Final Project #16

Blog Post #14

Box of Tricks
By: Jose Picardo

Watching Jose Picardo's video Top Ten Tips for Using Technology in the Classroom was very interesting in that with the exception of two, he mentioned the same tools we have been utilizing or learning about in EDM 310.  Over the course of the semester we have gained much of our knowledge through videos, by creating our own blog and by viewing the blogs of other students and teachers.  Through these two tools, not only a skill set was obtained but also a broad range of thoughts and ideas have been proposed to us that have helped influence our own way of thinking that will carry over into our own class room.  We have also had the responsibility of demonstrating our knowledge of the SMART Board and creating interactive exercises along with publishing our own podcast.  Social networks and internet tools such as Google Docs and Symbaloo have allowed us to stay organized and build our personal learning network.  Perhaps the most exciting tool Picardo suggests and we have gotten to use in EDM 310 is teleconferencing tools such as Skype.  Through our Skype interviews we were privileged to conduct interviews with influential educational leaders and some even had the opportunity to interview children's book authors.  While none of our assignments directly instructed us to incorporate music or utilize our own media devices such as iPods and cell phones, many students took the initiative and found way to do so anyway.  With all that being said according to Jose Picardo, we should have no excuse to not take these top ten tips and implement them in the class room.    Picardo also offers something I have included in my own PLN, an A-Z list of internet resources for education.  With the knowledge and networks gained this semester in EDM 310 along with this list, we are set up for success in our own education and to facilitate the education of our future students.  

Final Report on PLN

My personal learning network has definitely grown since the last report.  The layout Symbaloo offers allows me to easily access the sites I regularly visit.  I tried to engage in Twitter more, but cannot seem to get what I can out of other sites such as TeacherTube, TED, and The Alabama Virtual Library.  Adding the appropriate people to follow so that I can use Titter as a quality tool in my education is something I look forward to doing even after the completion of EDM 310.  

C4K #3

On the blog The age of Exploration, students of a tenth grade modern world history course post reflections regularly pertaining to the lesson of that day.  On October 24, 2011 Robby posted why he thought Research Based Classes are Superior.  This particular history class is based on research and presentation rather than lecture.  Robby feels that instead of gaining a wide range of historical facts, he has gained better skills in time management and presentation all the while learning about the subjects that interest him in depth.  I felt that he is not only taking charge of his own education, he is also adding credibility to his name by having researched fully the historical claims he may make.

While exploring Mrs. Yollis' class blog, I came across a picture in her 365 project in which students post a picture a day to the blog.  This picture is of a squirrel stealing fruit that grows in on of the student's back yard.  They had explained that this made the squirrel a nuisance.  I particularly liked this picture because I also have a pair of squirrels in my backyard who enjoy stealing satsumas and pecans from my trees.  I explained that even though they may be annoying, it is fun to watch them fight over the nuts and fruit and to see how even animals can have different personalities.

Finally, Kaycee from Room 14 at Pt England School in Auckland, NZ posted a picture and some facts about the person she admires, Nicole Scherzinger formerly of The Pussycat Dolls and currently a judge on the X-Factor.  Kaycee explained that she admired Nicole for her talented dancing and singing.  I told her another reason to admire Nicole so greatly was because she went to college and put her education first before going on to her professional career, something not a lot of performers do.

C4T #4

On October 29, 2011 Scott Kemp posted to his blog of unfinished thoughts  a quote, "The more you talk about what you believe, the more everyone will know what you believe."  He followed up this quote  by saying  in order for educators become better, we have to be willing to step outside of our comfort zones.  I commented that not only expressing our beliefs influences others to think the same way, but also gains a certain amount of respect for ourselves by holding true to those beliefs and not fear being ridiculed.  I also stated my belief that society cannot progress if we all hold our beliefs to ourselves.   Another very interesting post Mr. Kemp posted was a link on November, 14 2011 to an article from the Harvard Education Letter containing a unique way of reflection.  Instead of only looking back on what was succeeded or not, this article emphasizes to reflect on how your opinions have changed as a result of a particular experience. For example, the author of this article uses the template "I used to think.......and now I think.....".  I am very excited to use this format in my own reflection of EDM 310 because my opinions and view points have changed in ways I never thought they would.

Project #15 SMART Board Presentation #2

By: Lauren Mckenzie, Meredith Anderson and Ashley Haddock 

Special Assignment #1 Metaphors

It is a common thought that metaphors exist primarily in a literary form.  The reality, however, is that metaphors litter our everyday lives.  Since the earliest forms of writing, metaphors have been used to draw comparisons by saying one thing but intending another in order to explain things that are otherwise difficult to describe.  It is imperative in today's society that these metaphors are understood.

Metaphors have played a major role in describing historically important events in the world.  For instance, the term "Iron Curtain" is used to symbolize the Berlin Wall that divided Eastern and Western Germany from the conclusion of World War II to the late 80's.  This term not only reinforces the physical boundary that existed, but also the boundaries of ideologies and the firm stance that was held by both sides.  History books can only go so far to explain the intangible factors seen throughout time, this is where the use of metaphors become useful.  To those that did not live during the Cold War and cannot recall the tensions that were felt nor the fear the world's citizens lived with can collectively infer with the use of this term what life must have been like.  

Metaphors have proven to be a successful tool in the fields of medicine and science.  For most people, understanding scientific concepts do not come naturally and they require a different approach to process the information.  Here metaphors, more specifically analogies, allow an internal mental picture to form and a connection can then be made.  Because the language used in medicine can be unclear to the common person,metaphors are often used when talking about matters of health. Doctors employ this figure of speech to help patients and their family members understand fully certain medical conditions and how they will be treated.  Other metaphors are used to articulate the function of certain organs in the body. For example, the heart is a pump and the brain is a computer.  

One of my favorite examples of the use of metaphors in literature is found in the book To Kill a Mockingbird.  Mockingbirds represent innocence. Like hunters kill mockingbirds, Harper Lee portrays in this classic the many ways people kill innocence and the determination one father exhibits to preserve the innocence in his own children as well as in others.  Another book that implements great usage of metaphors is Eudora Welty's The Optimists Daughter.  This story line offers little plot twists and almost no suspense.  It does, however, contain a plethora of  deep, intense emotions that define the novel.  These feelings are portrayed not by being inside the main character's head, but through a string of metaphors that allow readers to perceive the character's internal struggle that are externally revealed at the end.  

It amazes me in a time where metaphors are inescapable, so many people missed the metaphor found in Tom Johnson's blog Don't Let Them Take The Pencils Home.  Our lives are peppered with metaphors.  We cannot drive down the road without encountering a billboard that possesses one.  Metaphors often determine the products we buy as a result of their ingenious use by advertising agencies, whether we realize it or not. Politicians use metaphors on a daily basis to build popularity for votes or reassure his or her constituents that certain policies are necessary.  Surely no one actually believed that Dr. Strange literally meant that teachers "pour information" into their student's heads after drilling a hole in the top and then "burps them" to get back that information.  Since metaphors have become such a large part of everybody's daily lives, they have become a normal facet of language not matter how embellished the comparison is.  Perhaps this leads to a little insight as to why so many students missed Tom Johnson's metaphor.  When required to recognize a metaphor, there appears to be nothing out of the ordinary.  The key to realizing that a metaphor is being used is to pay close attention to the context clues surrounding the comparison.  It is vital to be able to identify metaphors  and what they mean not only to ensure academic success, but also to make sure sound, informative decisions can be made outside of the classroom.