Blog Assignment 2

  Did You Know? 3.0
Did You Know 3.0-A John Strange Version   
       This is a you tube video based on the Did You Know 3.0 by Fisch and Mcleod. Technology is taking over the world in every aspect. More and more foreign individuals are learning English and advancing with us during this technological time. There are over millions of Google searches every day per minute and we as a population use computer smart devices on a regularly basis.
         We as educators need to be technologically smart to help our students prepare for upcoming jobs and prepare them for the society we live in today. In the original video by Fisch and Mcloed, they state that we should prepare children for jobs that don't exist. The U.S is a growing and changing place, and we all should attempt to keep up with the advancements that our society has made. Think about it, for our students that we will be teaching will have jobs that even us as educators will have to learn.

    Mr. Winkle Wakes by: Mathew Needleman
    Mr. Winkle Wakes
         Mr. Needleman states the obvious, that our society is ever-changing. We need to keep up with the changes or one day we will wake up like Mr. Winkle and be lost. One thing I want to add is that the schools today are more advance than what Needleman was portraying.
      They are indeed still a bit behind in some aspects but are catching up quickly. Computers are being used in school for lessons and by the students more than ever before. Machines drive who we are now and almost everything we do in our lives. For example, we tend to text or email anything we needs to be said; instead of  writing a letter or calling. Most of us even pay our bills online instead of mailing them. Change is upon us and fast approaching every single detail in our lives.

     Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
      The Importance of Creativity
          Human creativity is very unpredictable and as Sir Ken states multiple times, It is just as important as the other subjects in school. For example, he stated that Math is important, but creativity having equal importance pushes the students in different ways. The capabilities of children are more advance than what we expect and influenced by many technological advancements. We are to create artists in the children, as Sir Ken referred to we he spoke of the unknown futures of the children today.
          Technology is transforming our society in imaginable ways that will provide to our children different occupations than ever seen before. Education is expressed in many ways. If we as teachers take the possibilities and add the creative arts to those possibilities, then for many students; the modifications will better assist them in their future. They will excel in creativity and that proves value of an educational system.

      A Vision for 21st Century Learning 
     A Vision for 21st Century Learning
          The main argument of this video is that our schools are somewhat lagging behind in the technology advancements that the society as a whole is partaking in. The world is a ever-changing society of innovations in computers and in networking. It is how we live our lives. Through networking and other aspects of the digital world we learn new things everyday.

          The schools are still being placed in passive classrooms with a teacher who dictates the class. In our society today, with all the technology, I believe classrooms should be more student-centered, instead of the old teacher-centered approach. Instead of them sitting passively as the video refers to; they should be actively engaging themselves in every way possible. The students should be taught the many uses of technology and prepared to apply it to different situations.

      Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
   Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
       Featured in this short video is Vicki Davis, she is a teacher who is guiding the students in direction they need to go to be able to succeed better in the future. Her classroom is all about technology; it seems a bit like Dr. Strange's class. Teachers learning with the students is a very valuable aspect in empowering the children to excel in many ways. Focusing on the strengths and weakness of the children in the class accommodates them in ways that make them interested in learning. For example, if an educator has a student who can not perform as many of the assignments as the others, then accommodations for that student will help he or she to feel as part of the group. This will make learning a positive thing instead of it becoming a negative aspect of the students life.
       Preparing the students for the future is ideal for classrooms. Placing more technology in schools will provide a more stable outcome when the students enter the world as adults. Even though a new skill is added to the computers and/or any device everyday; we still learn them and use them to our advantage. Teachers should be equipped to instruct the students on these various skills and also be prepared to learn with them. One last thought, teachers, as I will to my classroom, should serve as a mentor in guiding the children in various ways to empower them and give them options in excelling in the ways the best suits them for the future.
                                                         
                                                           
                                 

                           
                                                       

Wordle

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Blog Assignment 1

A Few Facts ABOUT ME :
Hello Everyone, My name is Ashley Phillips. I am from a small town called Sylacauga Alabama. I have two wonderful daughters, Kaylee, whom is 8 and Annah, whom is two. They keep me on my toes most of the time. Sometimes I wonder why God blessed me with two girls, and anybody with girls knows what I am talking about. In all reality, I would not be the person i am today without them. All of my family lives in my hometown of Sylacauga and sometimes its gets frustrating being down here with no HELP with certain things but I always seem to manage. 


I recently returned to USA after about seven years. I took off and moved back home and when I came back to Mobile, I went to Bishop for a few years. Last semester i changed my major to Elementary Education. I have been studying nursing and after Annah was born I took a look at what i was doing and decided that this was the right path for me!! I love children!! Now sometimes it can get a little stressful, but it is all worth it in the end. I work at a daycare right now and love seeing the kid's faces when they learn something new, or understand something that they did not understand before. the fact that I helped them achieve that accomplishment is very gratifying to me. I am also very interested in teaching special education. Autistic children would be ideal for me. I am very passionate about being the one person that can teach and touch those children lives.


I have many personal interests which include the beach, and four wheeler riding; I just really enjoy being outside!!  I don't know if i will have time to do any of that this semester, but we will see! I am very determined and so ready to begin my career as an educator. I am very involved with my girls, or at least i try to be. My oldest plays softball, and I absolutely love being a softball mom!! I have a motto in life and it is "Live life to the fullest, Love with all your heart, and Laugh as much as possible"! 


Randy Pausch - Time Management
Time Management is a major issue with me. I am always stressing about if I have time to get everything done that is required that day. I always catch myself saying," I need more hours in a day". This time management video by Mr. Pausch put a couple of things in perspective for me. For instance, I have always tried to make to do list and things but always end up trashing them because I just didn't follow it. He made some very interesting points about goal setting and to do lists. I took form the video to ask myself why am i making these lists and that having a plan is a good way of organizing time. A good point I will take with me from now on is that; If the plan is broken, not to let it throw me off and keep on with my day. I don't know much about Mr. Randy Pausch, but he seems to be very organized!


Time Management Exercises - Penn State
This exercise was the most helpful to me. After reading all the way through the article I actually did the little exercise at the end, where we fill in the blanks on how much time when spend a day on certain things. WOW, I had almost 70-75 hours of just blank time! It was nice to see that! Now I can start on my time skills. I recommend if your are reading this that you check that little fill in the blank exercise, you will not believe the extra time a week that you actually have!!