Additional Post #1

Metaphors: What They Are and Why We Use Them

1. I missed the metaphor in Tom Johnson's post because I was reading to deep into the post. I do admit that I did not look in full depth of the post. I honestly thought he was talking about pencils until I reread the post and caught my mistake. Actually, I posted it in my response to the post.

2. Metaphors I have encountered:
(a) I would die if I didn't get those shoes.
(b) I'm freezing to death.
(c) I'm so hungry I can eat a cow.
(d) I'm starving to death.
(e) You need to relax your mind.
(f) Time is money.

3. While teaching the difference between metaphors and similes, I would have my students do a poem for the two so they would be able to see the difference. Since they were the ones to actually write the poems it would be embedded into their minds what the difference is.

4. Metaphors are words we use in conversations that gives the listener or reader a better understanding with fewer words. Writers use metaphors to capture your attention where as speakers use them to get through what they are trying to say with a better understanding.

Blog Post #15 ~ Final Reflection

Blog Post #14

After exploring Jose Picardo's blog, I knew I had to add his blog to my PLN. It will definitely come in handy in the future. I love tip two, "use music more often." I totally agree with that. Kids of today listen to music and learn the lyrics after the first time hearing the song. From experience, I know this work. I had a teacher that taught us pro nouns through a rap. Corny yes but if you were to ask any of her students to list you the pro nouns I can bet that they would sing the "Pronoun Rap."

I have never heard of Hot Potatoes but know I will be using it inside my classroom so that I know that all of my students will learn on the same pace. I have already started using Picnik.com for my own personal use but will continue to use it inside the classroom because what kid don't like pictures. I will definitely keep Jose Picardo's blog and tips in mind when setting up my classroom and teaching.

C4T Comments for Teachers

In the month of November I read and commented on Steve Wheeler's blog. Steve is an Associate Professor of learning technology in the Faculty of Health, Education and Society, at Plymouth University.

The first post I commented on was In Flanders Fields. This was a poem by John McRae that was about the graves in of the falling soldiers in Flanders Field. I commented " I am a student at the University of South Alabama whom is enrolled in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. I enjoyed the poem. Although I have never been to Flanders Fields I have heard lots of stories from JROTC instructors when I was in high school. One day I hope to go and see for myself."

The next post was A Head Teacher Writes. This post was similar to Tom Johnson's Don't Let Them Take the Pencils Home. A guy who wanted to bring in I pads or tablets for every child so they could be mobile and take them home was denied by many. Stating that many teachers, parents, and others were against it because it was a waist of tax payers money or because they were illiterate to using one. I understood this metaphor now that I know that "pencils" is code name for laptops and tablets. My comment was "I love that. Being that I read a paper titled Pencils, I understood the metaphor. I think it is great that teachers call technology pencils. Quite funny actually."

C4K Comments for Kids

On November 13, I commented on Mrs. Yolis' class blog. In additional to reading her class blog we had to do an additional assignment. I learned a little about Mrs. Yolis and how she teaches. My response to that assignment was Mrs. Yollis is the type of teacher that we, as future teachers, hope to become. Not only do she teach her students by using technology but she also involves their family members, classrooms from all around the world, and others who are interested. Her entire focus is on her students, something we need to see in more teachers.
After exploring Mrs. Yollis' classroom blog, I notice that Mrs. Yollis has a lot of links that she encourages her students and other visitors to look and learn from. You can tell that she took time putting together her class blog and updating it on a daily bases.
I read her Meet Mrs. Yollis page and learned that she has been teaching for 25 years. She recently received a masters degree in “Integrating Technology in the Classroom.” Travel is one her and her husband's past time. Their favorite vacation spots are: Hawaii, Montana, Alaska, Belize, the Arctic Circle, and San Diego.
The video How to Comment was a video made by her students. The video included five tips on commenting. Those tips were: compliment, add new information, make a connection, end with a question, and proofread.
I also enjoyed How to Shoot Great Digital Images. It's a video of her students teaching how to take great pictures. Some tips include inhale, exhale, then snap the shutter button.
In the sidebar of Mrs. Yollis’ blog page contains items such as a cluster map. Her blog had 75,589 visitors between January 7, 2010 and November 13, 2011. Where as for EDM 310 only had 51,262 visitors between January 9, 2010 and November 13, 2011. The sidebar also contains awards that her blog has won. Such as Edublog, including first runner-up in 2009 and 2010, a lifetime achievement award in 2010, and also the best overall for elementary in 2009 from Digital Voice Awards.

On November 16, I commented on Lisa, a student in Room 13 at Pt. England School, blog. Her post was Fake Alien Snot. My response to her post was "Hello Lisa,
My name is Raven. I am a student at the University of South Alabama who is enrolled in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class located in the United States. This class teaches us as future teachers how to include technology in our classrooms. I enjoyed your post. Sounds like you all had a lot of fun making alien snot. I most definitely will have to do that project with my students when I become a teacher. Keep up the good work kiddo!"

Final Progress Report on PLN

When I began using a PLN, I had no clue what it really was. I have continued using my PLN not only for EDM 310 but I have learned that when you are planning a wedding and Christmas shopping online this is a very helpful tool. My PLN has grown with many icons for planning that it should be in one of the bridal magazines. I am glad I learned how to use a PLN it is such a good tool for web goers.

Project #16

Blog Post #13

Beginning this blog post I started to do option 3: Engaging in E-Media. Being that I work around technology I knew that I wasn't going to be able to really do option 3. Since I love to read I decided to go with option 4. I read Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Aldous Huxley, born in 1894 in England, was one of England's most accomplished authors. When he wrote Brave New World in 1932, he offended many of his readers. When I first started to read this book I was kind of offended by it myself. I have read many books about sex and drugs but none of them touched me the way this one did.
The setting was in London of 632 A.F. This book is about the future where they use sleep techniques and just technology to make the world a happier place. Everything from the present time has been done away with. Such as marriage, child bearing, emotions.
According to this book, sex is like a social affair. At an early age children are being introduced to sex. For the ones who can reproduce they are encouraged to use birth control. Instead of marriage, they believe in "everyone belongs to everyone else" because the thought of having a family would be considered having an addiction to porno.
Children are no longer created by sexual contact but instead by "decanted bottles" and raised in Hatcheries and Conditioning Centers. During the time of development each fetus are divided into five classes and then marked a "Plus" or "Minus" member. Ranking from highest to lowest Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon determined what their status in the world would be and how they would develop.
Emotions no longer exist because if they did no one would be happy and if no one is happy then the world has problems. Instead they were controlled by a drug called soma, a pill that takes its users on a hangover-free "holiday".
There are five main characters, three of which who are considered to be misfits. Lenina, a social butterfly, was known as not being as slutty as the other women. Bernard, an Alpha Plus psychologist who is a loner because he doesn't look like the rest of the Alpha Plus. Helmholtz Watson, a professor at the College of Emotional Engineering in the Department of Writing, loves to write poetry but can never publish it because it is not allowed. John, the Salvage, born by a Beta who got lost on a "holiday" but raised by Indians was brought back to the New World by Bernard and Lenina after one of their "holidays". Mustapha Mond, the world controller of Western Europe was once a physicist doing deep thought research on real science. When discovered what he was doing he was given the choice of being put on an island or to become a world controller. Of course he chose to give up science, and now he is in control of people happiness. Being the person he was before the controller, he has a collection of forbidden literature locked away in his office.
After seeing his mother die from soma, John went on a rampage to get rid of the drug. With the help of his friends Helmholtz and Bernard, a riot broke out and the police were called. Being escorted to the controller, Bernard denied all part in the riot and blamed it all on John and Helmholtz. Seeing that Bernard and Helmholtz were being transferred to an island of their choice, John exiled himself in an abandoned lighthouse. Doing a ritual the Indians does as a purifying, John whips himself in the open where it is caught on film and shown to the public. After being shown, hundreds of the public came to see John for his violent behavior for themselves. When seeing Lenina, the woman he loves and blames, come to watch John attacks and whips her. Seeing John attack Lenina, the crowd goes mad with excitement. The next morning, when they return to see John act again they find that he has hanged himself.

Project #14

When beginning this project, I started by getting the opinion from a graduate of South Alabama but also a retired teacher. Unable to use Skype because of her age but also health conditions, I asked her questions and wrote down her answers. Her answer to many of the questions were "things have really changed." Asking how, she looked at me like I should have known the answer, she said "well baby, first that classes are integrated but now you also have computers in them." She feels that students aren't learning with the technology in the classroom because it's taking their attention away from the teachers but also the teachers aren't doing any work because the computers are doing it all. This brought me to get the view from a "new generation" teacher.