Blog Post #3

Peer editing is a crucial component to individual and group learning experiences. Peer editing is the process of critiquing a person's work, ideas, or writing in a way that allows said person to make corrections and effective changes to achieve a higher standard of excellence. A peer is typically a student that is engaging in the same learning experience or is being challenged by a similar subject as yourself. I believe the best way to approach peer editing is to stay positive, find all grammatical and spelling mistakes, and make specific suggestions for specific changes. After going over your given rubric and discussing what your professor expects of the class, I think it is extremely important to start any peer editing with a compliment, as mentioned in the slide show Peer Edit with Perfection Tutorial. Tell the author exactly what you like about their work or ideas. This gives the person conducting the peer editing a chance to elaborate about what changes can be made to add detail to the things they liked about their peer's work. I believe that it is also important when peer editing, to always keep in mind what you would want someone else to say about YOUR work. Staying positive and helpful, instead of irritated and condescending can help your fellow peer more than just giving them corrections. Making specific suggestions on how to have better sentence structure, more vivid details, and more relevant content is more effective than telling your peer what you did not like about their work. After correcting grammatical and spelling errors, I believe it is most important to end your peer editing with another compliment. This gives your peers the confidence to make the suggested changes and assures them of their progress in the classroom.
For peer editing my classmates in EDM310, I will refer to the rubric our group created this week. The rubric we created was fashioned around the instructions given to us by Dr. Lomax and Dr. Strange for writing a quality blog post. Any students in the class can easily find this rubric, which will eliminate questions about the expectations and guidelines used in the peer editing process. This will ensure that my peers will meet our professors' requirements. Along with the rubric, I will use the "compliment sandwich" I described in the previous paragraph to create a comfortable and open line of communication between myself and my peers. Peer editing is vital to any learning experience because not only does it create a conversation between students that could carry on into other projects and assignments, but also allows for unbiased feedback. When the class participates in peer editing, each student benefits from every peer who views their paper. Everyone has a different view and contribution which creates a learning team within the classroom. This setup for success allows everyone to shine, instead of students stepping over each other to be the "golden" student. I think that peer editing will be an important component to our learning experience as future educators, and I am looking forward to my peers' feedback and contribution to my success in this class.

Blog Post #2

This week's blog post assignment had made me so excited for teaching in the 21st century.  I can't believe all of the innovating things that are happening in the classroom of such young students!

1.  This week I was asked to watch a video, Mr. Dancealot, which prompted ideas and questions that are very relevant to my teaching skills in the classroom as a future educator. The central message of this video is that any person, teach or non-teacher, can stand before a class and regurgitate facts and knowledge without truly inviting skills, experiences, and successes in the classroom. True learning comes from trial and error, mistakes, progression, and persistence. The author of the video portrays a class where students become bored, disengaged, and frustrated with their professor who never allows his students to practice the dance moves that are taught in class. Even though Mr. Dancealot spends several classes showing the students the dance moves on power-point and even some moves from behind his desk, (a metaphor, I believe that came from the creator of this video) he stills refuses to let any of the students physically practice the moves. The author portrays the students' frustration, showing how the class grows smaller in numbers, week by week. By the final exam, students still have no concept of these dances on which they are being tested. The author is demonstrating a situation that I believe happens often in today's classrooms. I have experienced it personally in my previous college classes. I think that it is crucial for a learning experience to incorporate application and also the ability to ask questions and find answers when the learning process becomes difficult. I agree with the author's conclusion in this video and recognize that information is useless without actual application. Mastering a new skill/concept. in my opinion, is the ultimate goal and must be done through a facilitated learning process.

2. In the adapted presentation of Teaching 21st Century Students by Kevin Roberts. Roberts believes that it is the job of educators in the 21st century to be filters to the technology-provided information as well as facilitators of critical thinking, creativity, and discussion.

I.Teaching will become obsolete if we only regulate...
- facts
- research
- information
-theories

II. Information can be found everywhere!
- google
- wikipedia
- blogs
- youtube

III. Teachers are filters who teach skill application
- remember
- understand
- apply
- analyze
- create 

IV. Teachers must how to recognize reliable information
- pirating
- plagiarism
- copyright
- confidentiality

V. Teachers must MANAGE technological tools in the classroom
1.) relevant
 - using programs to help struggling students get ahead
2.) challenging
- collaborate sources and programs to create a cohesive experience
3.) engaging
- creating student e-portfolios for practical use

VI. Entertainment vs. Engaging
1.) Entertainment
- passive
- enjoyment
- short-lived
- no relevance
- escapes problem-solving
2.) Engaging
- active
- inspires learning
- long-term results
- applicable
- IS problem solving

VII. How do YOU start?
- see what resources are available
- start small, think big
- collaborate
- don't be afraid, take RISKS
- always ask: "What does it mean to teach in the 21st century?"

I feel that Roberts's view of teaching 21st century students is eye-opening and extremely relevant. His view of the 21st century educator is inspiring and makes me feel motivated to learn as much as I can about using technology the correct way so that I can inform my future students on how to be successful in an advanced century. I didn't realize how important is is to embrace our generation's technology and how successfully is can be used in today's classrooms. As a future educator, Roberts's view of teaching in the 21st century will not only affect my teaching skills, but will also affect how I quickly I will have to adapt to technology, to my students' skills, as well as to my own learning abilities and processes.

3. The Networked Student is a video that portrays, explains, and inspires the learning experience known as connectivism. Connectivism is a 21st century way of learning in which the teacher is a facilitator of knowledge, guiding students through a technologically connected classroom where students find copious amounts of resources for information that is useful, applicable, and reliable. For me, this video brought to light a whole new perspective on learning and teaching. It is truly amazing to me the amount of technology that I have as a student that can allow me to find the best answers, the most educated opinions, and the most reliable resources for any questions or concepts I may struggle with. I feel as though I have not taken full advantage of  the resources that I have been given in this day and age and feel motivated as an educator to work to provide and facilitate this knowledge and capability to my future students.

4. In Vicki Davis's Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts video, she opens the doors to her classroom and gives us a view of what her students are learning through her use of blogs, a class wiki, and an open simulator program. "I'm accomplishing the curriculum, but I'm customizing what happens in the classroom according to that group of students" says Davis, who refers to herself as a "teacher-preneur", a teacher that is learning and discovering along side her students. The thesis of Vicki Davis's video is that "every child can learn, but where children have trouble is when you have only have paper, only pencil, and then only types of children are going to succeed." This is a powerful statement and Davis has created a learning environment where any student, any child can succeed due to her strategic incorporation of technology in the classroom. My reaction to this video is one of amazement. Knowing that I never did any of those things in my classes as a high school student, makes me realize that younger minds are expanding and need to be accommodated through engaging learning experiences. What better way to do so than through the technology that has been given to us!

(Vicki Davis)

5. Dr. Strange's video Who's Ahead In The Learning Race? shows students at a fairly local elementary school who, I believe, are actually AHEAD of graduate and undergraduate students at the University of South Alabama in the "learning race". These students were able to use iMovie, post comments to blogs, and use many other programs on their MacBooks after only having them in the classroom for TWO days! I personally never used a blog until this semester and I am a junior undergraduate! I am still learning about Google forms and Google docs and yet these 1st graders at Gulf Shores Elementary School have mastered both. Dr. Strange proves to us the these students have capabilities that outshine what we as undergraduate and graduate students have accomplished so far. This is scary and exciting altogether, and I can officially say that my new role models are these first grade students!

6.Flipping the Classroom is a new concept for me, even as a high school graduate of only four years. This concept allows teachers more time in the classroom for project and technology based learning by having videos and lessons for students to view at home so that students can provide questions and feedback for the teacher the following day. I feel this approach of "flipping the classroom" will be useful to me as a teacher because it will allow me to provide basic information for students that can be viewed unlimited times OUTSIDE of the classroom, as well as give me a perspective on what students found interesting or difficult about the topic discussed. This will help me to better assess students individually, as well as find the learning balance for the class as a whole.

7. The article entitled Bringing the Locker Room Into the Classroom showed me that one's approach to learning must always be versatile. The author of this commentary started a program that helps teachers to view teaching as a team effort by allowing them to observe different sports' practices and "pep-talks." As a future teacher, I would like to apply these teaching methods to my classroom. I will allow my students to discuss problems and questions to find solutions together, and learn from each other rather than competing against each other for the title of "shining student." The goal for my classroom is to ask questions together, struggle together, and find answers together, just like the students in this particular article.

Trial Run

test

Blog Post #1

As I walked into the EDM310 classroom and lab for the first time, I was excited. I've heard horror stories that blossomed into triumphs of success in this course. I believe that each semester, the "fresh meat" feel intimidated and overwhelmed. I am no different! Even though my mind is frantic like a capsizing boat from the thought of HTML and blogs and even Twitter, I am still thrilled to use my creative muscles and finally enjoy an education based course that will give me the challenge that I am most certainly up for.

I have heard that EDM310 is a course different from any class that anyone has ever taken. My friends from previous semesters tell me that as long as I check the class blog daily, go to the EDM310 lab, and stay on top of my checklist, I will be successful. I have gained so much self discipline from my previous semester at South Alabama that I feel as if time management will not be a problem for me this semester. However, I do have concerns when it comes to the technology that we will be using in this class. I am not very familiar with HTML or article tags, or any other format guideline for blogs, or internet postings. I'm also overwhelmed by all the information just given to us through online documents. I feel as if every time I read the Syllabus and Blog Post Assignments, I find another rule or regulation regarding our posts, and what assignment is due when. I have began to question my sanity only slightly so far, so I assume that means I'm on the right track!

In high school, I felt as if I was mediocre student. It wasn't until my senior year of high school that I realized that I just needed a challenge! This course is right up my alley. Being able to explore my own learning process, as well as learn new teaching techniques is what I expect to gain from this course. My classes in high school primarily consisted of  the "burp back" education that Dr. Strange has described in our class syllabus. I'm looking forward to a change of pace, even from previous college classes.

As I mentioned before, the use of HTML and when to use it and how to use it (as well as other formatting guidelines) will be a challenge to me. I also have a terrible memory, so writing everything down, staying organized, and re-reading everything will have to be a main priority for me this semester. I am taking 15 hours including this class, and I do not want to leave room for error in any of my classes. Besides those issues, I am concerned that I will dedicate all my time to this class and strive for perfection which could cause some concern for attention in my other classes.
I am taking online classes this semester so I plan to spend the majority or my time in the EDM310 lab, as well as the other computer labs provided in the UCOMM building, during any down time between my classes. This will help eliminate any distractions when completing EDM310 work, or any other work for my other classes. Setting aside these hours every day will help me to stay on task and be readily available to ask for help when I so desperately need it. I also plan to expand my social networks in this classroom so that we can all benefit from the different perspectives, ideas, and challenges that we will all face during the semester.

My main questions refer to the group projects. I know we will cover all of that in class this week so I am trying not to become too anxious about the group work. I hope that I can have an open mind for the group projects and not let my previous experiences with group work define my experience for this course. I plan to keep myself informed, well rested, and curious for this entire course. I can't express enough how excited I am for the semester. We can accomplish anything we want to if we keep an open mind, be supportive of one another, and continually ask questions. I can't wait to see what the semester brings us. Good luck to all you future educators! We're going to make it!

Practice Blog Post and Outline

1.Education background
- Theodore High School
- moved away from home; Troy University
- struggled with career path

2. Moved back to Mobile, AL
- South Alabama
- elementary education calling
- Caleb's influence on my decision

3. Teaching in the 21st Century
- outstanding technology available
- no "spoon feeding"
- teach learning skills/problem solving
- embrace our technological advantage

4. About me
- Garner (fiance)
- music (Michael Buble music video)
- family (pictures)

5. Conclusion
- include contact information



I never thought that my passion for education would take me away from the familiar coastal waters of my home town, Mobile, AL.  Graduating from Theodore High School, I started my higher education experience 300 odd miles away from home in Troy, AL at Troy University. I was a bio medical science major who honestly didn't have a clue! I never felt satisfied with my choice. I struggled in my classes and mostly felt lost in the thousands of other college students on the Troy campus.

After questioning my passion for science and more than a few semesters off from classes, I decided it was best for me to move back home to see if some fresh, salt-water air would clear my head and help me find some guidance. Months of hardships in my personal and financial life left me wandering for a cause. After being out of school for a year and losing my mom to colon cancer in that time, I decided that it was time for a change: that change led me to the University of South Alabama.

The University of South Alabama was a chance to start over, a clear mindset. I could potentially do, be, think anything that I wanted to. This is what ignited the small flame for education that had quietly flickered in my heart for years. This flicker started when my younger brother was born. Caleb was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome at a young age. Even though his case was mild, it effected his learning, social, and developmental skills. Growing up in school was difficult for Caleb and he was continually misunderstood because of his mild disability. I spent many afternoons neglecting my own homework to help Caleb with his, frustrated the his teacher could not see or help him when he was in class.

Spending countless hours helping with homework, drying tears, and encouraging Caleb helped me to start that small flame that led to following my passion at the University of South Alabama. I'm only in my second semester at South Alabama, but I have fallen in love with my learning experience here and can't wait to learn and grow as an educator. This university has truly opened my heart and mind to the passion of cultivating young lives into successful adults in society. 

As an educator of the 21st century, I, as well as my classmates, have a huge task ahead. Technology is growing exponentially. Children are being exposed to more and more of this technology younger and younger. This means that information is almost limitless! Not only will my students be able to obtain this information easily, but they will absorb it quickly. Any lesson, method, or information that I offer my students, they can find it own their own through this technology! This is scary, but beautiful. In this day and time, it will be my job to not just spoon feed information, but to create an atmosphere for critical thinking, creativity, and problem solving. Challenging these children's minds to think beyond the information given to them on a computer screen, broadening their approach to problems in the classroom, and inspiring their ideas and thought processes is how we can approach learning in the 21st century. This is a fun and rewarding way of learning and growing, both as a teacher and a student. 

Besides having a passion for teaching, I also have some other hobbies and interests that I hope to incorporate into my classroom. I enjoy playing guitar and singing, although I'm no musician. My fiance is the real musician. He can play any instrument you put in front of him and he can sing his way into anyone's heart.

 

(Garner and I)

 

Even though I get a lot of slack for it, my all time favorite musician is Michael Buble. I've been to two of his performances in the last couple of years and I just really love his style, his musical arrangements, and his charisma. 

(My favorite Michael Buble song)

 

(Michael Buble's show in New Orleans, LA)

I also have two very loving yet annoying cats, Raven and Bagherra.     

  (Raven)

        

     

             (Bagherra)      

I truly enjoy spending time with mine and Garner's family. We have such a huge group of people that we love and any time spent with them is better than anything else!

This is just a taste of what I am passionate about and the people I love. I can't wait to get to know each of you and help build a learning community together, as well as grow as a student and educator. If you have an questions or concerns, please email me at corinneshirley0911@gmail.com.