What Can We Learn About Teaching and Learning From Randy Pausch?

Randy Pausch was a computer science and human-computer interaction and design at Carnegie Mellon University. He was diagnosed with cancer and was told he had 3 - 6 months of good health left. During those months he gave his final lecture. Randy Pausch's final lecture was about achieving your dreams. He spoke about how he achieved his dreams and helped enable others to achieve their dreams. His final lecture was recorded and has been viewed more than 16 million times on youtube. 

  

If you had one last lecture to give before you die, what would it be?

Randy Pausch began his lecture by explaining his illness to the audience. The next part of his lecture was about achieving your dreams. He began with how he achieved his dreams. His childhood dreams were being in zero gravity, playing in the NFL, authorizing an article in the World Book encyclopedia, Being Captain Kirk, winning stuffed animals, and becoming a Walt Disney Imagineer. He described how he was able to make all of his dreams come true. He never became Captain Kirk, but he was able to meet him. He also had his stuffed animal collection brought onstage during his lecture. He talked about the obstacles that he faced while he was pursuing his dreams. He called them brick walls. The brick walls let us prove how badly we want something and stop the people who do not want it badly enough. Randy Pausch did not only achieve his dreams, but he also helped enable others to achieve their own dreams. He helped one his students achieve his dream to be a part of making Star Wars films.  

Randy Pausch helped create an educational software that teaches students computer programming. The software was called Alice. He also created a class called building virtual worlds. It was a class of fifty art, design, drama, and, computer science students. They were put into teams and worked on a project of creating a virtual world. Students were only given two weeks to complete their projects. He was blown away by his student's projects. He said that he would have given them A's if they had an entire semester to make them. He asked his mentor what he should tell his students about their projects. His answer was to tell them "this is good, but I know you can do better". The video below is an example of the virtual worlds that they created. 

What can we learn about teaching and learning from these teachers?

Back To the Future
Brian Crosby

Brian Crosby is a fourth grade teacher at Agnes Risley Elementary School. He teaches a class of fourth graders that are mostly underprivileged students. One of the projects he did with his class involved hot air balloons. His students learned what would happen to the balloon as it entered different atmospheres. They also learned the history of the balloon and told stories from the balloons point of view. They wrote about where the balloon went and what happened to it. The class also sent up a real balloon with a camera attached. As the students were writing, they were also watching a live feed of what happened to the balloon.





Blended Learning Cycle
Paul Anderson

Paul Anderson teaches his classroom with a method called blended learning. He teaches in a way that really engages his students. He uses six steps in teaching his class.
1. Question
2. Investigation/ Inquiry
3. Video
4. Elaboration
5. Review
6. Summary quiz

Paul Anderson has been teaching for twenty years and teaching science on youtube for the past three years. He has created hundreds of science videos that have been viewed millions of times by teachers and students. He also has a website called Bozemanscience. 

21st Century Learning and Communicating Tools

By: Raven Williams

Why Daily Fit Log?

• Introduce students to various physical activity choices.
• Helps students create personal fitness plans.
• Helps students monitor their progress.
• District-wide tracking of student health data and physical activity, easy maintenance of all health and fitness data for all students as they progress through their academic career.
• Designed for grades K-12, DFL meets many state fitness standards and easily integrates into PE curriculums.
• It's a free service, supported through third-party sponsorships and advertising, ensuring that schools and districts will always be able to use the DFL program for free.
• 100% web-based service and can be accessed by students and teachers anywhere the internet is available.

How it can benefit students

• Record their health information and set personal S.M.A.R.T. goals.
• Log and track their daily physical activity 
• Take personal control of their physical activity habits.

Daily Fit Log allows students to track % body fat, resting heart rate, height, weight and BMI (BMI is automatically calculated based off a student's height and weight entries) over any time period, compare data to healthy recommendations for each student's age group, and create a personal fitness plan to improve health data and track progress. Students can log their physical activity across any time frame and perform fitness tests and log their fitness testing scores using DFL's "Fitness Testing" category. They can assess their current levels of physical activity and fitness testing scores using DFL's charting features and set personal fitness goals to improve. Students can also monitor progress towards reaching their goals, as well as changes in health data as they relate to improved fitness levels.

Learn more about Daily Fit Log.

C4T #2

By: Jason Hahnstadt 

http://www.flippedcoach.com/

Flipping in Physical Education 2.0. It's all about the videos!

In this post, Jason Hahnstadt demonstrates his version of the flipped classroom with a lesson in pickleball. Instead of wasting valuable class time to lecture, students watch informational videos outside of classroom. These videos contain information about games, rules, and techniques. After watching the videos, students execute the skills in class.

My Comment

Hello, 

My name is Raven Williams and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I was led to your blog from my EDM 310 class, I really love you flipped coach teaching method. I plan to be a physical education teacher and I would definately use this for my classes. I recently took a tennis class where I was able to learn how to play pickleball. A lot of our class tome was used learning the rules and techniques. I think everyone was sad that we didn't have more time to play!

What is Flipped Coaching?

Flipped Coaching is removing the lecture from the classroom. Students learn independently from simple informational videos. 

My Comment

Hello,

My name is Raven Williams and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I really love this post and the idea of using technology in PE classes. I like that the students learn independently and there is more time in class for executing the lesson.

C4K for September

Mermaids

By: Derrick Pittman

Summary

When Derrick Pittman was asked to write about a topic that he believed in, he chose mermaids.He gave many facts and details why he believes that they exist. He uses many facts and has watched documentaries about mermaids to help argue his opinion. He believes that mermaids are scared of humans and will reveal themselves to us when they are ready.

My Comment

  Hello, my name is Raven Williams and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am currently taking a class called EDM 310 that led me to your blog. I really love the topic that you chose! Mermaids are one of the world's greatest mysteries. I personally believe that mermaids exist. You did a really great job explaining why you believe in mermaids. The facts about the ocean and marine life works really well to support your belief. Your blog was very thoughtful and interesting. I look forward to reading more from you in the future! Here is the link to my blog if you would like to see it! 

http://williamsravenedm310.blogspot.com/

Link to Blog Post

http://kidblog.org/english1stBlock/6c627917-e946-48b7-9ea1-d61b726ace04/this-i-believe-2/#comment-20

Gavin Bishop

By: Isara

Summary

Isara wrote about the life of Gavin Bishop. Gavin Bishop is an illustrator. Isara briefly wrote about his childhood and his career as a teacher.

My Comment

Hello Isara!

My name is Raven Williams and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am currently taking a class called EDM 310 that led me to your blog. I also have a blog. http://williamsravenedm310.blogspot.com/

I really enjoyed reading your post. I thought it was very informative and well written. I actually have never heard of Gavin Bishop, but your post makes me want to know more about him! Keep up the good work. I look forward to reading your future posts!

Link to Blog Post

http://pesisaran.blogspot.com/2013/08/gavin-bishop.html#comment-form

Silence

By: Michael

Summary

In his post, Michael describes his experience with a project he had in school. He and his partner were asked to solve a problem without talking. He explains that the project was difficult, but it was also fun. He also gained a deeper understanding and appreciation for people with disabilities.

My Comment

Hello Michael. My name is Raven Williams and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed reading your blog! I have never read the book, but it sounds like you really learned a lot from this experience. I also agree that people sometimes underestimate people in wheelchairs.

Link to Blog Post

http://kidblog.org/MrsRippsClass/author/6da4a246-096f-4777-9960-2d9ed79098e6/

Book Trailer

Asking Questions: What questions do we ask? How do we ask?

Before this assignment, I never really thought that "asking questions" was such a big part of learning. I always thought that answering the questions was more important. After reading Ben Johnson's blog, I realized that answering the question doesn't matter if you are asking the wrong questions. The questions we ask should be well thought out and prepared before teaching. Preparing you questions can help students avoid confusion and keep yourself on the right track.I was really shocked when Ben Johnson wrote that months went by where students did not answer questions. I admit that I was one of the students that always allowed others to answer the questions, but I answered one every now and then. I think every student should be able to voice their opinions and be able to express themselves. EDM 310 has taught me a method of answering questions that can help this problem. Google padlet would allow teachers to view multiple answers at once. Every student would be able to answer questions and share their thoughts. This would also help teachers. Instead of just hearing one students answer, you would see answers from the entire class. You would know that students do not understand the material when many students do not know the correct answer.

Tips for Asking Questions

• When planning questions, keep in mind your course goals
• Aim for direct, clear, specific questions
• When you plan each class session, include notes of when you will pause to ask and answer questions
• Show that you are interested in students’ answers, whether right or wrong
• Do not interrupt students’ answers
• Wait for students to think and formulate responses
• Develop responses that keep students thinking

How Can iCurio and Discovery Ed Be Used Effectively in Your Instruction?

#C4T #1

C4T #1
The Creation Station: Changing the Climate of the Library
Author: William Chamberlain

Summary
Williams Chamberlain's blog began by describing how a librarian decided to make her library a place for more than just reading. She filled it with craft supplies so she can encourage students to more self expressive activities. Mrs. Owen, the librarian, wants to change students perception of the library. She wants it to feel like a gathering place for teachers and students. Williams Chamberlain also brings some of these ideas to his classroom. He tries to make his classroom as comfortable as possible by providing blankets to his students. He also created an area for a ukulele club.



My Comment I really love these ideas! I definitely think students are more motivated to learn when they are comfortable. I especially love the art supplies in the library. I love anything that allows students to be more creative. As a future teacher, I would love to see these ideas in more schools!

Student Commenting: A Letter to Students
Author: William Chamberlain

Summary

I was assigned to read a blog post by William Chamberlain. The post was about commenting on students blog posts. It explained how important comments are and how they should coveted. he wrote "When a person cares enough to write a good comment, you have received a very special gift. A gift of that person's time, thinking, and attempt to communicate. Do not take this lightly". 

My comment

Hello, 

My name is Raven Williamsand I am a current student at the University of North Alabama. I found your post very interesting because we are learning about commenting in my EDM 310 class. As a new blogger I completely understand how important comments are. I am still learning how to better my commenting skills. I really enjoyed reading your post!

http://williamsravenedm310.blogspot.com/

Project #3

Why Podcasts? How do we do a podcast?

A podcast is a cross between a "broadcast" and "iPod". Listening to a podcast is like listening to a talk show. Podcasts can be downloaded and viewed on iPods, mp3 player, smartphones, and computers. A podcast can be beneficial in classrooms because they enable students to engage in learning. Instead of just reading a book, they can hear the story brought to life from the teacher's voice or maybe even their own. Langwitch has a blog that describes how podcasting was used in the classroom. Students recorded themselves reading a story called "Dinosaurs Before Dark". The students were so engaged in creating their podcast. They even began experimenting with their voices and asked if they could redo their recording if it didn't sound just right. After creating their podcast, students were able to listen and follow along in their books. I think podcasts are a very creative way to influence learning.

Flat Stanley

My favorite project was the Flat Stanley podcast. Students were flattened by their smartboard and sent all across the globe. The students chose locations that they would write short scripts about. After listening to their podcast, it is apparent that the students had fun with this assignment. I really enjoyed listening to the student's stories and adventures! There was really no limit where these kids could go. England, Israel, Japan, and even space! One student even visited my home state Alabama. I think this podcast did a really great job in engaging students to learn. Students were able to learn about different places and experiment in making a pocast. 

Peer Editing

Grammar was never one of my best skills so I was kind of nervous when I was told that we were going to be peer editing. I'm not good at editing my own writing, much less someone else's writing. After reading Paige Ellis' blog about peer editing I feel a lot more comfortable about it. Correcting someones mistakes is important in writing because it could help them learn from it. Constructive criticism is very important. Especially when you are writing and the whole world can see it.



After watching Writing Peer Review Top 10 Mistakes and Peer Editing With Perfection Tutorial,  I have
learned the proper way to peer edit. It is very important to stay positive! I know that I wouldn't want someone to be mean while criticizing my writing. You should always give compliments and explain what you like about it. When editing, you should make suggestions. Details, organization, and word usage are some areas you could use to make suggestions. Corrections are also very important when you are peer editing. Don't be too general when you are making corrections. Explain your corrections and where they need to be executed. If I were to comment on a peer's post I would do it publicly. It is important for the reader and the audience to see it. Someone could have read and thought it was correct.

What Will Teaching in the 21st Century be Like?

"Mr. Dancealot"

The video "Mr. Dancelot" shows why it is important to teach skills rather than just facts. It was very obvious that a dance class cannot be taught with a power-point and a teacher standing behind a desk. Knowing the facts on how to dance means nothing if you cannot perform them correctly. Some of the students tried to engage in the lecture by attempting to perform the dance steps that were taught. Mr. Dancealot quickly shot down their attempts and told them that they were not allowed to interrupt his lecture. The result of Mr. Dancelots teaching methods was a bunch of confused students that probably failed their exam and learned nothing from the course.

Teaching in the 21st Century
After watching "Teaching in the 21st Century" by Kevin Roberts, I can see the importance of teaching skills within the classroom. Kevin Roberts sees how technology is becoming a part of our everyday life and wants to utilize it to enhance teaching. Kids use so much technology everyday, but they probably don't even know the full potential of what they can do with their cell phones, laptops, and other devices. The way the world is using technology is growing and expanding. Useless facts will not be important when applying for jobs. Students should be taught skills that they are actually going to use in their adult life. I agree with Robert's view that students should be engaged instead of entertained. I was a little confused about the difference at first, but after watching a video by Doug Johnson I can really see the difference. I found the best explanation was with a line from the video. "Show a kid a movie, you have entertained her for an hour. Give a kid a camera, you'll engage her for a lifetime." This is the attitude that all teachers should have in their classrooms. Instead of telling students the answers to their questions, we should teach them how to find it for themselves.

The Networked Student
Written by Tyler Malone

Wendy Drexler explains the education of almost all students in the near future. "The Networked Student" talks about the connection between many students, both in the classroom and worldwide. The "Network Connection" idea is great at the root and helps students connect with more people. The issue that I have with this method is that it loses connection with the people who are physically near you everyday. Networking brings together masses but does not help the social concept of connection at all. In my opinion there should be a medium found in this "Networked" method of education. The thought that a classroom does not need a teacher bothers me as well. Even if it is true that this type of teaching does not need a teacher I do not think that completely relying on your own self using the world wide web is a good place to be. Humans are supposed to interact with each other. Learn from the wise and lead those who look up to you. Leaders and followers are two key elements when trying to reach a goal. Those who have the characteristic of leadership should be able to use that for the benefit of others. Teachers are important to the education of students.



Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
Written by Kristy Burton

In this Video Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts Vikki Davis says “I believe every student can learn every child can learn but where children have trouble is when you only have paper and only pencil then only certain types of students are going to succeed” I couldn't agree with her more. This is why I believe my major in physical Education in very important to our future society. Everything shouldn't be based off of notes and test. Teaching different types of life skills through technology and actions is very important. In her class she says she used a lot of different software and technology. This is very important for our students to learn especially with all of our advancements in technology. The one thing I completely disagreed with is the fact that she said she expected her students to Google ever word that they didn't know instead of teaching children through vocab. To me if you expect your students to Google everything they don’t understand they will never truly understand it because the answer is always there. The problem with this strategy is we can’t pull out Google during an interview and if we were never expected to actually learn the word how could we conversant and achieve greatness without our handy dandy sidekick Google. Blogging is probably my favorite source of technology in the classrooms mostly because it can connect us to different students and learning styles from around the world. I also believe with this exposure it can help to eliminate some of the horrible stereotypes we have about different cultures from around the world. What Vikki is doing is incredible she has really found a great way to connect with her students and educated them in a great way. There should be a class like Vikki’s in every school but we need to remember to teach the skills and not the facts when everything starts to become web based we start to lose sight of reality. Teaching math or chemistry online is a horrible idea. We need to learn to have a happy balance of both technology and hands on learning.
-Kristy Burton

If I could build a School

If I could build a school, I would make it a dream come true for children. It would provide everything they need and more! My motto for my school would be clear and simple, "No downtime". Learning will begin as soon as a student walks in the door. I would want educational games and stimulation stations to fill the hallways and any empty spaces in the school. An example would be the hour students spend waiting for class to start in the mornings. The school from my hometown just seated students in the gym until school started. If I was a student I would be incredibly bored and I would probably get sleepy with no stimulation. Classrooms would be less talking and more doing. Lessons would be taught with projects to help students understand better. I would want all of the classrooms to be colorful and have themes. Kids should feel like they have traveled to a new world every time they step into a different classroom. What do I want my students to know?
As a physical education teacher I want my students to know the importance of exercise and maintaining a healthy diet. Eating healthy and exercising isn't considered very important when it is compared to the subjects that are taught in classrooms. I want my students to know that the eating and exercise habits that they create while in my classroom will help them become strong and healthy adults. I want them to know that physical education is much more than just playing games and sports.

What would I want my students to be able to do?
I want my students to not only enjoy physical education, but also continue to exercise when they leave my classroom. Too many children go home after school and become couch potatoes. The hour that students spend in my class learning about being healthy and exercising will not matter if they do not learn how to apply it outside of school. I also want my students to know the difference between what food is healthy for them and what is not. I don't want to put my class on diets, but I do want them do be able to make healthy choices for themselves. The obesity rate in the United States is much higher than it should be. I believe that teaching healthy eating habits to younger students would help eliminate obesity in America.

What will be your primary way of teaching my students?
I plan to teach my students in the most fun way possible. I have a lot of opportunities to make learning fun in physical education. I don't plan to just let my students run around and play for an hour every day. I want to incorporate the skills they are learning in the class room with exercising and educational games. If a teacher told me that a students was having a hard time with certain subjects, I would focus games and activities on the subjects that are needed. I also want to incorporate fun activities like dancing. I have never met a kid that doesn't love to turn up the music and dance.

What tools will I use in my classroom?
Being a physical education teacher, I would not need computers of Ipads. Instead, I would need technology that will help kids be active and have fun. I've seen online that many teachers use a Wii inside the classroom. Wii has so many options of games and activities that include exercise. One day we could be doing yoga and the next day we are playing dance revolution. I also plan to use music as a tool. I have found that exercising is much more fun when you use music.

What role will students play in my classroom?
How will they participate in the learning process?
I want students to participate in activities that they want to do. The students opinions will be a great factor on how I continue to plan my lessons. I want every child to receive the most education they possibly can from my class. I plan to create learning plans for every student. Everyday there will be time set aside for different activity stations. Each section will focus on different type of exercise. One station could be dancing while another station is using the Wii. Students will play a role by choosing their own activity plan.

Practice Blog Post

Who am I? Why do I want to be an educator? What are my passions?

Hello,
My name is Raven Williams, and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am currently a sophomore majoring in health and physical education. I was raised in a very small town called Ashville. I lived there my entire life and graduated from Ashville High School in 2011. My family is very close. Mostly because my entire family also lives in Ashville.

After graduation, I attended the University of North Alabama for two years. I chose to transfer because South Alabama offers a much better program for my major. I decided to become a teacher during my senior year of high school. I joined "Future Teachers of Alabama" and got involved in after school tutoring for the elementary school. After I started tutoring, I realized that it was something that I really enjoyed doing. I've also always been interested in sports and exercise. Since fifth grade, I have been involved in sports including cheer leading, basketball, and volleyball. Being able to combine two things that I am passionate about allows me to have a dream job someday. Communicating with children is something I consider myself to be very good at. I am very patient and I really enjoy hearing what they have to say. I believe I can do this because I am also still a child at heart. I can relate to children on different levels because I still have some of the same interests they do. Something I would like to get better at would be procrastinating. I always tend to wait until the last minute to start or finish thing. This is especially true for homework. I never had much homework during high school or my first two years of college. Since I transferred to South Alabama, my classes require a lot more time to focus on studying and homework. I have to learn how to manage my time so that I can have everything done on time.

Second test post

Second test post.

My Test Post Title

This is my first post. I clicked the HTML button which I should always do in EDM310. I am now a blogger.