Blog Post #2

In my opinion, ”Mr. Dancealot” is being a one dimensional instructor. I say this because he is trying to teach his students about dance but he doesn’t allow them time to practice the dances he is teaching them about. He uses PowerPoint presentations to convey how the dances should be completed and expects his students to effectively master the concepts, with no further instruction. Mr. Dancealot then expects his students to reenact what he presented, via PowerPoint, in the ballroom for their final. With no class time allotted for practice, they were left to use only lecture notes to meet the expectations set forth by the professor. During the final, the students expressed how they tried to practice the dances at home but were unsure if they were completing the dances correctly, due to the fact that they received little assistance from Mr. Dancealot. Over the course of the semester, he was not open to suggestions from his students and presented himself as somewhat of a dance instruction dictator. I do not agree with this conclusion, in my opinion, this is NOT an acceptable way to instruct a dance class. The class should have been conducted in an area suitable for dance practice over the course of the semester, not just for the final. Engaging with the students and allowing time to practice would have made the class more enjoyable and would he left the students feeling better prepared and excited about their final.

After viewing ”Teaching in the 21st Century” I gained a new understanding of what it means to teach in the 21st century. Students bring their own set of knowledge, Values, Skills and Attitudes into the classroom and each experience is unique and just as valuable as the next. By placing such a value of the unique experiences of the students, in essence Mr. Roberts is teaching in the 21st century. Long gone are the days of teacher centered education where students were to no more than an avenue by which teachers could dictate. Today, students can offer just as much to the learning process as the teacher and many teachers are inspired by this. If Mr. Roberts is correct it will affect every aspect of me being an educator. Rather than participate in burp back education I would be encouraging my students to utilize the tools available to them to gain the information needed to solve any particular problem. I would be available to answer questions that are not readily available to students but knowing I will not be there to hold their hold will only push them harder to get it done on their own.

With this video, After viewing The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler the author illustrates the need for students to engage in the Connectivism approach to learning. This concept was new to me but it seems as though it is very effective. In other words the author believes that the teacher should not be the focus of the learning process. The concept of Connectivism lets a teacher act more a guide to the knowledge process rather than the education process being teacher centered. Although the teacher is less hands on using this concept the learning process of the student remains a focus. This is evident by the joy expressed when the students encounter new resources on their own. Since Technology is a part of everything we do, it is important to be able to utilize resources correctly and efficiently, which is why I believe this concept is very relevant in progression of the 21st century student. The idea of not using a textbook is not necessarily a new one but has been rare to take courses where text books are not required. This video would lead you to believe that soon, all hard copy text books would be obsolete. Before EDM310 I don’t know if I would have agreed with this approach to learning, but now I am a believer. I personally feel a certain level of gratification when I am able to complete my assignments correctly with minimal assistance from traditional text or my instructor.

The main ideas presented in ”Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts” was that not all students can learn with pencil and paper, not including technology in the learning process would mean excluding many students. Ms. Davis believes every student is capable of learning and she is using technology as a vital link between her and her students. The fact that she was previously recognized for having the best education blog in the world speaks volumes as to what has accomplished with the help of technology. Ms. Davis speaks of many teacher’s fear to explore new things because they have not personally mastered a concept. I think that was an important point to make, because like she said the students can also help the teacher and often feel empowered when they do so. One of the most powerful statements in this video was from Ms. Davis it reminds me on the very essence of EDM310 and the views expressed by Dr. Strange “I don’t have to define EVERYTHING and I shouldn't…they should be thinkers.”

Although the concept of ”Flipping the Classroom” is new to me it seems to offer many advantages to students. It introduces them to advanced technology concepts at a younger age and also encourages critical thinking by allowing the students to watch prerecorded information at home so that their questions will be well thought out when they return to the classroom the following day. Although it is only being used for math, it can be useful for all core curriculum subjects. I don’t know about anyone else but as a child when I asked my mother for help with my homework I was often torn between accepting the help she could provide and following the instructions just as they were given to me by my teacher. Flipping the classroom would enable parents to have access to the same information their child is learning in school, thus making it easier to assist him or her. I think this approach would be very useful to me as a teacher. Especially taking the No Child Left Behind Act into consideration. No two children learn at the same pace so flipping the classroom could serve as a backup tool for those student who may not understand something learned in class.

Blog Post #1

Before this semester began I was told by other students that EDM310 is a very time consuming class. How it was explained to me, EDM310 focuses on self discipline and your grade will be a direct reflection of your efforts. Finally, I was informed that there was zero tolerance for late assignments and that the lack of regularly recorded grades is also an area of concern for many students. Although I was apprehensive about the course I decided to register and find out for myself.

I am apprehensive about many things pertaining to EDM310 but the lack of a structuralized grading system seems to frighten me the most. As college students we are often trained to obtain educational achievement by reaching the bar that is established by the professor. After reading the syllabus and other course related documents it seems that rather than reaching a bar set by someone else we are required to set the bar for ourselves with no regard to anyone else, that in itself can be a bit overwhelming. There is also a fear of being judged. A blog is very personal and is available for everyone to see, that can place an enormous amount of pressure on someone who is new to the concept.

EDM 310 is similar to a few courses I have taken at the University of South Alabama, for example EDF 315. Both classes provided very detailed course information and set very clear expectations for perspective students, especially a zero tolerance policy for late assignments. EDM310 is also very similar to EPY355 in that they both set expectations that a certain amount of time needs to be set aside each week to complete the course work presented to students. My first Bachelor's degree from the University of South Alabama was in Criminal Justice so I have been exposed to a variety of courses. Each course provided a unique set of guidelines and expectations. For instance, attendance was not required in CJ390, alternative dispute resolutions but it is mandatory for certain dates in EDM310. In MA202, Math for Elementary School teachers, all assignments are promptly loaded into Sakai and our current average is always available for review, vastly different from EDM310 where grades are not the focus of the course.

I personally feel that time management will be the most difficult aspect of EDM310. I am a full time student, mother and part time employee with the Mobile County Public School system so it will be challenging to ensure that EDM310 gets AT LEAST 9 hours of my time per week, but it is very possible.

Planning my weekly activities in advance will be the best way for me to address the "most difficult" aspect of EDM310, which is time management. By keeping detailed notes and properly documenting assignment due dates and exams days I will ensure that I can devote the required amount of time to EDM310.

Since grades are not considered important in EDM310 I would like to know how a students knows whether or not they are not meeting the required expectations by the add/drop date. I would also like to know if throughout the semester any extra credit assignments will be available. The best way to address these questions is to ask previous students or directly consult Dr. Strange.

Practice Post

My name is Tywondra Walker but my friends and family call me Ty. I'm 26 years old and have resided in Mobile, Al most of my life. Over the years I have lived in Louisiana, Texas, Tennessee, and Virginia. My major interests include traveling, shopping and learning new things. One could say that the sequence of events that led me to become a student at the University of South Alabama are far from average. I began my freshman year of college in New Orleans,La at Dillard University the same week that Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on the city. As a result, I was forced to move back to Mobile, Al and the rest is history!

I am the oldest of two children who are the result of a 27 years marriage. My younger brother, Tommie, is 21 years old and is a Junior at the University of Alabama. My mother is a graduate of Alabama State University and owns a medical billing company here in Mobile, Al. My dad recently retired from the US Navy after 30 years of service and now enjoys a life of leisure. I spend time with him daily and it is something I have come to enjoy very much. Aside from being a sister and a daughter, I am also a mother. I have 2 children, Tiyana who is six years old and Tylan who is two years old. They are my primary focus at this point in my life and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I want to enter the Education field to make a positive impact on the youth. I originally graduated from the University of South Alabama in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice. My goal was to become a Juvenile Probation Officer but after many years of no work in my field I decided to return to College. Although it was not my first field of study I feel that I can accomplish just as much in the field of Education as I intended to accomplish in the field of Criminal Justice. I believe that character is molded at a young age and I want to be a part of the very critical years that can make such an impact on a child's future choices.

Shopping seems to be what I am the best at right now, simply because it is so easy to do! However, I like traveling more than I like to do anything else. I will have pictures available from my favorite pastime ,traveling, in the near future! I would like to get better at learning new things. It is a broad category but for me it includes incorporating reading into my day to day activities and that is something I really want to accomplish.

Although I have lived a pretty interesting life I didn't take my first flight until I was 24 years old! It was a trip to San Diego with my parents and I guess you could say a warm up, because three weeks later I took a 14 hour flight to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. I really enjoyed traveling outside of the United States and if given the opportunity I would live outside of the United States up to 3 months out of every year!

Welcome to my world!

My Test Post Title

This is my first post for EDM310. I am officially a blogger!

My Test Post Title

This is my first post. I am now a blogger!