Visit The EDM310 Alumni Blog Amazing! An Alumni Blog! Thanks to Jackie Gorski and all of her co-authors!

Friday, February 17, 2012

Need Writing Help? Attend Carly's Help Session

Writing

Carly Pugh will hold a special writing workshop on Thursday Feb 23 from 6pm to about 7:30. Several students would benefit from attending that workshop. We insist that you be able to write well in EDM310 since you plan to be an educator. I gave up on requiring that prospective teachers be able to add, subtract, multiply and divide about four years ago. But I am hanging tough on writing.

Come next Thursday night and let Carly help you become a better writer!

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Blog Post #4 Assignments Corrected

Revised
Several links were not working on the Blog Posts #4 Assignment. I have added several options and removed two. If you have already done your posts, that is fine. If not, all links should work.

Obviously, some changes had been made on the sites I had chosen and links would not work. If you encounter this, please notify me IMMEDIATELY.

Thanks!

Monday, February 13, 2012

C4K (Assignment #2) Now in Docs

Comments 4 Kids Logo
This week we visit a number of countries including the United States, Tobago and Australia. The types of web sites that we visit also vary. In some cases you will be commenting on a student's blog that is part of a class blog. In others you will comment only on the class blog. In most, the student will have a blog on which to post.

A Reminder
1, Review the class blog for the student you are assigned and any instructions that may be found there.
2. Find out as much as you can about the class you are visiting.
3. If your assigned student does not have a post, or if you cannot leave a comment for any reason, select another student and notify strange.john@gmail.com
4. I have provided Twitter addresses for the teachers where I could. You may Tweet them if you wish.
5. Use good grammar. Spell correctly. Do not write as if you were texting.
6. Proofread.
7. Constantly reflect on how you might blog in your classroom and what tools you might use.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

In Memoriam

Bobbi Jo Nelson

From the South Alabamian February 9, 2012:
Bobby Jo Harris Nelson, age 25, died Feb. 4, 2012 at Mobile Infirmary. She was a native of Clarke County and a resident of Escambia County.

A member of the First Asembly of God in Jackson for many years, she served in a variety of church areas, especially with children. She and her husband, Michael, were both members of Church of the Nazarene in Riverview.

Mrs. Nelson had received an Associates Degree and was currently working toward a Bachelors. She tutored students through the University of South Alabama.

She will be remembered for many good things, especially her big smile that lit up an entire room.

Survivors include her husband, Michael Nelson of Brewton; parents, Debra Smith Harris and Charles Wesley Harris, both of Jackson; grandparents, Margaret Ann Dungan and William E. Smith, both of Jackson; brothers, James “Clint” Harris of Jackson and James “Wesley” Harris of Mobile; sisters, Terrie Marie Harris and Melissa Harris (Michael) Gates of Grove Hill; nephews, Seth, Noah and Harris and niece, Maggi Ann.

Preceding her in death were her grandparents, Mona Sue Smith and Woodrow W. Harris.

Funeral services were Feb. 7 at First Assembly of God in Jackson. Interment followed at Odom’s Cemetery in Riverview with the Revs. E.C. Russell and James Meadows officiating. Arrangements were directed by St. Stephens Funeral Home.

Pallbearers included Michael Gates, Harris Gates, Derrick Nelson, Wesley Harris, Coy Whitehead and Clint Harris.


EDM310 Staff and students express their sympathy to the family of Bobbi Jo Nelson. Bobbi Jo was a student in EDM310 in the Summer 2011 semester.

Learning to Make Green Screen Movies

Jacey-Blair and the Jag Brooms


Elizabeth directed Jacey-Blair in a thrilling green screen movie Jacey-Blair and the Jag Brooms last night (Wednesday February 8). Watch it to see how the green screen magic allows Jacey-Blair to fly, as Elizabeth said,
around South Alabama's campus using the new Jag Brooms (a much better way for transportation than the Jag Bikes). This model is called the Modern Commuter 1000.

Song used in this video is "Prologue" from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by John Williams.

You Have Another Chance to Learn


If you missed Elizabeth's workshop, she offers you another opportunity: "You can still learn how to use green screen videos in Adobe Premiere Elements 9. Check out my video How to use Chroma Key in Adobe Premiere Elements 9 from last semester starring previous EDM 310 student Ramsey Willis.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

A Sixth Grader Demonstrates Why You Do Videos in EDM310


Watch this video by a sixth grader after reading her comments and her teacher's comment in the blog post. Leave Lauren a comment on her class blog. (See below.)

I left her one in which I said that she demonstrates why you must make videos, why you must encourage creativity, why you must reflect on what you have done, and why you must be prepared to learn from your students. And I would I add that I hope you are as creative in your work for EDM310 as Lauren has been in her work for her 6th grade class!

SPECIAL C4K ASSIGNMENT

Leave a comment for LAUREN on her class blog (where the movie is embedded and her comments are reported). Follow the normal procedures when doing so.

Thanks to Laura Holifield and William Chamberlain for recommending this wonderful post and video.

Monday, February 6, 2012

C4K Starts Today

Image of wordle

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. But 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.

Your C4K Assignments will be in your Google Docs later this afternoon (Monday February 6, 2012)

Some Additional Reminders:

Many of these students have been blogging since September. The students at Pt. England School probably have been blogging for 3 or more years! They know more about blogging than you do.

Some of you will comment on Mr. Avery's student blogs. His Twitter name is @mr_avery if you have questions.

Some of you will comment on Mr. Chamberlain's student blogs. Mr. Chamberlain is my hero. He taught me the importance of commenting on blogs when I was in the initial stages of designing EDM310. He has been a great friend and member of my Personal Learning Network (PLN). His students have been blogging for at least 5 months, maybe more. His Twitter name is @wmchamberlain There is a William Chamberlain Fund here at South which awards prizes each year to EDM310 students.

Some of you will be commenting on Mrs. Ripp's student blogs. Her Twitter address is @pernilleripp When I told her EDM310 students would be blogging she Tweeted back "@drjohnhadley oh hooray - my students will be so excited".

Some of you will be commenting on Mrs. Diaz's students. I got her name from the #comments4kids stream on Twitter. Her Twitter name is @MrsDiazClass

Some of you will be commenting on Mrs. Bark's student blogs. Mrs. Barks teaches at Pt. England School in Auckland, New Zealand. You should have read about Room 10 at Pt. England School. This is one of my favorite schools and has been for a long time. These students have been blogging for at least 3 years. We will visit Pt. England School quite often. The students have just returned from their summer break. They are just returning to their blogs. Look at some of their previous blogs. You can comment about other blogs in your comment on their first blog after their summer vacation.

Two Special Reminders
1. If the student to whom you are assigned does not have a post, choose another student and notify me (at strange.john@gmail.com) of the student you selected instead.

2. You must keep track of the link to your student's blog for each C4K assignment. The assignments that you see in the C4K Doc will disappear each Monday morning when new assignments are issued.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Missing - 30 Students Have Not Accepted Group Invitations

Missing
If you do not accept your invitation to join your EDM310 Class group you will not have access to the Docs you need to do your assignments. There are 30 students still to accept their invites: 9 in TT11; 14 in TT2; 7 in W6. MW4 is 100% complete! Congratulations MW4!