Project 6

Blog Assignment 3

Peer Editing
     After reading Paige Ellis's Blog Assignment #12, I really felt a connection with what Paige was saying.  She was not sure what the best way to correct a fellow student's work was.  I felt like this, too.  When we were first assigned to comment on a classmate, I was not sure of the best method to comment.  I did not want to sound mean, but I still wanted to be honest.  What is Peer Editing? and Peer Edit with Perfection Tutorial were both very helpful in describing the best methods to comment on a classmate.  Basically, these two tutorials said to do three things when peer editing.  First, compliment the student.  Tell them what you liked about their writing.  Next, make suggestions.  If you think they could have explained something better, tell them.  Finally, make corrections.  If there are any spelling or grammatical errors, let then know in a nice way.  Writing Peer Review Top Ten Mistakes helped to let you know what not to do when it comes to peer review.  It said that you should not be too mean or too picky when you edit a classmate's paper.  It does not help anyone when all you are is negative.
     The student I was assigned to comment on this week was Ariel Robinson.  I thought she did a really good job in her post.  This was my comment to her:
"Hey Ariel,

This is Susie Salter. I was assigned to comment on your blog this week. I really think you did a good job                                summing up all of the videos. If I had not watched any of the videos, I would have been able to see what they were about just by reading your explanation. Your opinions were very short and concise. That is good, but if I were you, I might want to put a little bit more of my view into an analysis of the ideas in the videos. I liked what you said about feeling pressured as an educator because of all the technology. I feel pressured, too. Part of me wants to stick with tradition, and the other part of me says that teaching should advance along with everything else. Who knows what the 'correct' answer is. I really enjoyed your post.

Sincerely,Susie Salter"

     I chose to say everything I wanted to say to her publicly because I did not have any suggestions that might have been embarrassing to her.  If I felt like I needed to tell her something she might not want the whole world to see, I would have e-mailed her.  I am very happy I learned a little bit more about the correct ways to comment.  It makes me feel more confident when I have to do commenting assignments.

Technology in Special Education
     Technology in Special Education was a video in which a teacher showed the different ways technology helps students with special needs.  She talked with several different special needs students, and they all agreed that the computers helped them do their work easier.  I definitely agree that computers are useful to students with special needs.  Some of these students are not capable of writing because they do not have full use of their motor skills.  It is much easier just to press a key on a keyboard than write out a letter.
     I did have some issues with the video as well.  The teacher in the video did not seem excited at all.  She was reading every word she said off of a sheet of paper on the desk in front of her.  Also, she did not seem enthusiastic at all when she was talking to the students.  I seemed like she was just some random person playing the part of a special education teacher.  Also, even though these technologies dramatically help students with disabilities, where does the funding come from?  I know for a fact that in Alabama funding for schools has been cut dramatically.  In the school where my mom works, they do not even have money for supplies.  Why spend all this money on special needs children when the other children and the teachers are not getting any funding?

Using the iPad for Learning
     While watching How the iPad Works with Academics for Autism, it was interesting to see how excited the child was to do academic related things on the iPad.  He was learning to count, recognize words, and write words.  It was as if these instructional activities were fun games.  I think the child liked the sounds and colors the iPad made when he pressed a shape in the counting exercise.  It also seemed that he was enjoying the attention he was getting from his father while doing the activities.
     After going to Apple.EducationApps.com, I decided to look at the apps related to English/Language Arts.  After going to this section in iTunes, I found a great app I think both special needs and regular students could find fun and useful.  The app is called SpellBoard.  You can basically take the spelling words the students are learning and put them into this program, and the program will turn the words into a word search puzzle.
     The SpellBoard app would be great for all children because it turns learning into a game.  It would probably be easier for students to spell words that they had seen numerous times in a "game" they were playing.  As a teacher, this would be a great assignment for all children because it would be fun, easy, and educational.

Gary Hayes Social Media Count
     After viewing Gary Hayes Social Media Count, it really hit me how much technology is progressing.  His webpage is basically showing how many more technology users there are.  These changes mean a lot for me, especially when I become a teacher.  I will have to stay up to date with the latest technology so I can keep up an interaction with my students.  Let's face it, by the time I start teaching, there will probably be TONS of new technology in use.  It's kind of scary.  I don't want to seem dumb to my students because I don't know about the latest craze in the technology world.
     Even though all this new social media helps people stay in touch, it also hurts their real-world social skills.  I was sitting in biology lecture last week, and one student in the row ahead of me was trying to talk to another student sitting beside him.  Student 2 was too busy playing a game on his smart phone to even acknowledge student 1.  It's sad to think that our face to face social skills are plummeting.  We are so used to getting to read over and edit what we text or e-mail that it may be hard to have a real, in-person conversation.  If it's getting bad now, I hate to see social skills in a few years.

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today
     I really related to A Vision of Students Today.  This video described how much time a student spends doing different things during the day.  The bad part was that the amount of time an average student spends doing different assignments during the day is 26.5 hours.  If anyone has forgotten, there are only 24 hours in a day.  I think this is very true of my life this semester.  I'm taking 19 credit hours.  I work 20-30 hours a week.  I also have to have time to do normal stuff like eating, showering, sleeping, etc.  How do you get everything done?  You multitask and learn to manage your time effectively.
     Another thing that was true in the video was when a person held up a sign that said they spent over $100 on a textbook they never opened.  This is very true here at South.  I have, numerous times, purchased a textbook that was not helpful to me at all.  I may never open this $200 textbook, but when I go to try and sell it back, they tell me there is a "new edition."  I find that ridiculous.  These are the issues teachers should be thinking about.  We college students don't just take one class; we have tons of things to do.  Teachers should take into consideration how much the textbook is.  If they won't be using it, they should tell us that honestly.  I think sometimes teachers forget that students are HUMANS!   Sometimes they create all kinds of work that is doing nothing other than causing the student to resent them.

Project 3

My First C4T Assignment
     For my first C4T assignment, I was given John Spencer's blog, Education Rethink.  My first comment was left on his blog post entitled The Greatest 21st Century Skill.  In this post, Mr. Spencer tells a story about a weekend he had to work at home on school related projects.  He described how his son wanted him to come pick oranges with him.  Mr. Spencer told him that he had to work.  Later, Mr. Spencer's wife takes the boy out to pick oranges and tells him that his father can not come because he has to work.  Mr. Spencer thought about it and decided that his schoolwork was not worth missing out on his moments with his family.  He says at the end of his post "figure out what matters in life and then have the courage, patience, and endurance to live accordingly."  I think this is a great statement.  Many people get so caught up with working that they forget to stop and smell the roses.  We only live once, and we should not waste time doing something meaningless that we could be spending with the ones we love .  I think this is a great concept, and I loved this post by Mr. Spencer.
     The second blog post from Mr. Spencer in which I commented was 10 Reasons Why Most Tests Lead to Lower Standards.  This time, Mr. Spencer talked about the problems with testing.  He gives ten reasons that support his argument that most tests lead to lower standards.  One of the examples he gives is that children just cram material into their heads just long enough to do well on the test, then they forget the material.  I totally agree with his ideas.  I can actually say that I am guilty of this practice.  Who isn't?  Even though I agree tests are not helping students learn, how would you give students credit without tests?  If a student knows there will be no test, he/she will probably not look at the material at all.  This is sad but true.  I don/t see any clear solutions to this problem.  On  different note, Mr. Spencer also had a wonderful drawing he had done himself in this post.  I have really enjoyed reading what Mr. Spencer has to say.

Project 5

Blog Assignment 2

Did You Know?

     After watching "Did You Know?" by Dr. Strange, I was not surprised by any of the statistics except for one. I already knew most people, especially college students, have computers.  Also, most people have cell phones.  The only people I know that do not use these technologies are older and perhaps set in their ways.  Do these technologies aide education?  The answer is definitely.  Students and teachers have access to so many more learning materials with the internet than without it.  However, I think technology also harms education.  It is hard to keep a high school student interested in learning when all they are worried about is texting, going on Facebook, or listening to music.

     As mentioned earlier, I was surprised by one statistic.  The fact that by 2025 the Chinese able to speak English will exceed the English speakers in the rest of the world was mind boggling.  This means that Americans better step it up.  The Chinese may be trying to eventually dominate the United States.  It probably would not be hard for them to do if the economy remains the way it is.  It is definitely something to think about.

Mr. Winkle Wakes

     I understand that "Mr. Winkle Wakes" was supposed to say that more technology should be used in schools.  This is a good idea in theory, but as I recall from high school, if we were given an opportunity to get on the computer to do work, we did not want to do anything other than watch funny Youtube videos or listen to music.  I, for instance, would always want to shop online.  This may have been because we lived in a rural area with mostly dial-up internet connections at home.  It was a treat to have access to high speed internet.  Then again, it may not have been this at all.  Most young people do not find learning fun so letting them use computers in the classroom would probably just distract.  

     Even though USA is not a high school, the students here even get distracted by technology.  You cannot get through one class without someone texting or looking at something inappropriate online.  I think there is a place for technology in school, but it cannot be used freely because students would never learn anything.  Some students might cooperate and do what they are supposed to, but there are going to be some bad apples that distract the entire class by looking at something they are not supposed to be viewing.  Most students need structure to learn.

The Importance of Creativity

     Out of all the videos I watched for this assignment, I most enjoyed "The Importance of Creativity."  Sir Ken Robinson was especially funny.  Even though the video was long, it was much easier to watch just because he made so many jokes.  I liked when he made the joke about Shakespeare going to school and how annoyed English teachers must have been with him.  I also enjoyed the part about women being better multi-taskers than men.  I totally agree with this.  I feel like I do a million more things than my boyfriend does, and he still ends up being more "exhausted" than me at the end of the day.  

     Besides the humor, another good point Robinson had was that all people do not learn the same.  He makes the point that trying to teach everyone the same way stifles creativity.  He makes a good example of this when he says that most children will answer any question without concern for being wrong, but by the time they enter college, all they are concerned with is being wrong.  It would be embarrassing for them to be wrong.  Really, being wrong a little bit makes you learn more than just sitting back and not doing anything.  I also related to his idea that most people do not go into a field they love for fear of not being able to get a job.  This is incredibly true.  Most people I talk to are just going into a field because they want security.

A Vision for 21st Century Learning

     "A Vision for 21st Century Learning" got on my nerves a little bit.  The idea of virtual learning is a good idea in theory because children do love video games.  It would seem like this would make children learn more about history by virtually exploring different places.  I, however, feel like this virtual world would be too much of a game.  Children would not learn the facts; they would just learn how to play the game.

Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

     I enjoyed the concept of "Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts" mainly because it depicted a Southern classroom that used technology to learn and interact with other parts of the world.  Although I liked the concept, I still am not quite on board with the reality of the idea.  It seemed as though this video was advocating ONLY learning about technology as if that is all that matters.  What happened to tradition?  If students use computers for all their writing, what will happen to handwriting?  Will that be an ancient concept?  I think there is beauty and passion in a handwritten work.  It pains me to see this depicted as old news.  Also, it was said that this kind of learning empowered kids.   Well, I guess they do feel empowered when they can go to school, play a video game, and call it learning.  

     Another problem I had with the idea depicted in this video was that, I feel, advocating technology too much can actually make children dumber.  Yes, technology is a useful resource in learning, but when you implement it too much, children use it as a crutch.  Why learn something when you can google it?  What would happen if one day we were faced with a world without internet?  Would today's youth know what to do with themselves?  Would they have any other skills if they had been taught technology so much?  I am not sure what would happen, but I know that it is a scary thought.  People may not even have any communication skills because they have been so used to typing back and forth. 

Project 2

Blog Assignment 1

        About Me

     My name is Susie Salter. I am originally from Evergreen, Alabama.  My major interests are shopping, going to the beach, and hanging out with my friends.  One of the reasons I am currently attending the University of South Alabama is that I like Mobile.  I had the opportunity to attend college at a lot of different universities, but I really like this location.  It is in the South, so the weather is usually nice.  Also, Mobile is very close to Gulf Shores, which is one of my favorite places.  Another reason I decided to come to USA was that I received a scholarship.  The scholarship I received from USA was the best financial contribution I could get in the state of Alabama.  Yet a third reason I decided to come to USA is that my boyfriend attends USA.  I have been here in Mobile two years, and so far, the experience has been very enjoyable.
     I do not have a large family, but I am very close to the one I have.  My mother is probably my best friend.  We can talk about anything.  She is also a teacher, so that is one of the reasons I decided to become a teacher.  My father is no longer with us.  He passed away when I was 14.  I have one brother.  He is a good deal older than me.  He is married with a six year old daughter.  He is also a teacher.  I guess teaching runs in my family.  I have always been good at helping people with educational difficulties.  I have tutored since I was around 12 years old.  I love the time that teaching requires.  I love the fact that I would be off during the summers.  If I do have children one day, I would like to be able to spend time with them.  Teaching also fits in well with my passions.  As said earlier, I love going to the beach.  Being off during the summer would allow me the time to spend at the beach.  I love shopping as well.  I am not sure if teaching connects with that or not because teachers really do not make a lot of money.  I am also very excited about physical fitness.  I think this is a good thing for me to be invested in because I will be a good role model as a teacher.

Randy Pausch on Time Management

      This video is actually very useful if you need help managing your time.  Pausch explains his guide to time management very easily.  He talks about breaking things down into a to-do list.  I think that would be very helpful for a lot of people including myself because it would help make things not seem so monstrous.  Also, it would not be as easy to forget to do something if you had a list laid out in front of you.