Pinterest in the Classroom

1. I learned that there are lots of different ideas that can be found online and that there is a large community willing to share what does and doesn't work in the classroom 2. I feel like I can use Pinterest to be able to spread ideas with peer groups that I would otherwise have no access to. I will most likely use it to find activities for my class or even to find interesting articles to share with my students. 3. As I said earlier, Pinterest gives one access to a much larger peer group and there are even places to comment and discuss the pins. 4. My only challenge with Pinterest was that there is so much content that it is east to get distracted on there. 5. I personally love Pinterest and never ad thought of using it as a teaching device, I however will continue to use it as I develop as a teacher.

Blogs

I could see myself using Khan academy. I have used it in the past in one of economic courses and in math courses and I have found it very useful. I can see myself encouraging students in the future to use this program as well. I also do not believe that the credentials that one receives from an online course will ever equal the credentials of the traditional school. However I do think that this is a very effective way of learning especially in the higher education setting. It will enable more and more individuals who many not have the means or opportunities to actually attend school.

Koller Interview

1. How much has the cost of education in the US increased since 1985?? 559% 2.Roughly what percentage of students graduating with a degree actually are working in jobs that require the degree they earned? Ony a little over half, 55% 3.What is the goal of Coursera? To be able to provide the best education to the people around the world, for free. 4.How many courses does Coursera offer? 43 5.Why are Coursera courses different from other online courses? 6.What does Coursera provide students who complete their classes? A certificate of completion 7.Why are Coursera courses different from a typical one-hour, one sized fits all lecture? They are able to watch more lessons at their own pace, and able to pursue topic that they may have more of an interest, or that the may need more in depth help with. 8.What is “retrieval practice”? Where students repeat what they have already learned, they use this by enabling videos ask questions to the students in the middle. 9.How do Coursera instructors grade so many assignments? Can use tech to and programs to grade assignments, and they use peer grading. 10.What is still lacking from Coursera courses? How well does peer-grading compare to teacher-grading?? 11.How do students collaborate in some of these Coursera courses? Fourm setting, and study groups. 12.How are Coursera study groups organized? Sometimes by region, language or by groups of people that just want a little extra help. Some actually met in real life to study. 13.How is the data-driven mode of education revolutionary? How can it change education? It is able to collect all the educational data of every type of student worldwide. It gives insight to effective teaching methods, and concepts that are extremely different. 14.According to Koller, what is the best method of instruction- lecture-based, mastery-based, or one-on-one tutoring? One-on-one is the best however it is not the most practical so she suggest mastery-based. 15.Why should we veer away from lecture-based education? How can we do that? Because it doesn’t truly stick. Professors need to stop talking at students through the form of lecture notes and pure content and need to talk with students and ensure comprehension. 16.According to Koller, what are the three things Open Online Courses are capable of doing? Establish education as a fundamental human right, enable life-long learning, and would enable a wave of innovation.

Kahn Interview

1. How did Khan Academy begin? It began as Kahn making videos that he thought would be able to be used to help his cousins, and people who would want to do extra research and learn on their own. 2.What is Khan Academy? Kahn Academy is an online database that contains help videos that show how alternative approaches to classical educational material. It offers extra help for students who either want to learn on their own, at their own pace, or who may need more explanation of a topic. 3. According to Salman Khan, what is wrong with the current high rates of per-pupil spending in public schools? According to Kahn the issue is that the schools are collecting plenty of funds per student, however the funds are not equally distributed. The funds are not being used to directly pay teachers the amounts that they deserve, nor are students seeing the amount of money that they should in order to promote further education. Instead of going to these crucial places, funds are being distributed amount the higher-ups within the school system, such as administration and principle faculty. 4. What are some qualities of the education system that have not changed in the US since the 1800s? The ordering of what students have learned for the main part has stayed the same, Kahn mentions for example that physics has for years been what one learns in their final years of school. Another example is that many schools require the learning of another language, these are both standards that were created in the 1800s. 5. What is “Flipping the Classroom?” How does it change the routine of the school day? Flipping the classroom is when students watch the lectures at home and then work on what is classically considered homework during the school day. This enables students to be able to have the help that they need when it comes to actually grasping the content material. 6. What does Khan mean about the “de-coupling” between credentialing and the learning experience?? Kahn talks about the “de-coupling” between credentials and the learning experience that one receives in the sense that in times past a person was more willing to pay the money to receive an education from a prestigious school just to be able to say that they attended that school rather than to achieve the education they provided. Khan feels as though more students are going to start attending college for the education rather than for the prestige of an Ivy League school reputation. He also feels that whether a person receives an education on the job verses a college degree doesn’t matter, it’s all a matter of whether a person actually is able to perform the tasks required of them within a certain skill set or job. 7. What is keeping change in the education system from occurring faster? What does Khan say about the pace of change in the system? The rate of change for is alarmingly fast as it is, there is a chance that the entire system can change in 5-10 years.

Autism

Autism is a learning disability that "characterized by social impairments, communication difficulties, and restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior"(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke). Autism is a disorder that can limit an individual's abilities to socially interact with others, to the extreme where some individuals can not maintain eye contact, or even talk with others. Often times those who battle with autism are quite intelligent, they just struggle with communicating not only what they want, but what they cognitively understand. These struggles can greatly impact the lives of those with autism, their loved ones and the people around them. However recent developments in technology have opened the door of communication and to better the lives of those living with autism. With the development of iPad technology schools are able to use the devices to better improve communication with those who are living with autism. New apps on the iPad are enabling students to be able to communicate with teachers through apps that can express emotion. For example students can click on the emotions that they are feeling, pictures of what they want, and more. Not only does it increase communication, but it captures and keeps the attention of students attempting to learn, this can be used to more easily see progress in students. The Lighhtwriter SL40 is another device that is being used as an aid to those with autism. It is an easily transported keypad that looks similar to an old fashioned typewriter. As a user types, words are formed that can be read to help understand what the user wants to communicate. It would be excellent in cases where having a speaking device is not always ideal because it can be read rather than listened to. I foresee that the Assistive learning technology in the future will continue to progress in ways as seen with the iPad. With more and more apps being developed that can provide pictures to help vocalize what a person wants and more. Resources

Ohio DL Options

If I were to have to send my child to a Distant Learning program within the state of Ohio I would look into sending them to ECOT. Initially when looking at the website it is clear that the school had money to spend on developing a very clear website that is very professional and very easy to navigate. This is important because not only are first impressions very important, but if the program is able to spend the money to develop a nice website it has the money to ensure that the programs that the students are using for their classes. Not only does the programming look very well put together but it is set up to where a representative is able to talk to at all times. The curriculum looks not only like it follows the common core standards, but that it goes above and beyond to challenge the students. I would not however send my child to Virtual Community Schools of Ohio. While the website did highlight important features of the program such as staff and the resources that students would have access to, in my opinion they website seemed at best sub-par. Some of the answers to questions asked on the FAQ pages seemed as if they were answered by the students themselves rather than professional educators. I feel as though just through looking at the website I would not like sending my student to a school where effort is not put into making the page look not only more modern, but more professional in general.

More cool videos on language.

I enjoyed the video by the woman in my Prezi so much that I found a few of her other videos that I thought were interesting and deserved to be shared as well.

My Prezi

http://prezi.com/w5zbknr9fv64/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

My prezi was written for students at around the high school level who are thinking about taking another language. I tried to use experiences that I had where I was unable to communicate with others to stress how important it is to be able to vocalize what you want and need with language. I tried to include a video that while humorous still provided valid reasons why language is not a subject that cannot be ignored. 

This was not my first time working with the Prezi soft wear, it has greatly improved however soft wear has been greatly modified since I used it last. To me Prezis are not only more visually stimulating for the audience, but they are more creative and frankly more fun for the presenter as well. I always enjoy making a Prezi because the sky is the limit for what is able to be done with them. It will be a program I hope to take advantage of in the future not only for my presentations, but for my future students as well.

Three Great Teacher Blogs

http://www.justintarte.com/2014_08_01_archive.html
I enjoyed this blog due to it's insights. The initial article I read was about why extra credit was not only bad for assessing a child's true knowledge and ability; and how it was even unfair in a socioeconomic setting. This was such an insightful idea that I would never have thought of. Many of his other article brought in a different perspective, focusing less on traditional ways of teaching, and instead trying to direct readers into pathways of teaching that focus more on the students. Along with written articles, his blog contains many links to lectures and powerpoints that he has made to show his thoughts on teaching in yet another medium.

http://www.thenerdyteacher.com/2012_01_01_archive.html
What caught my eye with this blog was the banner with the robots carrying a logo depicting "The Nerdy Teacher". As I took more time to look over the attributes I noticed several award banners declaring him as teacher of the year for several organizations. These credentials made his blog more credible in his knowledge of what he was talking about. Unlike other blogs I had seen I saw little to no material on anything outside him as an educator. The passion and dedication that comes through when he does discuss his experience make his blog an exceptional one.

http://2cents.onlearning.us/?m=201407
Initially looking at this blog I was very impressed with the header seen across the top. With eye catching colors and an intriguing name as 2 Cents Worth it was defiantly a blog that catches ones eye. The author of the blog did something else unique that I hadn't yet seen; he was not the sole contributor. Bringing in the perspective of another author shows that he is willing to see the world from another's eyes. The blog, while containing educational concepts, contains the comings and goings  of his own life, his own interests and updates on his upcoming book on the history of educational technology.

Welcome to my blog!

Thanks for stopping by! My name is Lindsay Wolford, and I am currently studying at Columbus State for my Associates of Arts, with intentions of transferring to Kent as an Education Major. I enjoy studying language and traveling. With working and school, I feel as though I have little time to myself but that is alright because I enjoy being able to immerse myself into whatever I am working on at the time. When I do have free time I enjoy reading, I am a firm believer that one can never own too many books. I also spending time with friends whether this means going out and doing something together or staying in watching movies, as long as I am with those who are important to me.

For as long as I can remember I have desired to become an educator. All throughout school whenever a new topic would peak my interest I would ask myself if I would be willing to teach that subject. I was never able to give myself a clear answer until probably my second year of French; I decided I wanted to be a language teacher. I owe this revelation to my teacher Madame Young, she taught me for 3 years and during that time she was more than just a teacher. She became a confidant, a mentor and at times she was a friend to me. In seeing her passion for not only the subject she taught but the desire to see her student succeed she instilled in me my passion. I want to be the "Madame Young" for future generations. To be able to make a difference in a young persons life is all I want, whether it be my leading them to their passion, showing them that it will all be alight or simply just being an ear. I want to make a difference in at least one child's life.