Saturday, May 2, 2009
My EDM 310 Blog Assignments are Now Complete!
Hi everyone! I really enjoyed having class with you all. This will be my last post, I really hope I didn't leave any posts out! :) Hope everyone has a great summer and great semesters to follow!
Summing it up..
I'm going to be honest, I've learned about a lot of things in this class that otherwise I probably would have never considered. Blogs, I've been familiar with but I never had one of my own. I definitely see the use, personally and professionally. I would definitely love to have a class blog when I have my own classroom, it seems to be a really useful tool with students and their parents. I really liked looking up the blogs around the country and the world. It just reinforced the fact that they are really useful in the classroom. Also, it was neat making those contacts with the other teachers too. I was also familiar with presentations, but not doing them on Google Docs. Google Docs is something that I was not familiar with, but I really like it. It's free, easy to use especially if you've been familiar with other computer programs, and it's easy to access all of your saved files. Google forms and databases were a neat tool too. I might not use them as much as I would the docs, but to know the tool is there and how to use it is always a good thing. I really liked working with the podcasts too. I think that would be a cool project if you have students at the age in which they would understand what's going on. I think they would enjoy it and it will give them the oppotunity to learn something new also. iTunes is something I've been using for a long time, but I'd never really paid attention to the iTunesU before this class so I'm sure that it will be useful as I continue through school and then begin entering the schools. I think the professional blog, while a bit complicated, really made me think about who I am and who I want to be as a teacher. I've come to realize that it is more and more important to start thinking of these things ahead of time instead of dealing with everything when I'm starting out as a teacher. Google Earth has always been really neat to me. Sometimes I just get on there and look around because I'm bored, so I'm sure I will get some use out of that. As far as ACCESS and ALEX, I think those two are extremely important. My plan is to teach in Alabama, so those two things will be key in my classroom. I'm actually doing research on ACCESS, but I love the online education oppotunities with it. ALEX will be something I'm constantly implementing into my work simply because that is what the curriculum I will be teaching is centered around. I'm extremely glad you taught us how to use Foliotek with your method. My other teachers have definitely showed me various ways to use it, but none have worked as well.
I believe all of these things will be helpful when I become a teacher. In my post about project 6 I mentioned how as the generations come forward the students are becoming more and more technology oriented. Everything we learned in this class could be implemented with the students and they will enjoy and learn from it so much better than just by using textbooks. So, in summary I learned A LOT from this class.
I cannot imagine learning anything else though. I came into this class basically expecting it to be a normal computer class, nothing special. Now though I know it was anything but a normal computer class. I learned about things that I definitely had never heard of so as far as learning anything else, I'm really not sure what else there would be.
I don't think I learned about anything I didn't want to learn about either. Twitter was the only one I has difficulty finding use of. I see the benefits, but I'm not exactly sure how much I'll implement it. Who knows though, I could use it a lot more than I'm expecting.
I believe all of these things will be helpful when I become a teacher. In my post about project 6 I mentioned how as the generations come forward the students are becoming more and more technology oriented. Everything we learned in this class could be implemented with the students and they will enjoy and learn from it so much better than just by using textbooks. So, in summary I learned A LOT from this class.
I cannot imagine learning anything else though. I came into this class basically expecting it to be a normal computer class, nothing special. Now though I know it was anything but a normal computer class. I learned about things that I definitely had never heard of so as far as learning anything else, I'm really not sure what else there would be.
I don't think I learned about anything I didn't want to learn about either. Twitter was the only one I has difficulty finding use of. I see the benefits, but I'm not exactly sure how much I'll implement it. Who knows though, I could use it a lot more than I'm expecting.
Report on Project 6!
For my project 6 I contacted Mr. Joe McClung. He is a 6th grade teacher in Noel, Missouri at Noel Elementary School. During our blog posts about schools around the country I had found Mr. McClung's class blog and wrote about it in my post. He commented on my post so I decided to contact him and I asked him about technology he uses in his own classroom.
I was suprised to find out that Mr. McClung's class was already using Google Docs. When I was e-mailing with him he said they were using it to share documents with one another in class and then they were going to conduct a peer review on a short story with another class in Australia. I think that is so cool. Now I'm a sophomore in college and this semester has been the first time I've actually even heard of Google Docs. Yet, these sixth graders are using it and collaborating with a classroom across the globe! That would be such a neat class to be in in sixth grade!!
He also said he uses a program called Ning with his students. He said it is much like Facebook, but he can control everything that goes on with it. I like that it is something that the teacher can control. Even if the students are in sixth grade, there always needs to be some restrictions here and there. He said it does allow for chat and discussion boards though so that is another very cool tool.
Mr. McClung's class sounds very neat and interesting to me. I know that when I was in sixth grade we didn't use anywhere near the amount of technology that he's using with his students. What he's doing is very important, because as the generations progress the students are becoming more and more technology oriented and the teachers have to follow this trend to keep the students interested. I hope to do as well as he is with the technology realm. I'm sure his students really enjoy the class.
Check out his blog: Mr. McClung's Class Blog
I was suprised to find out that Mr. McClung's class was already using Google Docs. When I was e-mailing with him he said they were using it to share documents with one another in class and then they were going to conduct a peer review on a short story with another class in Australia. I think that is so cool. Now I'm a sophomore in college and this semester has been the first time I've actually even heard of Google Docs. Yet, these sixth graders are using it and collaborating with a classroom across the globe! That would be such a neat class to be in in sixth grade!!
He also said he uses a program called Ning with his students. He said it is much like Facebook, but he can control everything that goes on with it. I like that it is something that the teacher can control. Even if the students are in sixth grade, there always needs to be some restrictions here and there. He said it does allow for chat and discussion boards though so that is another very cool tool.
Mr. McClung's class sounds very neat and interesting to me. I know that when I was in sixth grade we didn't use anywhere near the amount of technology that he's using with his students. What he's doing is very important, because as the generations progress the students are becoming more and more technology oriented and the teachers have to follow this trend to keep the students interested. I hope to do as well as he is with the technology realm. I'm sure his students really enjoy the class.
Check out his blog: Mr. McClung's Class Blog
Monday, April 27, 2009
Sir Robinson's Outlook on Education
I agree very much with Sir Robinson's opinion on the education system. He points out that in the hierarchy of education that things such as mathematics and languages are at the top, while the arts are always at the bottom. It's like this every where in the world, not just in one education system. He goes on to discuss how mathematics and languages are not the most important things in education. Sure they are important, but who's to say that they are any more important than the arts.
His main ideal was that children have extraordinary capacities and so much creativity in them but that the creativity is educated out of them. The focus is put so much on the subjects like math and science and absolutely no emphasis is put on the arts such as drama or dancing. He talks about how when children are at a very young age they aren't afraid to make mistakes or say the wrong thing, but as they gradually get older they are more and more afraid to make mistakes and do or say the wrong thing. A quote by him was "if you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original."
Creativity should never be limited with children or as they grow into young adults. If math and science are to be required in school why shouldn't a dancing or acting class be required? Arts shouldn't be at the bottom of the hierarchy, they should be at the same level as math and languages. I understand how hard it is to be afraid to do or say the wrong thing. I'm a pretty shy person and I don't want to sound ignorant or dumb in class so sometimes I just don't talk at all. I have never thought this was a good thing though. Being afraid to be wrong can hold you back from learning some of the most useful information out there.
I think Sir Robinson's talk was great. I agree completely that creativity is pretty much driven out of children and the process is kept up throughout their education. Creativity should be valued just as much as being able to do the hardest math problem. Sometimes creativity is the only way to succeed in other subjects and should be valued that way. As a teacher you should never hold your children back from thinking or coming up with new ideas and as a teacher you should encourage your students to be creative.
His main ideal was that children have extraordinary capacities and so much creativity in them but that the creativity is educated out of them. The focus is put so much on the subjects like math and science and absolutely no emphasis is put on the arts such as drama or dancing. He talks about how when children are at a very young age they aren't afraid to make mistakes or say the wrong thing, but as they gradually get older they are more and more afraid to make mistakes and do or say the wrong thing. A quote by him was "if you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original."
Creativity should never be limited with children or as they grow into young adults. If math and science are to be required in school why shouldn't a dancing or acting class be required? Arts shouldn't be at the bottom of the hierarchy, they should be at the same level as math and languages. I understand how hard it is to be afraid to do or say the wrong thing. I'm a pretty shy person and I don't want to sound ignorant or dumb in class so sometimes I just don't talk at all. I have never thought this was a good thing though. Being afraid to be wrong can hold you back from learning some of the most useful information out there.
I think Sir Robinson's talk was great. I agree completely that creativity is pretty much driven out of children and the process is kept up throughout their education. Creativity should be valued just as much as being able to do the hardest math problem. Sometimes creativity is the only way to succeed in other subjects and should be valued that way. As a teacher you should never hold your children back from thinking or coming up with new ideas and as a teacher you should encourage your students to be creative.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
I've had a lot of different feelings about Twitter since we started working on it in EDM. At first I thought it was basically Facebook but without all of the interesting stuff. I mean all it is is basically updating your status and finding friends, or followers as they are known on Twitter. As I kept working with Twitter though I did start to find the advantages. Advantages were things such as finding networking opportunities all over the world, and also getting quick updates for things such as the news. That was one thing I really liked. I'm following FoxNews and they have so many updates everyday and you can quickly see any important headlines.
As far as learning about Twitter. I think I learned about it by basically using it. I haven't updated it that often, but I do not update Facebook or anything else very often either. I do read many of the tweets of my followers and those I'm following pretty much everyday though. I do send direct messages and receive them every once in a while too. I've also been reading different articles about Twitter. Most were discussing the uses of Twitter and discussing whether Twitter is better or as good as the other social-networking sites. Most sites agree that understanding and seeing the purpose of Twitter really just comes with use. If you don't try then it's likely you won't see the point.
As far as Twitter being useful, I can see some use professionally. I could really see it being useful as a future teacher. One thing is the networking and information possibilities. By following and getting tweets from all over you see different points of views and gain all kinds of different information from links posted by others. Also, it can be used within the classroom. Students and parents can look at the tweets you post and get information about what's going on in the classroom. I think if you try to keep your classroom updated and move forward with the new technology that things such as Twitter can be very useful. I also think these things should be kept in check though and should be used strcitly for learning. Twitter has grown on me over the past few weeks. I'm not sure how much I'll keep up with it, I do plan on using it though. It's hard with all of the social-networking sites out there to keep up with everyone, but I can see where Twitter is worth it.
As far as learning about Twitter. I think I learned about it by basically using it. I haven't updated it that often, but I do not update Facebook or anything else very often either. I do read many of the tweets of my followers and those I'm following pretty much everyday though. I do send direct messages and receive them every once in a while too. I've also been reading different articles about Twitter. Most were discussing the uses of Twitter and discussing whether Twitter is better or as good as the other social-networking sites. Most sites agree that understanding and seeing the purpose of Twitter really just comes with use. If you don't try then it's likely you won't see the point.
As far as Twitter being useful, I can see some use professionally. I could really see it being useful as a future teacher. One thing is the networking and information possibilities. By following and getting tweets from all over you see different points of views and gain all kinds of different information from links posted by others. Also, it can be used within the classroom. Students and parents can look at the tweets you post and get information about what's going on in the classroom. I think if you try to keep your classroom updated and move forward with the new technology that things such as Twitter can be very useful. I also think these things should be kept in check though and should be used strcitly for learning. Twitter has grown on me over the past few weeks. I'm not sure how much I'll keep up with it, I do plan on using it though. It's hard with all of the social-networking sites out there to keep up with everyone, but I can see where Twitter is worth it.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
EDM 310 Podcasts
I listened to four other podcasts done by students in EDM 310. I listened to one done on "The Last Lecture of Randy Pausch", "Shift Happens", "Burp-back Education", and one on "The Strange Crystal Ball, interviewed Dr. Strange". I also listened to the podcast I participated in.
I have to say it, I really did think all of them were very good! Ok, well onto some suggested improvements. First off, I think one improvement could be that maybe the podcasts did not come off as so scripted. Of course, that's hard to get around. When doing something like a podcast you want to know what you're talking about and it's hard to sound unscripted when you have what you want to say right there in front of you. At the same though, the way to get your listeners interested is to sound like you know what you are talking about and at the same time sound comfortable and interested in whatever you are talking about.
Another improvement I think could be letting the students choose their topic. This could be tricky because some students will pick things completely off subject, but if they're instructed to pick something along the lines of education they may be able to pick something that they are more familiar with. This way they will feel more comfortable talking about it and then the podcast will sound much less scripted and much more upbeat and interesting. It's much easier to have a casual conversation about something when you are somewhat familiar with the subject yourself.
I think the podcasts were a very interesting assignment. By doing them we researched different aspects of education that we didn't know much about and learned how to do a project that we might actually be able to do one day in our own classrooms. I think the main thing to do before a podcast is practice, that and have all of your information available and know it well. With practice they're easy and fun to do.
I have to say it, I really did think all of them were very good! Ok, well onto some suggested improvements. First off, I think one improvement could be that maybe the podcasts did not come off as so scripted. Of course, that's hard to get around. When doing something like a podcast you want to know what you're talking about and it's hard to sound unscripted when you have what you want to say right there in front of you. At the same though, the way to get your listeners interested is to sound like you know what you are talking about and at the same time sound comfortable and interested in whatever you are talking about.
Another improvement I think could be letting the students choose their topic. This could be tricky because some students will pick things completely off subject, but if they're instructed to pick something along the lines of education they may be able to pick something that they are more familiar with. This way they will feel more comfortable talking about it and then the podcast will sound much less scripted and much more upbeat and interesting. It's much easier to have a casual conversation about something when you are somewhat familiar with the subject yourself.
I think the podcasts were a very interesting assignment. By doing them we researched different aspects of education that we didn't know much about and learned how to do a project that we might actually be able to do one day in our own classrooms. I think the main thing to do before a podcast is practice, that and have all of your information available and know it well. With practice they're easy and fun to do.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Pros and Cons to Blogging in the Classroom
First off let me say I think there are way more positive aspects of using blogs in the classroom than there are negative. Actually I can only think of one negative so let me start out with that and get it out of the way. I'd say the one negative I can think of would be the lack of technology available. For instance if you are teaching at a school that may not have computers in every classroom, or if they do they may not work properly. Or if you may be at a school that doesn't even have access to an updated lab, both of those problems could be a major hinderance for having blogs in your lesson plan. There are many cases also in which the students may not even have access to a computer or internet at home and that could make it impossible to use blogs also. Now on that, if you as the teacher are the only one using the blog it might work with the lack of technology, but still you are putting those that don't have the resources in a bad position because they may not even be able to look at the blog.
Now, on to the positive elements of using a blog. I think one would be such an open communication line. If you as the teacher are using the blog to update your parents on the happenings of the classroom they have all of that information at such easy access. Also, along with blogs you usually have message areas and e-mail buttons in which the parents or even the students can contact very easily also. More and more the world is focusing in on technology, so as where many teachers still hand out newsletters in the class, even more teachers are beginning to use the blog as a constant and ongoing newsletter for their class. It's just easier and quicker to update your blog online rather than printing up two dozen pieces of paper every week. This way you can update your parents everyday if you wish to.
Another positive element I see with using blogs in the classroom is networking. As in our class, we researched and found blogs of classrooms around the nation and around the world. This opened us up to so many networking opportunities with teachers, schools, and students. As teachers when we make those kinds of contacts they can be very useful in things such as lesson plans, classroom ideas, and so much more. It opens up an entire new realm of gaining information from different parts of the country and world so that we can incorporate ideas in our classrooms that may never have been thought of before in our particular state or area. It's just always a good idea to have contacts in many different places and be able to reach out and help them possibly too.
The next and last positive element I'm going to discuss is all of the knowledge gained from using blogs. As they were used in this class, we researched so many different things from blogs in other areas to iTunesU to social-networking sites. We read and used those tools and then we wrote about them on our blog which helped embed that information within us so much more. Honestly, without the blog I don't know if I would have even put iTunesU to use and then when it might have come about where I could use it in my own classroom I wouldn't have even known about that resource. So that worked well for our class structure, and even in middle and high school, say a student learns some new information and wants to share it with the class. If you have a class blog then that student could easily update the blog with the new info and it is right there to access from all of your other students. Blogs can be put to use with so many different ages.
Blogs are just a great tool. Sure, they may take some time, but compared to the alternative (paper) they're much easier. Also, with the age we are in and the technology that are students are already familiar with, using blogs can only interest them more; much more than say a traditional newsletter. There are so many pros to using blogs in the classroom, it's hard to find a reason not to. By the way, I read all of Hannah Rogers' blog posts for this assignment. :)
Hope you all enjoy reading!
Now, on to the positive elements of using a blog. I think one would be such an open communication line. If you as the teacher are using the blog to update your parents on the happenings of the classroom they have all of that information at such easy access. Also, along with blogs you usually have message areas and e-mail buttons in which the parents or even the students can contact very easily also. More and more the world is focusing in on technology, so as where many teachers still hand out newsletters in the class, even more teachers are beginning to use the blog as a constant and ongoing newsletter for their class. It's just easier and quicker to update your blog online rather than printing up two dozen pieces of paper every week. This way you can update your parents everyday if you wish to.
Another positive element I see with using blogs in the classroom is networking. As in our class, we researched and found blogs of classrooms around the nation and around the world. This opened us up to so many networking opportunities with teachers, schools, and students. As teachers when we make those kinds of contacts they can be very useful in things such as lesson plans, classroom ideas, and so much more. It opens up an entire new realm of gaining information from different parts of the country and world so that we can incorporate ideas in our classrooms that may never have been thought of before in our particular state or area. It's just always a good idea to have contacts in many different places and be able to reach out and help them possibly too.
The next and last positive element I'm going to discuss is all of the knowledge gained from using blogs. As they were used in this class, we researched so many different things from blogs in other areas to iTunesU to social-networking sites. We read and used those tools and then we wrote about them on our blog which helped embed that information within us so much more. Honestly, without the blog I don't know if I would have even put iTunesU to use and then when it might have come about where I could use it in my own classroom I wouldn't have even known about that resource. So that worked well for our class structure, and even in middle and high school, say a student learns some new information and wants to share it with the class. If you have a class blog then that student could easily update the blog with the new info and it is right there to access from all of your other students. Blogs can be put to use with so many different ages.
Blogs are just a great tool. Sure, they may take some time, but compared to the alternative (paper) they're much easier. Also, with the age we are in and the technology that are students are already familiar with, using blogs can only interest them more; much more than say a traditional newsletter. There are so many pros to using blogs in the classroom, it's hard to find a reason not to. By the way, I read all of Hannah Rogers' blog posts for this assignment. :)
Hope you all enjoy reading!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
"Growth" vs. "Fixed" Minds
In watching the podcast done by Stanford University on "Growth" vs. "Fixed" minds children, I learned some really useful information about the types of students you may encounter in the classroom. Having a "fixed" mind basically means that a student is constantly questioning themselves, they worry about what their answers or statements will sound like. They worry that they may be wrong when they state something in class. Having this kind of mindset kind of gets you stuck in one posistion. If you are afraid to learn or make mistakes then you will never move forward. Students may make it through school with this kind of mindset but they will never advance.
Having a "growth" mind is completely different. These are the students that are constantly learning, constantly questioning and trying to find out new information. They aren't afrad to state an answer in the fear that it might be wrong. These students grow into individuals that will never stop learning, you could call them life-long learners. In the podcast the speaker talks of a workshop that was completed over an 8-week period. There were two groups: just a study-skills group, and another group with study-skills also but with an element of "growth" learning. Those students were taught what it was to have a "growth" mindset and those students were the ones to advance in their grades. The students with only the study-skills did not improve when it came to their grades. She also put out the idea that the brain was like a muscle, it gets stronger the more you learn. She said that was what those students were taught and it helped them understand that it important to never quit learning.
I think this affects me as a teacher because I want to be prepared to teach my students how to have a "growth" mind. I want to encourage my students to never want to stop learning and to never be afraid to put themselves out there and speak up. Students shouldn't hold back for the fear that they might be wrong. I think this is what all teachers should strive for. They should strive to have a classroom of individuals who enjoy the process of learning, who don't mind making mistakes if it means that they will get something useful out of it. Any teacher who is okay with being stagnant and allowing their students to be stagnant should not be in the profession of teaching because they are not teaching their students anything useful or productive. With this idea of "fixed" and "growth" mindsets I believe it prepares me as a teacher to be able to enter the classroom and be prepared to teach and help my students have a "growth" mind.
Having a "growth" mind is completely different. These are the students that are constantly learning, constantly questioning and trying to find out new information. They aren't afrad to state an answer in the fear that it might be wrong. These students grow into individuals that will never stop learning, you could call them life-long learners. In the podcast the speaker talks of a workshop that was completed over an 8-week period. There were two groups: just a study-skills group, and another group with study-skills also but with an element of "growth" learning. Those students were taught what it was to have a "growth" mindset and those students were the ones to advance in their grades. The students with only the study-skills did not improve when it came to their grades. She also put out the idea that the brain was like a muscle, it gets stronger the more you learn. She said that was what those students were taught and it helped them understand that it important to never quit learning.
I think this affects me as a teacher because I want to be prepared to teach my students how to have a "growth" mind. I want to encourage my students to never want to stop learning and to never be afraid to put themselves out there and speak up. Students shouldn't hold back for the fear that they might be wrong. I think this is what all teachers should strive for. They should strive to have a classroom of individuals who enjoy the process of learning, who don't mind making mistakes if it means that they will get something useful out of it. Any teacher who is okay with being stagnant and allowing their students to be stagnant should not be in the profession of teaching because they are not teaching their students anything useful or productive. With this idea of "fixed" and "growth" mindsets I believe it prepares me as a teacher to be able to enter the classroom and be prepared to teach and help my students have a "growth" mind.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
iTunes U Video Podcasts..
I recently watched a video podcast on iTunesU which was provided by WGBH. The video was in the K-5 category (along my lines since I'm an elementary education major). It was titled "What Is a Planet?" and was actually very, very informative. It talked about two, now categorized as dwarf planets, but possible planets that were located in 2005. It then went on to discuss the actual characteristics of a real planet and explained the reasons behind Pluto and those other two discovered being labeled now dwarf planets. It was cool because I didn't understand at all why Pluto was no longer a planet but now I know it's actually because for one, if Pluto were as close to the sun as Earth is then part of it would melt and it would form a tale (which is what a comet does) and two, because it can't clear the area around it and planets should be able to do that. So that was the video podcast that I watched.
I think video podcasts could be useful to me and others as teachers for the very reason that I liked it so much, I did not know that information. A teacher should always be learning and this is the perfect way to do it. I got some interesting and possibly useful information from a video that was completely free and very easily accessed! Also, I think it could be a good tool used in the classroom as well. It would be easy to pull these videos up on the computer and then allow your class to watch them. It can be related to the lesson or maybe just some interesting information that you might think the children would enjoy. I know that when I was in elementary school things such as the planets were really interesting to me and if something such as Pluto no longer being classified as a planet occurred when I was in school it would interest me to know why.
Another reason I think it would be useful to have videos such as these for a teacher is also something I mentioned in the previous paragraph. They are accessed very easily! You do not have to buy them, you do not have to go searching a store or stores for them. They are right there on your computer & and internet just waiting to be downloaded and used. You really can't beat that as a teacher. Teachers are always looking for extra tools to use in the classroom and these videos on iTunesU would be a great tool and would really interest the students! I know that when I become a teacher I am really looking forward to using tools such as these in the classroom. They're convenient and interesting..what more could you want?
I think video podcasts could be useful to me and others as teachers for the very reason that I liked it so much, I did not know that information. A teacher should always be learning and this is the perfect way to do it. I got some interesting and possibly useful information from a video that was completely free and very easily accessed! Also, I think it could be a good tool used in the classroom as well. It would be easy to pull these videos up on the computer and then allow your class to watch them. It can be related to the lesson or maybe just some interesting information that you might think the children would enjoy. I know that when I was in elementary school things such as the planets were really interesting to me and if something such as Pluto no longer being classified as a planet occurred when I was in school it would interest me to know why.
Another reason I think it would be useful to have videos such as these for a teacher is also something I mentioned in the previous paragraph. They are accessed very easily! You do not have to buy them, you do not have to go searching a store or stores for them. They are right there on your computer & and internet just waiting to be downloaded and used. You really can't beat that as a teacher. Teachers are always looking for extra tools to use in the classroom and these videos on iTunesU would be a great tool and would really interest the students! I know that when I become a teacher I am really looking forward to using tools such as these in the classroom. They're convenient and interesting..what more could you want?
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Useful Podcasts for Teachers
In this post I'm going to summarize a couple of podcasts I listened to and then discuss how podcasts like the ones I listened to could be useful to me as a teacher. The first podcast I listened to was A Night in the Global Village: Heifer Ranch. This was a very interesting podcast. It was done on a study of a program that the Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning in Denver, Colorado did pertaining to learning about those less fortunate in the world. The students go to a place called Heifer Ranch and are assigned to a group; could be refugees, or in a culture that is less fortunate than that as an American. When they are assigned to these groups they are literally only given what those in the culture they were assigned to really have. To start out they were given a few supplies and then had to trade with other groups to get things they needed. They live as that culture does, for example the refugees are not allowed to talk to anyone (I suppose unless they are spoken to). The students have to work together with their group, and working with other groups to be able to survive the conditions they are given. It gives the students the opportunity to see how less fortunate some really are in the world and to get a first-hand experience as to the conditions of those people. Many of the students, after the experience, felt they really wanted to do what they could to improve the conditions.
The next podcast I listened to was The Edible Schoolyard: Martin Luther King Junior Middle School. This was a podcast about at outdoor classroom at the above middle school who actually have their own garden and kitchen to learn about all different kinds of subjects. It incorporates math, science, social studies, and life. Every little detail and every supply are used to teach a lesson. The children plant different foods in the garden (science), cook different foods (measuring and such - math), and do many more activities within this class. They learn about all of these different subjects, but they also learn how to cooperate and work with others and learn the little basics of life too. The garden was actually the idea of Alice Waters who runs the Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, CA. The original idea was based on improving school lunches, but it just stuck and was incorporated into the classroom. It teaches the children more than just the basics of subject matter taught in school, it teaches them about different aspects of life.
These podcasts were very interesting to me. The ideas used at both schools were so innovative and like nothing I have ever heard of before being done in a school. Both programs taught the students so many useful lessons that go beyond what is normally taught in the schools. It taught them valuable life lessons, things that they are really going to have to do on a day-to-day basis; or it taught them about ways that they could help improve the lives of others. I think podcasts such as these would be helpful to me as a teacher because it teaches you and gives you ideas on how to be creative in the classroom. Also, it shows that you don't always have to go by the "norm" (students sitting in desks completing book work) to be teaching them what they need to know. It also expresses how it can effect the kids when you do go above and beyond to teach them various things. The students in these podcasts were really enjoying themselves and at the same time they knew that they were learning some very important things. I would love to incorporate ideas like those in these podcasts into my classroom and help my students think about more than is what in their textbooks for a change!
Well, that's all the posts for today! As always, hope you enjoy!
The next podcast I listened to was The Edible Schoolyard: Martin Luther King Junior Middle School. This was a podcast about at outdoor classroom at the above middle school who actually have their own garden and kitchen to learn about all different kinds of subjects. It incorporates math, science, social studies, and life. Every little detail and every supply are used to teach a lesson. The children plant different foods in the garden (science), cook different foods (measuring and such - math), and do many more activities within this class. They learn about all of these different subjects, but they also learn how to cooperate and work with others and learn the little basics of life too. The garden was actually the idea of Alice Waters who runs the Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, CA. The original idea was based on improving school lunches, but it just stuck and was incorporated into the classroom. It teaches the children more than just the basics of subject matter taught in school, it teaches them about different aspects of life.
These podcasts were very interesting to me. The ideas used at both schools were so innovative and like nothing I have ever heard of before being done in a school. Both programs taught the students so many useful lessons that go beyond what is normally taught in the schools. It taught them valuable life lessons, things that they are really going to have to do on a day-to-day basis; or it taught them about ways that they could help improve the lives of others. I think podcasts such as these would be helpful to me as a teacher because it teaches you and gives you ideas on how to be creative in the classroom. Also, it shows that you don't always have to go by the "norm" (students sitting in desks completing book work) to be teaching them what they need to know. It also expresses how it can effect the kids when you do go above and beyond to teach them various things. The students in these podcasts were really enjoying themselves and at the same time they knew that they were learning some very important things. I would love to incorporate ideas like those in these podcasts into my classroom and help my students think about more than is what in their textbooks for a change!
Well, that's all the posts for today! As always, hope you enjoy!
iTunes U..
The Apple site states, "iTunes U, part of the iTunes Store, is possibly the world’s greatest collection of free educational media available to students, teachers, and lifelong learners." I think this is a very good summary of what iTunes U is all about. For those that don't know, the U stands for Univerisity, so it's really iTunes University. iTunes U contains podcasts from different university's all over which include a lot of actual lectures from the courses. There are also podcasts just pertaining to education, such as how-tos and presenting different educational topics. The Apple site also states that "with over 100,000 educational audio and video files available, iTunes U* has quickly become the engine for the mobile learning movement."
I personally think that iTunes U can be a very useful tool to me and many others as both a student and a future educator. As a student it contains tools such as college lectures
(yes, I do listen to my lectures when I go to class); but the added information is always useful. There are also large amounts of information out there that have to do with being an educator that I needed to be learning about while still in school myself. Things such as the different forms of technology being used in the classrooms and different teaching methods need to be learned now instead of later.
When I do become a teacher I still believe that I will be referring to iTunes U to learn even more information. There are so many podcasts on there that are there specifically to help current teachers. Teaching methods and tools are things that can always be improved upon and there are podcasts to help teachers do this. Also, technology issues, there is always something that you may not know how to use or just need help getting started, and there are podcasts for that also. There are just so many uses for iTunes U, and I really do think that as a student and when I am a teacher I will be using this site to improve my methods and continue learning new things.
I personally think that iTunes U can be a very useful tool to me and many others as both a student and a future educator. As a student it contains tools such as college lectures
(yes, I do listen to my lectures when I go to class); but the added information is always useful. There are also large amounts of information out there that have to do with being an educator that I needed to be learning about while still in school myself. Things such as the different forms of technology being used in the classrooms and different teaching methods need to be learned now instead of later.
When I do become a teacher I still believe that I will be referring to iTunes U to learn even more information. There are so many podcasts on there that are there specifically to help current teachers. Teaching methods and tools are things that can always be improved upon and there are podcasts to help teachers do this. Also, technology issues, there is always something that you may not know how to use or just need help getting started, and there are podcasts for that also. There are just so many uses for iTunes U, and I really do think that as a student and when I am a teacher I will be using this site to improve my methods and continue learning new things.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
iPods as an Instruction Tool..
I think using iPods for an instruction tool in education is a really interesting idea. There can be arguments for or against it though. "The Principals' Partnership" site did some in-depth research on the use of iPods for instruction. Honestly, beyond getting information off of iTunes U (which I just found out about this semester), I didn't know there was furthur use of the iPod for education material. After reading this research though, I have really been enlightened. As said before, things such as lectures and podcasts can be found on iTunes U and then synced on the iPod. Seems pretty basic, right? Well in K-12 classrooms iPods are being used for so much more than even that. Slideshows are created, loaded to the iPod, then loaded to a computer at school. It has also been shown to help when learning another language. Students have files of the language stored onto their iPod and can listen to it and practice more than just sitting and listening in class. Also, to go along with that, the students can record themselves, download it to the iPod and have even more resources at hand.
Not only can it be put to all of these uses and so many more, it is also very convenient. Students can carry them around and have them at easy access the majority of the time. Plus, students like this idea. Instead of getting in trouble for using the iPods at school, it can be encouraged. Yet, not only the students can use iPods. Teachers can put them to good use too. You have all kinds of lessons and materials at hand for use or just to gather ideas from.
Yet, after all of this great information there is always going to be a downfall somewhere. Duke University did a study and put all of this iPod talk into action. They distributed a number of iPods to incoming freshman in August of 2004. These iPods were implemented into certain classes and data was collected on how they were used, and the pros and cons of the use. Of course, most of the uses stated above were how it was implemented. Students could download and listen to content, and also record things and use them for storage. For all of those uses plus the conveniency it was a positive experiement. Yet, there were negatives such as some content was hard or unable to download at all, some downloads were not sufficient, some students just couldn't understand the technology enough for it to be productive, among other struggles. It was an informative study, but it's hard to tell if it goes positive or negative for the use of iPods in instruction.
Personally, I think it is a good idea but I do not think it should replace everything else used in the classroom. A person's education should not rely solely on what they have on their iPod. It has some very neat and productive uses, but at the same time traditional ways can always be put to good use too.
Well, those are all of the blogs for today. As always, hope you enjoy!
Not only can it be put to all of these uses and so many more, it is also very convenient. Students can carry them around and have them at easy access the majority of the time. Plus, students like this idea. Instead of getting in trouble for using the iPods at school, it can be encouraged. Yet, not only the students can use iPods. Teachers can put them to good use too. You have all kinds of lessons and materials at hand for use or just to gather ideas from.
Yet, after all of this great information there is always going to be a downfall somewhere. Duke University did a study and put all of this iPod talk into action. They distributed a number of iPods to incoming freshman in August of 2004. These iPods were implemented into certain classes and data was collected on how they were used, and the pros and cons of the use. Of course, most of the uses stated above were how it was implemented. Students could download and listen to content, and also record things and use them for storage. For all of those uses plus the conveniency it was a positive experiement. Yet, there were negatives such as some content was hard or unable to download at all, some downloads were not sufficient, some students just couldn't understand the technology enough for it to be productive, among other struggles. It was an informative study, but it's hard to tell if it goes positive or negative for the use of iPods in instruction.
Personally, I think it is a good idea but I do not think it should replace everything else used in the classroom. A person's education should not rely solely on what they have on their iPod. It has some very neat and productive uses, but at the same time traditional ways can always be put to good use too.
Well, those are all of the blogs for today. As always, hope you enjoy!
Electronic Portfolio Idea from Dr. Christie
After looking at Dr. Christie's site, I was really impressed with all of the research and projects she has done in and out of the classroom. The idea that I really liked was the electronic portfolio. The first thought that came to mind when I saw that topic was Foliotek, but after reading information on it I realized it was nothing like Foliotek. It can be such a more inventive and telling idea. Having your students have an electronic portfolio could up so many doors to them, not only with learning but with learning new ways to express themselves also.
A major tool that is commonly used in the classroom is a journal. The way I see the electronic portfolio is sort of just an electronic journal. No, it may not be organized into little paragraphs or stories; but it's artifacts that the students created that tell something about them. Plus, these kinds of portfolios can be used for a range of ages; it doesn't just have to be college students. I think children even in elementary school could make something along these lines. For them, I think I would structure it more into a project that went on over a significant amount of time, with areas and times designated to add to it. The thing is, most children in elementary schools can work a computer better than a lot of adults. Give a child a computer and there imagination and thought process can go in so many different ways. I just really liked this idea. It's open for interpretation, yet at the same time it can be a clear-cut project. I would definitely consider implementing this in my classroom.
A major tool that is commonly used in the classroom is a journal. The way I see the electronic portfolio is sort of just an electronic journal. No, it may not be organized into little paragraphs or stories; but it's artifacts that the students created that tell something about them. Plus, these kinds of portfolios can be used for a range of ages; it doesn't just have to be college students. I think children even in elementary school could make something along these lines. For them, I think I would structure it more into a project that went on over a significant amount of time, with areas and times designated to add to it. The thing is, most children in elementary schools can work a computer better than a lot of adults. Give a child a computer and there imagination and thought process can go in so many different ways. I just really liked this idea. It's open for interpretation, yet at the same time it can be a clear-cut project. I would definitely consider implementing this in my classroom.
Wikipedia, Fact or Fiction?
Well, after reading articles that question the integrity of Wikipedia my overall opinion is..believe very little of what you read at this site. Whenever you go to a search engine and type in that key word you're looking for, the majority of the time the number one response back is an article from Wikipedia about whatever you searched. Convenient, yes; factual, who knows really. It's a well known fact that anybody can edit information on Wikipedia, but you would expect the edits to be done to correct the information, not embellish or flat out lie. Really, there is no way to tell if the information you receive from the site is true or not, because honestly you have no idea where that information even came from.
Time and time again, in high school and college, I've been told by my professors when preparing to write a paper, "Wikipedia is not an acceptable reference". I have to say, I completely agree. Honestly in the past years I've never really done much with the site, but lately the more rushed time gets if I just want quick information that has been where I've gone. I have to say now though, that will not be happening much because how am I supposed to know if what I'm reading is true? Yes, at times the open edit feature may be valuable, but when major companies start trying to cover up or enhance their image, how valuable can it really be?
Time and time again, in high school and college, I've been told by my professors when preparing to write a paper, "Wikipedia is not an acceptable reference". I have to say, I completely agree. Honestly in the past years I've never really done much with the site, but lately the more rushed time gets if I just want quick information that has been where I've gone. I have to say now though, that will not be happening much because how am I supposed to know if what I'm reading is true? Yes, at times the open edit feature may be valuable, but when major companies start trying to cover up or enhance their image, how valuable can it really be?
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Randy Pausch's Last Lecture
My post for today is going to be about Randy Pausch's Last Lecture which I just recently watched. This lecture was just so moving and so inspirational on so many levels. Randy Pausch was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University. He died on July 25, 2008 having suffered from pancreatic cancer. He clearly advocated living your life to the fullest and going after your dreams, no matter how far-fetched or out of reach they may be. He started his lecture out talking about his childhood dreams and then moved on and talked about how to enable others to reach their childhood dreams.
Randy Pausch's Last Lecture started out with Randy discussing some of his childhood dreams some of which were playing for the NFL, becoming an Imagineer for Disney, and being a published author in the World Book Encyclopedia with a few others also. He discussed how he wasn't afraid to go after these dreams. One thing I liked was that he wasn't afraid to even laugh at himself. One of his other childhood dreams was "Being Captain Kirk", which when some people see this they probably just want to laugh because some would say "who wants to be Captain Kirk"? I think he pointed out something very interesting though; all of the others on Star Trek such as Spok and a few others he named all had some special talent that just made them so great, but what was so special about Captain Kirk? He didn't have a special talent, but he had the quality of leadership which put him on top of all of the others. Well, of course Randy couldn't become Captain Kirk, but he did meet him (well he met William Shatner who played Captain Kirk) and so he settled for that as meeting his childhood dream. Randy Pausch went after his dreams and he achieved them which is so inspirational in itself.
The lecture continued on with Randy talking about how to enable others to achieve their dreams which also tied in with him being a professor as well. He believed in helping others dream, and believed in helping others achieve those dreams no matter what they might have been. One of his starting stories was about a student named Tommy that he had at the University of Virginia. Tommy wanted to work on Randy's research team and told Randy that his childhood dream was to work on the next Star Wars films. This occurred around 1993, and when he was told this Randy told Tommy he didn't think those films would probably ever be made, and Tommy looked at him and said "No, they are." Needless to say, Tommy worked on those Star Wars films and fulfilled his childhood dream. Randy Pausch said he couldn't just settle for helping one individual at a time do this, he wanted to help large numbers at a time. When he was teaching at Carnegie Mellon he started up the "Building Virtual Worlds" course which held around 50 students at a time and began the process of helping many students achieve their dreams. In this course and with all of his teaching he implemented the "head-fake" teaching method. A "head-fake" is when you are teaching someone something when they think they are learning something else. The students in this course were learning to build virtual worlds, but at the same time were learning all about computer programming and many other aspects to go along with that. The course turned out to be a huge success all around the college because it incorporated every single department at the college which is something very rarely done. It continues on after Randy's passing in the hands of someone he handed it off to who he believed would have a lot of success with it.
Randy Pausch left so many legacies behind, not only with his course mentioned above but with the Entertainment Technology Center he co-founded with Don Marinelli at CMU, and also his ALICE project. He founded the ALICE project which is a software program which also uses the "head-fake" method; the students are just making things (worlds and storylines) on the computer, while actually learning all about computer programming. Even though he never really got to see the project take off he also left it in capable hands so I'm sure it has become a major success.
Randy Pausch, I think, is an inspiration to everyone. From future and current educators to the dreamer in all of us, I think there are some valuable lessons to be learned from his lecture. He taught, created, and lived a fulfilled life, and I think all of us could take his words and improve our lives to helping and enabling others to achieve their dreams.
Randy Pausch's Last Lecture started out with Randy discussing some of his childhood dreams some of which were playing for the NFL, becoming an Imagineer for Disney, and being a published author in the World Book Encyclopedia with a few others also. He discussed how he wasn't afraid to go after these dreams. One thing I liked was that he wasn't afraid to even laugh at himself. One of his other childhood dreams was "Being Captain Kirk", which when some people see this they probably just want to laugh because some would say "who wants to be Captain Kirk"? I think he pointed out something very interesting though; all of the others on Star Trek such as Spok and a few others he named all had some special talent that just made them so great, but what was so special about Captain Kirk? He didn't have a special talent, but he had the quality of leadership which put him on top of all of the others. Well, of course Randy couldn't become Captain Kirk, but he did meet him (well he met William Shatner who played Captain Kirk) and so he settled for that as meeting his childhood dream. Randy Pausch went after his dreams and he achieved them which is so inspirational in itself.
The lecture continued on with Randy talking about how to enable others to achieve their dreams which also tied in with him being a professor as well. He believed in helping others dream, and believed in helping others achieve those dreams no matter what they might have been. One of his starting stories was about a student named Tommy that he had at the University of Virginia. Tommy wanted to work on Randy's research team and told Randy that his childhood dream was to work on the next Star Wars films. This occurred around 1993, and when he was told this Randy told Tommy he didn't think those films would probably ever be made, and Tommy looked at him and said "No, they are." Needless to say, Tommy worked on those Star Wars films and fulfilled his childhood dream. Randy Pausch said he couldn't just settle for helping one individual at a time do this, he wanted to help large numbers at a time. When he was teaching at Carnegie Mellon he started up the "Building Virtual Worlds" course which held around 50 students at a time and began the process of helping many students achieve their dreams. In this course and with all of his teaching he implemented the "head-fake" teaching method. A "head-fake" is when you are teaching someone something when they think they are learning something else. The students in this course were learning to build virtual worlds, but at the same time were learning all about computer programming and many other aspects to go along with that. The course turned out to be a huge success all around the college because it incorporated every single department at the college which is something very rarely done. It continues on after Randy's passing in the hands of someone he handed it off to who he believed would have a lot of success with it.
Randy Pausch left so many legacies behind, not only with his course mentioned above but with the Entertainment Technology Center he co-founded with Don Marinelli at CMU, and also his ALICE project. He founded the ALICE project which is a software program which also uses the "head-fake" method; the students are just making things (worlds and storylines) on the computer, while actually learning all about computer programming. Even though he never really got to see the project take off he also left it in capable hands so I'm sure it has become a major success.
Randy Pausch, I think, is an inspiration to everyone. From future and current educators to the dreamer in all of us, I think there are some valuable lessons to be learned from his lecture. He taught, created, and lived a fulfilled life, and I think all of us could take his words and improve our lives to helping and enabling others to achieve their dreams.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
More from the "Fischbowl"..
The next blog I read from the "Best (?) of the Fischbowl 2007" was best of May called "Customer Service". I thought this blog was not only interesting, but so very, very true! It starts off with a YouTube video of a customer service call to HP. It is literally the entire call, with captions at the top, and then followed up by a survey call about the service received. First the caller gets connected with a computer, then the computer connects the caller with a technician, then the technician connects the caller with another techician, but before the caller even talks to the second technician the call is disconnected. This is so typical nowadays when you call for customer service on a product you have. About 99% of the time you are going to talk to a computer for a large part of your call. Then about half of the time and with some bad luck you will also end up getting disconnected. It just seems to be the way things go now with the massive sizes of companies that there are. I have to say, while I was watching the video and reading the captions up top, I really did start laughing because the video is just so true. Also, during the video, after the call was disconnected and the person called to survey the man who had called customer service, the percentages they showed of how he spent his call were ridiculous. "16% of the call was spent on listening to music while on hold, 15% was spent talking to a computer, 44% was spent with the customer looking up model and serial numbers (when in actuality the technician should have those things right there in front of him with the open file), and 16% was spent actually talking to the technician about the problem." Absolutely nothing was done to help the customer out!
Karl Fisch then goes on in the rest of his blog to talk about how "customer service" can relate in the education field. He works as a technology technician at the school he's employed at, and he says the majority of this job is spent helping faculty and students out when they have a tech. problem. With as busy as he gets, and the amount of work he has to do, he says that sometimes it just gets easier to fix the problem without explaining to whomever he is helping how he actually fixed it. He goes on to express how, while it might be making his job easier at the moment to do that, he is not helping out those people in the future who will still have no idea how to fix problems that may come up with their products. He believes by explaining what he does to the person he's helping it could help them out in the future and also help future teachers to be "technology literate". He believes when working in customer service you should be familiar with the problems and people that you are working with on a daily basis. Relating this to the video, in short it just means don't take the easy way out, be familiar with what you are doing, and even if it takes a little extra time, explain what you're doing to help others out in the future also.
Karl Fisch then goes on in the rest of his blog to talk about how "customer service" can relate in the education field. He works as a technology technician at the school he's employed at, and he says the majority of this job is spent helping faculty and students out when they have a tech. problem. With as busy as he gets, and the amount of work he has to do, he says that sometimes it just gets easier to fix the problem without explaining to whomever he is helping how he actually fixed it. He goes on to express how, while it might be making his job easier at the moment to do that, he is not helping out those people in the future who will still have no idea how to fix problems that may come up with their products. He believes by explaining what he does to the person he's helping it could help them out in the future and also help future teachers to be "technology literate". He believes when working in customer service you should be familiar with the problems and people that you are working with on a daily basis. Relating this to the video, in short it just means don't take the easy way out, be familiar with what you are doing, and even if it takes a little extra time, explain what you're doing to help others out in the future also.
Thoughts on podcasts & How they might be improved..
As I was listening to podcasts done by the previous EDM 310 classes, there are a couple of things that I think can be done to improve them. Let me start out by letting you know which ones I listened to and a little about them. First, I listened to the podcast done by Brandy, Amanda, and Daniel discussing Randy Pausch's Last Lecture. It is not a video I've watched yet (that's for next week's blog), but from the way they discussed it, it is actually something I'm really looking forward to watching! The next podcast I listened to was done by Adrienne, Joylyn, and Brian discussing YouTube being used for educational purposes. They discussed the pros and cons of using YouTube as an educational tool, and also the possible uses it can have in the classroom. Both of these podcasts were very interesting and relayed a lot of unknown facts (to me anyway).
There are a couple of things I came up with from listening to these podcasts that could be used to help improve those done in the future, especially by me. From listening to these, it is obvious that you really need to know what you are talking about and have your facts straight. It is hard to get off track and say unnecessary things, so it's important to know what you need to be talking about and make sure it is all relevant to the subject. Also, I think another thing is to make sure that you actually sound interested in what you're talking about. It's kind of hard to do unless you are extremely familiar with what you're talking about, but if you aren't interested in the subject, chances are those listening won't be either. I think it's important for these podcasts to sound somewhat casual, but on the other hand it needs to be done professionally. I hope to implement these things when I do my podcast.
Hope you enjoyed my thoughts!
There are a couple of things I came up with from listening to these podcasts that could be used to help improve those done in the future, especially by me. From listening to these, it is obvious that you really need to know what you are talking about and have your facts straight. It is hard to get off track and say unnecessary things, so it's important to know what you need to be talking about and make sure it is all relevant to the subject. Also, I think another thing is to make sure that you actually sound interested in what you're talking about. It's kind of hard to do unless you are extremely familiar with what you're talking about, but if you aren't interested in the subject, chances are those listening won't be either. I think it's important for these podcasts to sound somewhat casual, but on the other hand it needs to be done professionally. I hope to implement these things when I do my podcast.
Hope you enjoyed my thoughts!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Fischbowl, Best post of 2007
Ok, for the next post of the day I'm going to discuss the post on Fischbowl that won the Most influential post of 2007. It was titled "Is It Okay To Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?". I thought this post was very interesting, and also pretty intense. From what Karl Fisch says, and also what he added in from another blogger's post, between the two they are very serious about the subject. I think the seriousness is well needed. Technology is every where and children are learning about it at a younger and younger age every year. I'm sure there are probably two-year-olds now that know how to work a computer. Also, as much as some people might want technology to just stop and go away, I doubt it will probably ever go anywhere but become more and more advanced.
I also believe that it is so important for teachers to know at least the basics of technology. It is no doubt that when students come into the classroom they will know how to work computers, possibly even better than their teachers can. Also, children in school are using computer programs and so much more in their daily lessons now. Kids use powerpoints and slideshows for projects, and just about every child has to type a report various times throughout the school years. If teachers don't know how to work this simple technology what kind of a message will this send to children. They will either see their teacher as someone not capable of keeping up with them, or they might think technology is not such a big deal, when it is! They will use technology probably everyday of their life, and if they do not learn to use it when they're younger, it won't come any easier to them when they are adults working in their careers. Teachers should make the effort to at least learn the technology and keep learning more and more everyday. Just because you are a teacher doesn't mean your learning experience stops.
I really liked the post we had to read. I thought it was very true and very, very influential! Well, that's all for today, hope you enjoyed!
I also believe that it is so important for teachers to know at least the basics of technology. It is no doubt that when students come into the classroom they will know how to work computers, possibly even better than their teachers can. Also, children in school are using computer programs and so much more in their daily lessons now. Kids use powerpoints and slideshows for projects, and just about every child has to type a report various times throughout the school years. If teachers don't know how to work this simple technology what kind of a message will this send to children. They will either see their teacher as someone not capable of keeping up with them, or they might think technology is not such a big deal, when it is! They will use technology probably everyday of their life, and if they do not learn to use it when they're younger, it won't come any easier to them when they are adults working in their careers. Teachers should make the effort to at least learn the technology and keep learning more and more everyday. Just because you are a teacher doesn't mean your learning experience stops.
I really liked the post we had to read. I thought it was very true and very, very influential! Well, that's all for today, hope you enjoyed!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Podcasts, How they're done.
The post I'm going to do today is all about podcasts and how a few that I listened to seem to be done. Podcasts are a very interesting subject, once again the advances that have been made in technology is just amazing. Well to start off, I listened to the following podcasts and I'll just comment on them as I go through them all.
First off I listened to the podcast SmartBoard Lessons Podcast. I listened to Episode #125 called Learning to Fly. The podcast was hosted by Ben and Joan, from what I gathered it seems that all of the podcasts are hosted by them. The podcast sounded somewhat like it was recorded in a radio station. It just came off as a radio talk show vibe, which makes it much more casual and easy to listen to. The two hosts just started off having a casual conversation and gradually worked their way into the topic. From the part I listened to, they just seem to take questions (more than likely from e-mail) and answered them on air, talking in detail about it. Also, they had little segments of just music clips, possibly to signal a small break or pause in the conversation. It seems this podcast was pretty up on the technology possible for it.
The next podcast I listened to was KidCast. I listened to Episode #58 called The Medium is NOT the Message. This podcast was hosted by Dan from his living room. It was pretty casual, no special effects or anything, just him sitting their a sharing his knowledge. It sounded like he just had a computer and was just basically recording the podcast. He talked about how he had been looking up different projects such as podcasts that were being created by the kids in schools. He felt that the kids were just being taught how to basically use the software but weren't being taught how to communicate and the value of it. He saw this as a real problem. The podcast continued on similar to that. Another podcast that seemed similar to this one was EdTechTalk. I listened to Episode #19 of this podcast which was hosted by Matt Montaine. He had other guests there with him such as Lorna Constantini, and a couple of other ladies. Also, he had various parents from around the country connected in with the podcast. This podcast also seemed to be simply done. Just recorded basic with the other people connecting in. All those involved with this podcast are volunteers who work within or have children in the schools. They just come together and discuss various aspects of technology within the schools. These two podcasts were well done, they just seemed similar with no advanced additions, just a normal podcast.
The next podcast I listened to was ConnectLearning, and I listend to Episode #91 called A conversation about Podcasting with Media Coordinators. This podcast was hosted by David Warlick and was actually a Podcasting Workshop. He was at the North Carolina School Library Media Association with 9,000 library/media specialists from around the state of North Carolina. This was a very interesting podcast to me because it ws more like a conference, but when he would talk to the various people there he would have to go up to them with a microphone and they would talk into so you could hear them on the podcast. It was more like something you would think of as watching a video, but it was just a podcast. The talked about various issues with creating podcasts within the schools, for instance the security of the students with posting podcasts online and such. The library/media specialists seemed to up-to-date with their technology and really liked using podcasts in the schools.
The last two podcasts I listened to were very similar. The first was MacBreak Weekly, I listened to Episode #124. This was another podcast that very much sounded like a radio show. It sounds like various people just sitting around having casual conversations with each other. Like I said before, this makes it much easier to listen and be interested in the podcast to me. The main speaker was Leo, but there was also Alex, Andy, Scott, Lisa, and Frederick. All of which were not actually in the same place. I think three or four of them were connecting in from another place. In fact, I know Lisa was actually in Vancouver during the podcast. They all seemed to be of some kind of techonoloical profession and talked about various updates to do with Mac and cameras and such. The other podcast I listened to that was very similar to the one before was This Week in Photography, I listened to Episode #60 of this podcast. It was actually hosted by two of the people that were apart of the previous podcast mentioned, Alex Lindsay and Schoot Bourne. Also, as in the one before, they had various people connecting in from other locations. The format was similar, also sounded like a radio show, with them just sitting around talking casually. They talked about different photography software that was coming out and being updated.
I really enjoyed listening to these podcasts. The technology involved is really amazing and I think this is a great tool to use within education. It makes things more interesting and involved for the students. Well, that's all for this post. Hope you all are having a great day!
First off I listened to the podcast SmartBoard Lessons Podcast. I listened to Episode #125 called Learning to Fly. The podcast was hosted by Ben and Joan, from what I gathered it seems that all of the podcasts are hosted by them. The podcast sounded somewhat like it was recorded in a radio station. It just came off as a radio talk show vibe, which makes it much more casual and easy to listen to. The two hosts just started off having a casual conversation and gradually worked their way into the topic. From the part I listened to, they just seem to take questions (more than likely from e-mail) and answered them on air, talking in detail about it. Also, they had little segments of just music clips, possibly to signal a small break or pause in the conversation. It seems this podcast was pretty up on the technology possible for it.
The next podcast I listened to was KidCast. I listened to Episode #58 called The Medium is NOT the Message. This podcast was hosted by Dan from his living room. It was pretty casual, no special effects or anything, just him sitting their a sharing his knowledge. It sounded like he just had a computer and was just basically recording the podcast. He talked about how he had been looking up different projects such as podcasts that were being created by the kids in schools. He felt that the kids were just being taught how to basically use the software but weren't being taught how to communicate and the value of it. He saw this as a real problem. The podcast continued on similar to that. Another podcast that seemed similar to this one was EdTechTalk. I listened to Episode #19 of this podcast which was hosted by Matt Montaine. He had other guests there with him such as Lorna Constantini, and a couple of other ladies. Also, he had various parents from around the country connected in with the podcast. This podcast also seemed to be simply done. Just recorded basic with the other people connecting in. All those involved with this podcast are volunteers who work within or have children in the schools. They just come together and discuss various aspects of technology within the schools. These two podcasts were well done, they just seemed similar with no advanced additions, just a normal podcast.
The next podcast I listened to was ConnectLearning, and I listend to Episode #91 called A conversation about Podcasting with Media Coordinators. This podcast was hosted by David Warlick and was actually a Podcasting Workshop. He was at the North Carolina School Library Media Association with 9,000 library/media specialists from around the state of North Carolina. This was a very interesting podcast to me because it ws more like a conference, but when he would talk to the various people there he would have to go up to them with a microphone and they would talk into so you could hear them on the podcast. It was more like something you would think of as watching a video, but it was just a podcast. The talked about various issues with creating podcasts within the schools, for instance the security of the students with posting podcasts online and such. The library/media specialists seemed to up-to-date with their technology and really liked using podcasts in the schools.
The last two podcasts I listened to were very similar. The first was MacBreak Weekly, I listened to Episode #124. This was another podcast that very much sounded like a radio show. It sounds like various people just sitting around having casual conversations with each other. Like I said before, this makes it much easier to listen and be interested in the podcast to me. The main speaker was Leo, but there was also Alex, Andy, Scott, Lisa, and Frederick. All of which were not actually in the same place. I think three or four of them were connecting in from another place. In fact, I know Lisa was actually in Vancouver during the podcast. They all seemed to be of some kind of techonoloical profession and talked about various updates to do with Mac and cameras and such. The other podcast I listened to that was very similar to the one before was This Week in Photography, I listened to Episode #60 of this podcast. It was actually hosted by two of the people that were apart of the previous podcast mentioned, Alex Lindsay and Schoot Bourne. Also, as in the one before, they had various people connecting in from other locations. The format was similar, also sounded like a radio show, with them just sitting around talking casually. They talked about different photography software that was coming out and being updated.
I really enjoyed listening to these podcasts. The technology involved is really amazing and I think this is a great tool to use within education. It makes things more interesting and involved for the students. Well, that's all for this post. Hope you all are having a great day!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Blogs Around the World..
Well this post is going to involve educational blogs which I found in other countries. It is amazing how versatile and widely used this kind of technology is used. Well for what I found, here we go..
The first school I found using a blog is Dhahran British Grammar School which happens to be Saudi Arabia. Ian Jones is the headteacher at this school, and I'm also assuming that he is the one running the blog. The blog actually is updated every school day with information on various activities going on in and around the school. It also gives various updates to the parents about what their children are studying. The blog is very detailed and seems to serve many different purposes to the students, parents, and people in and around the school. The stories and information shared on the blog is very interesting, even to people with no relations in the school.
This is a picture of students in what they call "year 7" who were awarded for excellent work with an out-of-uniform day and pizza party.
The next school I found using blogs is Holy Trinity School in Richmond, which is in London, England. Many teachers at the school use blogs, but the one I primarily looked at is Miss Ashby's. The blog appears to be more of an update for the parents than anything else. It gives detailed information about activities going on in the classroom. Miss Ashby also seems to update whenever materials are needed to be brought in from home, and various events that the parents are welcome to, or welcome to come to the classroom and help with. It's also geared for the students to look at also, perhaps if they have forgotten details of something at the last minute, but I can see where it would be a major help to the parents so they know exactly what is going on with their children! I really liked looking at these blogs. Although you may think, wow these blogs are from a completely different country they are probably going to be way different than ours, they really aren't. Most of the blogs I looked at are used just like they are here in the states. It's very interesting though!
I could not find a picture on the blog, but this is one of the Holy Trinity School.
I hope you find these blogs that I found interesting! Well, that's all for today! =]
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Blogs Around the Country..
Well tonight I've been looking up other schools around the country that use blogs also. Here is what I found..
The first school, or class, that I found that uses a blog is in Noel, Missouri. It is a 6th grade class at Noel Elementary School taught by Joe McClung. The blog seems to be just updates of current happenings going on in the classroom, such as lessons and projects. The teacher has also placed resource links on the side of the blog, I'm sure for the students to use on homework and such. An interesting touch, I think, is a list on the right side that includes all of the other classrooms in different states that have visited Mr. McClung's class blog. There is also a live video feed at the top of the blog, I suppose that allows the students and other schools to see what is happening live in the classroom. (I couldn't get the video to play on my computer?) It seems to be a very interesting and lively blog!
Picture by: Mr. McClung, of some of the students in his class. This is what I gathered from the blog post.
Picture
Blog
The next use of blogs I found is at Barber Middle School in Acworth, Geogia. It seems that this school has a blog set up for many of the faculty members. The blog in particular that I am going to look at is Mrs. Smith-Dale's. She teaches 8th grade Language Arts. Her blog is set up like many of the other faculty members. Basically, the blog includes the class assignments for each class day. There also appears to be directions for the work and also some notes included in a few of the blogs. I can see where this would be very useful in the schools. So many kids go to school and rarely right down their class or homework assignments, and this could be a very handy tool when they forget to do those things. All you have to do is to log on to your teacher's blog and there is everything you might have forgotten to write down. There are actually seperate links on the sides set-up for easy access to homework assignments and also test schedules. I really like this use of a blog!
This is a picture of the outside of Barber Middle School.
Blog & Picture
Hope you find this info interesting, and also hope you enjoy looking at these other blogs. Have a great night!
The first school, or class, that I found that uses a blog is in Noel, Missouri. It is a 6th grade class at Noel Elementary School taught by Joe McClung. The blog seems to be just updates of current happenings going on in the classroom, such as lessons and projects. The teacher has also placed resource links on the side of the blog, I'm sure for the students to use on homework and such. An interesting touch, I think, is a list on the right side that includes all of the other classrooms in different states that have visited Mr. McClung's class blog. There is also a live video feed at the top of the blog, I suppose that allows the students and other schools to see what is happening live in the classroom. (I couldn't get the video to play on my computer?) It seems to be a very interesting and lively blog!
Picture by: Mr. McClung, of some of the students in his class. This is what I gathered from the blog post.
Picture
Blog
The next use of blogs I found is at Barber Middle School in Acworth, Geogia. It seems that this school has a blog set up for many of the faculty members. The blog in particular that I am going to look at is Mrs. Smith-Dale's. She teaches 8th grade Language Arts. Her blog is set up like many of the other faculty members. Basically, the blog includes the class assignments for each class day. There also appears to be directions for the work and also some notes included in a few of the blogs. I can see where this would be very useful in the schools. So many kids go to school and rarely right down their class or homework assignments, and this could be a very handy tool when they forget to do those things. All you have to do is to log on to your teacher's blog and there is everything you might have forgotten to write down. There are actually seperate links on the sides set-up for easy access to homework assignments and also test schedules. I really like this use of a blog!
This is a picture of the outside of Barber Middle School.
Blog & Picture
Hope you find this info interesting, and also hope you enjoy looking at these other blogs. Have a great night!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
"Did you know?" Video. Wow!
Well, I just finished watching the "Did you know?" video and I have to say that everything on that video I would have never guessed would have been true. I think the thing that shocked me most though was the number of college graduates. I would never have thought the India and China's numbers would have been that much greater than in the U.S. Also, the number of searches on Google in one day, 27 billion! I would never have guessed. I mean I suppose I can see it, but it's just hard to believe that something is so universal and so used. All of the statistics on that video were just unimaginable to me.
After watching that video it is easy to see how just about everything in our world today is based on technology. The number of visits to MySpace, the number of instant messages, e-mails, and text messages, and the number of visits to YouTube have just sky-rocketed in the past few years. After looking at all of those statistics too, it's hard to imagine places and people that have never even used a computer in their life.
I really liked the video. It definitely makes you think! Oh, on the part where it says guess the country and it lists largest military, strongest education program, and those things I definitely was thinking the U.S.! Anyone else think that?
Well, that's all for this post. Hope you enjoyed!
Kimmie
After watching that video it is easy to see how just about everything in our world today is based on technology. The number of visits to MySpace, the number of instant messages, e-mails, and text messages, and the number of visits to YouTube have just sky-rocketed in the past few years. After looking at all of those statistics too, it's hard to imagine places and people that have never even used a computer in their life.
I really liked the video. It definitely makes you think! Oh, on the part where it says guess the country and it lists largest military, strongest education program, and those things I definitely was thinking the U.S.! Anyone else think that?
Well, that's all for this post. Hope you enjoyed!
Kimmie
ACCESS, What is it?
Alright, well today I'm going to write about ACCESS. ACCESS stands for Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, and Students Statewide. It is another program, created by the Alabama Department of Education, which is a tool designed to make great advances in education.
ACCESS is designed to provide Alabama high school students with courses that may not be offered at their school, or just extra classes they would like to participate in. The program offers courses related to the Advanced Placement (AP) classes, electives, and various other courses. It is also supposed to offer access to the Advanced Diploma courses. ACCESS is completely web-based, so there is a large amount of technology that comes along with it. Many different advantages come with offering courses via ACCESS. Each course has its own teacher, most of which record their lessons and post them online for the students to have easy access. Also, taking courses on ACCESS allows students at one school to interact with students at another, which is just an early form of networking for these students.
I personally think ACCESS is a great idea. I have worked with a teacher who actually taught a few classes on ACCESS and I thought the technology involved was great. There are so many possibilities with the courses offered. Online courses are definitely not for everyone, but I personally enjoy them. An internet course will definitely teach you self-discipline because with these courses everything is your responsibility! I think schools offering ACCESS courses is great though. Some schools just can't offer every course, but with ACCESS its possible to offer a much larger variation of classes. If I was ever offered the oppotunity to teach on ACCESS I would definitely take the chance.
Well, that's is the main idea behind ACCESS. Hope you enjoyed reading! That's all for now. =]
Kimmie
ACCESS is designed to provide Alabama high school students with courses that may not be offered at their school, or just extra classes they would like to participate in. The program offers courses related to the Advanced Placement (AP) classes, electives, and various other courses. It is also supposed to offer access to the Advanced Diploma courses. ACCESS is completely web-based, so there is a large amount of technology that comes along with it. Many different advantages come with offering courses via ACCESS. Each course has its own teacher, most of which record their lessons and post them online for the students to have easy access. Also, taking courses on ACCESS allows students at one school to interact with students at another, which is just an early form of networking for these students.
I personally think ACCESS is a great idea. I have worked with a teacher who actually taught a few classes on ACCESS and I thought the technology involved was great. There are so many possibilities with the courses offered. Online courses are definitely not for everyone, but I personally enjoy them. An internet course will definitely teach you self-discipline because with these courses everything is your responsibility! I think schools offering ACCESS courses is great though. Some schools just can't offer every course, but with ACCESS its possible to offer a much larger variation of classes. If I was ever offered the oppotunity to teach on ACCESS I would definitely take the chance.
Well, that's is the main idea behind ACCESS. Hope you enjoyed reading! That's all for now. =]
Kimmie
Sunday, January 18, 2009
About ALEX
So today I'm going to be talking about ALEX. Some of you may have no idea what I'm talking about, I know before this past week I would have had no idea what ALEX was. Hopefully by reading on you will have a better idea and understanding of what it actually is.
Something that I knew nothing of before this class is ALEX, which stands for Alabama Learning Exchange. ALEX provides a large amount of resources to teachers and just about anyone else that can be very, very useful! Created by the Alabama Department of Education it is designed to provide extra resources to teachers, parents, and students. Looking through the site you can find multiple things including the ALCOS, lesson plans, interactive links for students, and much much more.
Personally, I think the ALEX site is an excellent idea. I not only believe this because I want to be a teacher and think it will be great for me, but its also a great place for parents and students to go. It is so easy to find on the web, and the site is very well organized so its really simple to find whatever you may be looking for. Also, I love the lesson plans that are available to look at. To be able to go on and look at those and have an idea of what you want to do for your own class and just build off of it can be of so much help to a teacher. I also really like the course of study that is available. This is not only useful to the teacher, but can be also very useful to the parents. Parents are always curious as to what their child is learning in school, and with the addition of the course of study to ALEX it is so simple for them to just go onto the site and look over the lessons and know exactly what is happening in their child's classroom. This can be a great advantage to how the parent-teacher relationship works and make it much easier for communication between the two. I have already had to use the ALEX site for two of my other education classes, so I know I will definitely be using it when I have my own classroom one day!
Something that I knew nothing of before this class is ALEX, which stands for Alabama Learning Exchange. ALEX provides a large amount of resources to teachers and just about anyone else that can be very, very useful! Created by the Alabama Department of Education it is designed to provide extra resources to teachers, parents, and students. Looking through the site you can find multiple things including the ALCOS, lesson plans, interactive links for students, and much much more.
Personally, I think the ALEX site is an excellent idea. I not only believe this because I want to be a teacher and think it will be great for me, but its also a great place for parents and students to go. It is so easy to find on the web, and the site is very well organized so its really simple to find whatever you may be looking for. Also, I love the lesson plans that are available to look at. To be able to go on and look at those and have an idea of what you want to do for your own class and just build off of it can be of so much help to a teacher. I also really like the course of study that is available. This is not only useful to the teacher, but can be also very useful to the parents. Parents are always curious as to what their child is learning in school, and with the addition of the course of study to ALEX it is so simple for them to just go onto the site and look over the lessons and know exactly what is happening in their child's classroom. This can be a great advantage to how the parent-teacher relationship works and make it much easier for communication between the two. I have already had to use the ALEX site for two of my other education classes, so I know I will definitely be using it when I have my own classroom one day!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
A Little More About Me
Hi everyone. Well as you may have figured out, my name is Kimberly. Most people call me Kimmie, but either one is just fine with me. I have always lived here in Baldwin County, Loxley to be more specific. I graduated from Robertsdale High School a couple of years ago, and I'm now a sophomore at USA. My initial reason for going to South was because I was going to major in Radiography and South had a good program for that, but now I'm majoring in Elementary Education which I'm very excited about! I also wanted to go to South because it was close to home, and even though I've been living in Mobile I wanted to have the opportunity to be able to come home if I wanted to. I'm hoping that when I graduate from South I'll be able to get a teaching position somewhere here in Baldwin County, at least that's what I'm shooting for. We will see how that goes though. Well, that's about all I can think of that may be interesting in my life. Hope you all are having a great day!!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
