Blog Post 3

How Can I Provide Meaningful Feedback to My Peers?

All three of the links provided were very helpful in better understanding the process of peer editing. While I have done some of this in the past, I never received any formal education in the process of peer editing. The first video, “What is Peer Editing,” was a Prezi that was a very helpful and simple way to explain what a peer evaluation is and a three-step way to go about them. The slideshow titled, “Peer Edit with Perfection Tutorial,” was also very helpful in that it outlined everything presented in the previous video as well as elaborate upon the three steps: Complimenting, Suggesting, and Correcting. The final link was a video named, “Writing Peer Review Top 10 Mistakes.” It is a humorous, elementary school take on the practices to avoid when peer editing. While it was performed by young children, it still contained relevant material that can be applied to my own peer editing.

The main things that I learned from these various links are: to stay positive with my comments at all times, to concentrate and pay attention when editing, to be specific as I can and avoid generalizations. Something that really stood out to me is the need to be receptive to the criticism that is given to me. It can be one of the best tools for improving my work so I need to keep an open mind when reading the critiques of my own work because one of my peers may catch something that I missed or they may have way to improve my blog post as well. The last video was pretty funny, but it brought up situations that apply to us all. All three links were very simple and easy to follow, but full of valuable information at the same time.

Blog Post 2

What Will Teaching in the 21st Century be Like?

1. This video was illustrating how certain courses, such as a dance class, cannot be taught effectively through a lecture-only environment. There must be a practical portion of the class in which the teacher demonstrates and the students get a chance to practice. The author’s conclusion is that regardless of the amount of lecture or the experience of the teacher, without a practical setting to actually learn the technique, nothing is actually being learned. The professor seemed to bore the students instead of engage them.

2. Roberts thinks that teaching in the 21st Century means acting as a filter for all of the information that is available to students and also to teach various skills that will enable them to utilize the tools that allow them to access the information. Roberts also stresses engaging students as a way to make sure they are active participants in class. I totally agree with Roberts and his take on how teaching is changing. This is intimidating because everything I say can be fact checked, but if I use the same tools and resources I can find the right answer in the beginning.

3. After watching The Networked Student, I realized how much the teacher’s role has changed since I was a student in high school. Never in my life did I expect to use blogs, Facebook, or Twitter in my classes. But, here I am doing it for the first time. The response to the question of why the teacher was needed made perfect sense. The teacher is present to help synthesize the information gathered, to help design and usher the students along their path to mastering the skill-sets needed to sift through the endless amounts of information they will come across. I totally agree with this point of view and hope to use these tools myself in a classroom one day.

4. Vicki Davis in her own words “turned the school upside-down.” She was referring to her new style of teaching which involved using every bit of technology she could to get her students connected with the world around them. She is also constantly learning from her students and adapting and changing her style of teaching to best suit their needs. She is trying to get the best possible environment for her students by engaging them with tasks that are fun and challenging at the same time. I hope to one day be this flexible with my own students and allow them to learn in their own ways, not just the way I expect them to. She is not always the center of attention in the classroom and allows her students to do some of the teaching aided by the technology at their disposal.

5. Flipping the Classroom is a new technique to me as well one that I could definitely see myself using in the future. It would just be a change from the everyday routine of in-class teaching or lecture and would definitely allow for more time for students to problem solve and allow their creativity to grow. They would also be able to focus on things that they did not understand and need more help with as well as those things that interest them. It would also be beneficial to the teacher because of the change of pace and the feedback that would be received from the students.

Blog Post 1

The first time I heard anything about EDM 310 was while I was meeting with my adviser to plan out my classes at South. He didn't tell me anything scary about it but just to be prepared for the workload and not to pair it with another difficult course. I heard other things here and there in my previous education classes but nothing to deter me from taking EDM 310 this semester. Considering that I had not heard too much about the course I did not have any fears about it, but rather looked forward to the opportunity to learn some new things. The first day of class I was a little intimidated at first, but once I got the hang of it, I was comfortable.

Judging by the first two days, EDM 310 is very different from any other courses I have taken in the past. The most difficult thing for me in this class will be my time management. While not terrible, it definitely needs some work. I just need to plan out my time wisely and not allow myself to get behind at all. I will add important due dates to my calendar and stay on top of all assignments.

Practice Post

About Me

My name is Mitchell Lane and I was born in Columbus, Georgia where I lived for eighteen years. After graduating from high school I attended the University of Georgia in Athens where I played football for a year until I injured my hip. A year and a half later I had reconstructive hip surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Once I had recovered I moved to Auburn, Alabama where I worked at a SCUBA shop and also helped teach SCUBA lessons through the Auburn University for the next four years. I soon decided to continue pursuing my education after this and applied to South Alabama. I moved to Mobile in December of 2012 and began at South the following spring. I picked South because I liked the idea of living so close to the water and because I eventually want to coach as well as teach and there is an abundance of high schools in the area. My time as a community football coach at my high school and as an assistant SCUBA instructor really opened my eyes to how much I enjoyed teaching and coaching and watching students and athletes take in the knowledge I was giving to them and to eventually be able to perform those skills on their own.

I enjoy SCUBA diving as well as spearfishing, hunting, and fishing. I love college football and basketball, as well as professional baseball, particularly the Atlanta Braves. I have been to Cozumel, Belize, and the Bahamas, to SCUBA dive. I could not survive without seafood which was another reason why I like it so much down here. I also enjoy history, which is what I plan to teach, and yet another reason why Mobile is so appealing to me because it is so rich in history.

TEST

Test

My Test Post Title

This is my first post on my first blog ever. Always use the HTML button when posting in EDM 310.