Sunday, April 27, 2014

C4K


For My C4K Assignment I was assigned to the ”Little Voices, Little Scholars” class blog. This class is comprised of 2nd year students from Pt. England School in Auckland, New Zealand.

C4k #4 post 1

This Week I was assigned to Meleona's blog post entitled ”Swimming”. In this post Meleona tells about the 8 swimming lessons that she and her classmates got to experience. They were taught by professional swimming coaches and seemed to enjoy the experiene a lot.

My Response:

Hi Melenoa! My name is Ty Walker and I'm a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. Thank you for sharing your experience with the world! You did a great job of explaining the techniques that your instuctors used and of how to execute them. This post could possibly inspire someone who is afraid to take lessons to try something new! Would you like to take more lessons? Do you think you would ever want to compete in a swimming competition?

Monster Truck


C4K Post 2

This week I was assigned to Jarreka's blog post entitled ”Jarreka’s monster truck story”. In this short descriptve paragraph Jarreka descibes her toy monster truck and provides an illustration. My response:

Hi Jarreka! My name is Ty Walker and I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed hearing about your monster truck. You did a good job of describing how it looks. There was a monster truck show in my hometown of Mobile, Al last week, I'm sure you would have enjoyed it.

C4T #4


For this month's C4T I was assigned to a blog entitled ”What Ed Said” by Edna Sackson. C4K#4 Comment 1 This Week I was assigned to the blog post entitled ”It’s not about making learning happen, it’s about letting it happen”. The main lesson I gained from this post was that You don't need a teacher to teach you if you want to learn. It reminds me of people who can not afford college and begin to self educate themselves. There is more than one way to accomplish anything and this blog provides many examples of how to do so, with focus on helping students who use English as a second language.
turning learning on its head
C4K#4 Comment 2 This week I was assigned to the blog post entitled ”10 understandings about digital citizenship”. In the post Edna gives 10 keys points about what she feels it means to take part in digital citizenship. She begins her post with a definition, "Digital citizenship is the ability to participate in society online. It includes consuming and creating digital content as well as interaction". When I read this post I immediately begin to think of our previous blog post pertaining to PLNs. In an age where technology is of the utmost important we should all learn to utilize the resources we have available and link up with other educators who can potentially be of assistance to us in regard to providing our students with the best education possible.

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Blog Post 13


Create your own blog post Instructions

Math seems to have become an area of weakness for many students. Give specifics examples of ways that technology can help to improve or at least make students more interested in mathematics.

This topic is very personal to me because I am an A student but I have always suffered in math. Some time around 6th grade I begin to lose interest in math and as a result my grades begin to slip. Although students are already at more of an advantage because of the shift to student centered leaning, the lack of mathematics skills is still an issue. With the add of technology we as educators can really assist students with improving their math skills and keeping their interest in a subject that can offer them endless employment opportunities.

The first thing I would do is incorporate the SMART board into as many math lessons as possible. When students can apply concepts directly they retain the information longer and become more interested. Instead of giving worksheets or individual bell ringers I would have students demonstrate the problem on the SMART board so that those who may not be able to complete the problem alone but are too afraid to ask for additional help can have the opportunity to grasp certain concepts. The next thing I would do is register my students for websites where they can practice mathematics problems during free time in class. Many of these websites help students to better understand concepts they may not have had enough time to grasp during class. This would also ensure that students who don't have internet access at home can get the extra help they may so desperately need.

math


I don't think one particular thing can fix the issue that we are having as it relates to mathematics. As a country, we are afforded so many luxuries so it puzzles me as to why we score significantly lower than other countries when tested in the area of mathematics. Although there is no quick fix we must start with gaining and keeping the interest of our students. Interested teachers grow up to be involved and interested teachers and that is where the solution lies.

Friday, April 4, 2014

C4T#3 Summary


C4T #3- Posted March 12, 2014

I had the pleasure of reading Jeff Utecht's blog post entitled ”In 2014”. I can't think of more appropriate subject mattter as it relates to EDM310. This post is a cry for improved technological advances amongst all school systems. In the post many prevelant issues are addressed and in my opinion not a moment too soon.

My response: Hi, My name is Ty Walker and I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I can't even explain how refreshing I found this blog post. Technology is such an important aspect of our lives, especially pertaining to education, yet so many people are afraid to take the inevitable leap. Of all the suggestions mentioned, I especially agree that if schools can not or will not provide students with electronic devices for learning purposes that they should be allowed to bring their own. Here in Alabama, the Baldwin County School System is spearheading efforts to do just that. They have provided all of their students, K-12, with a Macbook or an Ipad. I feel that this is the direction in which all school systems should be headed and this post made it obvious that I am not the only person who feels this way.

Welcome to the Future
C4t #3- Posted March 25, 2014

I was again assigned to Jeff Utecht's blog, but this week I commented on a post entitled ”Flipboard as a Textbook Replacement”. I really feel that this blog is one that I will continue to read in the future because the subject matter is so relevant. In this post Jeff says that he hopes textbooks in the classroom will become obsolete and uses flipboard as an example of a more useful replace. He also gives examples of things that can be accomplished while using Flipboard as a classroom curator.

My response: Hi Jeff, My name is Ty Walker and I'm a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. This is my second time being assigned to your blog and I enjoyed this post just as much as I did the first. The fact that you hope that textbooks will soon be on their way out is a very interesting concept. My professor always speaks about the idea of "burp back education" and without textbooks that way of teaching would be impossible, which is a very good thing. I know it will probably be years before we see a change, if textbooks are ever replaced at all but your idea was very well presented and something that I wouldn't mind trying in the future.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Blog Post 11


C4K Summary


C4K #1 Posted: April 9, 2012

This week I was assigned to the Little Voices, Little Scholars class blog where I read and commented on a post entitled ”Butterfly Creek”. These Students reside in New Zealand and documented their trip to Butterfly Creek through pictures they displayed in the form of a video. Below is my response:

Hello Class, My name is Ty Walker and I'm a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I found your trip to Butterfly Creek to be very well documented. It shows other children some of the things they will be able to do if theydecide to visit Butterfly Creek. It seems that the class was very happy to be able to interact with the butterflies! Was anyone in your class afraid to touch the butterflies or let them fly onto their clothes? Did you see a butterfly emerge from a cacoon? I hope you all continue to be little explorers and document every step of the way!

C4K #2 Posted: March 26, 2014

This week I was assigned to Asena's blog post entitled ”Sports at Tamaki College” My response: Hi Asena! My name is Ty Walker and I'm a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. Good post! I was not familiar with the college you mentioned so it was great that you provided your readers with background information. I think it is a good idea that they allow you all to participate in group activities for sports because it will prepare you for future work you may to do within a group. I hope you continue to share your experience in your blog and good luck to you and your team in your future challenges.

C4K#3 Posted March 20,2014

This week I was assigned to Pehso's blog post entitled ”Science with Mr. Barks”. In his post Pehso explains why he like science and also some of the experiments they conduct while they are woriing in the science lab.

Hello Pehso, My name is Ty Walker and I'm a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. Good post! When I was younger I really enjoyed science as well! I remember when I was 8 years old I made a volcano using vinegar and baking soda, I'm almost 27 now and I still remember how fun it was. I think it was great to mention that you have to concentrate while performing experiments. A sceince lab is not a place to play around because someone could easily get hurt by not following instructions. What were some of the hard things you did while you were in class 1? What do you use the liquid soap and vegetable oil for in Mr. Barks' class?