C4K Summary September

     In my first C4K assignment, I was assigned a seventh grade girl named Lizara from Auckland, New Zealand, and her most recent post was titled Our MTV: Lizara, Quasia and Nikki.  With the post was a small music video of which the main point was the subject of unrequited love.  I personally was quite impressed by the fact that children so young were able to analyze such a complex topic that even some cannot approach intellectually.

     My second assignment had me commenting on a young man by the name of Tatum B.'s post.  This young South African fifth grader's topic of discussion was that of Elephant Whispering, and suffice to say little Tatum's empathy towards the elephants was quite remarkable.  I wholly believe that young Tatum will indeed leave a positive mark on the world.

     The third and final C4K assignment for this month led me to fifth grade Tori from a Massachusetts' blog.  Her post was an interesting story in which a young girl named Pepper was inwardly debating whether or not to get a pet crocodile or a light-up pillow.  Frankly, Tori's ability to construct a story in which a character carries on an inner dialogue is a testament of skill and ability.  Within my comment, I enclosed my advice on the crocodile/ pillow dilemma stating that pillows tend to bite less than crocodiles.

     All in all, I was quite impressed with the skills and abilities of children so young, and I am quite looking forward to the following C4K assignments.

Project #8: The Book Trailer

     Here is my Book Trailer for The Jolly Mon, and I hope that you all enjoy it.

Blog Post #6

     It is quite clear that Mr. Capps is certainly full of useful information regarding the ins and outs of project based learning (PBL), and I can say that I learned quite a few things from listening to Dr. Strange's and Mr. Capps' dialogue.
     Aside from the validity of PBL, which was discussed thoroughly in the videos Project Based Learning: Experiences of a 3rd Grade Teacher Part 1 and Project Based Learning: Experiences of a 3rd Grade Teacher Part 2, I also learned a great deal about a program named iCurio in the video titled iCurio: Conversations with Anthony.  The program itself is somewhat similar to an intranet encyclopedia program that has vetted and appropriate sources at the ready, but it takes this principle to another level in the sense that iCurio uses actual websites that have been reviewed and judged appropriate and scholarly.  In addition to this, the program also carries the functionality of using both audio and video and not just text.
     Another important point that was made was the emphasis on experience being a teacher by itself.  In the video, Use Tech Don'tTeachIt Anthony070113, the idea of letting students teach themselves through the process of trial and error.  I myself can vouch for this as it is my method for learning new programs and and any form of technology really, because by using it either correctly or incorrectly you have gained experience with that particular piece of hardware or software.
     All in all, I would say that Mr. Capps is an educator that will no doubt influence his students in a positive manner and push them forward in education using PBL.  In closing, I will leave you with a drawing entitled infinity by H.B. to represent the places attainable once the door of education has been properly opened.

Blog Post #5 Part #1

     Although I have just started to create my PLN, I can already see the almost infinite potential that awaits untapped.  The very idea of a PLN would more than likely have been considered outrageous only a few years ago by many who believe that technology is a scourge.  However, I would state that PLNs create for free and digitally what the loftiest realms of academia have been practicing since the first colleges rose to prominence within civilization, and that is educational collaboration.  These virtual Philosopher's Stones that are Twitter, Google, RSS feeds, and many others are being wielded by visionary educators that are leading us to a veritable golden age of education, and the best part is that anyone can join in the movement.
     The video Welcome to my PLE! is a grand example of the feats that are not only possible but easy with the use of PLNs.  This video also goes to show that PLNs allow young students to get input and feedback from experts in the field that they are researching.  With leaps in connections and communication such as this it won't be very long until professional input via digital messaging or face-to-face meetings with programs such as Skype are available instantly.  It's safe to say that the role of the student is growing quickly into an archetype that has yet to be fully realized.
     In addition to the role of the student, the role of teacher has shifted from that of subject specialist to archonic gatekeeper to the realm of knowledge.  This new responsibility is very well described in the video PLN by Michael Fawcett.  Mr. Fawcett makes it a point to discuss the great magnitude of collaboration that takes place within a PLN and their ease of access.  In doing so, he reveals his own introduction to them, and how his initial minute involvement blossomed into a full fledged PLN that allows him and his students access to a mother lode of knowledge.
      Hopefully by the end of this class my fledgling PLN, which as of now only consists of a few twitter feeds, our class blogs and a brand new Symbaloo account, will have grown into a mighty phoenix of a PLN by which I shall make my way into the education amalgamation that is taking place before our very eyes.  In closing, I will leave you with Andreas Zielenkiewicz's The Tower of Babel.  It is a surreal painting that can be interpreted as what can happen without a PLN.

Project #7 Four Movies, Part A

     Please enjoy my My Passion is... and My Sentence is... videos.

My Sentence is...

My Passion is...

Project #3 Presentation

     Please enjoy this educational presentation on Project Based Learning and Alabama College and Career Readiness.

C4T #1 Summary

     For my first C4T assignment, I was given Ms. Sharon Plante's blog "The Road to Learning". My first comment on her blog was to a post titled "Twitter is Google for Educators", and during this post Ms. Plante discussed the impact of Twitter as a
public forum and its uses. This of course was an extremely interesting and well thought out
analysis that I particularly enjoyed. She also went on to discuss at length the various
professional uses within the education field that Twitter allows. Using examples such as
asking for advice with tech troubleshooting and polling for ideas involving education
methods, therefore proving her comparison of Twitter becoming quite similar to Google.
My comment to the post was one of agreement and excitement at the thought of the long
deceased public forum being resurrected in the form of a massively popular virtual
medium. I also purported my interest in the professional connections that could be
made using this tool.

     The second post that I commented on was one called "Educators Field of Dreams: will you come?". This post was about the network of professional contacts and resources that
has been built up and is virtually available to anyone with the advent of technology and the
expansion of global communications. Ms. Plante also went on to describe an issue within
the field of education involving educators that are unwilling to utilize this vast ocean of
assets. In my comment, I once again agreed with Ms. Plante and discussed the
disappointment I felt as an aspiring educator upon hearing that there are those among
the field who do not embrace this miracle of technology that is responsible for the ever
expanding global community.