C4K for the Month of April.

My first C4K assignment for this month was Shaitarn. This student goes to Pt England School Auckland, N.Z. The blog was titled "Fiafia" Fiafia is an exciting day held at Pt England School. The day consists of food, games, and performances. Parents and students are welcome. Shaitarn was in one of the performances and his parents were very proud of him.

Hi my name is Brittany Sparks. I am college student at the University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed reading your blog post. It sounds like Fiafia is an exciting day. I am glad you overcame your fear and performed in front of everyone. Your parents must be proud of you!

C4KShaitarn

The second blog I was assigned to comment on this month was Bitner. His blog was titled "Bitner Swimming Story". Bitner has been taking swim classes at a local swimming pool. Mrs. Jenny had her students make a video about their swimming lessons. This helps the students practice their simple sentences. Bitner shares his technique of how he swims at his swimming lessons.

My comment to Bitner was I really enjoyed your swimming video. Keep up the good work and the more you practice the better you will get. Practice makes perfect!

C4KBitner

Blog Assignment #15 Final Reflection

Blog Assignment #13

This week the students of EDM 310 are assigned to create a blog post in a area of their speciality. I chose English Language Learners. My major is Elementary Education. In my future classroom I will have a bunch of students who do not speak English as their first Language. This information will be useful for anyone in the education field. The driving question for this blog assignment is what technology can be useful in the classroom to help English Language Learners. I have provided sources below to research this question.

1. The first video English Language Learners:Culture, Equity,and Language(5:09) shows how English Languages Learners bring value to the classroom. It is important to keep those students on track.

2. Read the article Supporting English Language Learners with Technology by Juliette Heinze.

3. Watch ELL Technology in the Classroom (2:33)

4. Watch Classroom Technology for ESL/ELL/Foreign Language Students (6:54).

5. Watch Using Technology to Teach English Language Learners(6:51).

The first video is called "English Language Learners: Culture, Equity, and Language". This video introduces the viewers on the importance of finding the best way to teach ELL students. The video starts off by showing some teachers reflecting on their experiences of when they were in grade school and could not speak English. They shared their personal experiences and how it was difficult. They said the teacher often did not understand how to teach them. In the United States there is an increasing number of ELL in the classrooms. Teachers need to have the correct preparation to teach these ELL students. NEA is a program that helps teachers prepare to teach ELL students successfully. The ELL bring a lot to the classroom. They bring their culture and background that they can share with the teachers and students. It is very important that all teachers need to be aware of their students learning needs in their classroom. ELL students have different traditions and experiences that they can share with their classmates. Because of this the classroom is diverse. The teacher should make those students feel just as equal and valued.

In the article called "Supporting English Language Learners with Technology" it tells the viewers ways technology can benefit ELL students. When ELL students use technology it helps them build on their vocabulary, reading, and comprehension. This website goes through three helpful tools that will help students learn. The first is called image galleries. Image galleries provide clues on the pictures. The clues help students have a better understanding of what the picture is. The second is multilingual books. Multilingual books are helpful to those students who have mastered literacy in their first language. It makes it easier to learn in English when they already understand the subject being taught. An idea for the classroom is to have students make their own books. The third is multimedia projects. Multimedia projects include videos and online activities.

The second video is called "ELL Technology in the Classroom". This video tells the viewers how technology is changing the way teachers teach and students learn. In this ELL classroom students are using blogs to help them write better. They are exploring with iPads and seeing real world examples in front of them. This ELL classroom is up to date with technology and the teacher of this ELL classroom  provides students access to many sites to help them learn. Technology also helps the students communicate and share ideas with one another.

The third video is called "Classroom Technology for ESL/ELL/Foreign Language Students". This video goes into detail about useful technology for ELL students. The first tool covered is Edublogs.  Edublogs is a safe way to create and manage students blogs. Another beneficial factor of Edublogs is to help improve children's literacy skills. The second technology tool discussed in this video is the smart pen. The smart pen is useful because it records everything and says words out loud. Another plus is it offers translation of languages. Students can tap the paper and the smart pen will provide more information about what a student is writing or doing. The third technology tool discussed is an app called Lingo World. Lingo World allows students and teachers to click on any language. There are tons of topics to choose from. Once a student selects a topic they can begin. The game says different phrases and the student types what it means below. There are many features that help the students with the game. One feature is the computer will read the phrase out loud to the students in either language. Lingo World offers many activities. The fourth use of technology is the smart board. Many websites offer games to help students learn languages. An example is Pinata Concentration game. There are tons of websites that offer games like this that will help students get involved and interact with one another.

The fourth video is called "Using Technology to Teach English Language Learners". In this video it starts off by talking about 21st century learning. 21st century learning is all about the use of technology in the classroom. Technology is extremely important for ELL. Technology is the best source for visual aids among other things. It can help ELL students work on their language acquisition skills. Examples of technology in the classroom would be smart boards, podcast, audio visual, and iPads. The video reviews over some apps useful for ELL such as Bilingual Kids. There are many other tools that will help students learn and grow in the classroom.

English Language Learners:Culture, Equity,and Language

Supporting English Language Learners with Technology

ELL Technology in the Classroom

Using Technology to Teach English Language Learners

Blog Assignment # 12

C4T Tyler Rice

For this C4T assignment I was assigned to Tyler Rice. Tyler Rice is an Instructional Technology Specialist and Coach. His blog is titled "Wisdom begins with Wonder". I read his most recent blog post called "Commencement Day". In this blog post Tyler Rice informed his audience that Blue Scholars is one of his favorite music artist. The song in his blog post got a teacher in trouble in Spokane,WA. The reason the teacher got in trouble was because of the profanity in the song. Although the song has a good meaning behind it. Tyler Rice lets his audience make the call on whether or not it is appropriate for the classroom. The song Commencement Day is about the troubles for teachers and students. Our generation is mislead and teachers need new traditions. Times are changing and teachers need to make sure all students are succeeding. A change needs to be made. Tyler Rice is willing and hopeful for the future of our education systems. He says "I gladly share my opinions – with anyone who will listen – about testing, grades, professional development, the purpose of school, punishments and rewards in school, etc."

My comment for Tyler Rice was Hi my name is Brittany Sparks. I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am currently taking a course called EDM 31O and this week I am assigned to comment and summarize one of your blog post. I liked the song. I think it shows real meaning behind it. I would like to teach elementary students when I finish my degree. I do not think I could show them this video. An older class I could see though. Students need to be aware and like you said open to ideas to help improve the education system. This video could be a start to expressing what needs to be changed. Teachers can also find other ways to make a change. Thanks for posting!

The second blog post I read from Tyler Rice was called "Make time for.. Getting Socratic". In this blog post he discusses how he wants to improve the questions he asks in the classroom and that it is his goal for this year. He wants to ask questions that get students thinking deeper into a topic. He wants his students to be able to discuss what they have learned. Tyler Rice wants the questions he asks to help the students move forward in the class and to ask questions to make sure his students are understanding the material. He thinks that asking better questions will produce better results than lecturing the entire class time.

My comment to Tyler Rice was Hi my name is Brittany Sparks and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I really like how you set a goal about asking better questions. I do not think I have had a teacher who has used this method before. I think it is a great idea to ask questions that make students think more deeply into a topic instead of just going on to the next subject. I will definitely take notes of these ideas for when I become a teacher. Thanks for posting!

C4Ttylerrice

Smartboard Project Part B

C4K Summary of March

The first C4k assignment for March was a 2nd grader from Pt England School Auckland, New Zealand whose name was Danielle. Danielle is currently learning how to write simple sentences correctly and independently. Her story is about a toy, Harold the Giraffe. Danielle tells her story about Harold the Giraffe on video so everyone can view it. In her video she describes Harold the Giraffe in great detail. The description Danielle gave of Harold the Giraffe was that he had a yellow body with brown spots. He has a very long neck and he is handsome. She also drew a picture of Harold the Giraffe.

My comment to Danielle was that I loved your drawing of Harold the Giraffe. You are very talented. Good job on your sentence and keep up the good work. The more you practice the easier it gets.

My second C4K assignment was Eric from Pt England School Auckland, N.Z. He has been blogging since year four and now is in year 7/8. He is in Mrs. Lagitupu's class. His blog was titled "Cyclone Lusi". His blog has five paragraphs about the cyclone. The first paragraph described the storm and that it was huge. The storm only hit certain parts of the world. During the weekend a cyclone called Lusi hit North Island of Zealand. Cyclones are dangerous. Heavy winds blow objects everywhere and the storms can sometimes turn into tornadoes or thunderstorms. In his second paragraph Eric informs the world that being near the water during a cyclone is dangerous. In his third paragraph he states how horrible the weather was over the weekend. The fourth paragraph is where he listed the worst things that could of happened. Such as cars spinning out of conrol on the roads. The fifth paragraph I find most important because Eric informs everyone on safety precautions about cyclones.

My comment to Eric was "Hi my name is Brittany Sparks". I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am currently taking a college course called EDM 310. I enjoyed reading your blog post it was very informative and included lots of details. I like how you included the safety precautions for cyclones. That is very important information to share with everyone including your classmates.

My third C4K assignment is Sesilia from Pt England School Auckland, N.Z. Sesilia is in Mrs. Padget's class. Her blog is titled "Oscar Pirtorius". Oscar Pirtorius is a famous athlete. He is known for winning two gold medals at the Paralympics last summer. Sesilia summarizes the tragic event that happened last year in Feburary. The tragedy begins when Oscar and his girlfriend were sleeping in a hotel. He thought he heard someone in the restroom. He pulled out his gun and shot the door three times. When he opened the door his girlfriend was dead on the floor. He could not believe what he had done. When the court looked back and told him how he killed her he covered his ears.

My comment to Sesilia was that was a very interesting blog post to read. It is good to know the latest news around the world.

C4KDanielle

C4KEric 

C4KSesilia

C4T Jason Hahnstadt

My C4T assignment for March was to read Jason Hahnstadt's blog. His blog is titled The Flipped Coach. His first blog post I read was "Flipping in Physical Education 2.0: It’s all about the videos!" which discusses how the flipping teaching method can be used in Phyiscal Education. The method instructors use to teach this is to provide students with videos to view at home the night before the lesson is taught. The videos contain lessons and rules for the games. The students then come to class already prepared to ask questions. This will give the students more time in the classroom. This method is also helpful if a student needs extra instruction and it gives the teacher time to provide feedback to all the students. Students can also analyze themselves through video and critique where and what they need to work on. The following video is a great example of the flipping teaching method in a PE classroom.


My first comment was "Hi my name is Brittany Sparks". I attend the University of South Alabama. I am in a course called EDM 310. I really like the idea of the flipping teaching method in PE. It will save the teacher and students a lot of time. They will get more time to enjoy and play the games in PE. Letting them view the lectures and rules to the game the night before gives the students the chance to have their questions ready at the beginning of class. This method can also be great for feedback.

The second post I read from Jason Hahnstadt was titled "What is Flipped Coaching?". This blog post discusses the defintion of flipped coaching. Instead of lecturing your students during class, the teacher is assigning a video at home to watch. This gives students more freedom and responsibility. When it comes to class time they have more of a chance to get involved in the activities planned. The most important part of flipped coaching is it gives students more time in class to master a concept or skill they just learned. Technology is becoming a big part of Physical Education classes.

My comment was "Hi my name is Brittany Sparks". I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. Flipped coaching sounds like a great idea for a PE class. It will give the students extra time to play and learn new games. This will also be great if a student needs extra time learning a new skill or concept.

C4TJason Hahnstadt

Blog Assignment # 11

Chloe Woodham: In the video Back To The Future, Mr. Brian Crosby tells us about how he gets his class of multicultural and at risk students to learn how to use project based learning. He starts off by telling us about his class and how most of his students do not know what city they live in. Crosby uses technology to gain the interest of his class. The students use laptops to connect to different students around the world. Mr. Crosby collaborated with a local university to create a balloon that would carry a camera and microphone into the different layers of the atmosphere. By doing this, students were able to see first hand the journey that the balloon made. The students were able to create the payload of the balloon and take a hands on approach to this project creating a highly motivating learning environment. They were each asked to write a story about the balloons journey from the perspective of the balloon. These stories were then posted to a class blog along with photos and videos to be shared with the world in a project called “High Hopes”. The students made stratocards with the high hopes that they had for their lives and this also allowed students around the world to post theirs as well. This project also tied into the science atmosphere with cultural and language learning. In this way, children around the world were able to share ideas and information which makes the world a smaller, more neighborly place. What we can learn from this is that teaching is not about giving students busy work and hoping that they will grasp the concepts from that work. Learning is more effective when the students are captivated by the material. We think that teaching is about making the students learn for themselves and from their peers around them. We also believe that by doing projects this allow students to be interactive with each other. By motivating students with exciting projects they will actively absorb information and retain it for life. Mr. Crosby also showed us the value of public sharing when he was able to use technology to allow a young girl with cancer to be part of his class and participate with her peers instead of being homeschooled. That is a beautiful gift and he should be applauded for not allowing that girl to be isolated. Paul Anderson’s Blended Learning Cycle. In this video, Mr. Anderson talks about his combination of blended learning and the learning cycle. Blended learning is a combination of online, mobile, and classroom learning. The Learning Cycle contains five key components: Engage, Explore, Explain, Expand, and Evaluate. He uses this system of learning to create his own unique learning style he names QIVERS`.Q: Question-Mr. Anderson begins each unit with a driving question about a subject matter the students are unfamiliar with. I: Investigate- he asks the students to hypothesize what they believe the answer to that question is. V: Video- he gives the students video links with instructions and information so that they can explore the subject matter independently. E: Elaboration- he then explains the subject matter and provides his class with more detailed information. R: Review- in this stage, he reviews with the students one on one to ensure the student understands the information. S: Summary quiz- he gives a quiz to evaluate the students knowledge. What we can learn from Mr. Anderson is a successful way to teach our students. His method allows students to be engrossed in the learning process. He allows them to question freely and learn why they are wrong or right. In this way, he is teaching science and how to be an independent learner at the same time.

Meagan McRae What can we learn about teaching and learning from these teachers?

This week we had a collaborative group blog post assignment. My group consisted of Chloe Woodham, Brittany Sparks, and myself. The third video that I watched was entitled Making Thinking Visible, by Mark Church. In this video Church's students had watched a video the day before concerning early human beginnings. Church then had his students write simple one sentence headlines, in their small groups, to sum up what they had watched and present it to the class. At the end of the lesson Church plans on having them do this project again and discuss how the headlines have changed from the first day to the last day of the lesson. By just writing down a simple headline on a piece of paper, Church's students can see what they have learned and how their knowledge on this subject has increased. Students can then gain further insight from other students headlines through a class discussion. I believe this is a good exercise in the classroom since it is visually showing the students what they have learned over time as well as how they have adapted and changed their opinions.

The fourth video that I watched was Sam Pane 4th Grade. This was an extremely interesting video where Pane had his students create comic strips about internet safety. Since students are going to be using technology more in the classroom, they need to know how to be safe about its use. Each student created a comic strip that incorporated themselves as well as the super hero they had created. One of the subjects covered involved not putting your personal information into a site, while another discussed the importance of using safe search engines. The super comics that the students created were very clever and well done, and the students seemed to really enjoy the project. They enjoyed sharing the comics they had created with their fellow classmates as well as seeing what other students had created. I believe this is a smart way to go about teaching this topic to students. By making the lesson interesting, teachers can teach what may other wise be a boring topic and students can have fun while learning. Along the way students are being creative, enjoying themselves, and learning about a program that they might want to use for another assignment or free time project. Pane is a perfect example of using technology in the classroom effectively and having students really be engaged and active in the classroom.

Brittany Sparks The fifth video Project Based Learning by Dean Shareski takes the viewers into a high school classroom in Canada. The students in this high school classroom do not learn segmented subjects. Three teachers have come together to combine History, English, and Information Processing. The teachers are embedding the principles of project based learning to create a better and different learning experience for the students. Research has proven that project based learning increases the amount of engaged learners and provides an opportunity for deeper understanding of the material. These teachers use technology in their classroom to enhance student learning. The first time they tried to use project based learning it was successful but, they knew that there was room for improvement. The students in their classroom are getting excited about projects they are doing. They are extremely proud of themselves. Another important part of project based learning is it gives the students a chance to use technology to bring the content to life. The teachers in this class have also realized there is more time to give students feedback right away on a project or activity.

The sixth video is Roosevelt Elementary's PBL Program . This video describes how project based learning is a different style of learning. It is a different style because it is indepth learning. PBL is integrated thematic instruction and it is based on real world problems. Teachers provide resources for students. The students then work on a project or presentation. Another important part of PBL that was addressed in this video is the students have a choice. Meaning they are giving them an opportunity to make their own decisions. In a PBL classroom a person will see students learning 2lst century skills. The students will be able to use these skills in the future. The students are learning to work independently and in groups. They are also learning how to communicate with one another, solve problems, and support one another in the classroom. PBL is self motivating and the students at Roosevelt Elementary are truly excited to learn and show what they have accomplished.

Project # 10 Interview Movie