Blog Post #14, What Did You Miss?

The Assignment I Would Have Liked to Do
Explain a historical event that is especially significant to you. Be sure to give specific details like: who, what, when, where, and why it is so significant to society and to you. Present your event as Prezi, Google presentation, anything except a powerpoint presentation.  Include two different types of media.

How I Would Have Done It

My #2 Personal Learning Network Update

This semester I added Quora and Google Docs to my PLN. Quora is a site/app that allows people to post questions to the public domain and target certain groups for an answer. Even though not all the answers are absolute fact it doesn't mean the opinions are not helpful. When I am stuck on something or can not think about where to begin on a subject I can pose my question, and typically I recieve an answer and it helps me regroup if nothing else. Google docs is a class tool I was introduced to in this class. Since then however I have used the Google presentation, document, and folder. I have decided to organize my network with Netvibe.

C4K November

Comment #8, For Kaitlin 
Hello Kaitlin my name is Secoria Burks. I am a junior at the University of South Alabama; I have been assigned to comment on your post. This is all very new and interesting information to me. It never would have occurred to me that such a large percentage of Soy came from Nebraska. I am from Alabama and one of our biggest crops are potatoes,sweet potatoes and corn, but I don’t believe they have a global impact like soy does.

Comment #9, For Taeshell 
Hi Taeshell,
My name is Secoria Burks and I am a college student at the University of South Alabama. From reading this post I believe you will be a great writer some day. I like a lot of your word choices and you painted a very vivid picture of what your first day of school was like. Keep up the good work.

Comment #10, For Mrs. Yollis
Hello my name is Cori Burks ,and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. My major is Secondary Education/ History. This semester I am taking EDM310 with Dr.Strange. We have assignments in this class that require commenting on different blogs. This week I was assigned to yours and it was interesting. I really enjoy all of your graphics.

My plans for Thanksgiving consist of going home to Montgomery ,and spending time with family and friends. I am so excited to see my hometown friends. The holidays are our annual reunion season. It is sure to be filled with laughs and shenanigans. More than anything I plan to cook and eat to my heart's content. It will be weird to cook without my sister this year ,but I know she'd want the holiday to be the same. All in all, I look forward to my Thanksgiving this year.

The C4K I enjoyed doing the most was the last one for Mrs. Yollis. A teacher for twenty-seven years and a constant learner. She has traveled all over the world and in doing so she has expanded her thirst for knowledge. I was also very impressed by the writings of my second C4K, Taeshell. She was very clear and vivid.

C4T for November

Comment #1, Visiting Other Classrooms 
Hi my name is Secoria Burks and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am currently taking EDM310 and I have been assigned to comment on your blog for the next two weeks. I would like to inform you that I will be summarizing your posts and my comments on my class' blog.

As I stated, I am not yet a teacher but this is one of the things I really look forward to as a teacher. When I am in my education classes I imagine going to schools and visiting people in my classes in their classrooms. Even though I am not a teacher at this point I can relate to how visiting schools can inspire you to try new things. Or in my case to work harder to reach the goal of becoming a teacher.

Comment #2, Come Teach at my School 
Hello Henrietta, this will be my last comment for EDM310 but, not my last visit to your site. Until this class I only had one perception of a how a classroom is run. Unfortunately it didn't include half of what I have learned so far. I am hopeful that once I am a teacher I will be in an environment where I can flourish as well as you have.

This month I was assigned to Mrs. Henrietta Miller from Sydney, Australia. I have read a few of her other posts, and naming this blog the classroom chronicle is more than fitting. By reading at least one post from every year you can follow her journey into knowing and using technology in her classroom.

Project 12-Part B(Collaborative)

Blog Post # 13 (Collaborative Post)

Some Interesting TED Talks

How to Use Videos in Education by Salman Khan

Authored by Secoria Burks

Teaching through videos allows students to learn at that their own pace. They have the ability to stop, pause,fast forward, or rewind if they need to. As far as flipping a classroom is concerned videos can be vital. Mr. Khan also proposes the idea that videos can make a classroom more human. By using videos as an at home teaching tool. Classroom time can be used for practice, collaboration, and assessment; not instruction. Assessment is one of the topics his online school are attempting to change as a whole. He believes that a one shot test isn’t very productive. Students are taught a section and at the end they have a test. The score on the test indicates what they understood or retained, but no matter what the score teachers move on to the next section. The Kahn Academy has created a system that prompts students to try until they master the skill.

What Do Babies Think?

Authored by: Lindsay Stewart

Alison Gopnik explores the decision-making and intelligence of babies.  Alison seeks to answer why and how children and babies can learn so much so quickly.  She suggests that it is due to the amount of time human beings spend being dependent on adults.  Alison points out that the human species has the longest time for “learning” than any other species.  In this “learning process,” babies and children are protected; this gives them time to learn and process all the information that their brains can handle.  Alison states that babies are designed for learning; they are made for learning, and their brains are one of the most powerful computers.  Once the children grow into adults, all of the things learned can then be put into practice.

Alison shows us how children at the age of four can effectively experiment and form hypotheses; often we think children are “just playing around” or “not paying attention,” when in reality, they are experimenting.  In one instance, a four year old was able to experiment with four different hypotheses in less than two minutes.  Why are adults not able to do this?  Alison suggests it is because adults’ brains are like spotlights; they focus on one thing and block everything else out.  Children, however, have brains like lanterns; they can analyze many different ideas from different places all at once.  Children are unable to zero in on one idea, but the number of possible hypotheses is more numerable than an adults’.

Alison suggests that if we desire to become more open-minded and creative, then our goal is to become as children are.  In this video, Alison’s research on the learning process in children and babies showed us that humans have a great capacity for learning, if we only stop and take the time to recognize it.  Alison’s talk reveals that there is much to understand about the learning process, and there is much more to understand about our children.  Overall, this video shows that it is vital to educate our children and give them all the tools necessary to become productive adults; it is our job to “water” their minds, and then watch them flourish in the garden called, “life.”

Mae Jemison: Teach Arts and Science Together

Authored by: Jo Davis

Mae Jemison: astronaut, doctor, art collector, and dancer uses this TED talk to stress the importance of teaching the arts and sciences in conjunction. With a focus on the future, Jemison states that science education needs remodeling. Right away Mae Jemison introduces an idea that we could all learn from. She explains that the driving force behind research and science is curiosity, and curiosity is born of creativity. Creativity is of course sparked by and nourished by the arts; therefore, science and the arts are intertwined. This school of thought that keeps the arts and sciences separate is damaging to progress. She gives the example of the shuttle used to fly her to space and the Buntu statue she brought up with her were both products of human ingenuity and creativity. This is truly an invaluable way of perceiving the world and the things we learn. She even provides the following quote from Albert Einstein to support her view, “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.” The mysterious of the world we live in invoke thought that leads to evolution in both art and science, so naturally it makes sense for both subjects to be taught in a way that expresses their mutual relationship. Jemison goes on to further explain how arts and sciences are not so different but the main point she  stresses is how one is not more important than the other. Art and science alike are vital in composing and bettering the outcome that is the condition of human life. This disparity between the education of science and art in schools is detrimental to the learning habits of future generations. If only one thing was to be taken away from Mae Jemison’s TED talk it is the fact that the arts and sciences are both key to progress and must be regarded and taught as equals.

Project # 15 My Third Lesson Plan

This is  the link to site with my third lesson plan.

Blog Post #12, What We Learned from Mr. Ken Robinson

Changing Education Paradigms

Authored by Secoria Burks

In this video Ken Robinson addresses problems that we face in education so far. Education as it is alienates certain students, and marginalizes points of value in students. Current school structure was designed during the Enlightenment period and was based around economics and intelligence. This system has created the notion that there are smart and non-smart people and this is not only ineffective but creates unnecessary chaos. 

Another topic he discusses is the misappropriated use of prescription drugs on students and the effects they have on classroom participation. He explains how students of this age are the most stimulated in history. They are being stimulated by their surroundings and more and more by chemical substances.Both of these things make it hard for students to focus on what is usually boring student material. Instead of attempting to make the material just as stimulating students are often penalized for not being interested. The point he really works at is that students are being numbed to experiences that are supposed to make them feel alive. 

School structure is another big topic he discusses. He emphasizes the importance put on student age instead of ability. Also he elaborates on how schools are modeled after factories. There are ringing bells, separate facilities, subjects are divided up, and students are taught in batches determined by age. This is a form of educating that is only conducive to standardized learning. His final topic is divergent thinking, he begins by explaining that divergent thinking is an essential component to creativity and that as children progress in the current education machine they lose this skill.   


The Importance of Creativity with Ken Robinson

Authored by: Lindsay Stewart

In this video, Ken Robinson provides a profound case for the need of our educational system to nurture rather than undermine creativity.  Ken’s talk is very entertaining, and he kept my full attention for the duration.

Ken explains that everyone has an interest in education; it is not only teachers or students that have an interest.  Ken explains that education is meant to lead our children into the future.  However, he also points out that the future is quite unpredictable, and how can we educate for unpredictability?  Ken explains that we must begin with nurturing the innovation, talents, and creativity of others.  He points out that our current education system stifles the creative minds of children; furthermore, Ken states that there is currently an academic inflation.  There is a lot of focus on degrees and meeting education marks.  Ken directs us to see that children are not, by nature, afraid of taking chances; rather, we are educating our children out of creativity.  He argues that if you do not take chances and are afraid of being wrong, then you will not come up with anything creative and original; this is something that education takes away from children.

Ken is passionate about nurturing the creativity of others.  Instead of squandering the talents of our children, we should embrace them.  He shows us that degrees really are not worth much compared to the creativity we are stifling.  We need to change our perception of human capacity, and we should use our gift of imagination wisely and encourage that gift in others. Ken’s talk on creativity brought to life again many points I have read and heard recently through the interaction in my EDM310 class.  There are many passionate educators that want to see a change, and there are people that “really get it.”  But how do we move from pointing out the issues to making the changes to put these great ideas into practice?  There are many guidelines that educators must follow based on where they are employed.  I would hope my classroom would be one that encourages all creativity, but I am concerned about my own limits as an educator.  When will “those in charge” embrace the need to allow more imagination and nourishment of talents in our schools? As Ken says, the future is unpredictable; I hope the future includes many ideas I have in my own imagination.

How To Escape Education’s Death Valley

Authored by: Jo Davis

In this TED talk Sir Ken Robinson discusses not only the problems that have caused the dire state of education in America but also the problems with the solutions that have been proposed to fix education in America. Firstly he addresses the ironically named “No Child Left Behind” program and the harm that it has done for education and for the flourishing of students' minds. Sir Ken Robinson states that there are three principles that are essential for human life to flourish and that they are all three contradicted by the system of education at present. The first of the principles that Sir Ken Robinson reveals is that human beings are naturally very diverse and vary greatly amongst one another. This nature of diversity is directly contradicted by the No Child Left Behind program that places an extreme importance on conformity and standardization. The forced system of standardization narrows the field of education for students to a small group of subjects that have been deemed necessary. The subjects and material being taught are important but by themselves with all the focus only on these subjects it is simply not sufficient. As Sir Robinson says, a focus on the arts and humanities is an absolute necessity when it comes to a proper education. Along with the cherry picking of subjects, the methods of teaching and learning are also being stifled so all children must learn and do school work in a uniform manner, yet again directly contradicting the diverse human nature. The next principle that Sir Robinson addresses is the inherent curiosity of human kind. He states that children are natural learners and if educators can just light the spark of curiosity the children will learn so much on their own. He attributes part of this problem to the de-professionalization of the teaching profession. Teachers are not meant to only pass along learned information but to rather facilitate learning. Instead, the current system of education in America enforces compliance by having teachers teach and students learn only for the purpose of a standardized test. In this system the curiosity of the students is being quashed and learning is being impeded. It is crucial that this problem is rectified as curiosity is absolutely vital in education and learning.  The last principle Sir Robinson addresses is that of the creativity of humans. He states that education has a duty to nurture creativity in developing minds. This is yet again being stifled by the culture of standardization. Sir Robinson compares this to the highly successful education system in Finland and states that the Finnish individualize teaching and learning, place a very high standard on the profession of teaching, and devolve the power and responsibility of teaching to the individual school level. These methods address the three principles Sir Ken Robinson spoke on to create what diverse, curious, and creative humans need to learn...and organic system of education! With such a system that can develop and aid students in learning, the current crisis in American education would be no more. So much can be learned from Sir Ken Robinson by taking these essential factors for the flourishing of the mind and using them to evaluate the state of education in America. All educators should take his points into consideration because as he stated,” No school is better than its teachers.” America is certainly in dire need of an escape from education’s death valley.

Ken Robinson is an innovator in education, and he pushes others to understand their students and their talents more fully.  We listened to three videos provided by TED Talks in which Ken guides our thoughts into a direction away from the mundane, structural, and predictable educational system. He challenges us to question the current structure of our educational system and pushes us to encourage others in their creativity.

Project #12 Part A, SmartBoard Demo

Blog Post #11, Mrs.Cassidy's Class

First Graders in Mrs. Cassidy's Class While the first video was very interesting and valuable it was similar to so many others that we have seen in this class so far. I did like that in this video however, the students were being taught how to be safe and conscious online. They never put too much personal information online and they are never mean or hurtful online. Children gain from having an audience; blogs and wiki pages give them an audience. The most important thing I want to mimic in my classroom is the social networking. I believe that high school students could benefit greatly from connecting with people from all around the world. As young adults preparing to join the working force it is important that they know how to make connections with people who are different from themselves. The Cassidy-Strange Interviews In her interviews Mrs. Cassidy was very insightful, her opinion of teaching made a lot of sense. Technology is something that is constantly changing. That is something teachers new and old should embrace. The classroom blog and site are definitely things I would want to apply also I would want to continually add to my learning network. As Cassidy stated, she progressed into the use of technology she has now and she is always looking to add more tools. Another the topic she mentioned was reaching out as a teacher to other teachers. The never ending learning process of a teacher. I have had a twitter for about three years and I rarely ever use it. I created a second one for this class and I seldom check it. This is one of the things I would like to emulate from her. She says she isn't really interested in Facebook or Twitter for personal use but they fit her needs as a teacher. As well as using those she has branched out to find other sources. Being a teacher has always been my dream so I have never thought about things that would impede my teaching career. Up until this point, the only thing I could imagine that would interfere with me teaching would a disruptive student. I am now aware that not all teachers or administrators will be accepting or receptive of PBL which I hope to use. At this moment I can not really think of any way to combat that. Hopefully when I begin teaching I will have a supportive system like she did. If not I suppose I will just have to form one of my own.

C4T # 3

Comment #1,
Hello Mr. Crosby
My name is Secoria Burks, I am a junior at the University of South Alabama. Currently I am taking EDM310 and this week I have been assigned to comment on your post. I will be summarizing your post and my comment on our class blog.

I have never experienced an earthquake before, the closest experience I can recall is when a plane flew to close to our trailer and shook everything. It is really though cool that you could find a lesson plan in a natural disaster. I'm sure it was really cool for your students, and it was a creative way to pull a positive from something negative.

Comment #2,
Hello Mr.Crosby,
I really like your analogy for this post. As a student in EDM310 I can definitely feel the workout that my brain is receiving. I can also see how by having to do assignments weekly is making them easier. The fact that my work can be and is seen by other people makes me more conscious about the quality of my work.

My C4T for this month was Mr. Brian Crosby, I was really excited to be assigned to him. Something I gained from both of his post were that you have to seize opportunity when it strikes. Any catastrophic natural disaster is can be seen as a negative and indeed usually has negative effects on children socially but Mr.Crosby turned it into an assignment. Another thing I admired about the first post was that he took into consideration the emotional trauma some of his students would have. He made arrangements so those students would be able to learn the same material without bringing up any painful thoughts. The second post was very relevant to my current situation as a student in this class. The first couple of weeks in this class were very difficult, similar to how difficult it is when you work out for the first time. As the semester progressed and I got slightly better at doing things it became easier. Honestly I was very pleased with C4T this assignment.

C4K for October

Comment # 1, For Tony at Elsanor Elementary
Hi Tony, 
My name is Cori,Im a student at So the University of South Alabama. I read your post and I never knew the sky weighed anything at all. Thats really interesting but, maybe you could get someone to help you type your posts so its easier to read.

Comment #2, For Andrew Pickle  
Hi Andrew, 
My name is Cori Burks. I am a junior at the University of South Alabama and this week I am assigned to your blog. From reading this post I can tell that you are a very understanding young man. You have a very strong ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes. Another thing I've noticed is that you are very curious. You write your opinion and have a question. These things made reading your blog very interesting. Keep up the good work.

Comment #3, For Josias
Hey Josias
My name is Cori Burks, I am a student at the University of South Alabama. You are a very interesting young man. I think its cool that you like to read, I have been my growing book collection all my life. Seeing how you like weird saltwater fish, I am sure you've heard of a blobfish. They live in the deep oceans off the coast of Tasmania, Austrailia, and New Zealand. Give it a Google if you haven't heard of them already. 

Comment #4, for Manlily 
Hi Manlily, 
My name is Secoria Burks;I am a student at the University of South Alabama in America. You write very well and I think its very cool that you chose to write about your grandmother. It would have been even cooler to know how she is kind to you, but good job on your post.

My C4K's this month were really very interesting, my two favorites would have to be Josias and Andrew Pickle. All of the post had interesting points but these two stood out to me because the post were both interesting and very well written.