C4T # 3

The teacher's blog page I am assigned is Diane's Digital Discoveries. I absolutely love this blog page! Her page is so full and has so much to offer. The blog entry I read for this assignment was posted on June 25. She gave links to many tutorials to help with online learning. She posted a link to a page on addressing negative behavior in the classroom. This page pointed out the negative problems that are found in the classroom such as: "technology becoming a distraction," "distracting other students," "difficulty evaluating information," "less interest in the class," "loss of sleep" and "increased incidence in bullying." The author didn't list these to say technology is bad, but to open eyes of teachers as to what it is to come. The author best described what he was trying to say by saying, "A hurdler does not run down the track blindfolded – he has to see the hurdles in front of him if he is going to clear them and win the race."

The comment I posted on her blog was as follows: "Hi! My name is Tonya and I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. Let me begin by saying, I love your blog! My professor has assigned me to your blog for this unit and I must say, your blog is so much fun! As a student who is a little behind in today’s technology, I am always in search of tutorials. This blog post is a huge help. Also, I checked out your page on negative student behavior. I am sometimes the guilty one of playing games in class. I also am easily distracted by the person sitting next to me playing games in class. I have gotten better trying to keep focused on the professor, but sometimes Candy Crush wins in getting my attention. I think this is going to be a tough thing to get a handle on, unless somehow these things can be blocked by the school’s network."

For the second assignment on C4T #3, I was assigned Manaiakalani Schools. These teachers are implementing Google Chromebooks into their classrooms. They are also letting the older junior classes buddy with the younger classes to help with teaching the technology. I think this is an excellent idea. My comment on this blog page: My name is Tonya Murphy and I am a student in EDM310, at the University of South Alabama. I think it is exciting that you are reaching out to the younger children and getting them comfortable with technology. I believe that the younger we teach children, the easier they absorb the information. I also like the fact that you are letting the older classes help out with the younger classes. I think buddy classes are a great idea.