Blog Post #10

Do You Teach or Do You Educate?
This video does a great job drawing a line between teaching and educating. I definitely believe there is a difference. Teaching is an instructional process only allowing someone to obtain and regurgitate information; it leaves out substance. Educating can leave lasting impact on a student. An educated student never stops learning.

My Mother was an English teacher for thirty-five years, and it was her passion for educating that has inspired me to become an educator. She had profound impact on every student that entered her classroom. As a future history teacher, I want my students to leave my classroom remembering more than names and dates. I want them to know and understand the significance of those names and dates. I hope my educating will encourage more young people to seek truth and understanding for the rest of their lives. People should never stop thinking and asking questions.


Tom Johnson's Don't Let Them Take the Pencils Home!
Tom Johnson’ argument is similar to one I have developed. As an educator, be willing to work to your students’ strengths. Give students access to whatever equipment will help them learn be more interested in opportunity rather than accountability. That goes for all students and all learning. Don’t make assumptions about marginalized students.

However, his argument does have one flaw; it is too satirical. I read some of the other comments, and many people drew different and somewhat inaccurate conclusions. When making an argument, sarcasm should be used sparingly. I feel he may have lost, if not insulted, his audience through his sarcastic tone.

Blog Post#9

May 27, 2009 What I've Learned This Year (2008-09)
Mr. McClung has done a great thing reflecting on his school year. He automatically has the right idea about understanding his audience. In the first part of this blog he seemed to have the same epiphany Rafe Esquith had when he met his wife. I did a podcast a few weeks ago on analyzing excerpts from Rafe Esquith’s book There Are No Shortcuts. Esquith describes the moment he realized teaching was not about personal success. Like Esquith, Mr. McClung realized in only one year that teaching is a humble and selfless profession that is to benefit students.


Expect the unexpected. I am reminded of Mr. Pausch’s advice in my first post. Things are not always going to be perfect, but they still have to get done. Not getting overwhelmed and improvising when things go wrong is a great example to set for students. Meaning, just because the plan does not go according and not everyone learned their math lesson that day, does not mean the kids have not learned something valuable; they have learned something about their teacher. It is important that you maintain a stable environment. Keep your composure.

Communication is a must. However, it is important remember that communication is a two-way street. Listen to your peers and especially your students; they are always watching and listening to you, whether you realize it or not.

As any educator in the 21st century knows, advances in technology enter the lives of our students every day; thus they enter the classroom. Well, this is definitely not the first time I have read something of this nature this semester. This goes along with my theory that we all need to be technologically “willing.” But I do disagree with Mr. McClung on his position that modern technology is essential in our society. It is a reality in a student’s life, and we must put our biases aside for the benefit of our students’ futures. Awareness is different from dependence.

Mr. McClung closes his first reflection telling us to “never stop learning.” There has never been a more true statement. As I said, kids may not always pay attention to your lesson, but that does not mean they are not watching your every move and picking apart every word you speak. If they see you as a pompous know-it-all, they will never entertain the idea of learning something from someone who cannot possibly know everything.

This post has reminded me to remain humble and put my students first. Also, I have realized that my students’ success will depend on my ability to handle any obstacle and always have a willingness to learn from my mistakes as well as be open to new techniques.

June 23, 2011 What I Learned This Year (2010-11)
It was nice to see that three years after his first reflection Mr. McClung is still humble in his profession. The opening to this post mirrors Mr. McClung’s first reflection. Three years into the field of education he is still emphasizing the importance of the student experience of education rather than professional evaluation. Students excelling should be the only evaluation.

In his third year of teaching, Mr. McClung seems to have run into what most of us deal with the first week of any new job. His third reflection also discusses the grumpy co-workers that exist at every job. When I was in the Navy, I encountered this for the first time. And like McClung, I never allowed the negative comments stop me from making the most of my time in the military. I finished making rank and achieving medals for hard work and good conduct. I am quite proud of this accomplishment since so many of my peers did not obtain these accolades. McClung has given me a great reminder about the prevalence of negative attitudes and their numbing effect. There is nothing wrong with being different. Your positive attitude could be the thing that turns around an underachieving school that is in desperate need of a spark.

I really liked the “Don’t Touch The Keyboard” section. It is very important to never become a crutch for the student to lean on. But, this does not mean you should not assist a student in need. However, they must be given every possible opportunity to complete difficult tasks on their own. It is critical to their survival in a “no excuses” world.

And McClung ends this blog with great advice reminding us all to never be satisfied. This is not only good advice for fellow and future educators. In fact, it sets a great example for the students. They too should never be “comfortable” with a B average. With a little extra hard work, they may be an A student.

C4T#3

C4T#3
For this week's comments for teachers, I visited William Deyamport's peoplegogy blog. I watched his video on advice for new teachers. I found his advice interesting because of its relevance to what I have learned in EDM310. He is an 11 year veteran in the education field, and that makes his advice credible. In his video, he encourages new teachers to take advantage of the new technologies that are dictating our students' world.

Hello Mr. Deyamport, my name is Kevin Hutchinson, and I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I am not a teacher yet,but I hope to be one soon. The EDM310 class I am in right now is changing all the perceptions I used to have about becoming a teacher. And you touched on some of the things that have entered the education world, such as social networking, that have really caused me to rethink my approach to becoming a good teacher. After taking this class and watching videos such as yours, I totally agree with your ideas on using technology for the 21st century student's best interest.

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My Second comment for Dr. Deyamport was about his "Anti-Bucket List." Dr Deyamport developed a list of things he would never do. We often make lists of things we want to do. I think this is a great idea for remembering how to exclude the negative things we may do unintentionally. As a future educator, I especcially liked his number item on the list, never hanging on to negativity. If we expect our students to remain positive, we must always give off a positive vibe in our classroom.

Hello Dr. Deyamport,
My name is Kevin Hutchinson,and I am a student in EDM310 at the University South Alabama. Your Anti-Bucket List is awesome. I also think that 2k for a laptop is insane, and I am tired of apple people telling me to buy one. Personally, I would have that in the top five of my bucket list. Your numbers 1,2,and 6 would be my 1,2,and 3. As a teacher, I feel staying positive is a must, and is definitely worthy of a number one ranking on any list. I may develop my own "Anti-Bucket List."

Project 13 Smart Board Instruction

Project 12 Book Trailer

Project# 11 Short Movie

Blog Post # 8

This is How we Dream Parts 1 and 2
Whether in print or on the web, books are the source of the information we learn and interpret; that is a book’s goal. Unfortunately, neither one by itself overwhelmingly has the same effect on everyone. Richard Miller’s Multimedia writing gives substance to interpretation and opens the door to credible collaboration.

Simply reading a book and lecturing about it on YouTube or adding your opinion to Wikipedia is the reason many of my professors despise internet research sources. As someone who works in the humanities, I believe we need a better case for the internet jury. And that is what the multimedia concept offers.

Multimedia writing does not take anything away from a printed book; it only adds to it. It adds to the substance of the text through credible collaboration. It is filtered so as not to be stigmatized as another Wikipedia or Answers.com.

Blog Post# 12 by Carly Pugh
As I read this blog, I found myself guilty of once again being an immediate skeptic. Does learning have to be fun these days? Does everything have to be taught in the form of a video? These are the questions of someone flirting with the idea of not being willing to be creative. Thus, this same person may be robbing someone of their own creativity. I had the same feelings in the opening minutes of Dr. Miller’s lecture.

However, like Dr. Miller’s lecture, Carly’s post reminded me that ideas, such as multimedia, are not eliminating all things in the past; they simply add to their effectiveness. Coming up with an alternate ending to a famous book does not negate what the student learned by reading it. It teaches them to think even more. After all, they have to have understood something to recreate it.

The key word used in education should be creativity. Things like multimedia writing and YouTube Videos are never going to replace anything. Carly understood Dr. Miller completely. And by the end of both of their posts, they reminded me to be willing to add learning tools to my educating tool belt.

The Chipper Series and EDM310 for Dummies
After watching these two videos, I would like to see more instructional videos on the procedures for some of the projects. I believe they could be just as entertaining as these as well as helpful. I know the few videos like the one explaining how to do timelines and the one on slide shows really helped me complete the work. The instruction manual only works to a certain point. I have talked too many of the other students and former students (not lab assistants) who believe there should be more instruction beyond the manual. I think making more instructional videos available would eliminate al lot of procrastination.

Learn to Change, Change to Learn
You have to change or you want learn could have been the title of this video. I feel about this video the same way I have felt about most of the videos I have watched or posts I have read this semester. You must be willing to change has become my reaction to most of it. I think sometimes the message is a little extreme. Only a few of the posts I have seen arguing for a more electronic school have clearly admitted that web based schooling is not the only way; it is simply a way to improve the old.

C4K October

C4K#5
I started the month of October commenting on the Room 32010 class blog Kids With a View. Room 32010 is a first grade class in New Zealand. Ironically, the student I addressed had the same name as me. I told Kevin how exciting it was for us to have the same name. Also, I told him that his class blog shows a lot of hard work and dedication. I told him that New New Zealand looked like a wonderful country to visit. And if he ever visits the United States, I told him to check out the Grand Canyon.

Hello Kevin,
My name is Kevin Hutchinson, and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. Wow, we have the same name; that is pretty neat. I have enjoyed looking at your class blog. Your class seems to work very hard. I have never been to New Zealand, and from the pictures I have seen, it is a very beautiful country. It seems like a great place to visit. If you ever visit the United States, you would really enjoy some of our beautiful scenery. For example, the Grand Canyon is a huge canyon in the western part of the United States. It took thousands of years of erosion caused by the Colorado river to form this massive wonder of nature, and thousands of tourists visit it every year just to marvel at its size and beauty. Well, keep up the good work in school, and I look forward to seeing more of your class blog.

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C4K#6

Hi Victoria,
My name is Kevin Hutchinson. I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I was assigned to comment on your blog for my college class. I really like your blog. The snowflakes are pretty cool. That is a lot of pets you have. You and my wife would be great friends; she loves animals. And like you, she is also an artist with a degree from Mary Baldwin College in Virginia. I do not think you should stop drinking coffee. I have been drinking it since I was eight years old; I love it too. By looking at your blog, I can tell you work very hard. So keep up the good work.

Hi Taigan,
My name is Kevin Hutchinson. I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. I was randomly assigned to you by the random student generator on your class blog. I am also new to blogging. It is a fun way to voice your opinion. From the looks of your blog you are off to a great start. I hope this comment helps you reach 400 visitors.

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C4K#7
This week I visited Mr C's. seventh grade class blog. I looked at the slide show of art projects that the students had done. As someone who struggles with drawing stick figures, I was very impressed. I told Mr. C. how much I enjoyed looking at works of art. I just wish that was a talent I had. The students did some great Egyptian drawings. They literally reminded me of the drawings from my freshman Art History book. It is good to see students of the arts in a math and science age.

Hi, My name is Kevin Hutchinson,and I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. These are some really great pictures. I especially liked the Egyptian pictures. They reminded me of the Art History class from my freshman year in college. Even though I cannot draw at all, I love to look at the work of those who can. This is great work Mr. C.

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C4K#8
This week I visited the year three class of Ms. Priscilla Lavakula in Auckland New Zealand. I commented on a post by Enyahlee. Enyahlee made an animated illustration of the Auckland Sky Tower. She gave interesting facts about the tower, and I complimented her on her creativity. I also reminded her that creative animations, such as hers, are great because their ability to make a lasting impression on the viewer.

Hello Enyahlee,
My name is Kevin Hutchinson, and I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed your animated explanation of the Auckland Sky Tower. The class I am is teaching me to use movies and animation as teaching tools. Your illustration is a great example of how these techniques are useful. The animation is creative and entertaining. Thus, it leaves a great lasting impression on anyone who views it. I certainly will not forget the Auckland Sky Tower. Keep up the great work Enyahlee.

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C4K#9
For this last post, I read about the Berlin conference on Mr. McClung's class blog. The Berlin conference was about deciding how to divide Africa up among European nations. I thought it was an interesting subject. It seems to me that dividing up Africa has been the major problem throughout the continent's troubled history.

Hello,
My name is Kevin Hutchinson, and I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. This is an interesting post. It seems as if the world has been cutting Africa for a long time. Maybe, if we would just let Africa be Africa, the continent may not have the many problems that it is had throughout history. I look forward reading more on this subject.

Blog Post #7

Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture
No single adjective describes how wonderful this lecture was. Randy Pausch is brave, wise, and inspirational. Through his experiences and techniques in education, he is a guiding light for any young person trying to decide the correct path in life, both professionally and as a father and spouse. And staring death straight in face with a smile and a sense of accomplishment should teach any young person a lesson. Pausch has an obvious dedication to positively impacting students worldwide

I found his “headfake” technique interesting and familiar. I am sure everyone has had the “headfake” used on them at least once. I know that my parents used it on me often. My Mother probably used it the most. She was also a teacher, and it never occurred to me, until I watched Mr. Puasch’s lecture, that she may have developed her skill through the same dedication to educating young people. As a kid, I always had a difficult time getting motivated enough to appreciate school, and My Mother would use the same technique to get me excited about learning something. For those of you old enough to remember, the “headfake” has a classic example in the 1984 movie The Karate Kid, with the famous “wax on wax off” karate lesson.

I especially liked the “brick wall” example for achievement. He says that brick walls in life are there to test our determination. There are barriers between us and success, and the name “brick wall” is a great way to remind people that personal achievement is hard, much like a brick. If every dream was achieved with ease, then, everyone would do it; thus, dreams would lose a great deal of their special significance in our lives. People would simply take more things for granted. In fact, people already take too much for granted, and that is why “brick walls” serve as a good filter for the driven and those wanting life to be a stroll through the park.

When Mr. Pausch discussed his development of the program “Building a Virtual World” at Carnegie Mellon University, I found the method in which he allowed the students to set the tone for the class very familiar. I recently did a podcast on selections from Rafe Esquith’s book There are no Shortcuts, and while Mr. Pausch was not dealing with underprivileged middle school kids, he had a similar motto for his class. He allowed them to constantly push themselves and never become complacent with the minimum. He instilled excitement, determination, and creativity into his students without force; he “headfaked” them.

This lecture taught me a lesson in determination. It was a good reminder of the basic essentials in life that we all tend to forget from time to time. And what better person to remind us than a man that is proud and still determined in his final hour? When someone uses a “headfake” on you or reminds you of the “brick walls” you will encounter in achieving lifelong goals, they are not using tricks and gimmicks to help you learn, and they are not trying to discourage you. They are usually doing these things because they care about you. Randy Pausch’s methods are more than just methods; they are gifts.

PLN Part One

This is a raw version of my PLN. As a history major, I have a couple of tiles to help with my research. I also have a tile for skype in the classroom. Sense skype is being used more and more everyday, I felt this one would very helpful. I also chose to use the twitter widget. I can access my twitter account and keep up with who I am following through my web mix.

As I said, this is a rather raw version, and I intend to get more familiar with symbaloo. I hope it will help me with things that are new to me, such as twitter and skype. I plan to use my PLN to give me a wide range of research and professional feedback.