Project #2 Final Report on PLN

First, what is a PLN? A PLN, Personal Learning Network, is an informal learning network that involves people a learner can interact with and gain knowledge. A PLN allows you to make a connection with other people with similar intent that some type of learning will take place because of that connection. You can also use a PLN to call upon for help, consultation, and collaboration. At the very beginning of this semester we had to give a summary on our progress for developing our first PLN. I used Symbaloo to create my very own Personal Learning Network. A Symbaloo is one example of a PLN. It's a method you can use to have quick access to the resources, people, and tools that you use the most. When using a Symbaloo, you are able to create your own icons which will take you to where ever you set them up to go. It took me a while to learn how to use Symbaloo, but once I figured it out I LOVED it! I have began to use Symbaloo for all of my resources that I use all the time.

I have organized my icons by different resources that I use the most. The icons at the top of my Symbaloo are personal links. Including examples like Facebook, Pandora, and Google. Towards the bottom are my icons for my own blog, EDM 310 class blog, and blogger. I also have other useful icons for teaching that I found very helpful and resourceful. I have really enjoyed using this PLN and I look forward to exceeding my PLN even further. 

ENJOY!

Click here to visit my very own Symbaloo

 

Blog Post #14

What Did I Leave Out?
My activity for Blog Post #14:

Children’s Author Choice

Oral Presentation

Please reserve your author by signing below with your partner.  If, after exploring information about your author, you feel you don't have enough information, please see me to choose another author.

Author                                     Partner #1                          Partner #2

Henry & Mudge Cynthia Rylant
Magic Tree House Mary Pope Osborne
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse Kevin Henkes
Fun Reads Margie Palatini
Judy Blume
Jan Brett
Eric Carle
Tomie dePaola
Love her books! Mem Fox
My Side of the Mtn. Jean C. George
Non fiction Gail Gibbons
Good website Dan Gutman
Coretta Scott King Award Among others Virginia Hamilton
Bridge to Terabithia Katherine Paterson
Because of Winn-Dixie Gary Paulsen
Picture books for older kids Patricia Polacco
Holes, Sideways Stories Louis Sachar
Stinky Cheese man Jon Scieszka
Maniac McGee Jerry Spinelli
Good website Audrey Wood
Picture books: Kissing Hand, etc. Audrey Penn

After selecting an author with your partner, please email the above list to Amandaweller22@gmail.com

Oral Presentation Guidelines

Reserving Your Author: 

You and your partner may reserve your author before and after your class  at the end of November.  Have several choices in mind in case someone else reserves your first choice.  There will be a “Children’s Author Choice” reservation sheet at the sign-in counter.

Elements to Include in Your Presentation:

• You can use a Prezi or create a Google Presentation
• Click here for more information on how to create a Prezi
• I would suggest you watch How to use Prezi if you have never used Prezi

Slide One:  Share picture of the author and the most interesting biographical information.

Slide Two:  Newberry and/or Caldecott Awards:  Include a picture of the book cover(s) with award emblem or show the actual book(s).

Slide Three:  Visit the author’s website:  Show information for teachers, parents, librarians and/or kids.  If the author’s website has a video of the author reading or talking, play no more than 30 seconds of that video.  If there’s no video on the author’s website, try to find another site that might have it.  Example:  ReadWriteThink.org

Slide Four:  Tell something unique or interesting about the author’s books. 

·         Are there recurring characters in his/her books?

·         Are there recurring themes?

·         What genre(s) does the author prefer?

·         Any other interesting facts you would like to share

Practice your presentation to ensure that it does not exceed four minutes and that each partner has equal presentation time.  Points will be deducted for exceeding the time limit.   See the oral presentation rubric for expectations.

Rubric:

Name:_____________________________ Date:_________________________

	Children’s Author Oral Presentation
	0	2	3	4	Total
Biographical information and Awards Weight = 3	Author information is minimal, uninteresting with no mention of awards.	Author information has few details and presentation is not particularly interesting.  Gives only titles of award-winning books.	Student presents information about the author.  Shows examples of award-winning books.	Student highlights most interesting information about the author.  Shows examples of award-winning books.	/12
Author’s website, books, audience and genre Weight = 3	Student presents minimal information.  Does not elaborate or explain.	Student seems uncomfortable with the information and fails to motivate the audience to know more about the author.  No book list.	Student explains and elaborates. However, explanation could have been more motivating. Includes list of books.	Student explains and elaborates in a way that motivates audience to know more about the author.  Includes list of well-known books.	/12
Grammar Weight = 3	Student's presentation has three or more grammatical errors.	Presentation has two or more grammatical errors.	Presentation has only one grammatical error.	Presentation has no grammatical errors.	/12
Eye Contact Weight = 3	Student reads all of report with no eye contact.	Student occasionally uses eye contact, but still reads most of report.	Student maintains eye contact most of the time but frequently returns to notes.	Student maintains eye contact with audience, seldom returning to notes.	/12
Elocution Weight = 3	Student mumbles, incorrectly pronounces terms, and speaks too quietly for students in the back of class to hear.	Student's voice is low. Student incorrectly pronounces terms. Audience members have difficulty hearing presentation.	Student's voice is clear. Student pronounces most words correctly. Most audience members can hear presentation.	Student uses a clear voice and correct, precise pronunciation of terms so that all audience members can hear presentation.	/12
				Total Points:	/60

Here is my Prezi Presentation for this activity.
ENJOY!

Project #12 Part B

Part B: Delivering A Lesson via the SMARTboard

Group: Raphael

Amanda Weller, Briann Smith, Heather Smith, Lisa Smith

JET, SET, GO!

Blog Post #13

What can we learn from these TED talks?

Group: Raphael

Amanda Weller, Heather Smith, Lisa Smith, Briann Smith

5. Kakenya Ntaiya: A girl who demanded school

By: Heather Smith, Amanda Weller, Briann Smith, Lisa Smith

Kakenya Ntaiya is from a group of people in Kenya called the Maasais. They are warriors. They are fierce. Most of all, they are set in their traditional ways of inequality between men and women. Kakenya Ntaiya’s village believed in arranged marriages, so as a child she knew that when she turned 12 she was to be married- he was already chosen. If she went to high school, though, she could postpone this marriage.  She decided to make a deal with her father: She underwent the traditional Maasai rite of passage of a very brutal and unsanitary female circumcision in return for being allowed to go to high school. While she was in school she met a man that had graduated from college. She remembered admiring him.

Also during high school, her father had a stroke and become very ill. The custom of her village was that any man of the village was her father by default. She had received a scholarship for college, but without the support of her village she would be unable to get to America. After persistence and courage- Kakenya Ntaiya received support from her whole village to get an education, something that was unheard of, but only with the promise to come back and help with anything the village wanted.

She speaks of her anger and frustration when she came to America and found out that the ceremony she went through when she was 13 was called female genital mutilation and was against the law in Kenya. She found out that she did not have to trade her body to get an education, she had rights- 3 million girls who are at risk of going through this mutilation right now have rights! She found out that her mom had a right to own property and did not have to be abused because she is a woman. She found out that girls did not have to forced to marry unwillingly. She found out that she had to DO something! She had to HELP these girls.

When she went back she decided to build a school for girls. She built a place for girls to be safe and protected from the brutal acts against them for the simple fact that they were born female. She has currently saved 125 girls from marriage when they are 12 years old. She has given 125 girls opportunities to rise and achieve their dreams. She has given 125 girls the advantage of not being beaten. She has started a REVOLUTION.

Kakenya Ntaiya ends her speech challenging the audience. She challenged us to make a DIFFERENCE, to make tomorrow BETTER, to be a LEADER! She challenged us to CHANGE our world, CHANGE our community, CHANGE our country! If she does that and we do that- we will create a BETTER FUTURE for our CHILDREN, for your CHILDREN, for our GRANDCHILDREN!

Kakenya Ntaiya is the image of grace and bravery. She is a truly outstanding woman. She could have moved to America and never went back, but she didn’t- she went back to Kenya and helped others. She faced numerous obstacles along the way but she stayed strong and never lost her vision. Her remarkable accomplishments will be forever gratified by the women she has so graciously helped. She has taught us so much about honor and courage, about self-discipline and drive, and most of all- about compassion and benevolence.

7. Shukla Bose: Teaching one child at a time

By: Briann Smith, Heather Smith, Lisa Smith, Amanda Weller

In Shukla Bose’s Ted Talk Ted Talk, she tells the awe inspiring story on how she created her foundation, Parikrma Humanity Foundation, which brings promise to the children in India’s slums by focusing on teaching each child as an individual. Shukla Bose did not start out in the field of  philanthropy. She humbly says that she is not a trained academic or a veteran social worker. For twenty-six years, she worked in the corporate world, trying to make organizations profitable. In 2003, she started her foundation, Parikrma Humanity at her kitchen table. There in her kitchen, her journey began. The first thing that she did was walk through the slums of india and identify houses, where the children would never go to school. The number of children that did not go to school blew her away. Against peoples doubts, she decided then that they were not going to go by the numbers. They instead would focus on the children individually and take them through school and prepare them for a better life. The first Parikrma School was started in a slum, where 70,000 people where living below the poverty line. More schools soon followed, including a junior college. In Shukla Bose’s presentation, she included clips of some of her students eloquently talking about their favorite subjects in school. The parents even started to participate in their child’s education and some them were inspired to learn themselves, all because of their child’s achievement. The Parikrma school not only became a safe haven for the children, but it also helped the community and the parents of the students. Many of the non teaching staff members at the school are the parents and relatives of the children. The schools are all English medium schools and they use the ICSE curriculum. They have professors from Berkeley, the Indian Institute of Science and other prestigious schools, who come and teach the students. Art and music are considered as therapy and a way of expression for the students. They believe that content is more important than the infrastructure of the school, the important thing is what is happening in the school. She believes that creating an environment of learning, inquiry, and exploration is what is “true” education. Shukla Bose says that her life has been transformed and forever changed by the children. She says that she has learned so much from them, especially love, compassion, and imagination and creativity. Shukla Bose’s story was so inspiring! It was amazing to see how one school changed a whole community and gave the children groundbreaking opportunities. It was incredible to see the children speaking so eloquently and saying how much they loved school and enjoyed learning. As future teachers, we can learn from her story and remember that it’s not always about the number, but it’s about the individual student and their abilities. The other valuable lesson learned, is to always believe in your students and yourself, even when people doubt your ability!

8. Shane Koyczan: To This Day.. for the bullied and beautiful

By: Amanda Weller, Lisa Smith, Heather Smith, Briann Smith

       In this video, Shane Koyczan gives a poem of what it’s like to be bullied. Shane first started off by publicizing that children are expected to find themselves starting at a young age, and if they don't other children would do so. For instance, he stated how name calling would occur. Names such as slut, fatty, fag, and so on. While children are being told these names mean what they do, they are also asked what do they want to be. Koyczan goes on to say that when he was a kid he wanted to be a marine biologist, until he watched the movie Jaws. He also went along by saying that he wanted to be an adult and began to shave. At the age of 10, Shane was told that his parents left because they didn't want him. However, when he was 11 Shane wanted to be left alone. At 12 he wanted to die and when he reached 13 he wanted to kill a kid. By that time, Shane was asked to pick a career. He choose to be a professional writer. 

     Not only was Koyczan made fun of, his dreams were as well. He actually recalls a few of his dreams in his video. He remembers his first line of poetry was in response to a world that demanded he hate himself. Through ages 15 and 18 Shane hated himself and the world that he lived in. Shane mentioned that standing up for yourself should not lead to violence. back when Shane was younger he would trade in homework assignments for friendship. Its so sad to see the cruel world that we live in. Now, with technology it is so easy to sit behind a computer and for children to cyber bully other children.

     Furthermore, he describes how when he was younger he thought that pork chops and karate chops were the same thing. Shane's grandmother thought it was sweet so she didn't correct him. He states in his video how he fell from a tree one day while he was playing outside. Apparently  Shane knew that he wasn't supposed to be outside playing. The gym teacher found the bruises on his right side and turned him into the principle. His response to the questions about his home life was “When I’m sad, my grandma gives me karate chops!” If only he knew this would lead into a full investigation and would be removed from his home for three days. News got around the school and he got deemed the nickname, “porkchop”. 

     In the meantime, the rest of Shane's video is of a wonderful poem with illustrations and a violin in the backdrop covering bullying. Shane's poem is incredible, as well as his other work. The emotion and descriptions used in his demonstrations is very engaging and inspiring!

10. Salman Khan: Let's use video to reinvent education

By: Lisa Smith, Amanda Weller, Briann Smith, Heather Smith 

Salman Khan talks about how and why he created the remarkable Khan Academy, a carefully structured series of educational videos offering complete curricula in math and, now, other subjects. He shows the power of interactive exercises, and calls for teachers to consider flipping the traditional classroom script -- give students video lectures to watch at home, and do "homework" in the classroom with the teacher available to help.

Using video to reinvent education is a convenient way to learn on your own time. Everyone is for convenience so we believe this will be a great tool to use. Using video to upload educational information not only helps the class that you are teaching but it will also benefit others that may come in contact with the information.  Having educational videos available will also give the students resources to fall back on if they need additional help. This would also be great if students want to get read ahead in their lessons.  

Flipping the classroom with doing homework in class and saving the lectures for students to watch at home sounds like an amazing idea. Having homework as in class work will show the teacher what homework problems that students may be having a hard time with. If problems arise the student can then stop and watch a video on the homework problem and the video actually teaches  the correct way to work problem. The student can practice and get 10 problems correct and then move on to the next question.  

C4K for November

Last C4K!

Student: Cheyanne

Teacher: Mr. Barks

Grade: 7th Pt England School
Auckland, New Zealand

Class Blog: Room 22 Students 2013

Title of Blog: My First Day at Pt England School

Date of Blog: October 25, 2013

Cheyanne's Blog: 
In Cheyanne's blog she discussed her experience of her first day at Pt England School. Her first day didn't go as smooth as she wanted it to. Cheyanne and her brother were in class together but then they were separated.  Cheyanne described how she was nervous and she was frightened because she didn't know anyone. Cheyanne also described how cross country was the first activity that she completed at school. She was not to fond of this activity, but she still completed the activity with other students.

My Comment: 
Cheyanne,
My name is Amanda Weller and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. The first day of school can be a bit frightening. I remember my first day of school and I was terrified. I know it must be tough entering a new atmosphere but you will make friends quickly. Cross country was never one of my favorite sports either but I grew to like it. Experiencing new activities can be exciting! Thank you for sharing!

Student: Heather

Teacher: Mrs. Yollis

Grade: 3rd Grade

Class Blog: Mrs. Yollis' Classroom Blog
Heather's Blog: Heather's Perfect Post

Title of Blog: A New Fad and an Old Fad

Date of Blog: November 5, 2013

Heather's Blog: 
In Heather's blog she talked about the most recent fads around the world. She introduced the rubber band bracelets and the silly band bracelets. Heather described a fad as being a thing that is popular for a year or so, and then it is not so popular. 

My Comment: 
Heather,
My name is Amanda Weller and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. Thank you for sharing the recent fads! It's crazy to think that fads around the world are constantly changing. When I was younger I had several rubber band bracelets! I never went anywhere without my colored bracelets. I can't wait to see the new fads for the upcoming years! Great post and thank you for sharing!

Last C4T

LAST C4K!

Name: Elizabeth Weiland
Author of Blog: The Teachers Channel
Title of Blog: The Tchers Voice
Name of Blog: Coding for Success
Date of Blog: November 5, 2013

Elizabeth's Blog: 

In Elizabeth's blog She reviewed the importance of technology and why it should be incorporated into schools. She discussed the topic and gave her reasonings. Computer science education week is attempting to raise the profile of computer science in education. 

Their message is: better computer skills = better jobs as the world becomes more computer-centric. 

The program is open to students K-12 and teachers can easily get their classrooms involved with the activities.. Hour of Code also has school resources for after the program ends to continue computer science learning. 

My Comment: Hey Elizabeth,

My name is Amanda Weller and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. I think that the Computer Science Education week should be mandatory. The use of technology within the classroom is important and is constantly changing. Technology can help push and strive learning. Teachers should want their students to be actively involved. Understanding the importance and the tools within technology I think should be required. Thank you for sharing!

Name: Sarah Brown Wessling
Author of Blog: The Teachers Channel
Title of Blog: The Tchers Voice
Name of Blog: Teachers: Three Questions for Reflection
Date of Blog: November 21, 2013

Sarah's Blog: In Sarah's blog she discussed the importance of being a successful teacher and learner. At first she explained how stressed teachers feel and how theres not enough time to complete everything. Sarah made a note of how important it is to take a break when you feel rushed or stressed. Give yourself time to relax and rest in a quiet place. Sarah mentioned three things that make a successful teacher which are passion, empathy, and grit. For passion, sarah stated that great teachers are truly passionate about what they do. It isn't just a job, its their life work. For empathy, she stated that its incredibly important because on the other end of any lesson is a person, full of potential and complexity and humanity. We must always see the humanity in what we do and in who were doing it for. For grit, Sarah stated teaching is hard work. There has to be a tenacity in the day to day routine and a willingness to see past the routine and into the unique waiting to be realized. Sarah also mentioned three things that make a successful learner, which are intellectual risk-takers, gritty, and curious. For intellectual risk-takers, she mentioned anyone who is a great learner must be willing to jump past what he or she is comfortable in knowing and be willing to try out new ideas and perspectives, no matter how uncomfortable they might be. For gritty, she stated that successful learners are just as gritty as strong teachers. They are willing to struggle through what they don’t understand until they “get it.” I often tell my students that if learning were easy then they’d only do what they already can, and would never get any better. Lastly, she stated that curious learners have to be able to wonder, to be curious, to be open and not fixed.

My Comment: Sarah,
My name is Amanda Weller and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I absolutely LOVED your blog post! Your post was very meaningful and touching. Although I am not teaching yet, I can't imagine what it feels like to be a teacher. I know I get behind or stressed about a lot of my classwork and taking a break for self-reflection is very important. Sometimes you have to slow down on what your doing a just breathe. I really liked how you distinguished the differences between three things that make a successful teacher and three things that make a successful learner.I would highly recommend any teacher to read your blog. Thank you for sharing!