An International Blog Started by Student in Fairhope

The power of blogging at work!



Mr. Justin Cometti, History teacher at Fairhope High and a graduate of the "new" EDM310, sent me this email:

IB student junior Maggie Davis of Fairhope High School has created an international blog as her self-initiated and global CAS project for IB. She has spent countless hours creating and managing this site for IB students from about a dozen countries to share their cultures through writings, photos, and even skyping. Almost daily, she is adding new students as writers from around the world as well as from our own school. Maggie has launched an exciting and, I hope, permanent IB project for our current and future IB students. A buzz has started about it among our IB students, so share it with others if you like.

I have included the link to the blog, called Many People, below so that you can check it out, write comments, and appreciate Maggie's creativity and dedication to this outstanding project!

http://wereadall.blogspot.com

Why not join the conversation and leave a few comments yourself! The blog is called Many People

Special Assignment: Due Wednesday midnight 4/24/2013

This assignment is for the 32 people who did only HALF of the Blog Post Assignment #13 which was due last night (4/21/2013). If you did both parts this SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT does not apply to you

Here are the totals for Blog Post #13:

Did both parts of the assignment: 40
Did not do either of the assignments: 14
Only did Part 2 of the Assignment (Paul Andersen): 3
Only did part 1 of the assignment (Crosby): 1

Here is the assignment as found in the Blogpost Assignments p. 21:

Blog Post 13 Due 4/21

1. Watch Brian Crosby, Agnes Risley Elementary School, Sparks, Nevada, Back To the Future (17:43)
Mr Chamberlain suggested via email:"Brian Crosby's presentation at TedX Denver would be a great video for your students because it illustrates how one topic can encompass a huge range of learning."

2. Mr. Paul Andersen is a high school AP Biology teacher in Bozeman, Montana. (Look around his blog. You may find some helpful tips and tools.) Watch the Blended Learning Cycle, summarize the strategy that Mr. Andersen uses, and explain how you feel about his strategy. Send Mr. Andersen a thank you tweet (@paulandersen). Include #edm310 in the tweet so I will see it. Recommended by Khushbu Patel (Fall 2012).
Note: I have corrected the spelling of Mr. Andersen's name.

Yes, the 31 of you who did not do Part 1 (or the single person who did not do Part 2) but did do the other half of the assignment will still have the opportunity of doing the other half BY MIDNIGHT WEDNESDAY 4/24/2013 without penalty even though you did not follow the instructions on p. 7 of the Blogpost Instructions which read:

In ALL Blog Posts follow the requirements found in
Writing A Quality Blog Post
(whether or not that is specifically specified in the assignment)
ALL blog assignments require a written response whether that is specified or not.

ADD the missing part to the existing post for Blogpost #13. DO NOT create a new post!

In addition, this is a good way for me to see who is still reading the blog everyday. Things like this can move a person from - to + and vice versa.

iBook: Playing YouTube Video

Carly Pugh and Shelby Day offer this very useful advice:

From Carly's post on the EDM310 Facebook Page

So for all of you designing an iBook for your final project, Shelby Day and I have found something to help! Since the My Sentence and other videos are required and iBooks Author "conveniently" doesn't have a function to install YouTube videos, there is a site to make your own widgets!! They have widgets for YouTube, Instagram, and many other options.
This is the site: Bookry

Sign up for a free account and you can make all the widgets you want! I highly recommend it. And also, for anyone who gets stuck, they have their own tutorials that tell you exactly how to make, install, and personalize it. *hint hint*

New Blog Post #14 Assignment Now in Revised Blogposts Document (v.5)

I have added the assignment for Blog Post #14 to the revised version of the Blogpost Assignments (Version 5) which is now available.

Metaphors and Sarcasm - A Puzzle for Many

This is an updated version of my post in the Fall 2011 term.

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:..." Despite the many opposites contained in the time for list found in Ecclesiastes, there is no mention of a time to learn. So I'll add that. I like to think that the reason to learn is not included is that there is no time we should not be learning. We do find "a time to seek and a time to lose." But we do not find a time to learn and a time not to learn. So we will take that as an encouragement to always learn.

This week we have the opportunity to learn about metaphors. Actually, most of you already know about metaphors. You certainly encounter them regularly. And you use them. If you are a Christian and you go to church, or if you read your Bible, you cannot escape metaphors. If you read children's books, metaphors are all around you. If you are a parent, you know about storks that deliver babies and a big jolly old man as large as I am who delivers presents to "good little boys and girls." If you watched the very first assignment in EDM310 you encountered Mr. Winkle. One of our mottoes has a metaphor (as I demonstrated in our first class with my saw and burp bag: No more burp back education!

I had expected you to substitute computers for pencils in the Tom Johnson assignment due last Sunday. Well, maybe I didn't expect that since many EDM310 students miss the metaphor (or allegory). It happens every semester. I guess that the correct statement is that I hoped that you would understand the metaphor, or that you would at least be suspicious that the post was not literally true. I was wrong. And I once again blame the situation on the type of schooling you have experienced in which you are taught that the teacher delivers truth; that you should memorize that truth; that you should burp it back on command; and then forget it after all the tests are complete.

So we now have a wonderful opportunity for learning.

Here are the results of the metaphor assignment:

Spring 2013
85 still enrolled (started with 102)
5 of the 85 are inactive (never do anything but have not dropped course.)
33 missed the metaphor.
8 active students did not do the assignment. My guess: they did not know what was happening in the post.
5 inactive students did not do the assignment
51 Total. So 60% missed the metaphor. Only 40% identified the metaphor correctly even though this semester I encouraged you to be a detective.

Fall 2011
119 still enrolled (started with 154)
109 active (10 never do anything but have not dropped course.)
20 clearly identified the metaphor. Five of these 20 wrote excellent commentaries.
9 identified metaphor after self described research or reading comments on the post
7 missed the metaphor but had suspicions it was not literal
50 missed the metaphor
23 active students did not do the assignment. My guess: they did not know what was happening in the post. If you did not do the post on time you should consider yourself as having missed the metaphor. You are hereby assigned the Missed the Metaphor Special Assignment.
10 inactive students did not do the assignment
119 Total

In the Fall of 2011 I gave this Missed the Metaphor Special Assignment. If you missed the metaphor in the Spring 2013 term I would suggest you do these readings even though I am not making any special assignments this semester.

Read these three posts:

1. Metaphors: What They Are and Why We Use Them

In that post there is a Special Assignment. Do that assignment in a new post which is Additional Post #1. It does NOT substitute for Blog Post #14 as it did in the Spring semester.

Due midnight Sunday November 20, 2011.

2. Metaphor Discussion Update

3. Jennifer Asked: Why Use Metaphors? Here is My Answer

4. For more information also see:
You Missed the Point! It's Not A Pencil…"

Great Metaphor Posts This Semester (Fall 2011)

I am awarding a special prize to the 5 students whose posts on last week's assignment were especially outstanding. They will each receive a Kindle copy of the four educational books written by John T Spencer @johntspencer. Mr. Spencer uses the pen name Tom Johnson for some of his writings.

Here are the five prize winning posts:

Gretchen McPherson
Gina Phillips
Angela Pitts
Jenna Reynolds
Ramsey Willis

Prize For Others Who Got the Metaphor (Fall 2011)

I am awarding a Kindle copy of Mr. Spencer's book Pencil Me In: A Journey in the Fight for Graphite to the 24 other students who got the metaphor.

We all have an opportunity to learn. Even those who got the metaphor. Here is their assignment:

Special Assignment #1 for those who Got the Metaphor

Write a post about why we use metaphors. Give examples in history and literature and even EDM310. Due Sunday November 20, 2011.

And I have an opportunity to learn as well. My question is: Why do metaphors fail to work so often with college students? Or a better question: When do metaphors work with college students? And still another question: "Does the way people are taught affect their perceptions of what schools are about so much that metaphors (and sarcasm0 get lost in the process? If you have any thoughts on these three questions I would greatly appreciate your sharing them with me.

So off we go to learn. A never ending process!

Satire and Sarcasm

The following is a revised version of my post from Fall 2011 about the McLeod assignment:

We now have 128 students in EDM310 (Fall 2011). Seventeen did not do Blog Post #5 leaving 111 who did. Of those, 24 students clearly did not understand the satiric/sarcastic nature of Dr. McLeod's post Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please? found on his blog Dangerously Irrelevant. Another six probably missed the sarcastic and satiric nature of the post. The posts of eight students were so poorly written that I could not tell anything about how they interpreted the post - or if they had even read it. Add all these up and we have 73 (65%) who understood Dr. McLeod's post.

Dr. McLeod Tweeted me on Tuesday September 20 concerned about this: "There's a certain percentage of your students that completely misses the irony in 'Don't teach your kids this stuff' :)"

I responded: "Ah yes! And they want to be teachers... About a third [last semester] and probably this."

My guess was correct. 35% missed it this semester.

The failure to understand the post even drew the attention of m.williams-mitchell. Dr. McLeod drew my attention to this comment in the middle of the EDM310 comments this semester:

um…could someone please reassure me that the requirement for the class was to respond to this post as though one DIDN’T UNDERSTAND THAT IT WAS SATIRE??? I’m beginning to fear for our future.

Posted as a comment on Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please? by m.williams-mitchell, September 20, 2011 at 5:34 pm

And Now a Lesson

Let's look at the definitions of sarcasm and satire.

Definition of Sarcasm

sar·casm /ˈsɑɚˌkæzəm/ noun
1: the use of words that mean the opposite of what you really want to say especially in order to insult someone, to show irritation, or to be funny
Merriam Webster Learner's Dictionary

Definition of Satire

sat·ire noun \ˈsa-ˌtī(-ə)r\
1: a literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn
2: trenchant wit, irony, or sarcasm used to expose and discredit vice or folly
Merriam Webster Dictionary

1: a way of using humor to show that someone or something is foolish, weak, bad, etc. : humor that shows the weaknesses or bad qualities of a person, government, society, etc.
Merriam Webster Learner's Dictionary

As juniors in college I would expect you to recognize sarcasm and satire when you encounter these literary devices. Obviously that is not the case. So it is time for learning!

Dr. McLeod's meaning should be clear to you, if your are able to recognize sarcasm and satire, when you read the very last portion of his Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please? post:

don't do any of it, please



really

'cause I'm doing all of it with my kids

can't wait to see who has a leg up in a decade or two

can you?

Remember the Class Motto: I don't know. Let's find out.

That is what we are undertaking to do.

Now we return to the Spring of 2013

The class did much better with the sarcasm of Dr, McLeod than with the metaphors but about the same as in the Fall 2011 semester. A total of 25 students either missed the sarcasm or did not do the assignment. This amounts to 29% of the class compared to the 35% in the Fall 2011 class. If you believe the reports in Rate My My Professor .Com perhaps it is the result of experience with me. Here are two quotes: "Dr. Strange is cruelly sarcastic towards his students and fails to provide adequate explanations in order to complete the assignments." "[Dr. Strange] can come off as rude and sarcastic, ignore it."

Even with sarcasm and satire, however, we have an opportunity to learn! take advantage of that opportunity!

Lab Closed Sunday 3/31/2013

The Lab will be closed Easter Sunday March 31, 2013.

Foliotek

1. You must have registered for Foliotek by April 1, 2013 unless you are exempt. The following are exempt from using Foliotek: a) those seeking only recertification or license renewal; 2) students who are not seeking candidacy status; students who are not Education majors. Foliotek costs $ 35 for one year. NOTE: Several students who are in their first semester at USA report they are not being charged for Foliotek. If this happens to you - just smile. At least for the time being.

To register and pay for Foliotek follow these instructions:
a. When using Foliotek use Chrome or Explorer browsers ONLY.
b.Go to the USA Online Login page.
b. Login. Your User ID is your J number. Your password is the last 4 digits of your social security number.
c. Click on Sakai. Then click on a class which requires the use of Foliotek. Then click Foliotek in the left column. If you have not established a Foliotek account, do so. You will have to pay by credit card. After all information has been entered you will have to Accept the Foliotek rules, etc.
2. Once you have registered and paid for Foliotek and Accepted the Foliotek rules, etc. you will be able to post to Foliotek.

Think of Foliotek as a storage device in the sky where you will store evidence of your accomplishments in the College of Education. Every course you take in the COE has state established standards which you must meet. You must store the evidence used to determine whether or not you have met these standards in Foliotek where anyone desiring to can see that evidence. Your instructors will provide detailed instructions of what evidence must be submitted for what standards. You then place electronic copies of that evidence in Foliotek.

In EDM310 all of your evidence for all of the standards associated with EDM310 is in your blog and the EDM310 Class Blog. Therefore your blog and the Class Blog are what "go" into Foliotek. Since your evidence consists entirely of blogs we only have to provide Foliotek with links - links to your blog and the Class Blog. Therefore completing the Foliotek requirements for EDM310 is quick and easy.

You will need:
1. A list of the standards associated with EDM310. They are:

Literacy: Oral and Written Communications (3)(c) 1.(iii)
Literacy: Technology (3)(c) 4.(i)
Literacy: Technology (3)(c) 4.(ii)
Literacy: Technology (3)(c) 4.(vi)
Professionalism: Ethics (5)(c) 5.(ii)
Professionalism: Ethics (5)(c) 5.(iv)
For Elementary Majors ONLY: General Special Education: 290-3-3-.34 (2)(g)2.(iii)

Note that the standards are grouped into Literacy, Professionalism and Teaching K-6(for General Special Education). (There are other groups.) Also note that there is one small letter i (or two or three of them) at the end of the numbering system. These are VERY IMPORTANT. Be sure you pay attention to them!

2. You will need the URL to your blog and the URL for the Class Blog ( http://edm310.blogspot.com )

3. Then follow the instructions in Foliotek Instructions.

4. After you have completed Foliotek, your entries must be checked in person by one of the EDM310 staff members. This is an ABSOLUTE requirement and it must be done in class before 4 pm Thursday May 2, 2013. If one of us does not sign off on your Foliotek entries in person you will get an I in the course. And if you do not complete Foliotek (which is a GREAT hassle for you and an even greater hassle for Dr. Strange) no later than June 28, 2013 your I will become an F no matter what you would have gotten in the course.

SMART Technologies has changed the place you go to to download the SMART software. The links in the Project instructions Version 7 now do not work. The Instructions will be corrected later tonight. For now here they are:

1. Go to SMART Technologies WebSite
2. Click on the Support Tab. Select Software Downloads
3. On the Software Downloads page scroll down until you find Smart Product Drivers
4. Select 11.1 for Windows OR 11.1 for Macintosh

You will need the CODE which can be found on the Doc SMART Key Spring 2013 to activate the SMART software after you download and install it.

Green Screen Instructions on a Mac

Bailey Hammond has created iMovie Green Screen Instructions in 13 simple steps. These instructions will help those of you creating your green screen movie on a Mac.

Green Screen Workshop Wednesday 6pm

Your Green Screen project is due a week from this coming Sunday March 31, 2013 at midnight. Come to the Lab at 6pm this Wednesday March 20, 2013 and Elizabeth Brooks will walk you through the steps to a green screen masterpiece!

Want to see an example of what Jacey-Blair Chandler and Elizabeth Brooks did last semester? Just click on the picture above and you will see Jacey-Blair touring the campus!

Lab Hours During Spring Break

The Lab will be OPEN:
Saturday March 9, 2013 - 9:00 am until 6:00 pm
Sunday March 10, 2013 - 1:00 pm until 6:00 pm

Next Week

CLOSED Monday through Friday
OPEN Saturday March 16, 2013 1:00 pm through 6:00 pm (note late opening)
Sunday March 17, 2013 1:00 pm through 6:00 pm

Update March 5, 2013

Yes, Blog Post #8 is due this Friday at midnight (March 8, 2013) or Sunday March 10, 2013 at midnight. Your choice.

Yes, it was missing from the Checklist. I have now corrected the Master Checklist. You should correct your Checklist accordingly.

The Midterm Questionnaire will be distributed late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning. It is due this Friday at midnight (March 8, 2013) or Sunday March 10, 2013 at midnight. Your choice.

Checklist Corrections

I have corrected several mistakes in the Checklist. Please change you Checklist to match mine.

1. The Mandatory Classes for Week 8 are Tuesday March 5 or Wednesday March 6 depending on the class section in which your are enrolled (Lines 97 and 98) (Thanks to Whitney Bizjak for this correction)!

2. The Mandatory Class meetings in April will be Tuesday April 9 or Wednesday April 10 depending on the class section in which your are enrolled (Lines 146 and 147)

Line 157 (C4K#10 Last C4K is duplicated on Line 164. Remove from Line 164

Limited Staff Thursday February 28

The Lab will be open Thursday February 28 from 9am-6pm.

However, it will be staffed ONLY from 1:30-3:00

Carly will be in Montgomery at Higher Education Day.

I will be having cataract surgery.

Bailey will be in the Lab at 1:30 and will stay until 3:00.

2013 Education Summit

You're invited to attend the 2013 Education Summit on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 in the Mitchell Center 8am - noon. Come and go as you can. Free admission with your USA ID. This summit will address the role of the community, business/industry, K-12, and post-secondary in the accomplishments and challenges around graduating Mobile County public school students with 21st century workforce readiness. This includes field expert panelists and Dr. Nancy L. Zimpher, Chancellor of The State University of New York as the featured keynote speaker.

Special Points of Interest:
• Redesigning high schools to graduate students prepared for success in college and the workplace
• Continuum of supports from community and business/industry leaders to ensure students graduate ready for career or college

Keynote Speaker:
Dr. Nancy L. Zimpher, Chancellor, The State University of New York

Chancellor Zimpher is active in numerous state and national education organizations and is a leader in the areas of teacher preparation, urban education, and university-community engagement. As co-founder of Strive, a community-based cradle-to-career collaborative, Chancellor Zimpher has been instrumental in creating a national network of innovative systemic partnerships that holistically address challenges across the education pipeline.

Chancellor Zimpher currently serves as chair of the Board of Governors of the New York Academy of Sciences and of CEOs for Cities. From 2005 to 2011, she chaired the national Coalition of Urban Serving Universities. She also recently co-chaired NCATE's blue-ribbon panel on transforming teacher preparation. She previously served as president of the University of Cincinnati, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and executive dean of the Professional Colleges and dean of the College of Education at The Ohio State University. She holds a bachelor's degree in English Education and Speech, a master's degree in English Literature, and a Ph.D. in Teacher Education and Higher Education Administration, all from The Ohio State University.

Alert!

You should not be publishing your C4K summaries until the first Sunday of March. That is when the summary post is due for your February C4K assignments. If you have published your summary post already, go back, edit it, and SAVE it. After you have finished all C4K assignments in February you can publish it.

My Sentence Deadline Extended

It has been suggested to me that the deadline for the My Sentence project be extended for three reasons: last week was Mardi Gras and the lab was closed; on the on the other 'class day" we had mandatory class; and you have to use a Mac to do the My Sentence Project and for some that means using the Macs in the Lab. I listen and have agreed to stop the clock (like the Alabama legislature sometimes does). The new deadline is midnight Wednesday February 20, 2013.

Congratulations Lauren Brannan, Mobile County Elementary Teacher of the Year

There was a very nice interview in the Mobile Press-Register today Sunday February 17, 2013 (page 4A). The interview of Lauren Brannan, Mobile County Elementary Teacher of the Year, was conducted by Rena Havner Phillips.

Here are some highlights of what Mobile County Elementary Teacher of the Year Lauren Brannan had to say:

RHP: What is the best part about teaching?
LB: Watching people learn and watching people change their thinking, both teachers and children. Usually, the hardest part is the teachers. We were taught a certain way. We were taught to teach a certain way. But ... children get excited about learning...I get to see that in the computer lab every day. Instead of reading a book and doing a worksheet on it, they get to do the learning themselves. They are in control of their learning. They will do research themselves...So, just watching them get excited about about having some control over their learning: That's the best part.

RHP: What is your biggest challenge as a teacher?
LB: Getting my kids to get excited about learning. They are in a technology age, so they keep me on my toes, having to learn about new technology. That’s what excites them. If you are not involved with technology as a teacher, it can be rough to keep [the students'] attention. Luckily, I'm in a school that supports technology...We are a Bring Your Own Device school. We have iPads.

RHP: What makes a good teacher?
LB: Someone with a big heart, a lot of patience, someone who's creative. Someone who is a lifelong learner...You've never arrived at being a great teacher. You have to keep going.

RHP: Please talk about how technology has changed the way teachers teach.
LB: Children are excited about learning. They have more control over their learning, and it’s more authentic, more exciting, more realistic. They’re getting skills out of these project-based learning activities we’re doing. They’re getting 21st-Century skills, and those are skills they’re going to need in the workforce. They’re going to have to learn how to work with others, how to be creative, how to solve problems on their own. It’s not just the content; it’s not just the standards...

RHP: Do you have any advice you’d give your fellow teachers?
LB:Don’t be afraid to take on challenges. Don’t be afraid to try new things. Always continue to be a learner, and do your own research. And just keep the children and the learning front and center. Always, the learning comes first.

RHP: When your students leave your classroom, what do you hope they have accomplished?
LB: I hope they have learned to learn for themselves. You can't always be dependent on a teacher. we are not the end source for information. We're not this container full of information [with] the right answer. I want them to find the answer by themselves when they have a question. I want them to be problem solvers. I want them to be creative and be comfortable with showing their creativity. I want them to be 21st century learners. Emphasis added.

Laura Brannigan is the Technology Support Teacher at J.E. Turner Elementary in Wilmer.

Do her remarks sound familiar?

Congratulations Lauren Brannan!

The printed version and the electronic version of this interview are slightly different. I have drawn from both. The electronic version can be found at Q&A: Elementary Teacher of the Year: Lauren Brannan. The print version I used was the Baldwin County edition for February 17, 2013, p. 4A.

Update February 15, 2013

1. If you missed the Mandatory Class meeting this week you must contact me by email and/or by phone to discuss your absence.
2. The summary of the missing items on your blog are in a Doc Status of Blog Requirements Checked in Mandatory Class. As you complete the assignments edit the Doc. Edit ONLY the information about YOUR Blog.
3. Maybe this will make it a bit easier for you to complete the missing items. When using these instructions remember that you can ususally get a larger version of any image in a blog just by clicking on it.

a. Your photo of one person that is a headshot. Add the photo by going to Blogger, click on the down arrow next to your name

click on Blogger profile

click on Edit Profile at far right

find the picture you want to use and Upload it.


If you do not have a picture that meets the requirements, use the one I took of you. To get it go to the Emergency Access to EDM310 Instruction Manual (link on Class Blog under Essential Materials for Students and Visitors).

At the top of the page click on your class in the line that starts with Subpages:.

Find your name. Click on the Down arrow on the right.


b. To add working email and Twitter links you Add an HTML/Java Script Gadget by going to Blogger and clicking on Layout in the left column

Follow the instructions for writing the code that are found on p. 13 of the Activities Instruction Manual.

In addition, add a link to your Twitter page. To do this you must know how to write the code to create a link (or use the Link button in the Gadget). To learn how to write a liknk (which you MUST know how to do in order to add a link to a blog comment), follow the link on p, 13 to Mrs. Yollis' HTML Instructions for 3rd Graders. Be sure to add the break code after each line.

Here is what my gadget looks like when filled out. To enlarge the picture, just click on it.

Check carefully. Save. Then Test Your Links

c. To add the Class Blog Feed you Add a Gadget called Feed. You must then add the URL to the Class Blog to it.

d. If you do not have a Blog Archives gadget, add it from the Add a Gadget list. It will be found on p. 2 of the Gadgets so scroll all the way down and click Next Page.

e. The put the gadgets in the order, drag them up or down in your list of gadgets.

f. To add images to your blog, click on the image button in your post construction area. Find picture you want to use on your computer or iPad.

g. To add the Title tag and Alt tag modifiers for the images you add to your post, follow the instructions in Step 3 on pp. 9-10 of the Project instructions.

You can always go to the Lab for help. The Lab Assistants will NOT do your work for you but they will help you figure out what you are doing wrong by asking a lot of questions or even demonstrating how to do it and then letting you do it yourself. That is the ONLY way you will learn to do it.

4. If you have not read the post that is immediately below this one (Inappropriate C4K Comment), do so now. In addition, two posts will appear soon about inappropriate C4T comments. Read them when they appear.

5. Watch the Class Blog Feed on your Blog. When a new post appears, read it. You can also regularly visit the Class Blog!

Inappropriate C4K Comment

I have received a report from Mr. Cometti at Fairhope High School which is quite disturbing to me. Fortunately he is a graduate of EDM310 and he believes in the power of blogging. In addition, he moderates the comments left on his students' blogs. Here is his email to me:

Thank you [NoNoNoNoNoNoNo] for commenting on one of my students blog. They really look forward to the comments every week. Comments give them motivation to continue blogging and producing quality work. I hope you realize how important these comments are to my students. Please consider your words carefully in the future.

Here is the link to Zane's post.


Below is your full comment. I am sure you can [improve] upon this comment.

My name is [NoNoNoNoNoNoNo] and I’m in the EDM 310 class. I got your blog to read and comment on. Is this post a joke? It shows absolutely no understanding of World War One. It is nothing but incoherent babbling. The 1900′s is a long time period, when exactly was the war? I have never heard of ketchup gas. Did you by chance mean mustard gas? The Nazi party was not involved in the first world war. Saying that Jesus won the war is far from the truth. Hundreds of thousands of people were slayed during the war for no real victory. It was a brutal war of attrition that America and its allies happened to come out on top.

"Is this post a joke? It shows absolutely no understanding of World War One. It is nothing but incoherent babbling."

As a future educator, I hope you learn to make positive criticism to your students. ...[There] is no reason for you to talk down to him. He is simply a child that is trying hard to be funny to his peers.

"I have never heard of ketchup gas. Did you by chance mean mustard gas? The Nazi party was not involved in the first world war. Saying that Jesus won the war is far from the truth. Hundreds of thousands of people were slayed during the war for no real victory. It was a brutal war of attrition that America and its allies happened to come out on top."

Your comment to Zane displays your inability to pick up on the attempted sarcasm of a 14 year old kid. ... He purposely changed it to ketchup gas. He doesn't think Jesus won the war. His use of sarcasm is evident in his title "No, this one is for real, promise." ... he is trying to write creatively. This blog post was part of a creative writing assignment in a history class. As his teacher, I will inform him of his mistakes. I talk to my students constantly about the dangers of using sarcasm in their blog. Your job is to introduce yourself, lead with a positive comment, maybe offer a suggestion, and ask the blogger a question. Please consider the age of the students blog you are commenting on.

Regardless of Zane's poor use of sarcasm, you need to learn how to make positive comments that provide constructive criticism. As a future educator, I hope you consider your audience and choose your words carefully in the future. I am deleting your comment and I would recommend that you make a new one for a grade in your class.


Thank you,

Justin Cometti

Now for some heart to heart discussion from me:

NoNoNoNoNoNoNo must not have read my instructions in the Class Blog post Comments for Kids Starts This Week. Let me quote from that post:

"BEFORE you leave a comment for a kid you MUST read the instructions at the top of the Doc and the material in the links found elsewhere in this post. The kids ARE NOT YOUR PEERS so you approach you comments differently than you approach the comments you leave for your classmates."

And in the concluding section I write this:

"2. You must find out about the teacher and the school BEFORE you leave a comment. You are a visitor there. Know where you are and with whom you are interacting! This is extremely important!
3. The primary purpose of your comment is to be an audience for the students and to encourage them to learn. You are not their peer but a visitor. Ask a question. Be supportive and encouraging."

I would also like to call your attention to p.15 of the Project Instruction Manual. There I write:

"General rules:

1. Comments must be substantive in nature and appropriate for the intended audience. In other words, write for 3rd graders if it is a 3rd grader’s blog. Write for a teacher if you are doing a Comment for a Teacher (C4T).
2. One of the best set of instructions on how to write good comments is by Gracie. Gracie was a third grade student in Ms. Yollis' class in the Spring of 2011. Read Gracie's post Quality Comments.
3. All comments must be proofread and free of spelling and grammatical errors. Have you read Some of You Won’t Make It Through 3rd Grade ? If not, do so now. I do NOT want to find out that your comments have been rejected by a teacher (3rd grade or not) because of spelling or grammatical errors. For heavens sake! You are planning to be a teacher, correct? Here are the techniques Mrs. Yollis’ 3rd grade class follows in writing comments. Mr. Chamberlain, who teaches 5th grade, also has a list of useful advice when commenting on the Comments4Kids website. You should master these techniques as well."

I will edit this to read "I do NOT want to find out that your comments have been rejected by a teacher (3rd grade or not) because of spelling or grammatical errors OR FOR ANY OTHER REASON.

Obviously NoNoNoNoNoNoNo did not follow these requirements. You are practicing to be a teacher. This is NOT what a teacher would write to her or his 9th grader.

When you leave a comment for a kid you are a guest in the teacher's class. Behave like that!

We learn from our mistakes and from the mistakes of others. This is an important learning opportunity. Take advantage of that opportunity. I DO NOT WANT any additional feedback from teachers like this.

One Additional Comment:

Teachers often moderate comments. You can understand why when you read this account of NoNoNoNoNoNoNo's comment. If the teacher does moderate comments, you will not see yours appear. Again I quote from p. 15 of the Project Instruction Manual.

"6. Some teachers moderate the comments left on their personal blog and/or on the blogs of their students. This means that you may not see your comment until it has been approved. That may take one day or many days. You do not have to worry about it since you will summarize the post and your comment and you will post these summaries to your blog on a regular basis. This also applies to C4T and C4K."

Oh My!

The Special Blog Post #1 was due last night (Thursday February 7, 2013 at midnight). We now have 101 students in EDM310. Twenty-eight have not done the assignment. That is 28% of the class who are not regularly reading the Class Blog or who read it but forgot to do the Special Blog Post assignment despite the emphasis that our school systems put on being able to memorize. And despite my warnings in the mandatory classes that there would be three or four Special Blog Assignments which would be announced ONLY in the Class Blog to make sure you were reading it all the time.

Are you one of those 28? Probably not because you are now reading the Class Blog. If you did not do the Special Blog Post Assignment #1 and you happen to see this, or if a classmate asks you whether you did the Special Blog Post or not, I am going to give you a chance to reduce the penalty for not doing this post if you complete it by midnight Monday February 11.

You must read the Class blog daily. Since we meet as a class only once a month, I must have a way to communicate with you. I do that through the Class Blog.

Confused? Catch Up and Catch On by Jacey-Blair

This Wednesday at 6:00 pm amd during the Lab Hours 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm Jacey-Blair Chandler will help you Catch Up and Catch On to the many ins and outs of EDM310. Come Wednesday evening and help her sweep away your confusion! Leave a comment on this post if you have something in particular that you would like Jacey Blair to cover.

In the picture you see Jacey-Blair with her special broom that clears away all Confusion. Watch the movie below and ask her how she (and Elizabeth Brooks) did it.
Jacey-Blair and the Jag Brooms

C4K Starts This Week

Your first C4K assignment is now in your Google Docs. BEFORE you leave a comment for a kid you MUST read the instructions at the top of the Doc and the material in the links found elsewhere in this post. The kids ARE NOT YOUR PEERS so you approach you comments differently than you approach the comments you leave for your classmates.

I think C4K is one of the most important parts of EDM310. You will be commenting on kids blogs throughout the world. But you must PREPARE for this activity before you undertake it. Here's how:

1. Read/watch all material for which links appear in the section for Projects#3, #4 and #7 in the Projects Manual, p. 18
.....a in the opening paragraph
.....b in the General rules numbers 1-5 (on p.18) and 6c (on pp. 19-20)

2. If your C4K assignment has a Class Blog, look it over. See what you can find out about the class and the assignment. For Week 1 I have done a bit of that for you. Where possible I have listed the teacher's name, the school, and the grade. YOU must explore every week. Don't just treat this as a quick assignment. Think about the way the teacher is approaching instruction, how she uses blogs and for what purpose.

3. PROOFREAD your comment. Do not have it rejected because of your failure to use good grammar, to spell correctly, or to avoid texting techniques.

4. In this first iteration, C4K will take more time than it will later in the semester. Invest quality time in this assignment. I assure you it will be beneficial to you in the future.


Some Additional Reminders:

Many of these students have been blogging since September.

Three Special Reminders
1. If the student to whom you are assigned does not have a post, choose another student and notify me (at edm310help@gmail.com) of the student you selected instead.
2. You must find out about the teacher and the school BEFORE you leave a comment. You are a visitor there. Know where you are and with whom you are interacting! This is extremely important!
3. The primary purpose of your comment is to be an audience for the student and to encourage them to learn. You are not their peer but a visitor. Ask a question. Be supportive and encouraging.
4. Remember that you will be required to identify the class and your student and to summarize the student's post and your comment in a blog post on your blog. Start that post NOW! If you do not you will forget the class, the student's post and what you wrote. Save instead of publishing until the date specified in the Checklist.

Going in the Wrong Direction

Fifteen blogs were not done on time and two more were incomplete. We are going in the wrong direction. Was it the Superbowl? I hope not.

Special Blog Post Assignment #1 Due Thursday 2/7/13 at Midnight

In this Special Blog Assignment which is due THURSDAY February 7, 2013 at midnight, create a post titled Special Blog Post #1 in which you do the following:
1. Read the post Many Students Misinterpreted the Data in Did You Know?.
2. Answer the question in that post about what you found when you did the WolframAlpha search.
3. Do two more similar WolfranAlpha comparative searches. For each (a) state exactly what you searched for and (b) what you found. If a search is unsuccessful, try again until you have two successful searches.
4. In one or two paragraphs, discuss how WolframAlpha can be useful to you or your students or both.
5. Go to Gary Hayes Social Media Count
Watch the Social Media Count change. There are 9 tabs (Social, Mobile, Games, Heritage and Now, +1 day, +1 week, +1 month, +1 year). There are 20 possible combinations of Subject and Time Frame. Try them ALL. If you want to stop the clock at 1 minute (or some other interval), try doing a screen shot (Mac: Command/Shift 4 - or 3 for whole page which may be easier; or use Snipping on a PC. For detailed instructions on doing a screenshot see page 9 of the Project Instructions.
6. Think about these changes that are happening at such an astounding rate. What do they mean for your professional career as a teacher? Write two or more paragraphs in your Special Blog Post #1 following the requirements in Writing A Quality Blog Post.
7. Send Gary Hayes (@GaryPHayes ) a thank you Tweet. Tag it #edm310 so I will see your Tweet.

Many Students Misinterpreted the Data in Did You Know?

Many students interpreted the data in my version of Did You Know? as demonstrating that students in the United States were behind, or inferior to, students in India or China.

Lets take a look at the data. One slide reads: "The 25% of the population in India with the highest IQs outnumbers the ENTIRE population of the United States." What is the population of India? What is the population of the United States? While we are at it, what is the population of China? Do this: Go to WolframAlpha (There is also an app for Android or Apple phones and iPads or tablets which you can use if you prefer). Do a search for Compare Populations of India, China and the United States. What do you find? You will be asked to report on this in a Special Blog Assignment that I will post later today.

Another slide reports: It is estimated that 18 million Chinese speak English now and 300 million are learners. If we add these two numbers what do we get? The next point on the slide reads "So...if the "learners" do learn English there will be more people in China speaking English than the ENTIRE population of the United States." And what is the population of the United States?

Back to India. One slide reads "Let's assume ... the best 25% of K-12 students [in India] are designated Honors Students." The next slide reads "Then ... India has more K-12 Honors students than ALL of the K-12 students in the United States." Why is it easy for us to come to this conclusion? Because India has four times as many people as the does the United States. It is all a matter of the size of the population!

When you encounter data you must keep your brain on and think clearly about what those data really mean.

Special Workshop on Google Tools 6 pm Wednesday 1/30/13

Stephen Akins will lead a special workshop on Google tools this Wednesday starting at 6:00. He will be the Lab Assistant in the Lab from 6:00-8:30 so the presentation/discussion/workshop will be continuous.

Fifty-two percent of the students in EDM310 this semester reported that they had used Google only as a search too. Google, however, has over 50 different tools, many of which are extremely powerful and useful, in addition to search. Come Wednesday night and let Stephen demonstrate and help you learn to use other Google tools.

Eleven Students Did Not Do Blog Post #2

We slipped a little. This week there are eleven students who did not do Blog Post #2 on time. Three of them should know better since they have taken EDM310 before. One was sick so that means ten have red boxes by their name on our Evaluation Form. Red blocks are dangerous. Be on time with your work!

A quick look at what many of you have written about Did You Know indicates that many made the same mistake in interpreting the data comparing China and India with the United States. Watch for a general discussion of what the data really mean here on the Class Blog later in the week.

Don't forget that all posts from now on must have an image in them, probably at the top.

Summary Weeks 1 and 2 and Update January 27, 2013

Writing

I am extremely pleased (on the whole) with the quality of your posts for Blog Post #1. Most were well written and informative. Here were the major problems: 4 students did not do the assignment; 4 did not do all parts of the assignment; 4 were late; one student did not put all parts of the assignment into one post; 3 exhibited significant writing and/or proofreading problems; 3 more may have writing problems which were not particularly evident.

How could you have made your post better? One important way was to find out about more about Dr. Pausch. I raised that possibility indirectly with the question "Do you know anything else about Dr. Pausch?" I wanted to see if any of you would look him up. Remember the class motto "I don't know. let's find out." If you don't know something, find out. Seventeen students already knew more about Dr. Pausch or looked him up and reported on what they found. If you didn't do this, we want you to look things up when you don't know something. Take advantage of the technological tools available to you. Be inquisitive. Create a desire to learn within you.

Mandatory Class Attendance

This was another bright spot this semester. We had only 4 unexcused absences out of a total possibility of 408. Excellent!

I am extremely pleased that the semester is off to such a good start. Keep it up.

Some Reminders

1. I have posted revisions to Projects, Activities, the Syllabus (Lab schedule) and Blogpost Assignments. Make sure you are using the latest version as indicated in the sidebar of the Class Blog.
2. I have made all photos available. You should have gotten a Gmail with a link to the page where you can find your photograph. You can also go to the Emergency page for the Manuals. Near the top, in the middle, are links to the photo pages. If your picture is not a picture of you, please let me know.
You can use your own picture of yourself BUT the picture must be a HEAD shot of you and you ALONE. ALONE.
3. The list of Groups and Podcast Assignments has been shared with you and is on your Google Drive. If you do not see it, remember to click More and then All items... Order your copy of the assigned book now. Eight of you will also have a chapter from a second book available for you in the Lab. This is indicated in the assignment column of the Doc.
4. I have also shared the Class Roster with Groups which is alphabetical by last name. This Doc contains contact information for all EDM310 students.
5. Several of you are still sending mail to edm310new. From now on send all mail to edm310help@gmail.com which is read by me and Lab Assistants or to strange.john@gmail.com. Do NOT send any mail to edm310new. I use that address only at the beginning of the semester.
6. Wordle and Java Problems Thaere have been some major security problems identified with Java in the last three weeks. As a result some of the browsers have introduced measures which prevent Java from working or require extensive permissions from the user. If you are having Java problems, set aside the Wordle project until the Java problems are resolved. I will keep you posted.

Thanks again for a wonderful start to the Spring 2013 semester. Keep it up!

Monday January 21, 2013 Update

1. Your C4C Assignment (due midnight 1/27/13) is in your Google Docs (Drive).
2. Your C4T Assignment (due midnight 1/27/13) is in your Google Docs (Drive).
3. If you can't find either your C4C assignment or your C4T assignment, be sure you have selected All items under More.. in the left column of Google Docs. If you have done this and one or more is still missing, email me.
4. Most students (more than usual) answered the Questionnaire #1 due last midnight. Only 7 failed to do so. Great! We shall find out why the 7 didn't do it in class this week.
5. We had a much better record than normal of blog post #1 being completed on time. Only 9 students did not do this assignment on time, two of whom do not yet have a blog (and they attended no classes last week).

The EDM310 Lab (and all of the College of Education labs) will be closed Monday January 21, 2013 for Martin Luther King Day.

Link to Questionnaire Sent

You should have received a Gmail with a link to the Questionnaire at about 3:30 pm yesterday (or before). It is to be completed by Sunday midnight 1/20/13.

If did not get the link to the Questionnaire, check your Gmail again. Send me an email immediately (strange.john@gmail.com) if you did not get it.

EDM310 Classes Start Next Week - All Materials Now Available

EDM310 begins its 9th semester in its current form. Welcome!

A few reminders:
•Do NOT be late with any work in EDM310.
•Write well. Proofread everything you write.
•Learn to be an effective and honest evaluator - of your own performance of of that of others.
•Be open to new ideas. The world of education is changing fast and you must not teach as you were taught.
•Use your creativity
•Learn. Always be engaged in learning. EDM310 is NOT a "burp-Back" course where you will be told what to memorize and what to do. We will give you the tools to learn and we will help. But YOU must do the learning. Actually, we ALL must be learners!
•Don't worry about the first two weeks. they are hectic, often confusing, and very different. But they will pass.
•Have fun LEARNING!

All EDM310 Class materials are now available in the column on the right titled Essential Materials for Students and Visitors.

About the stamp: It was issued in 1980. The image is Glow by Josef Albers. Learning Never Ends!

Syllabus for Spring 2013 Now Available

Welcome

Have you created a Google account yet? If not, do so now. You must have one by the first day of classes.

The Syllabus is now available. Click Syllabus Spring 2013 in the right column under the heading Essential Materials for Students and Visitors. Other materials will be available on or before Monday January 14. You can consult the materials for last semester by clicking on the appropriate item in the column to the right.

EDM310 is NOT a course in which you learn how to use a computer. Nor is it a course in which you learn to use Microsoft Office (word processing, spreadsheet, database, presentation software). If you do not ALREADY know these things you should not enroll in EDM310 but instead take a course which addresses these outcomes. Otherwise, we shall see you soon.

Important EDM310 Information

1. Class is CANCELLED Thursday December 6, 2012.

2. If you have not completed your Foliotek you must do so by 4 pm Thursday December 6, 2012.

3. You have been sent the Final Exam/Questionnaire. It must be completed by midnight Sunday December 9, 2012. Do it earlier if at all possible. If you did not get it, send an email to EDM310 Help immediately.

4. Your Final Reflection is due midnight Sunday December 9, 2012. Keep it between 3 and 5 minutes and I will be happier. If necessary, do more but do not exceed 10 minutes.

5. Grades will be submitted to the Registrar by noon on Monday December 17, 2012.

Happy Holidays.

Foliotek

We will check your Foliotek entries at the beginning of your first mandatory class this week (December 3, 4 or 5, 2012) or we will help you complete them if necessary.

1. You must have registered for Foliotek BEFORE your first class this week. It costs $ 35 for one year. To register and pay for Foliotek follow these instructions:
a. Use Chrome or Firefox browsers ONLY.
b.Go to the USA Online Login page.
b. Login. Your User ID is your J number. Your password is the last 4 digits of your social security number.
c. Click on Sakai and then click on Foliotek in the left column. If you have not established a Foliotek account, do so. You will have to pay by credit card. After all information has been entered you will have to Accept the Foliotek rules, etc.
2. Once you have registered and paid for Foliotek and Accepted the Foliotek rules, etc. you will be able to post to Foliotek.

Think of Foliotek as a storage device in the sky where you will store evidence of your accomplishments in the College of Education. Every course you take in the COE has state established standards which you must meet. You must store the evidence used to determine whether or not you have met these standards in Foliotek where anyone desiring to can see that evidence. Your instructors will provide detailed instructions of what evidence must be submitted for what standards. You then place electronic copies of that evidence in Foliotek.

In EDM310 all of your evidence for all of the standards associated with EDM310 is in your blog and the EDM310 Class Blog. Therefore your blog and the Class Blog are what "go" into Foliotek. Since your evidence consists entirely of blogs we only have to provide Foliotek with links - links to your blog and the Class Blog. Therefore completing the Foliotek requirements for EDM310 is quick and easy.

You will need:
1. A list of the standards associated with EDM310. They are:

Literacy: Oral and Written Communications (3)(c) 1.(iii)
Literacy: Technology (3)(c) 4.(i)
Literacy: Technology (3)(c) 4.(ii)
Literacy: Technology (3)(c) 4.(vi)
Professionalism: Ethics (5)(c) 5.(ii)
Professionalism: Ethics (5)(c) 5.(iv)
For Elementary Majors ONLY: General Special Education: 290-3-3-.34 (2)(g)2.(iii)

Note that the standards are grouped into Literacy, Professionalism and Teaching K-6(for General Special Education). (There are other groups.) Also note that there is one small letter i (or two or three of them) at the end of the numbering system. These are VERY IMPORTANT. Be sure you pay attention to them!

2. You will need the URL to your blog and the URL for the Class Blog ( http://edm310.blogspot.com )

3. Then follow the instructions in Foliotek Instructions.

4. After you have completed Foliotek, your entries must be checked in person by one of the EDM310 staff members. This is an ABSOLUTE requirement and it must be done in class before 4 pm Thursday December 6, 2012. If one of us does not sign off on your Foliotek entries in person you will get an I in the course. And if you do not complete Foliotek (which is a GREAT hassle for you and an even greater hassle for Dr. Strange) no later than February 18, 2013 your I will become an F no matter what you would have gotten in the course.

Dr. Strange Selected as "Top Prof"

Dr. John Strange was selected as a Top Prof by Mortar Board member Bailey Hammond at the Annual Mortar Board Top Prof Celebration held Thursday November 29, 2012

In her award comments Bailey cited Dr. Strange's antipathy to "burp back education" as one of the reasons for his selection as Top Prof.

Lab Open and Closed

For the Thanksgiving Holidays the Lab will be OPEN and CLOSED as follows:
Wednesday November 21, 2012 OPEN and staffed until 2:00 PM
Thursday November 22, 2012 CLOSED
Friday November 23, 2012 CLOSED
Saturday November 24, 2012 CLOSED
Sunday November 25, 2012 OPEN and staffed 1:00pm - 6:00 pm

Happy Thanksgiving

Normally I have no assignments during Thanksgiving Week. Hurricane Isaac necessitated moving the "lost week" into Thanksgiving Week. To partially make up for that I will end C4K posts after the one due next Sunday (11/25/12). I will also end C4C after next Sunday (11/25/12). And there will be no Blog Post #14 Assignment which I had removed but warned of a replacement. I am also allowing Blog Post #13 to be submitted no later than Sunday December 2, 2012. These changes do not totally eliminate the work necessary during Thanksgiving Week. I hope, however, these changes make the next two weeks a bit more enjoyable.

C4C and C4K assignments will be available by noon on Monday 11/19/12 and will be due Sunday November 25, 2012. They will be the last C4C and C4K assignments. Happy Thanksgiving (and the week after).