Monday, December 5, 2011

Blog Fjorten

Jose Picardo's Educational Blog
Jose Picardo is a high school foreign language teacher of Spanish and German. Some facts about him that were of interest to me was that he got a Master's Degree at the University of Leeds (in England) and the educational Spanish activity website he runs called AsiSeHace.net. Jose's blog is very informative and rich in information, but it all seemed a little much for me. Between his interactive whiteboard, internet resources, modern languages, podcasts and tutorials, social media, and views and opinions categories, all of the resources seemed jumbled and difficult to navigate. I enjoyed a few of his personal blog posts, Chimps and Ants and Students can only ever embrace yesterday's technology.


I think the most useful section of Picardo's website, to me, is his list of resources. It has everything! There are countless image editors, programs for combining different information, even in different types of media, making timelines, screen recording, education lesson plan generators, and many many more. The other link, top ten tips for using technology in the classroom is informational, but common sense for anyone in my generation. The list is (1-10): Streaming video, music, teleconferencing, interactive exercises, interactive whiteboard, podcasts, blogs and wikis, social networks, internet tools, and gadgets.

PLN Progress- End of the Year

I was careful to say that this was not my PLN Final Report because I hope to continue to utilize these resources I have discovered. I have been using Symbaloo, but truthfully, I think the EDM 310 folder I have created in my bookmarks will serve me better in the future for convenience purposes. On it, I have all of the C4T teachers' blogs I have been assigned, even extras! Also, I have a few of the classroom blogs, such as Mrs. Yollis and Mr. McClung. There are many videos I have watched as blog assignments, but also related videos and articles I have found on my own exploring, such as The New York Times Learning Blog and this website, but specifically the article titled "10 Open Education Resources You May Not Know About But Should."
In addition, I have many of the programs we have used in this class saved, such as Screenr, TimeToast, and a new one I just found called Popplet, which is a way to display and intertwine (like a spider web) your ideas. I think all of these resources will be helpful in the future!

Sea for K November

Due 11/6
I commented on Mr. McClung's Class blog. They were learning about Medieval Ages and the Renaissance. I thought it sounded very interesting- almost more interesting than my history class!

Due 11/13
I explored Mrs. Yollis' blog, which is truly amazing. The time and creativity put into every niche is evident and effective! Then, I posted on a student, Matthew's blog who wrote a Halloween story called "The Candy Vampire." I really liked his creativity and humor in the story. It was very simple with characters named Draccy and Scarry (the scarecrow), but it had a good moral as well.

Due 11/20
I commented on Te Rina's blog post, a student in Grade 6 at Pt. England School in Auckland, New Zealand. She likes art and chocolate and has eight siblings! She wrote a story about how she visited the moon, looking for water- which she found!- only to find out it was a dream.
My Comment: Hi Te Rina! My name is Jenna and I am a student at a University in Alabama in the United States. After reading your about me, I think we have a lot of things in common! I love making art as well, but lately I have been trying to be more creative and using old things I have (like cloth and magazines) to make art. It's a lot of fun! It sounds like you have a very large family as well-I only have one sister and brother, but my family has A TON of pets to make up for it.

I really liked your story as well! I can tell you are very creative. I am in an astronomy class right now (where we learn about the solar system and everything you would want to know about stars and space) so I think finding water on the moon would be incredible as well! Keep up the good work on your blog!

See 4 Tee 4

Mr. Bernia: The Principal's Principles
Note: I do not really understand why I have been assigned to Mr. Bernia for C4T 3 & 4. Not that I don't enjoy his posts or disagree with him, I just think variety would have been better.

Post #1
Mr. Bernia's first post begins by pointing out the over-use of the words "innovation" and "data-driven" in education. It emphasizes all teachers' and administrators' desire to make their mark in the classroom and on children's lives. My favorite part is Mr. Bernia's introduction to the idea of intrapreneurs and teacherpreneurs which sounds like an effective way for teachers to lead their classrooms, progress academically, and change lives.
My Comment:
Mr. Bernia,
I definitely agree that, by themselves, the words “innovation” and “data-driven” really have little to no meaning. However, through placing importance on building connections, your conclusion makes perfect sense. You cannot innovate without quality data to use as a base, to present a need for the innovation. However, you cannot have quality data without a core of supporters and collaborators- whether teachers, principals, or lunch ladies- to help realize where change can be made. There is no room for this cycle to end, either. With these strong connections, great minds will always come together to pose the need for innovation and creativity in a different aspect of the school.
I checked out the articles you highlighted about intrapreneurs and teacherpreneurs. I agree! The concept is fascinating and a great way to put words to the idea of progress and change every school yearns for. I will definitely keep those pages and overall concepts bookmarked for the future. Thank you!

Post #2
Mr. Bernia's post explored the idea, in the future, of the possibility of a school without a principal. I thought this was clever and something I had never thought about. It emphasizes the need for teachers to be leaders- "teacherpreneurs" for their classrooms in the future.
My Comment:
Mr. Bernia,
I thought your post was very insightful. The idea of an education system existing without principals was something that has never occurred to me! I think the progression of "teacher-preneurs" that the video incorporates would provide the transition, if it were to happen. However, it seems to me teachers already have enough on their plate, and a system such as this would probably require more schooling and training- not something everyone wants to do. In accordance with you, I believe that there will always be a need for an authority figure. Perhaps this vision will be carried out as a new form of administration instead. All very interesting, worrisome but exciting for the future!