Thursday, March 29, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Blog Post 9
Mr. Joe McClung starting teaching in 2009 in Noel, Missouri. After his first year of teaching
he moved to a junior high school in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He also completed his 3rd year of teaching their. At the end of each year Mr. McClung writes reflections on his experiences and learnings on his blog. His blog is entitled, "At the Teachers Desk". I visited two of his blog post reflections.
May 27m 2009 Blog Post
Mr. McClung first reflection blog post talks about:
How to Read a Crowd
Be Flexible
Communicate
Be Reasonable
Listen to your Students
Never stop learning.
Don't Be Afraid of Technology
None of these topics are a surprise to me. However, two of the topics I felt were very great advice. Under how to read the crowd he explains that teachers should always keep their lessons student centered. He states, "They become so concerned with the delivery of the content that they are missing the most important aspect of teaching, and that is checking for student comprehension." From experience, I learned that just because it was enjoyable for everyone doesn't mean that the skill was actually learned. I quickly realized that fun didn't always equal comprehension. While I wanted the students to enjoy the lesson and ultimately learn the skill, that wasn't always the case. What I am saying is teachers should focus on the skill then the delivery.
As he talks about being reasonable I think about the many times I've seen elementary children being treated as adult. Normally it is the students who are a little move advanced than the rest of the class. Regardless of the knowledge and skills that the student has, they are still children and should be treated that way. McClung state, " Teachers can sometimes really loose touch and forget that we are dealing with children.". Sometimes children often get scolded or expected to do and handle things as if there were adults. While the teacher may think they are helping the student it may have a negative affect and actually discouraging them. As teachers we should always want to encourage our students.
Mr. McClung's Blog Post. on THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2011
In this post Mr. McClung began stated that this was the first time he taught in the same school more than one year. During that time he had many new experiences.
Know Who Your Boss Is - He explained that teachers should not get so caught up in pleasing individuals. They should not be so worried about what others think of them as their main focus should be the students. This is great advice for all teachers but especially first year teachers. When I got my first teaching job I was very concerned about how my boss and co-workers would perceive me. I wanted to be sure that I was not the talk of the teachers lounge as the worst teacher. However, as time progressed, I realized that I was putting too much time in trying to please others, when I could have used that time to focus on what I was teaching and most importantly my students. The more I understood that the more I felt the weight being lifted off of my shoulders. I found that doing what was expected of me as a teacher and teaching my students what was needed was more rewarding.
Don't Expect others to be as Excited About Change as You Are - In this topic he explained that you cannot let others "stifle your own excitement and joy that you experience in teaching or any other facet of life for that matter". Sometimes others can be Debbie Downers. When they get to this point I feel that they have just lost the passion for what they are doing. As teachers we should always remember why we wanted to teach in the first place.
Don't be Afraid to be an Outsider - Teachers should stay true to who they are and have little concern about wanting to be like someone else.
Don't Touch The Keyboard- A coworker explained to Mr. McClung that if you touch the "keyboard" they will never learn the tasks that they need to learn. In other words, when students have difficulties doing a task do not do the work for them. Students will never master the skill if teachers "take over and do the work for them".
Don't Get Comfortable- Teachers should not get comfortable in their daily routines and and teaching methods. "They need to be willing to be "movers and shakers" and be advocates for the changes that need to happen in our schools."
In reading both of the reflection blogs I was reminded of how I did self-reflections during my internship. After each lesson I taught I would always reflect on how I taught the lesson. It was a great way to help me understand my strengths and weaknesses. This also shows that reflection is also a means of professional development. Self reflection is the strongest tool all people have in order to control their own feelings, behaviors, and decisions. When teachers self reflect, they are providing invaluable information to themselves. This may then lead to changes and improvements in their teaching. As Mr. McClung stated, teachers should "never stop learning". Teachers should always look for personal growth as it is what helps to create an effective teacher.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
CK4 #6
I commented on Betty's Blog post. I'm not sure if it was a short story or a poem. This was her post for the 100 Word challenge: Her post:
Clair the long silver haired girl 100wc by Betty
Posted on 28 January 2012 by Betty
One sunny day Clair was brushing her
Long silver hair when she thought why am I
In this boring room all day every day.
So that very night she jummped out of her gold window
as her glass slipper touched the silky
Grass. “next plane to Paris goes in 1min”
Clair Was in the best country ever she was walking
Down a alley on a dustbin she fond a tiny dancing flea.
She also fond a butterfly neckties.
The flea jumped and he did handstands
but by then it was to late.
She ran to the plane with her friend will she make it…
My Comment: Hello Betty, my name is Jami. I was sent to read your blog post by my professor at the University of South Alabama.
I enjoyed reading your post. Was this a special assignment? I would like to know more about the instructions for this assignment. This post was very descriptive. Your writing reminded me of the story, Cinderella. I love that story! Is that story where you got your idea from? Keep up the great work.
Hockey
I went back to find out more information about Shane. In his first blog post I found that he was a very detail little boy. He loves hockey and is very anxious about growing up and helping his dad with their family company. He has great hopes that he will one day be the owner of the company. Shane's last post was about his favorite sport, hockey.
My Comment:
Hello Shane. My name is Jami, I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I will be commenting on your blog for the next few weeks.
You are a great writer! You have done a great job explaining why hockey is your favorite sport. If I had to choose a favorite sport it would be basketball. I have only been to one real hockey game in my life. I have to agree that it is a very fast pace game. I have always wanted to learn how to ice skate. Do you know how to ice skate? I look forward to visiting your next blog post. If you would like you can email me anytime if you have any questions or comments. Have a great week!
jmartin8012@gmail.com
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Project 11
This was a challenge all week long. My son had so much going on during the week I could never catch him when he wasn't exhausted from school activities and T-ball practice. I literally had to drop what I was doing before he was off again to a boy scout meeting (that's why there is a broom and a box in the background). Enjoy!
Friday, March 23, 2012
Project 12
I decided to try this out with my 6 year old son. I wanted to see what type of reaction I would get. Without any explanation, I just asked him to come and watch it. I watched him as his eyes began to swell with excitement. Before the trailer even ended he asked many questions about the book and wanted me to read it to him. Mission accomplished!
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Blog Post 8
This Is How We Dream by Richard Miller
Richard Miller is the professor of English at Rutgers School of Arts and Science. Miller, like many others had a love for books. He expressed how he believes communication is being changed. He discussed writing with multimedia and the impact it will have on our culture. He talks about two basic changes, incremental and fundamental.
The first incremental change he talks about is were we work now. He states that our work space is no longer in libraries, or writing with pencil and paper, but our laptops. As I began to think about this statement I began to think, "when was the last time I went to the library for an assignment before this week". Needless to say, I could not remember. Ever since I have had a laptop my need to go to a library had easily decreased. My work space is at my home. I have everything I need at my finger tips.
The second incremental change he points out is, that we are able to collaborate using networking technology. We are not only able to use text information to do this but images and videos all of which makes learning more engaging. The example he used was information gathered on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was able to find the materials needed not only through the web but through information that was being circulated on the campus.
Fundamental change is defined by Miller, as not technology but what makes it possible. He feels that the focus should be "how we work". While I do enjoy the ideal of technology in the classroom. As stated in other posts I do feel that it is important to also teach basic skills ie. writing. The basic skills set the tone for all other learning strategies. I say again that education must exercise the importance of both technology and basic skills.
Carly Pugh Blog Post 12
Carly Pugh is a former student of EDM310, at the University of South Alabama. Carly has done a remarkable job putting Dr. Millers examples and advice to great use. She conducted a playlist project which required students to create a playlist of up to 10 YouTube videos. This not only was a great way to exercise the use of multimedia tools but also practice being a multimedia writer. Her assignment showed how we can learn about others through the internet. This is what Dr. Miller described as collaborative learning. She stated that videos are a great way to interest students. I personally agree and feel that if it is visually creative more can be learned from it. I also enjoyed the video she posted Six Questionis For the Day. She shared some great motivation questions. In fact they are questions that I want to remember for inspiration.
The Chipper Series
I must say that I needed a good laugh and watching the video provided that for me. In the video, Chipper is a student who thinks that she can just skim the top and just get by. She is looking for the easy route but yet still expects to come out on top. It is sad to think that people actually live with the same attitude as Chipper. Needless to say, there are people in EDM310 who are in the same boat as Chipper. EDM for Dummies - I think that this was my favorite of the two videos. I have to admit that I did feel a little overwhelmed as the two girls in the video when I first read the syllabus for this class. After the first two weeks it didn't take long to realize that I needed a plan and schedule in order to make sure that I took the time needed to do my assignments.
As I began thinking about creating my own video, I thought about how I left before EDM310 and how I am going to feel after the course. Off the top of my head I think that a before and after video series might be worth trying. In the before segment I would want to display life and the feelings and emotions of how some people come into the class really green, with very little knowledge about technology and experience in teaching themselves. The after segment would show life after EDM310 in a way that shows what has been learned from the course. It would also show how a students feeling may be different towards the class as well as technology in the classroom. I am not sure if this is what I will stick with. As I continue to brainstorm I may come up with something else that I may find enjoyable.
Learn to Change, Change to Learn
This was a video of distinguished individuals in education discussing the need for change in the classroom. This was very interesting for me to watch as valid points where made. The first thing that really grabbed my attention: "U.S. Department of Commerce. They ranked 55 industry sectors by their level of IT intensiveness. Education was ranked number 55, the lowest below coal mining." Wow, what a shocker! This obviously tells us that it is time for a major change in some the classrooms. The second things that caught my attention was this statement, “The kids are having a much more stimulated and rich environment outside of school than they are inside of schools". In some cases I do see this. I think of my son and how when I asked him what did he did in school today he responds, "I can't remember" or "I don't know". That tells me one thing, that nothing was done in the course of the day that grabbed his attention enough for him to think about and remember. My son is a rather intelligent child, and I just feel that the school system in which he is in does not provide the type of learning experiences that make students excited about learning. When my husband and I take our son on a learning experience, known to our son as just another family outing, he is intrigued by what we are experiencing. He will talk about the experience for the entire week long sharing the facts he's learned. I'm saying all of this to say that my son is very capable of learning and remembering what goes on and secondly, if what is being taught in the classroom is as engaging as experiences outside of the classroom the learning possibilities are endless.
Scavenger Hunt 2.0
I absolutely loved the introduction video on the site Discoveryeducation.com.
The first tool I had to locate was a tool similar to Twitter/Facebook. I choose Edmodo. It was very easy to sign up. I think that t is a great asset for parents and students. The reason I like it is because it is very similar to Facebook which I'm sure most students and parents will be able to identify with. It seems a lot less busy than Facebook, which I feel is great because the students can really focus on what is needed. Teachers can create collaborative projects, quizzes and even maintain grades for work completed through Edmodo. I feel that this is a great tool to use in my classroom. It may take some time to get everyone use to it but I feel that it will be well worth it. In fact, I am adding this site to my PLN to insure that I will have it in the future.
I had to choose a video tool to use. I choose, Animoto. It was free to sign-up which is always a great thing. During the little time I spent viewing the site I loved all the themes that they had available. What turned me away from it was the fact that you could only create a 30 sec. video for free. If you had to create a presentation longer than that there was a fee ranging from $5.00 to $39.00 to use the full features. I guess it is not so bad if you only used it for a very special occasion a few times throughout the year. Otherwise it could become very expensive using this tool on a regular bases.
The last hunt instructed us to find a tool where we could create a poll anywhere and anytime. I chose Polls Everywhere.com. This was really cool and easy to use. I love the fact that you can access the poll via text from any cellphone, as well as through the computer or tablet. Teachers can especially use this in Math. For example it would help gather information to create graphs. I can not only see it being a great tool as an educator but personally as well. As I am working on our family reunion, it would be great to form a poll to get an idea on where everyone would like to meet next year.
Checkout my Poll
Richard Miller is the professor of English at Rutgers School of Arts and Science. Miller, like many others had a love for books. He expressed how he believes communication is being changed. He discussed writing with multimedia and the impact it will have on our culture. He talks about two basic changes, incremental and fundamental.
The first incremental change he talks about is were we work now. He states that our work space is no longer in libraries, or writing with pencil and paper, but our laptops. As I began to think about this statement I began to think, "when was the last time I went to the library for an assignment before this week". Needless to say, I could not remember. Ever since I have had a laptop my need to go to a library had easily decreased. My work space is at my home. I have everything I need at my finger tips.
The second incremental change he points out is, that we are able to collaborate using networking technology. We are not only able to use text information to do this but images and videos all of which makes learning more engaging. The example he used was information gathered on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was able to find the materials needed not only through the web but through information that was being circulated on the campus.
Fundamental change is defined by Miller, as not technology but what makes it possible. He feels that the focus should be "how we work". While I do enjoy the ideal of technology in the classroom. As stated in other posts I do feel that it is important to also teach basic skills ie. writing. The basic skills set the tone for all other learning strategies. I say again that education must exercise the importance of both technology and basic skills.
Carly Pugh Blog Post 12
Carly Pugh is a former student of EDM310, at the University of South Alabama. Carly has done a remarkable job putting Dr. Millers examples and advice to great use. She conducted a playlist project which required students to create a playlist of up to 10 YouTube videos. This not only was a great way to exercise the use of multimedia tools but also practice being a multimedia writer. Her assignment showed how we can learn about others through the internet. This is what Dr. Miller described as collaborative learning. She stated that videos are a great way to interest students. I personally agree and feel that if it is visually creative more can be learned from it. I also enjoyed the video she posted Six Questionis For the Day. She shared some great motivation questions. In fact they are questions that I want to remember for inspiration.
The Chipper Series
I must say that I needed a good laugh and watching the video provided that for me. In the video, Chipper is a student who thinks that she can just skim the top and just get by. She is looking for the easy route but yet still expects to come out on top. It is sad to think that people actually live with the same attitude as Chipper. Needless to say, there are people in EDM310 who are in the same boat as Chipper. EDM for Dummies - I think that this was my favorite of the two videos. I have to admit that I did feel a little overwhelmed as the two girls in the video when I first read the syllabus for this class. After the first two weeks it didn't take long to realize that I needed a plan and schedule in order to make sure that I took the time needed to do my assignments.
As I began thinking about creating my own video, I thought about how I left before EDM310 and how I am going to feel after the course. Off the top of my head I think that a before and after video series might be worth trying. In the before segment I would want to display life and the feelings and emotions of how some people come into the class really green, with very little knowledge about technology and experience in teaching themselves. The after segment would show life after EDM310 in a way that shows what has been learned from the course. It would also show how a students feeling may be different towards the class as well as technology in the classroom. I am not sure if this is what I will stick with. As I continue to brainstorm I may come up with something else that I may find enjoyable.
Learn to Change, Change to Learn
This was a video of distinguished individuals in education discussing the need for change in the classroom. This was very interesting for me to watch as valid points where made. The first thing that really grabbed my attention: "U.S. Department of Commerce. They ranked 55 industry sectors by their level of IT intensiveness. Education was ranked number 55, the lowest below coal mining." Wow, what a shocker! This obviously tells us that it is time for a major change in some the classrooms. The second things that caught my attention was this statement, “The kids are having a much more stimulated and rich environment outside of school than they are inside of schools". In some cases I do see this. I think of my son and how when I asked him what did he did in school today he responds, "I can't remember" or "I don't know". That tells me one thing, that nothing was done in the course of the day that grabbed his attention enough for him to think about and remember. My son is a rather intelligent child, and I just feel that the school system in which he is in does not provide the type of learning experiences that make students excited about learning. When my husband and I take our son on a learning experience, known to our son as just another family outing, he is intrigued by what we are experiencing. He will talk about the experience for the entire week long sharing the facts he's learned. I'm saying all of this to say that my son is very capable of learning and remembering what goes on and secondly, if what is being taught in the classroom is as engaging as experiences outside of the classroom the learning possibilities are endless.
Scavenger Hunt 2.0
I absolutely loved the introduction video on the site Discoveryeducation.com.
I had to choose a video tool to use. I choose, Animoto. It was free to sign-up which is always a great thing. During the little time I spent viewing the site I loved all the themes that they had available. What turned me away from it was the fact that you could only create a 30 sec. video for free. If you had to create a presentation longer than that there was a fee ranging from $5.00 to $39.00 to use the full features. I guess it is not so bad if you only used it for a very special occasion a few times throughout the year. Otherwise it could become very expensive using this tool on a regular bases.
The last hunt instructed us to find a tool where we could create a poll anywhere and anytime. I chose Polls Everywhere.com. This was really cool and easy to use. I love the fact that you can access the poll via text from any cellphone, as well as through the computer or tablet. Teachers can especially use this in Math. For example it would help gather information to create graphs. I can not only see it being a great tool as an educator but personally as well. As I am working on our family reunion, it would be great to form a poll to get an idea on where everyone would like to meet next year.
Checkout my Poll
Sunday, March 11, 2012
C4T #2
I visited the Reported Speech activities, ideas and links blog of Eva Buyuksimkesyan. She is a English Teacher of 20 years in the United Kingdom. In 2011 she was nominated Best Individual Twitter and Best Teacher Blog by EdmBlog Awards. Her latest blog included a list of activities and links to help her students practice reported speech.
My Comment:
Hello, I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I have been assigned to comment on your blog.
I love the ideas you have listed as possible activities to help teach Reported Speech. I particularly like the idea of having the students exchange what they written randomly by playing “snowball” and then reporting on what they end up with. I’m sure the students will love it. I love the interactive Wheel of Fortune game. I’m sure that your students will be very engaged in this activity.
You have done a great job researching ideas and resources to teach Reported Speech. I hope that your students enjoy the activities. Please feel free to respond and visit my blog.
My second C4T was entitled, EVO, Digitalstorytelling4kids and the tool of the week. It was actually posted on January 18th. This was the latest blog posted at the time I began to observe the topic. Digital Storytelling for Kids was a course she took because she is such a big fan of digital tools in the classroom. She also included how she planned to use the tool. It is as follows:
To introduce a topic
As a pre-reading and awareness raising activity before starting to read a short story or a novel
And also I will ask my students to use it
To summarise the story they’ve read
To introduce a topic
To learn more about the Digital Storytelling Course visit the page.
My Comment:
Hello I am Jami from the University of South Alabama.
I visited the Digital Story Telling link that you included. As I looked over the information I came to terms that, this would be a great course to learn more about. I am personally always looking for new ideas in Reading. Your outline of how you plan to use it is great. It is something that I will bookmark as a reference, when I get my own classroom. I loved how you used it with your students. It was a perfect example of teachers taking what they learn and putting it to use in their classroom. I would love to see more stories that you created.
If you have anymore suggests as to how to use this digital tool in the classroom please share them with me.
Here is a link to my blog.
http://martinjamiedm310.blogspot.com/
My Comment:
Hello, I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I have been assigned to comment on your blog.
I love the ideas you have listed as possible activities to help teach Reported Speech. I particularly like the idea of having the students exchange what they written randomly by playing “snowball” and then reporting on what they end up with. I’m sure the students will love it. I love the interactive Wheel of Fortune game. I’m sure that your students will be very engaged in this activity.
You have done a great job researching ideas and resources to teach Reported Speech. I hope that your students enjoy the activities. Please feel free to respond and visit my blog.
My second C4T was entitled, EVO, Digitalstorytelling4kids and the tool of the week. It was actually posted on January 18th. This was the latest blog posted at the time I began to observe the topic. Digital Storytelling for Kids was a course she took because she is such a big fan of digital tools in the classroom. She also included how she planned to use the tool. It is as follows:
To introduce a topic
As a pre-reading and awareness raising activity before starting to read a short story or a novel
And also I will ask my students to use it
To summarise the story they’ve read
To introduce a topic
To learn more about the Digital Storytelling Course visit the page.
My Comment:
Hello I am Jami from the University of South Alabama.
I visited the Digital Story Telling link that you included. As I looked over the information I came to terms that, this would be a great course to learn more about. I am personally always looking for new ideas in Reading. Your outline of how you plan to use it is great. It is something that I will bookmark as a reference, when I get my own classroom. I loved how you used it with your students. It was a perfect example of teachers taking what they learn and putting it to use in their classroom. I would love to see more stories that you created.
If you have anymore suggests as to how to use this digital tool in the classroom please share them with me.
Here is a link to my blog.
http://martinjamiedm310.blogspot.com/
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Project 10
My First Progress Report
What is a PLN? PLN is an acronym for Personal Learning Network. It is a network that you create to learn from, connect with, gather information or resources, create with and finally share what you have learned. It is great to use in any profession. I have found it very necessary for me to have one while taking class EDM310.
I created my PLN using Symbaloo. I had never heard of this before but had received many suggestion to use it while taking EDM310. It is a tool much easier to use compared to your average favorites list. This has been helpful because I easily forget the names of sites that I visit and would like to visit again. Some of my most used tiles from my Symbaloo are: Facebook, EDM310 Blogspot, YouTube, and Gmail. The Webmix I created is still a work in progress as I am trying to make sure that I categorize the titles by color. This is an idea I got from the video of a 7th grade student who also uses Symbaloo.
I have even began to save sites that I come across that might be useful when I get my own classroom. Once I get my own classroom, I hope that I can start another PLN in regards to a particular grade or subject I may teach. I feel that it will be very important for me to have one in my profession. In my past years as a teacher I used the internet and different sites for references as I taught a particular topic. It would have been really great if I had know about Symbaloo then as well.
What is a PLN? PLN is an acronym for Personal Learning Network. It is a network that you create to learn from, connect with, gather information or resources, create with and finally share what you have learned. It is great to use in any profession. I have found it very necessary for me to have one while taking class EDM310.
I created my PLN using Symbaloo. I had never heard of this before but had received many suggestion to use it while taking EDM310. It is a tool much easier to use compared to your average favorites list. This has been helpful because I easily forget the names of sites that I visit and would like to visit again. Some of my most used tiles from my Symbaloo are: Facebook, EDM310 Blogspot, YouTube, and Gmail. The Webmix I created is still a work in progress as I am trying to make sure that I categorize the titles by color. This is an idea I got from the video of a 7th grade student who also uses Symbaloo.
I have even began to save sites that I come across that might be useful when I get my own classroom. Once I get my own classroom, I hope that I can start another PLN in regards to a particular grade or subject I may teach. I feel that it will be very important for me to have one in my profession. In my past years as a teacher I used the internet and different sites for references as I taught a particular topic. It would have been really great if I had know about Symbaloo then as well.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Blog Post 7
The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler
This video explained how a student researched information for his American Psychology class through the internet. He used a variety of tools to help him find all the information needed. He used Google Scholar to find creditable websites. It also helped him locate credible scholars for his topic of study. The student basically developed a reliable PLN for his project in which he was able to connect with classmates and people from all over the world. The description of this class really reminded me of EDM310.
In the video this question was stated, "Why does the networked student even need a teacher?". After watching the video one may think that there is no need for a teacher when the student is doing everything on their own. However, while students may be doing most of the learning on their own a teacher is needed to guide the student through his learning. The teacher also needs to build the foundation as to how to build and use network learning process. Teachers should not be counted out as their is and will always will be a place for a teacher even if most of the class is self-taught instruction.
I do feel that I am prepared to a networked teacher. I feel that to be a teacher you have to be diverse and able to reach out to your students different learning abilities. Does that mean we have to throw out all our old lesson plans? No, I feel that teachers should be able to modify their lessons and use the theory of being a networked teacher as needed. In my opinion, grade level students need lots of guidance. When building a networked student, teachers should make sure that their students are mature enough to handle guiding their own learning. Not all students are built and ready to handle such massive learning on their own. But we do, however, need to help prepare them to become a mature networked student by practicing these skills when necessary.
7th Grade PLE
I really wish I was that well put together and organized when I was in the 7th grade. This young girl give a virtual tour of her PLE (Personal Learning Environment) also know as a PLN. She used Symbaloo to show how she can easily navigate through the most useful sites that she uses. I think that this is a great demonstration video to show others how Symbaloo can be used as well as why it is a great tool to use.
In my everyday internet use their are only a hand full of sites that I use regularly. Therefore, I do not see a need for it unless you have tons of sites that you always use, especially for business or class purposes. This site has really come in handy for me while I have been taking this class. I am sure that in my professional career it will have great use as well.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Blog Post 6
Shortly into the video, Mr. Randy Pausch began talking about his illness. My reaction was simply, wow! Even in describing his illness one thing that stood out to me was the fact that he is a strong man. Not just physically but mentally as well because he understood that it was something totally out of his control. He states, "You cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand". That said a lot to me as I have learned to understand to except things as they are. You can either drown yourself in worry about the situation or modify it and keep moving forward.
Mr. Pausch went on to tell about his childhood dreams. As he once wanted to be a professional football player, his coach gave him this noteworthy advice. He said, "When you're screwing up and nobody's saying anything to you anymore, that means they gave up." The pushing of others is what keeps us going. I know this first hand because I may not be where I am today if it were not for my parents and family pushing me to excellence. Mr. Pausch used the term "Head fake", which he described as, "telling a story or having someone do an activity that they think is for fun, but really a lesson is learned from it all." An example of that would be a child playing in sports learning that it's important to win, however it's not just about winning, but learning good sportsmanship, persevering, and working towards a goal.
In his lecture he stated, "you've got to get the fundamentals down, otherwise all that fancy stuff isn't going to work. I think that this is really important to all educators. I have found this to be true as I have worked with children on both ends of the spectrum in the elementary education field. It is easy to get wrapped up in teaching what is fun, but the primary focus should be to make sure that educators teach the fundamental skills that will carry them from grade level to grade level and even beyond school. Without them, the focus can get lost even when you are trying to include it in the "fancy stuff".
Although it may seem that Mr. Pausch's video was about achieving your childhood dreams, there really was more to it. He wanted to show people how to lead their life and most importantly, to give his children the story of his life. His great works and honors shows that he was not only a great man but a great father. I feel that Mr. Pausch has left behind a legacy, but must most important, great memories for his family. Randy Pausch was a remarkable professor and leader, who has definitely left his mark, in my opinion, as the American Father.
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