The Morgan Bayda Post

In the post on Morgan Bayda's blog, she discusses a video on YouTube by a guy named Dan Brown. Dan created the video basically explaining why he dropped out of the University of Nebraska. He says that he dropped out because his schooling was interfering with his education. In the video Dan talks about how universities in America are failing to make advances while the world around them changes. Morgan agrees with Dan in her blog. She uses examples to show how she too has been "cheated" by her university.

I agree with Morgan in many areas of her thinking. While I feel like I am getting a good education, I also think it could be a lot better. I share many of the same experiences in classrooms as Morgan. Many of my professors expect you to take notes from their lecture and have "assigned reading" which actually won't even be on the test. The test will come solely from the professors lecture so you are suppose to memorize any notes you have taken in that class. This form of teaching discourages me because I may know the facts for the test but overall some of it never sticks. I think topics should be covered thoroughly as needed by the students and discussed with the class, not read by the teacher from a powerpoint slide.

Like Morgan I too have learned through this education media class that my professors are not the only ones I can turn to for help. This class has encouraged me to search answers on my own or ask other educators out there for help. I never thought to ask someone for answers other than my professors. Of course someone out there can help me! Maybe even someone more qualified than my own professor. I think if universities picked up on many of the aspects of media in the classroom then education would be much more enjoyable for students and rewarding in the amount of information gained.

This post has been an extreme eye-opener. I'm not the only who is pissed about buying books I won't use for a class because we aren't taught from it. I think universities should make the needed adjustments to keep up with our technological society. Morgan and I share many same ideas but the most important thing is that we are both unafraid of change. I know change is necessary in most all parts of life and I do not fear it. Now if only America's education system would not fear change.

Comments4kids

My comments4kids this week was from Mrs. Kolbert's class blog. The student's post who I commented on was Leo. He asked, "What day is two day’s before the day after tomorrow?" I responded that it is today. To see his blog click here.

Comments4Teachers

For my comments4teachers for weeks 7,8 and 9, I followed a blog entitled Teacher Leaders Network. The blog posts include many different topics that range from interviews to different resources for teachers. This site would be very advantageous for any teacher to use. I think this will be very helpful for me in the future and I will definitely use this great tool.

ALEX

I really enjoyed looking at the ALEX website. The Alabama Learning Exchange is a resource website with multiple useful tools for teachers. On the site a teacher can use their own personal workspace to prepare for class by putting their ideas on the site for reference. Another section that is useful contains lesson plans made by that teacher or examples of other lesson plans made by other teachers to get ideas. A great option is the courses of study section available where a teacher can search information about curriculum at different grade levels. Other sections include: web links, search, professional learning and a podcast treasury.

I believe this site could be very useful for teachers. It provides teachers a place to get ideas and to see what they should be teaching at their grade level in Alabama. It is important to have resources like these in order to keep students learning on the right track. This site had several helpful resources and tips for teaching and teachers should take full advantage of it. I know that when I'm teaching it will be helpful to refer here.

Alabama Connecting Educators and Students Statewide

The ACCESS program site was very interesting. The goal of the ACCESS is "to create equity through additional educational offerings for all Alabama public school students." The site provides courses and teaching via technology. This site allows students to take courses in order to further their education through the internet. It is available to all public school students. It provides many different courses for students. The site uses the phrase distance learning because there is no classroom where the courses are taken. They are online and therefore at a distance from the teacher.

I think this idea is great for students in Alabama. By having the option of taking courses online, students will not miss out on school or will not be left behind if something goes wrong. It is important to have things like this because it is important for students to maintain their education. I would encourage students to look into this because it is a great opportunity and overall great resource.

Comments4kids

This week I read the post by a kid in the 8th grade named James. His blog post is entitled Charcoal Drawing. He drew a charcoal picture and wrote a poem along with it. The picture is of a guy who looks like he is in pain. The poem goes on to describe the pain behind this man. It is the destruction of nature that is causing the man's pain. It was a great picture and a very well written poem.

To see his post click here

Comments4kids

Week4- This week I read a blog by Chelsea from Avoca School District 37. She wrote about her favorite time of the year which is fall. She described with great detail the many reasons she loves the fall. She used very descriptive words that helped paint a picture for the reader.

See her post here

Week5- See February 14th

Week6- This week I commented on Aneisha from the blog Flying High with Room 17. Her post was entitled Swimming in the Holidays. She talked about going to a place with her uncle where she jumped off a cliff into water and swam. She also had a video she made which was very impressive and brightly colored.

To see this blog click here

Week7- For this week I read a blog by a girl named Paola from Mr. Crosby's 4th grade class. She wrote an interesting piece on coral reefs. The writing was incredible for her age. It is very impressive to see students this young to be writing so well and on the computer.

To see this blog click here

Week8- This week I read a blog called Six Traits: Voice & Word Choice. It was posted by a guy named Chris who wrote about the use of voice in writing. It is important for students to have a voice in their writing so it can set them apart from others. Without a voice your work is just another paper.

To see this blog click here

The Last Lecture

The video of Randy Pausch's last lecture was both moving and motivational. His positive "carpe diem" attitude was very inspirational. Pausch is a man who has literal lived his dreams and for that I envy him. Every goal he set as a child, he worked hard to meet. Not many people can say they fulfilled all of their childhood ambitions. Just in this one speech you can his appreciation of life and the joy he has found in it. This speech was his last because he has terminal cancer. In the lecture he talks about life and the many things he has learned.

As a professor he taught his students more than just information for the classroom but information for life. By challenging students Pausch showed them how to work hard and believe in themselves. His dedication as an educator earned him respect and love from his students. He ended up working with many of them after he taught them. Pausch's method of teaching by example and self motivation led to great success in the classroom and an overall satisfaction from his students. One could see the respect from his students just by the amount of people in the audience.

One thing he never lost in his life was his childhood dreams. Just by hearing him talk you can tell he has never lost the kid inside of him. By obtaining all of his goals, it shows his ambition and intelligence as a man. He worked hard to achieve all his did in life and did exactly what he wanted to do. His appreciation for the many people and achievements in his life are made transparent in his speech. He constantly thanks others for the opportunities he has had and is modest about his own self achievement.

He dedicated the whole presentation to his kids as a legacy of himself and a memory of their father. Pausch's goal was to make a difference and it is very apparent he did through teaching and even just living his life. His leading example as a humble, self motivated and dedicated man has been visible to anyone who knows him and all who have even seen this lecture. It is incredible the many things he achieved over his life and many of his personal qualities are extremely admirable. I only hope I can make half the difference through my teaching as he has. It is important to know what you want and what you have to do to get it.