Sunday, September 26, 2010

Blog Assignment 6


People holding hands in circle surrounding the word You

A 7th Graders Personal Learning Enviornment


I watched this video about a 7th grade girls PLN. I was extremely impressed and I feel as if I learned some new things. I also like what she had done and I got a few new ideas for my PLN. It is so crazy that these young kids can do all of these things with technology. Seeing this kind of work by a 7th grader really inspires me and makes me want to do all of these things in my classroom when I am a teacher. The kids will learn so much from doing these things and it will help with organization skills. It is really cool that all of her things for school and for play are all in the same place and all easy to get access to. I am just so impressed and cannot wait to learn more!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEls3tq5wIY


The Networked Student

I wasn't sure what to expect when this video first began. I thought it was really creative with the cartoon character paper people. It was a nice visual aid and helped show you exactly what was going on. I like how the narrator of the video described everything and related it to the 21st century. It is so important that we realize we are a part of this age of technology and need to take part in it. We need to be sure we are learning and keeping up with technology in education.

This video was great for explaining how and what can be used in technology and learning. It was a brief overview of all of the things that are out there that can be used to learn. A lot of things can be learned without a classroom and pencil and paper. I think that is the coolest part about technology and learning. I liked learning that there are lectures on iTunes from professors from some of the top universities in the country. It is cool to know that you can learn from some of the best professors from the best universities from your iPod. It is actually unbelievable. There really is so much I am learning and have yet to learn!

I believe I am on my way to being prepared to teach a networked student. I want to use technology in my classroom in so many different ways. Depending on the grade I teach will be using the technology and tools that are appropriate for their age. I still have a lot of learning to do but I cannot wait to do so! By the time I finish my journey to becoming a teacher I will be prepared to teach a networked student! When I am a teacher I will also keep learning to keep up with the newest technology and teach my kids!
http://techliterateteacher.blogspot.com/2009/06/networked-student.html

The Machine Is Changing Us

This video was really interesting and I feel as if it made me think about some things in my generation. I really like Mr. Wesch's explanation of the meaning of words throughout different decades, specifically 'whatever'. The use of 'whatever' really made me think and laugh at the same time. I know that I say 'whatever' all the time. I say it when I am mad or pushing something off but never for what it really means.  I enjoyed the examples of the use of the word 'meh' in The Simpon's clips. I feel as if in the twenty years I have been living different words have meant different things and language changes as time goes on. I know in another ten years there will be new expressions and new words that were meant for something else in today's world. I enjoyed watching the segment about YouTube. YouTube is such an interesting website and you can do so many things with it. I like it when Mr. Wesch explains that when you are Twittering, YouTubing, Facebooking, and Blogging that you are not talking to the people, you are talking to a web cam or typing on a keyboard to a screen. You don't know who you are talking to or when so it is interesting that we network these ways. It really makes me think when I am using all of these networking tools, that I have no idea who I am talking to and who is "looking" at me. I really enjoyed this video and I learned a lot. It also made me think about a lot of things. We are all connected!!




C4K #1 and #2 Summary

Children Holding Hands



I read the About Me and Manifesto of an 8th grader at Noel School. This 14 year old boys name was McCoy. In McCoy's About Me post he talks about his siblings and how family is important to him. I commented on his post telling him how my family is very important to me as well. McCoy likes sports and his favorites are basketball, baseball, and volleyball. He talks about math and how he learns a lot from it. I let him know that I am taking math class now and it is a lot of learning for me too. McCoy enjoys making people laugh and is easy to get along with. McCoy is a hard working student and has a bright future ahead of him! In McCoy's Manifesto post he talks about what he is going to do this school year in order to be a better student. He says he will get a good night sleep before school so he can focus better in class. He says if he doesn't focus he will miss out on learning. McCoy is very smart for saying this, it shows great maturity to me. He says he will raise his hand to talk and turn in his homework on time. McCoy promises to be respectful and ask questions when he does not understand something. He says he will be friends with a new student and help them out as well. McCoy's manifesto shows how mature he is and how he will be successful. I let him know that I thought he had great ideas and knew exactly what it will take to be successful in class. He is definitely on the right track! Check out his blog! http://grou.ps/noelclassof2011/blogs/person/pzwciuhmhmjrxsvin
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Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Blog Assignment 5

World with Headphones On

The Education Pod casting Network

This was a great way to help set up a podcast. I thought it was especially helpful for those who have never done a podcast before. As a matter a fact I am extremely glad I watched this! It was also easy to read and understand. It would be nice to see more of these websites around today due to more and more podcasts being recorded. This website did a great job of describing what podcasting and education mean. It is clear, simple, and straight to the point. It is a great resource for educators when it comes to coming up with new ideas and planning their lessons. I also really like that the podcasts are grouped into subjects and you can navigate through the subject to learn more about that specific area.
http://epnweb.org/index.php?openpod=16

Eagles' Nest Radio Episode #3 Roamin' with the Ancient Romans

Oh my goodness these children are awesome! I think this is so cool that these children get to do something like this. It is such a fun way to learn about a subject and to learn about the technology as well. The kids sound great on the radio show as well. They really are professionals! I really learned a lot about the Romans from listening to this radio show. The children are so enthusiastic and really know what they are doing. This would be a great exercise for all students and schools to participate in. Children would be so excited to learn this way and would benefit from doing something like this. Their voices change with the subject they are speaking about which really gives the radio show personality. I cannot believe that third graders put this together. I also give props to the teacher for involving his/her students in such an awesome project. This could not be any cuter. This gives me inspiration to use this in my classroom when I am a teacher!
http://blog.woodward.edu/ps_edmison/?cat=103

100 Ways to Use Your iPod to Learn and Study Better

I thought this website was really cool and I learned a lot of new things about using the iPod. The iPod is definitely not just a device to carry all of your music and listen to it, there is much, much more. In fact, there is so much that I thought would never be available. Reading the facts listed on this website really opened my eyes (once again) to the many things you can do with technology, especially in education. It is such a great idea to integrate your studies together and keep them in one place like the iPod. Instead of having millions of paper to keep track of and lose, the iPod holds everything you need for class. This website reminded me of when I watched the iSchool Initiative http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68KgAcx_9jU Some of the facts listed in the 100 Ways to Use Your iPod would be beneficial with the iSchool invention. This kind of information makes me excited to be learning about all of these cool  things to do with technology. I feel like there is so much more out there that I don't even know about!
http://www.bspcn.com/2008/02/16/100-ways-to-use-your-ipod-to-learn-and-study-better/


Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Additional Assignment #1

Google Squared: This search engine can be very useful for gathering some information. I like this search engine for if you need to see your information organized in a table. It is very easy to follow and understand because of the row and column formation. Google Squared is a good tool to search something such as populations, like Dr. Strange did in the video. It is useful if you need to see several pieces of information about one or more particular subjects. For example, I searched the state populations of Missouri, Georgia, and Alabama and it organized all the information about all three states in an awesome chart.

WolframAlpha: For me personally, I did not feel this search engine would be as useful as Google Squared. I feel this search engine would be useful if you wanted to know some basic information (such as date of birth, full name, and things like that) about people, places, or things. Between Google Squared and WolframAlpha I definitely think Google Squared would be more beneficial for my personal learning but WolframAlpha would help in different instances.

I had never heard of Google Squared or WolframAlpha before this assignment. It was really interesting to learn about these two search engines. I honestly probably would have never learned about these two search engines before taking this course.

After re-reading my comments on the Did You Know? video my thoughts and ideas are somewhat altered. While viewing the video and reading the facts and statistics I knew that the numbers would be different depending on the circumstances. I understood that India and China have a higher population than the United States so I knew the numbers would be higher as well. However, Dr. Strange's comments have just made me think more in depth. Actually seeing and comparing the numbers between India, China, and the United States made me realize how much difference there is between the population numbers. I actually could not believe it when Dr. Strange said in his video that India is four times larger than the United States and China is four times larger than the United States. I knew India and China were larger but seeing and hearing the numbers was crazy!

Pitcairn Islands
Pitcairn Island Map

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Blog Assignment 4

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?

Reading this post was very interesting and I'll be honest at first I was very confused. I wasn't sure how to take this post at first. I couldn't decide if it was serious or sarcastic but after about a quarter of the way through I got the sarcastic vibe. I agreed with what Dr. McLeod was saying and what his point was. People say that it is not right to teach children how to work with technology or to teach them with technology but really it is the way of the future. I understand putting restrictions on some sites and things like that but you cannot schelter a child's technologic learning experience. It is important for children to learn about technology and to learn through technology. There are so many advantages to learning this way. I feel as if there are way more advantages than disadvantages of using technology to learn. I feel as if it is essential for children to have some or most of their education through technology because it is where the future is taking us whether you like it or not. As Mr. McLeod states in his post "can't wait to see who has a leg up in a decade or two, can you?". I thought that was a great way to close his post :) Scott McLeod is an Associate Professor of Educational Administration at Iowa State University. He is also the Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE). Mr. McLeod is the co-created of Did You Know? videos!

Lost Generation

This video was awesome. I really enojoyed watching it. When it begins reading the script it is pretty depressing and makes you feel a little hopeless. Honestly I was kind of bummed after the first reading. I thought the video was over until the script started rolling backwards to the top. When the narrator started reading again it took me a line or two to catch on that she was just reading the lines backwards. It was like my attitude was totally changed. To me this video meant that YOU make the decisions in your life and you can make yourself happy. It means to me that you do not have to be a statistic or follow those statistics. You be your own person and believe in yourself. The technique was extremely clever and seemed like it took a lot of planning. I also thought it was a great technique because it catches you off guard and can change your attitude about life in general.

The iSchool Initiative

iPod Touch


All I can say about this video is WOW. I am totally blown away by this seventeen year olds proposal for iSchool. I think this idea of iSchool is totally awesome and I think it would be successful in school systems with students and teachers. It would be extremely beneficial to have iSchool for several reasons. I think it would save time, paper, ink, pencils, supplies, etc. The list can go on and on. I honestly would take this iSchool proposal seriously and try and get this idea rolling.

The argument Travis makes in this video is that there is no real need for "paper and pencil" learning in the classroom. Students and teachers can keep track of virtually everything on their iSchool (iTouch). Travis has many great ideas and he shows the options that are already available for learning on the iTouch. Travis then goes on to explain the options and how they would be beneficial for a student to learn and a teacher to teach. After presenting the options that are already available and successful, Travis goes on to give examples of what options could be created and used with iSchool. He gives examples of lunch menu applications and calendar applications. He also proposes some assignment applications and grade tracking applications that would be extremely helpful in learning. In my opinion only good could come from iSchool and it would be really beneficial for education and the school systems.

Eric Whitaker's Virtual Choir

I thought this video was very enjoyable. I thought it was a great way to use the internet and I would have never thought of something like that. It goes to show you that you can do anything through the internet. You can have a live choir streaming on the internet. I thought that was so awesome. It was really crazy to see the director of the choir and the people of the choir as flat "screens". It is cool to think that all of the members of the choir possibly from all around the world and can meet through the internet and sing beautifully together. It is just so amazing that these choir members have never met but have practiced over there internet and performed over the internet as well. This video was totally amazing.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

C4T #1 Summary

Solid On The How, Stuggling With The What 8/02/10

Paula White is a teacher and she has incorporated many things, including technology, to help her students learn. She is very big on using technology with her students which I believe is very important. Her students have created wikis and most of her students are very passionate about their technologic learning experience. Paula is struggling with learning objectives for her students to work with wikis. She is asking for advice if she should let the children have total rule over their wikis or should she have some sort of outline for them. She wants to expand their outlook of the world and is asking for ideas from other people and teachers. I personally think she is doing a great job with her lessons with her students. She talks about how passionate and excited her students are about their wikis. It also sounds like to me that she knows how to work with technology for a better learning environment for her students. I feel as if Ms. White's post was really helpful to me seeing how important technology with students is and how it can also be very effective if you know how to use the technology.

http://tzstchr.edublogs.org/2010/08/02/solidstruggling/

Once Upon A Time, I Was That NEWBIE 9/04/10

I was really interested in reading this post when I read the title because in just a couple of years we will all be the "newbies". Paula White shares her story as her first year as a teacher. She did not even begin the school year on the first day. She was hired on the tenth day of school and the other veteran teachers gave her class some of their students. Paula goes on to explain her experience as a first year teacher of the fourth grade. As a couple of weeks go by she comes to realize that the veteran teachers have given her the children with behavior problems, no parent involvement, and other things of that nature. She says the veterans probably got together and knew which children they were going to send to her class. Paula says it is her most memorable class of her teaching years. She talks about how she learned with them and how they helped teach her. She learned a lot about being a teacher from this particular group of students and she thinks about them all of the time. She even has had the privilage of teaching these former students children. She loves hearing about where her former students are and what they are doing. She is still so enthusiastic about her classes and credits her first class to helping her become a better teacher. She ends her post with saying she knows this still goes on and she just hopes for the new teachers that they will get their fair shake :) I really enjoyed reading this post because it made me understand that it is not always going to be easy, but no matter how hard it is you will succeed and benefit from any unplanned situation.

http://tzstchr.edublogs.org/2010/09/04/classlists/

Blog Assignment 3

A Vision of Students Today

I thought this video had an eerie vibe to it. The music made it kind of creepy and the "not so steady" hand on the camera made it seem somewhat of a whirlwind. I feel as if I had so much information thrown at me but it was definitely not the first I have thought about some of the information. The video overall is pretty accurate. I have felt for a long time that sitting in a classroom and reading or writing papers is not going to make me an effective teacher one day. I believe that in order to learn as a student you must learn by doing. I truly believe in learning what you are studying by actually doing it! For example, I am planning on becoming an elementary teacher. I feel as if I will learn the most about my profession by being in a classroom with a teacher and learning from experiences. Now, I understand that we need to take certain classes and complete certain things but being lectured and lectured and lectured most likely isn't going to help us all that much.

All of the statements that the students in the lecture held up were mostly true. Me, personally I have only had three "lecture hall" classes of 100 students or more and I have been in college for 6 semesters. But I am aware that a lot of students experience the lecture hall classroom setting. In most of my classes my professors have not just written on the chalkboard. A lot of my professors use/used PowerPoint, videos, charts, animations, and other tools to teach the material. It is also so true about teachers not knowing students names. For me, the only teachers that have known my name are my education teachers. My education professors always have made it a point to know me and put a name with my face. Unfortunately I cannot say that for most of my other general ed. classes.(but I do understand that the teachers meet a lot of students and try to remember a lot of names). That statements that were made in this video are mostly true to my college experience. I would have to say that one of the only things that doesn't really relate to my college experience as a student is having huge numbers of students in my classroom.

Currently I have been experiencing some issues with a professor who is unwilling to help me with my work (not an education course) and it is really upsetting me. I would add this kind of information to the movie to represent my college experience as a student. I strongly believe that teachers should want their students to learn and do everything they are able to do to make sure their class learns. My teacher right now is "shooing" me away and does not want to help me learn the material. I know that I am not the only student this is happening to, and I think it needs to be resolved for all students. The video covered what my experience is like in almost every way, except it left out this. So if I were producer I would add unwilling professors to the video.

It's Not About the Technology

After reading this post by Kelly Hines, it made me confused in what I believe in. Everything that Mrs. Hines stated in her post totally made sense to me and made me think that it is not about the technology. Then agian on the other hand I have all these thoughts and ideas about how IT IS ALL about the technology. Then, when I take a second and think about both arguments I come to find that there is a happy medium. Mrs. Hines also agrees that there should be all kinds of teaching skills in the classroom, not technology alone and not "books" alone.

I completely love the statement that Mrs. Hines says in her post "technology is useless without good teaching". SO TRUE! You may have all the recent technology and high tech machinery in your classroom, however if you do not know how to teach with it, the equipment is useless. It is so important for teachers to be trained on the equipment they are using in order to have their students learn from them. I also love "learning is not the same as teaching". These words are like a lightbulb turning on in my head. You can teach and teach material to children but you did not successfully teach them if they do not learn it. Learning can be defined as the act or process of acquiring knowledge or skill. Students must learn the material, which goes back to learning and teaching go hand in hand.

Overall this post had great points and really made me see both the good and bad of using technology to teach. If you know how to use the technology to teach you will have students who have learned the material. Incorporating technology in teaching is very important but that is not what teaching is all about.

Is It Okay To Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

Mr. Fisch has a very good point throughout this post. I will say it was a little hard to follow at first but I caught on as a kept reading. Before I read this I asked myself the question 'is it okay to be a technologically illiterate teacher?'. My answer to this question is NO, teachers need to be technologically literate.

I agree with the post of Mr. Fisch. My favorite thing that he says in his post is the very last part "If a teacher today is not technologically literate - and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more - it's equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn't know how to read and write." This quote really puts the importance of being a technologically literate teacher into perspective. It helped me look at the situation in a totally different light. I could not have said it better. Mr. Fisch knows what he is talking about when it comes to being technologically literate as a teacher.

Gary Hayes Social Media Count

The changes that occuring in this media count are mind blowing. It is hard for me to wrap my brain around the information. I am not sure if I can even comprehend those numbers so quickly! The changes in this media count mean so many things for my career as a teacher. It means that technology is growing at a faster rate than most of us can imagine. It means that new things are being created every second, every minute, every hour, every day, every month, every year and so on. This media count means that for my professional career I will need to be technologically literate in order to be up to date with my teaching and just in order to live in the 21st century. This media count just changed a lot of aspects in my professional career along with many other students future careers. This is proof that times are changing!

Crazy Computer


Friday, September 3, 2010

Blog Assignment 2

Did You Know?

Did you know? What a question that is asked every day by millions, probably billions of people. 'Did you know' facts are always so interesting and I feel like I remember those facts very easily. Watching the "Did You Know?" YouTube video was an eye opener for me personally. The facts and statistics that were stated in the video really put the size of our world into perspective for me. However, I am not sure if my brain can comprehend how big this planet actually is and how many numbers and stats come from this planet not only daily but every few seconds. The video brought my attention to many things that I would never wonder or think about. It also made my wheels start turning and wanting to know more information.

To be honest I wasn't expecting the 'Did You Know?' video to be about such interesting facts. I feel as if it is something that people should watch. It made me wonder about even more information. The video was only 4 minutes and 56 seconds and it delivered so much information. I cannot imagine what an hour long video would dish out. Can you imagine all of the things that go on in this country and world that we have no idea about? There is so much knowledge to be gained in life and I feel as if I have just only scratched the surface. This video is something that has made me think and I want to make you think as well! Check it out!
You Tube Logo

Mr. Winkle Wakes

I am not sure what exactly I was expecting when I was about to Watch 'Mr. Winkle Wakes' but I am pretty sure it wasn't a little cartoon man! As I began to watch the video it was explaining how Mr. Winkle woke up from is 100 year nap and EVERYTHING was different. He had never seen, heard, or thought of the things that were going on in the world. I then put myself into Mr. Winkle's shoes and thought what it would be like if I was from 100 years ago and came into this "new" world. I thought I would be frightened and confused. I would probably think everyone else was crazy and I was the normal person. It would definitely be an extreme shock coming into our day and age from the stone age. It is amazing how fast times can change and this video put that into perspective for me.

As the video went on I thought it would just keep talking about what had changed from the time Mr. Winkle went to sleep and woke up. I was surprised when the narrator began to talk about the school Mr. Winkle was in. He was explaining that Mr. Winkle liked being at the school because it was exactly the same as he remembered. That was a red flag for me! I thought school should be different from 100 years ago just like the rest of the world! It really made me think because I know there are schools out there that have no or very little technology to help their students learn. It is so important to stay updated in this world and especially in the school system. Children are the future and children need to come from well equipped schools. They need to gain knowledge from a technologically advanced school. It is so important that as adults and future educators that we give our students and children all of the newest, up to date equipment for their learning experience. On the first day of class Dr. Strange used a great example of this. He asked us if we would send our children to a doctor that has been practicing since the 70's and still does the same things he did back then. Or would we send our children to the doctor with the newest and advanced equipment that keeps learning about the medical field. I obviously said the doctor with the best/newest equipment that is always up to date. Dr. Strange said this is how it should be with our schools as well. He was so right!!

Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

I believe that this video was an excellent choice for this class. It was a great example of using technology as a teacher and as a student. Mrs. Vicki Davis reminds me of a female version of Dr. Strange! She said some of the same things that he has said to us or wrote to us as a class. I really liked when Mrs. Davis said she learns with the students as well. For example, a group of her students taught her how to terraform. She had no idea to do it before the assignment and she decided she'll let her students figure it out and then she will learn from them. I think that makes her a great teacher as well.

I loved that the class was from a rural city. It proves that you do not have to live in the big city to be technologically competent. It is so cool that you can connect with people from your small town to across the country. I believe that there needs to be more teachers like Mrs. Davis and Dr. Strange who want their students to be successful as people and students. They teach their students to explore and learn from not only each other but from different cultures and people as well. This short video was another eye opener for me. It says to me that "It can be done!". Whatever the 'IT' is :)

The Importance of Creativity

I think it is obvious to me that to be an educator, especially an elementary teacher, that creativity is so so so important! Creativity is what the children thrive off of! Your creativity grabs and holds the attention of the children, it motivates the children to learn, and so much more. As a teacher you need to be creative in your classroom and in your teaching strategy.

I like how Mr. Robinson says that "creativity is as important as literacy in education and it should be treated that way". I totally agree with him. Being creative isn't just about being colorful and having a pretty room, it is a huge part of the learning process. I also liked how the video made me laugh. I like that Mr. Robinson threw in some jokes and wasn't so serious. Some people can be so uptight but he was just talking to his audience like they were his friends.

I agree with Mr. Robinson when he says that schools kill creativity. Schools always just want to pound the information into the students without making learning exciting. It is so important to make learning exciting and to let children and students use their own creativity to learn. Teaching students without using your own creativity and letting them use their creativity should not be allowed. Learning should be all about creativity.
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