Blog Post #3

Part 1
This assignment steps on a lot of peoples toes. So many of us are guilty of negative peer editing. For the most part, we all strive for the goal of helping to improve our peers information, but it is our tone of critiquing. As a teacher, the goal of positive editing is a key to success. I know when I was in elementary school writing a paper I would feel embarrassed to let others see my paper. I was always afraid of the red pens. My teacher would take my paper and color it red! Of course, all the red ink every where on the paper was places to make corrections. I viewed all the comments as negative or humiliating. I thought "I will never be able to write a great paper". Many times I think this is how several students feel in schools. We focus so much on "fixing it" we do not take the time to compliment on the effort and great points.

I like to use the hamburger effect! Someone once told me I should always give constructive criticism like a hamburger is stacked. First start out with the bread which symbolizes compliments. Next, give the meat which symbolizes the critique of their work. Finally give another layer of bread which is a few more compliments. Everyone likes to hear more positive than negative in life. Maybe we should all try out the hamburger effect.





The video What is Peer Editing and Writing Peer Editing Top 10 Mistakes are simple tutorials that give a clear understanding of peer editing. At times, I felt like the video What is Peer Editing? was moving fast on some slides, but the writer did a superb job explaining the correct ways of peer editing. This video suggest that the first step to peer editing is compliments. Everyone needs to hear the positives in their work! As teachers, this is a key factor during our days in the classroom. We should encourage our students in their writings. We should follow up after a compliment with a suggestion. As we make a suggestion we need to remember to think before we speak. No one wants to sound bossy or demanding. Having a gentle approach and trying not to hurt the persons feelings is the key. As we are editing we need to suggest better word choice, descriptive details, organization, complete sentences, and is the topic well maintained. While we are peer editing we need to focus on grammatical issues such as spelling, complete sentences, and organization.

For C4C assignment number two I have been assigned to Christie Mason. Christie does a great job of word choice and keeping her writing organized. She is a very descriptive writer and keeps the writer engaged during all of her post. I could tell that she took her time and double checked her work before publishing to her blog, because she did not have any grammatical or spelling errors. If there was ever a time that I saw something wrong in her post such as a misspelled word I believe the best approach for me would be to contact her through a personal message. I believe that as a teacher we need to give contructive criticism, but we also need to be careful with our words and how we approach it. Humiliating someone publicly can be embarrassing and make Christie mad, and I would never want to come across like that to her. I also believe by sending a personal message already sends a more positive approach before she reads the first word of the message.

Part 2
After watching Technology in Special Education it is proven that technology is not discrepant. The teacher in the video strives everyday to expose her special needs children to technology. With laptops, computers, and smart boards assignments are made much more easier for her students. She interviewed several students and they shared how technology made a positive change for them to learn. This proves that no matter what your needs are in life we can all use technology to improve learning in the classroom.

The teacher strives everyday to expose her students to technology and at the end of the video she made a statement that was very powerful. She mentioned that she wanted to expose her students to technology and teach them how to operate laptops and such for their future jobs. She is changing lives everyday and giving them a chance to learn tools that will help them in the future as they will be looking for jobs. She is an inspiration to all educators out there. Thank you Ms. Lacey Cook for the inspiration to make a difference in others lives.

The resources on an Apple iPad are endless for teaching a child. There are so many apps to download. Whether I am looking for an app to teach writing, math skills, reading, or history the possibilities are countless. There are so many option in the education category. The apps are great tools and making learning exciting and fun! I have found an app called "Bugsy Kindergarten Math". This app is about a hamster who likes to keep his refrigerator completely filled. A child will gain skills such as recognizing numbers 0 through 30, counting by 1, 2, 3, and 5, comparisons, writing numbers, pattern recognition, number bonds, and basic addition and subtraction. What an exciting way to making learning math fun for students! This game is user friendly for all students including special needs children.

Ms. Vicki Davis has done an outstanding job of incorporating technology in the classroom. As I watched the video Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts I was intrigued by all of the students reactions. The students in Ms. Davis' class were all engaged and by the expression on their faces the were excited and motivated to learn. Ms. Davis is a pioneer teacher by incorporating learning through technology.

Ms. Davis takes pride to teach her students the value of technology. She mentioned that teaching students is what she is all about. As a future educator I want to surround myself with educators like Ms. Davis. I will keep her goals and visions in mind as I become closer to my goal of becoming a teacher. Thank you Ms. Vicki Davis for inspiring so many to teach with technology.