Project # 6 Form Summary and Analysis

  "You Can Have This Super Power...But" Google Form


I created the form titled "You Can Have This Super Power...But". In this form, people had the option of having a super power, but the power came with a consequence. Everyone had to answer ten of these questions. The questions are as followed: 1. You can have invisibility, but when you are not invisible, you are blind. 2. You can have angel wings, but when the wings come in or out, you will feel the worst pain you have ever felt. 3. You can fly, but you can't walk. 4. You can travel through time, but you can't pick the time period to which you travel. 5. You are telepathic, but you are also a mute. 6. You are a shape-shifter, but not even you know what your original form looks like. 7. You can heal instantly, but when you heal, the pain is twice as bad as the injury. 8. You are pyrokinetic, but you will never be able to quench your thirst. 9. You have super speed, but you are very clumsy. 10. You can heal others, but you take on their affliction for thirty minutes for it to dissolve away. Everyone had to answer each question with a yes or no answer. The answers to the questions are as follows: 1. No- 15 Yes-4 2. No-18 Yes-1 3. No-12 Yes-7 4. No-9 Yes-10 5. No-14 Yes-5 6. No-13 Yes-6 7. No-9 Yes-10 8. No-18 Yes-1 9. No-11 Yes-8 10. No-6 Yes-13

 For this project, I wanted to do something different. My questions didn't require any previous knowledge of anything. They are simply questions of whether or not someone is willing to sacrifice something to have an awesome super power. Even though these questions seem to simply be yes or no questions, I think the answers say a lot about the people who answered them.

 The majority of the people chose "no" for most of the questions. For seven out of the ten questions, the majority of the answers given was "no". I think this says a lot about people. Most people want to be extraordinary in some way, but they aren't willing to have the troubles that go along with the 'powers'. Nothing is given to us without its troubles. It is up to us to determine if we are willing to go through the troubles to have the power that we want. I think it's really interesting to hear people's different answers. Some people were much more willing to accept the consequence that came with the powers than others were. People only answered yes to a few of the questions. I'm really glad that we got to come up with our own questions for this project. I was really able to think outside of the box, and I really enjoyed coming up with these questions and seeing people's answers.

Project #16 Progress Report

I am working with my friend and classmate, Laura Scott, for project # 15. We are also working on the final project together. We are currently focused on project #15, but we are brainstorming ideas for the final project as well. We are looking forward to what we come up with. Thanks!

Blog Post #12

My Assignment: Watch these two videos about introducing ipods into special education. We have watched videos and read posts about how technology has helped the regular education classroom setting. Now we see how the same technology (the ipod) also helps the special education classroom setting. Write your reaction to the videos in a post on your blog.

Introducing iPods into Special Education

Priceless

Technology for Special Education Video 
We have watched many videos and read many posts about technology and why it should be incorporated into the classroom setting. We haven't really talked about how technology works wonders in the special education classroom setting. In the first video about introducing iPods into special education, Vicki Nelson tells us about how she started using the iPod in her special education class. Most of Ms. Nelson's students suffer from a hearing loss, or they are non-verbal. She used the iPods as a communication device training for the students to use at home. She said that many of the students came back to school knowing things that she hadn't taught them yet. This just shows that the students really want to learn. They just need it given to them in a way that interests them. She then started video taping the interpreter signing the vocabulary words from each subject. This way the students can take the videos home, so their parents can learn how to sign and understand what their kids are bringing home and signing. Then, the interpreter started signing the stories in the books they were reading. The video of this helps the students with comprehension. Another great way Ms. Nelson used the iPod in this video was as a video portfolio. These are used as communication logs between staff and the student's parents and as a record of communication between staff and the student's parents. The parents could listen to the voice memo left by Ms. Nelson. Then, they could record a response and send it to school with their children. I loved the story she told about a voice memo she got from one of her student's sister after watching a video of her brother. The memo said, "Wow! He's really smart!" I think it's cool that the special education students are able to show their families how hard they are working and how much they are improving. I think that it is amazing how we can use technology that was initially only thought of as a device to listen to music and turn it into a tool used to help special education students. It's all about the different ways we look at things.

In the second video, priceless, it is a remake of the MasterCard commercials. Out of all of those commercials and remakes of those commercials, this is my favorite one. It shows different costs of technological devices used in special education and the cost of a great teacher. Then it shows a special education student on one of the devices and says, "Seeing a child do what no one thought they would: priceless." I think this is so true. Even though you can technically put a price on the devices this child is using, it doesn't matter what the price is, because this student is accomplishing something that no one thought he would be able to do. It's great to see technology helping in regular education, but to see a special education child accomplish something that others said one wouldn't be able to do is so heart warming. I thoroughly enjoyed watching these two videos, and I hope more people get a chance to see them.

Summary Post C4T Teacher #3

Michael Kaechele

I read Michael Kaechele's blog from Michigan. The first post I read was "Ode to Concrete". In this post, he described the beauty of concrete that is overlooked on a daily basis. He tells about the different ways to use concrete. He says that concrete is chemistry and science at its finest. He also says that concrete is technology. I had never thought of concrete as technology before now. He says that concrete is hard, and it is sidewalk that scratches knees. I loved this reference to scratching knees. That's the only thing I thought it was good for as a child. I commented that I had never thought about the many different ways of looking at concrete, and I was definitely one of those people who have taken it for granted. I also told him how his post allowed me to see the beauty in concrete that I had never seen before.

The second post of Michael's that I read was "The Alchemist and Louis L'Amour". In this post, he described the book The Alchemist. He asked, "Do we allow space in schools for pursuing dreams?" I agree with him that teachers are too busy covering curriculum and meeting standards, and that standardization drowns out passion and crowds out dreams. He talks about how in the book, Santiago uses many different channels of learning. He learns by living life and observing life and nature everywhere, much like Mr. Kaechele's favorite author as a child, Louis L'Amour. I commented that I agreed with him about standardization. I think that it's very important to encourage imagination and creativity in our students. All of the wonderful advancements our society has had over the years weren't accomplished due to people thinking like everyone else, standard way of thinking, rather, it was due to people thinking like nobody else, creative and imaginative way of thinking.

C4K #3-7 Summaries

C4K #3


This student talked about Captain James Cook. He was the first person to sail from Europe to New Zealand. He was also the first to land on New Zealand's coastline. I commented that I didn't know that Captain Cook was the first person to do this. I also said that it was a great post and to keep up the great work.

 C4K#4

This student was asked to describe the area in which she lived. She described Melbourne, Australia. She described it as a place full of lushes green growth, natural scenery everywhere you look, with birds, insects, and kangaroos. She told us about the many famous places and people Melbourne has given the world. I told her that she used very descriptive words in describing the look of Melbourne. I told her that I wish I could wake up to the same picture she has drawn, and I hope she keeps up the good work.

C4K #5

Akhil talked about his blog in this post. He said that he liked to watch movies, read, play basketball, and ride his bike. His favorite football team is the Steelers, because they win a lot. I told him that it is great that he tries to his best. I also told him that I also love watching movies and reading, and I think riding his bike is a great way to exercise and have fun at the same time. I said that I don't watch the NFL, but I hope that the Steelers keep on winning. I also commented that he had an awesome blog and to keep up the good work.

C4K #6

This post was a riddle that Daniel S. wrote. The riddle was: I like bananas, I swing in trees, and I pick bugs off babies. Who am I? I commented that he had given some very good clues. Then I gave my answer to his riddle, a monkey. I told him that he had a great blog and to keep up the good work.

C4K #7

In this post, Kylie B. talked about a math project that she was supposed to bring an apple to class for. She didn't have one, but her mom said she would get one. Unfortunately, she didn't get one. Her teacher put the kids in to groups of kids with red apples, kids with green apples, and kids with mixed colored apples. She put the kids who didn't have apples in to the groups of kids with apples. She cut the apples, and they counted the seeds. She said it was then time to go, but she had a lot of fun. I commented that I was sorry that she didn't get to bring an apple like she wanted, but I was glad she had fun. I told her that I've always thought it was cool that when an apple is cut in half, it looks like a star. I said that I like the pink font she used. I told her that her blog looks really good and to keep up the good work.

Blog Post #11

Ms. Cassidy's Approach to Using Technology in the Classroom

     Ms. Cassidy, person on the left in above picture, is a great example of how teachers can use technology in the classroom. Her students write blogs, make wikis, make videos, use Skype, and use the Nintendo DS. Her students get excited that the blogs they write will be read around the world. They are excited that somebody wants to see what they write. I think this is a great way to get students excited about writing, no matter what they are writing about. They get to see on a cluster map where it is that people are viewing their blog from. They also get to see the number of times their blogs are read. I really liked the part in the video that showed them playing on the Nintendo DS. They played Nintendog, a game where they had a pet dog they had to take care of. They said that it helped them to be better problem solvers. They also said that it taught them how to share, which isn't something many people would think they could learn from a game on a hand-held gaming device.

     As a high school English teacher, I would like to incorporate the use of blogging in my classroom. I think it would be a great way for them to share writing assignments with the rest of the world. I think that some students might be more willing to hear what other people have to say about what they write, not only what I have to say as their teacher. I also think that they would work harder on what they write, instead of only doing what is necessary to get it done, because it will be accessible by the whole world. I think a problem I might encounter is that students get on websites that they are not supposed to be on while they are working. A way I could address this problem is to try to keep a closer eye on them. Also, the school places restrictions on certain websites in which they can access. There might be problems in using technology that we can't anticipate, but if we don't try just because there might be problems, we aren't doing anybody any good. As Ms. Cassidy put it, "You are handicapping your students and yourself by not taking advantage of the tools available."

Additional Assignment #3

Sir Ken Robinson: Educational Change in Paradigms

• I think the most important thing he talked about is that we are getting our children through education by anesthetizing them. More and more children who go to the doctor and say they have a hard time paying attention and can't sit still are given a prescription for Ritalin when ADHD probably isn't the problem causing the symptoms.
• I don't think there was anything that I disagreed with Sir Robinson on. I went back through the notes I took and referred back to the video, and I couldn't find anything he said that I disagreed with.
• The agreement and disagreement is that great learning happens in groups. Robinson says that collaboration is the stuff of growth, which I believe to be true ass well. I think that this is the only class out of four education classes I've taken where I have completed an assignment as a part of a group. 
• I think the best thing to do is get the word out there about these problems. These aren't things that should only be taught to future teachers. If more people were educated on these issues and spoke up about them, I think that more people holding elected positions might try harder to help with the government element of these problems, such as standardized testing.
• I really enjoyed the presentation. I thought that it was a very creative way to talk about the issues. 
• I would most like to play the part of the author. I like writing, and I believe that I do it well.