will be leaders of tomorrow, we must embrace any and every tool available to us to help ourselves and them be successful.

Wikipedia: Reliable or Not?

Virgil Griffith, a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology, developed a scanner that will allow tracking of the many contributors and changes to the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia. Wikipedia has a massive amount of information on a massive amount of topics, which can be contributed to or edited by just about anyone. Nicholas Thompson, a Senior Editor of Wired magazine stated, "Wikipedia has one hundred times the information as a regular encyclopedia at ninety percent accuracy." Mr. Griffith's scanner has shown a variety of interesting changes to topics, many times by the subject or someone close to the subject of the topic. So, how accurate can something be if anyone can go in and change the information to suit them?

For myself, the fact that Wikipedia is available to anyone who can contribute, change, delete, add, embellish, or falsify the information makes it very unreliable. I don't believe I would use it to find concrete information on any subject that I would need to cite or document. It is just too "iffy" a proposition when a good grade or anything else of importance is riding on it. I have found, however, that Wikipedia is a "good jumping-off place." It is very much worth accessing it to start a project to get initial information or ideas. I would, of course, always want to back up the information obtained there by checking other sources.