Tuesday, December 1, 2009

So Long - Farewell ... Goodbye!


Farewell is a word,
So simple, so dour
Saying what started
but did not endure.
Farewell is a feeling
of something that’s gone
Farewell is a memory
that stays for too long
Farewell is everything
that’s been left unsaid
Farewell is the greeting
of someone
who’s dead.

I learned.....................TONS!

EDM 310 taught me several things actually, more than I thought it would.I feel like I am capable of getting by but not much more than that. It gave me insight how much I have ahead of me to learn! I did not know what a PLN was until I took this class.I believe that I did learn a lot from this class,I really did know so little before this class. I know that today I am more technologically literate than I was when I first entered the classroom.Several of the thigns we learned I had heard of but never used myself and knew nothing about it - NOTHING! I have friends that have used blogs and stuff but the most I ever did was look at them.All I knew about Twitter was that some famouse people liked to "TWEET". Of course I did ise facebook all the time, so I did know one thing.ITunes, skype, podcasts, were all also very interesting to learn about and play with.I really never thought I could use so much of what I have learned, it is so vast!!This is actually the first and only computer class I will take in my college career, kind of sad since I really need to know so much about it!
I truly have enjoyed many aspects of this class. I even started a new blog for my friends and family to view, it is about my baby. It was really fun to create! I think as teachers we should take classes like this yearly , because the technology is changing SO much!

Collaborative Professional Blog

I think that collaborating is usually always a great way to go! I can always use someone else's advice or their point if view.I found the 'at the teachers desk' blogspot great. I enjoyed the post that talked about the children creating fake money. This teachers blog made me aware of issues they were discussing and thigns they were working on in the classroom. What a great thing for other teachers to follow suit in doing!!!

Access

ACCESS, or the Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide, is a distant learning program aimed at Alabama High schools. Their vision is: The State of Alabama will provide equal access to high quality instruction to improve student achievement through distance learning. It allow high school students to take part in AP and other courses that may not be offered to them in their current school. It is also a way for educators to share ideas and gain new experiences with coworkers and students.I am a huge fan of the AP curriculum because I took those classes when I was in classes. I found them to be very helpful in my college career as well.
I think that ACCESS is a great tool for students who go to schools that don't offer the classes that they need or want to take, because i know of several friends of mine who truly would have excelled in these programs but were unable to take the classes because they were not offered at their school. I feel that this gives opportunities to talented students who might otherwise never have had this chance.
The goal of ACCESS is to continue to meet objectives of the ACCESS plan, expanding the availability of ACCESS Distance Learning to all public high schools in the state.They provide access to advanced diploma courses,courses one might not have had,dual enrollment opportunities,access to remediation if needed,teachers have more tools to use at their disposal,and also allows access to sources through the Supercomputer.

ALEX

ALEX, or the Alabama Learning Exchange, is a easy to use tool for teachers, students, and parents. The website is http://alex.state.al.us. It is a project of the Alabama Department of Education, and is designed to compile educational materials and information into a time-saving one-stop resource for teachers and administrators in Alabama. Their goal is for Alabama's students to reap the benefits of Alabama educators sharing their wealth of expertise and knowledge with colleagues. ALEX is a way for teachers to share and write lesson plans,share and find resources, connect to course study standards, and show students the benefit of learning. ALEX has a library of lesson plans for all subjects and grade levels. Alabama teachers can log in to their account to access a personal space to create and adapt lesson plans. However, teachers everywhere can access the lesson plan library. Although lessons are targeted to Alabama state standards, they can be easily adapted to any school's curriculum. There are over 2,000 lesson plans supplied by Alabama teachers available on ALEX. These resources are designed to engage students and teachers in 21st century learning, and expand new opportunities.


I never knew that this site existed! This excites me so much because one day I will be a teacher and I will use this!!! I love that it has state-approved lesson plans on it and that it shows how long they will take. I like that it has a search engine in it, so that I can find what I'm looking for quickly! ALEX has won various awards so I know that it is a valuable teaching tool!

Mr. Chamberlain's class blog and Dear Kaia

I am sure Mr. Chamberlin's class was so excited when they found out who their speaker was going to be!!! I thought this was neat and a great way to get students involved more. A great example of intrinsic motivation!!I believe it is always good for students to see the benefits of learning and hard work. Real life examples are the best! What an amazing way to teach and to learn!!!!!!!!! LOVE IT!