Goodbye for Now

Saying goodbye is hard to do! They say it gets easier with time!

Looks like we survived another semester and we will live to learn another day. I would like to think Mr. Wakeman and my classmates for making this semester very entertaining and educational at the same time. The blog assignment sheet says it is time to say goodbye but I do not think it has to be. If we take all the information we have learned in this class we can stay connected for years to come and help each other survive another semester and ultimatly make it to our finish line.

Last Post

This class has been like a roller coaster ride through technology of the future. This semester in EDM 310 I have been introduced to more technology then I have my entire life. Before this class I had no idea what a blog is now I successfully manage two blogs. I had also never heard of a podcast but in the duration of this class I listened to several podcasts and even created my own video podcast. Before this class I thought iTunes was just a place to buy songs but know I know it can be used as an educational tool. You can download podcasts of classroom lectures, lectures from the best universities and educational podcast show on iTunes. I also meet new amazing people through class assignments such as Kaia, Dr. Christie, Wendy Drexler, Michael Wesch and so many more that I will be sure to form a PLN with in order to help me as a new teacher.

I would have enjoyed learning more about skype in class. I would have loved it if we could have skyped someone in class together. I also think it would have been nice to stay home one night and have Mr. Wakeman conduct class through skype. One thing we discussed that I did not feel was that important was Twitter. I think we spent to much time on twitter and I did not find it very useful to stay connected with my classmates because no one ever checked their account. I believe no one ever checked their account because they did not have the time also because they had to many different accounts to check. We had to check our South Alabama email account, USA online, personal email account, google email account, twitter, delicious, youtube, and wikipedia just for this one class. I believe it was to much stuff to keep up with so a lot of people did not check everything on a regular bases.

The things in this class that excited me was reading and watching stories about how technology had changed their life for the better. I loved having class discussion every week about our blog post. It gives us a chance to express our feelings and view someone elses opposite view at the same time. This activity intellectually challenged use on several different levels. Students had to know and use computer skills, thinking skills, and social skills in this activity. I just found this to be an useful classroom activity because it keep everyone engaged rather then put them to sleep like a lecture.

I found the class time was usually quite boring besides blog discussion. I believe we should have done more work in the classroom rather then outside the classroom. Everything I learned this year what outside the classroom. Every Monday night I had the delima should I go to class so I do not get points removed from my final grade for being absent or stay home and actually work on all the homework I had for this class. I believe this class should be an Internet class with a lab if anyone needs assistance.

Although with that being said I did learn a lot this semester. I went from being completely technologically illiterate to being technologically literate to a fairly good extent. I believe I can use all the skill I learnt in EDM 310 in all my future classes at South Alabama and by doing that I will not only maintain my knowledge but improve it as well.

My PLN

For my PLN I decided to search for blogs with classroom management tips. One of the blogs i found was Tim Fredrick's ELA Teaching Blog.I found Mr. Fredrick's blog very intriguing so I tried to make contact with him on November the second but I have yet to hear from him. One topic Mr. Fredrick's blog discusses is teaching students to have a positive attitude and I believe not enough teachers do that. I believe teachers are meant to teach more then just the facts in a text book, we need to teach them good life skill. By teaching students to have a positive attitude they become self motivated and their chances of success in life doubles. I think having Mr. Fredrick as a part of my PLN will help me accomplish these tasks as a teacher. He has experience in this area so he can lend helpful words of wisdom.

I also dabbled with other classroom management blogs such as:
Teaching Kindergarten and sometimes they teach me
"Oh Behave"
A Problem Solving Blog For Street Savvy Teachers
But in the end I must say Mr. Fredrick's blog was my favorite.

Classroom rules & 7 stupid and brilliant ways to use tech.

Everyone knows there are good teachers and bad teachers in the school system. Mr Doug Johnson discusses seven positive and negative characteristics teachers exhibit with technology. Mr. Johnson's list titled Seven Stupid Mistakes Teachers Make With Technologywas shockingly accurate. I remember several of my teachers and professors exhibiting these characteristics. I believe those teachers made stupid mistakes with technology because they did not know much about technology and they "think technology in schools will go away" so they didn't want to take the time to educate themselves about it. Those teachers were soley focused on themselves and doing the bare minimal to get by. I believe these teachers are to blame ,to a certain extent, for my own personal lack of technology knowledge. As a teacher I will do my best to expose my students to new technology every day in order to not only teach them but to inspire them to learn more.

Mr. Johnson also created a list calledSeven Brilliant Things Teachers Do With Technology that gives examples of how good teachers use technology. This list is basically a complete opposite of the other list. When I first viewed this list it hit me that I do not remember any of my teachers using technology in these ways. 80% of teachers use technology like the first list stated and only 20% of teachers use technology to its fullest extent, the way it was meant to be used. More teachers and principals need to read this list and incorporate it into their schools. Technology is not leaving the classroom it is taking over the classroom, so as teachers we need to embrace it.

Technology is taking over the classroom, so we should change our rules to better suit the environment. I enjoy reading the new classroom rules the most because it was so innovative yet applicable. The new rules simply made minor changes to age old rules in order to give the students the best learning environment. Classes no longer have to take place in a classroom. Students can take online classes anywhere they can get an Internet connection.

At the Teacher's Desk

At the Teacher's Desk is a teacher blog space. Here teachers can make posts about challenging and eventful situations they have encountered and other teachers can leave comments about how they would handle the situations. The teachers desk is a great example of a personal learning network(PLN)for teachers. I read several post that I believe will be helpful to me as a new teacher.

Using Technology for Effective Communication was one of the first posts that caught my eye. This post listed several ways to communicate with people around the world not only by phone but also by using the Internet. Communication is an important part of a teachers job. Teachers have to communicate with students, parents, other teachers, principals, and special classroom guests. One forms of communication the post suggest is twitter because it is a quick direct message tool. The only problem that I seem to face when using Twitter is that people do not check it on a regular bas sis. This past week I experienced this fault first hand. After missing class due to the storm I direct messaged everyone on Twitter and I only received one message back.

Another post that intrigued me was Using Skype to Connect ESOL Students with Foreign Language Students. We have recently began discussing skype in class and I think it is a wonderful toll that teachers should take advantage of. Skype presents a whole new way to teach and learn. When using skype to learn about different countries around the world students learn more then any text book could ever teach. They learn about technology, geography, language, culture in as little as fifteen minutes. Skype allows students to experience different cultures without leaving the classroom, its like a field trip only a lot cheaper and less stress full.


The Pencils and Crayons to be Banned in Schools post also caught my eye. This post caught my eye for a slightly different reason though, it was humorous. I feel teachers need to have a good sense of humor in order to keep from going crazy. This post played on the fear of the unknown. People feel technology will corrupt the classrooms because they are afraid of change. Teachers should not be afraid of technology but should embrace it because it was created to make their lives easier.

This was a great collaboration professional block that i will bookmark and visit time and time agin as a new teacher.

Michael Wesch

Michael Wesch

Micheal Wesch discussed several controversial topics in his lecture but the key points surrounded the relationship between culture and media. Wesch took his viewers on a trip back in time as he discussed the evolution of the media and the different stages of culture. The lecture was eye opening in both a positive and negative way for me. It was eye opening to see the direct effect that media and culture have on each other. Technology has allowed great advances to make life more pleasurable. People can connect directly with other people around the world which can be used in several positive was unfortunately I feel it is not. The effect media has had on culture and vis versa was frighten to me. Like the "MEAH" stage, the Simpsons started. This turned a generation of children into ungrateful non enthusiastic demanding children aka spoiled brats. The media and technology allowed them to turn in to worthless forms of life. The media was entertaining them silly until it became the crutch it is today. Society as we know it today could not function without the media but that does not mean the media is correct. It brain washes children into self centered egotistical human beings.

Why is it important students post thier work to blogs?

I believe having students post their work on blogs like blogger.com and other ways on the Internet is a great idea for several reasons. If students are submitting all their work on line then paper copies will begin to become obsolete. This will decrease pollution and save the beautiful oak treesfor shade. Another advantage of using blogs is that when you publish a post not only can the teacher and your peers view it but anyone that has Internet access can as well. This allows students to view their peers work and learn from them. Also by posting blogs you have to power to effect people that seem worlds away. For example when the elementary students of the PS22 Chorus in New York City posted Landslide they had no idea the effect it would make on people.Stevie Nick's manager heard that song and it touched her so deeply that she invited them to preform in Madison Square Garden for Sleetwood Mac show. That was a great opportunity for those students that they would have missed out on if they never posted their work. Just like Dear Kaia her father posted her photo essay to show family and friends but it ended up in a class room in Missouri raising awareness about the Last Child in the Woods. Blogs can also be used as a resume. Future employers can view your blog to get a better grasp of who you are and your work ethic in order to help them decide if they should hire you or not.



Blogs are no doubt the new for learning. Blogs are also useful tool for businesses and other careers. Several teachers have blogs in which they talk about crisis they have been faced with in the classroom and productive ways to solve them. This forms some what of a life line in which other teachers can give advice or it could also serve as preparation for future teachers such as myself. Blogs are useful tools that are becoming more and more prevalent and I believe they are a great tool to use in the class room.

ACCESS

ACCESS

ACCESS or Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, and Students Statewide is a distance learning tool that is provided and used statewide in Alabama. The vision of ACCESS is "provide equal access to high quality instructions to improve student acheivement through distance learning." ACCESS was created by Bob Riley and staff on November 1, 2004.

ACCESS gives high school students higher level classes that they would not normally be offered at their schools. These web based classes range from AP to regular classes. This program gives many students the opportunity to take classes that will give them a well rounded curriculum such as five different foriegn languages, accounting, global studies and more. ACCESS offers more complex courses for those students that need a bigger challenge to be intrigued.

This program also has a "headfake" it is exposing and teaching the students about new technology. Students will not only learn about their coures but also about internet progarming. Students are able to do homework, quizes and tests all online along with interacting with their teacher. This program is also great for teacher to teacher collaboration. The program is always changing and enhancing so not only is the student learning but the teacher is as well.

I think ACCESS is a very valuable program that will be helpful to many teachers and students. This is a wonderful program that allows low income schools to offer higher level classes for their exeptional students.

Alex

Alex

ALEX or Alabama Learning Exchange was developed and created by the Alabama Department of Education. It's a useful program that has many helpful resources for students, parents, and teachers. ALEX offers many different resources that are available. They are lesson plans, weblinks, and course studies for teachers.

First off, the lesson plans that are offered is one of the many options that ALEX has for teachers to use on a regular basis to help them with their students. The teachers can use these lesson plans for specific courses or bonus material in class for students to use to recieve extra points toward their grades. The lessons can also be shared with the parents to help them keep up with the progress being made in the class that their child is in. Lastly, the lesson plans can be shared with other teachers as a study guide for a lesson that was covered in class for the students, and also be used by different teachers needing an idea of a subject to cover of a specific assignment that would be covered in the class.

Next, the weblinks provided by ALEX can be used by any student, parent, or teacher to help find information that can be used to help better understand a lesson plan or an assignment that was covered in class. The web links can be used to find information that can be used for any subject for any teacher in any grade from kindergarten to college courses that can be helpful to students, parents, and teachers alike. Lastly, the weblinks can be used to find music, videos, or podcasts that was covered in class to help a student go over information, or for parents to help their child understand a problem, or for a teacher to use as a reference on a subject in class.

Lastly, the course studies that are available is only a click away for teachers to use during the year in their classrooms for assisnments, homework or extra credit. They are also available for parents to use to check on progress being made by the teacher and for students to get their assignments that they might have missed from being sick and stuck at home for the day.

These are some reasons why I believe ALEX is a very useful program for students, parents, and teachers.

Dear Kaia

This story hit a lot of important topics. I found it ironic that it all started because Kaia's dad was reading The Last Child in the Woods and he felt guilty because he was not exposing his child to nature the way he should and in the end he was exposing his child to more than that. I believe children are spending less time outside exploring nature and all the great wonders of the world hands on. I think a key factor in that is the way society is changing because of technology. Children no longer feel the need to go outside and discover something new when they can simplyGoogle it without having to leave the comfort of a chair. Also it has become more convenient for parents to tell their children to play video games, watch TV, or surf the net instead of having to worry about them playing outside. The world has become such a fast pace place that parents do not have the time to watch their children play outside and since violence is getting worse as well they do not allow them outside alone. This subject really hits home with me. I believe it is a vicious cycle. I am gladJabiz Raisdana shares my belief that today's children need to spend more time outside exploring nature.

Even though I may believe technology is the source of a lot of society's problems I still believe these advancements have opened a lot of doors. I think it is amazing how quickly people around the world reacted to this topic and project. Jabiz simple posted the pictures for family to see but in the matter of hours it had touch the hearts of people across the world. Without technology this would not have been possible. Students in rural Missouri would have never been able to learn hands on about a culture half way around the world. I would have never seen the pictures, the blogs or heard about a book that would inspire me. If we did not have the technology advances we have today then people such as Mr. C ( the 8th grade teacher at Noel Elementary School) and me to explore nature more often.







The world is full of danger so we cannot let it predict how we should live our lives. There is danger in nature as well as with the internet and technology. The key is education; if you are educated on what is dangerous and how to avoid it then life suddenly doesn't seem that scary anymore. In all reality technology is not fading away, so as a teacher we need to teach our students how to safely and properly locate sources of information. The pace of the world is not slowing down but instead is just now beginning to pick up speed. We need to teach our students how to be Networked Students I feel these skills will be a necessity in the future. Although I feel we should prepare children for the future I also believe we have to teach them about the past. There needs to be a harmonious balance between nature and technology and I know that seems impossible now but hopefully we are moving toward it.

The New Media Literacies

The New Media Literacies Movie shed light on a new subject for me. The movie talks about eleven media skills they believe people need to be productive members of society. Our culture has changed a lot over the past twenty years. People are no longer considered just the consumer of media but the producer of media as well. That makes these skills more prevalent for the common person; these skills are no longer only needed for work and school but for everyday tasks.

The media skills needed are judgment, negotiation, appropriation, play, transmedia navigation, simulation, collective intelligence, performance, distributed cognition, visualization and multitasking. I believe I possess six of these skills; appropriation, play, collective intelligence, performance, visualization and multitasking. Multitasking is one of my best overall traits and I believe it is because it is my way of life. I have to multitask every minute of my day because i am a full time student with a full time job and it can become exhausting. This is the future though and whether it is a bad or good thing I am not sure.

I do believe these are the skills that will be need to be effective artist, citizens and workers in the, not so far away, future. In that case I know I need to acquire the rest of these skills soon. To improve my judgment skills I will visit Dr. Christie's web-site page about evaluating web-sites. I can also find resources on her web-site to improve my negotiation and transmedia navigation. I believe the other skills can only be learnt through practice which is what I am doing in my EDM 310 class.

The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler

The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler movie gave me a lot of interesting topics to ponder. The video is about a high school student that uses connectivism as a way of learning. The student does not have a text book and his teacher rarely gives lectures he learns via Internet. The student sets up his personal learning network before he begins his research. As the student searches scholarly web-sites and finds information he posts it on social bookmarking sites.The student then searches blogs to review other people opinions about his topic. The student also subscribes to iTunes U and downloads lectures from the best professors in the world to further his knowledge on his topic.

At the end of the movie it posed the question "Why does the networked student even need a teacher?" The teacher is no longer in the class room to teach facts but to teach skills. The teacher " offers guidance when he gets stuck, shows him how to communicate properly and ask help from expert, how to differentiate good information and propaganda, how to vet a resource, how to turn research into a scavenger hunt and to get excited to find that pearl on content."Ms. Drexler is going to begin conducting her class this in this manner.

I have got to admit although this all sounds amazing it kind of scares me. Teachers are becoming obsolete in higher forms of education. Imagine if students in the fifth grade were taught to learn new ways to use the internet for educational projects. By the time those students reached eighth grade he or she would no longer need a full time teacher. Teachers will be cut because all they would need was an advisor for questions every now and then. High school would become more like college. I believe this is a good program but it seems it could be a little too much. If students didn't have to come to class then they will never gain those much needed social skills. I feel the obesity levels will rise as well because people will be spending all their time in front of a computer screen instead of being active. This makes me think of the Disney movie WALL-E. I also believe this method of teaching is not for everyone. There are many distractions on the internet that could lure the students away from their academic purposes. The internet is also over whelming for lots of people even though they may be focused they are easily confused. Also not all students have access to a home computer, internet, or and ipod. If that is the way the board of education suggest we teach our students then they should supply the student with the technology they need. I believe this method can be very benificial for certain students under the guidance of a good teacher such as Ms. Drexler.

Richard Miller: This is How We Dream Parts 1 and 2

In Richard Miller: This Is How We Dream Part 1 he talked about the incremental changes in writing such as: workspace, research the world, freely available documents and collaborate. Technology is now allowing people to create documents from their laptops instead of using just pen and paper. The process of researching is different now as well. A person can search the web for information for a research paper without ever leaving the comfort of their home. Technology is also helping preserve information because a web based document lives on forever unlike most paper documents that eventually end up in the trash. Web based documents will always be there unlike a book at a library. The new technology also opens the door for collaboration. People from around the world can work together to create a web based document from information online without ever physically meeting each other.


In Richard Miller: This Is How We Dream Part 2 he discusses how he believes writing is fundamentally changing and what we need to reach that point. He believes we should begin to write using only the web. He believes we need to create beautiful, compelling compositions. He talked about how he did that with this video and the impact it had. If he would have done it differently it would not have made such a large impact on the world and it would have taken a lot longer for it to circulate. Miller also talks about the need to create a program to teach people to compose this way. He also believes we need inspiring teachers of new media composing and spaces that foster collaborative learning.



I believe Miller has a great point and wonderful ideas but there are still a few kinks to work out. I do not feel I am prepared to write with multimedia at this point in time but I believe with proper instruction I could be. I believe it will take a few years before this method hits mainstream and becomes prevalent in the public classroom. I am not sure if my students will be able to do this in my first couple of years teaching just because we do not have the resources for it yet but I believe eventually I will be teaching this concept and using it in the classroom.

iPods in Instruction

About 22 million Americans own an ipod or mp3 player so why not put them to a good use. Ipods are becoming more and more prevalent in the classroom as technology rapidly increases. After viewing Duke ipod first year experience report I began to realize it was for the best. The ipods gave initiative thinkers a new way to learn. Duke gave away about 1,600 ipods to incoming freshmen in 2004 to technologically enhance their school. The ipods succeeded in more subjects then they expected. They were used in 38 classes that first year for academic purposes such as: course content dissemination tool, classroom recording tool, field recording tool, study support tool, file storage and file transfer.

After reading about this i wanted to learn ways I could use ipods in my own class so i searched the internet. While searching I found a very interesting article on abcnews.go.com called Schools Dump Textbooks for iPods, Laptops. Several schools across the nation are becoming textbook-free zones. Teachers believe ipods and laptops are more efficient learning tools then books because they are cost efficient, the internet is never out dated, they are more portable, and it makes learning cool and fun for the students. I believe it is a great idea; it will give students an equal opportunity no matter where they are from or their social status.

As a teacher I will to incorporate the educational use of ipods in my class. I will do so by using podcasts for weekly assignments, due dates, major project information, and tips on study skills as a way to communicate with her students and their parents. The world is morphing because of technology shouldn't education too?

iTunes University

Introduction to iTunes U

I have never used itunes until just a few weeks ago. I thought itunes was just a place to buy music for an ipod but I could not have been more wrong. I am amazed by all the wonderful features itunes has it blows my mind. When I viewed David Hopkins introduction to iTunes U I keep thinking how useful that would be if my university worked with iTunes U and how I could use it as a teacher and the ideas were endless.

I wish the University of South Alabama worked in coercion with itunes it would make a huge difference in my college experience. I am an aural/visual learner so it would tremendously help improve my test scores. I could download vodcast of lessons and reviews then play them on an iphone at any time convent for me to watch. This advancement would also help me if I am sick or an emergency was to come up and I cannot make it to class, I can simply go to my class subscription and view the class session for the day. ITunes U can also be used to do research for a paper because it is a scholarly program.

As a teacher I will encourage my students to use iTunes U because I believe it is a very useful tool for education. I will create an ongoing podcast for subject I will be teaching. I will also share them other interesting educational vodcasts and podcasts. I believe this will better prepare my students for life outside of school because I will not only be teaching them english, math, science and social studies but also how to locate scholarly resources online, how to use new software programs, and how to learn.

Dr. Christie

Dr. Christie's site

Today I explored Dr. Alice Christie's web site in which she lends her forty years of experience to help other teachers. I found several things on her web site that would be useful to me as a teacher. I really enjoyedDr. Christie's Online Researching Resources which contains information about search engines, evaluating web site, resources, webcams, virtual field trips and more. I remember staying up till midnight searching for a source for a paper and constantly questioning if the source was good enough but this web site helps eliminate all that trouble.

Dr. Christie's page about search engines gives you several different search engines and tells you which ones to use when looking for certain information. I can use this information to reduce the headache when looking for educational material for my class. I now know of a search engine called EducationPlanet.com I can use to give me a narrower search results. I can also this page to pull search engines for kids to give my students to help them research their school work.

Another thing I really liked about the online researching resources is that it had a page about evaluating web sites. I know as a student I was always questioning is this web site a legitimate source but Dr. Christie's web site evaluation page will take the guess work out of it for you. She has eight links listed that teach you how to evaluate a site. Several teachers ask their students to do reports using the internet and expect them to find exactly what they want without giving them any guide lines to search by. The World Wide Web is massive source information and often times it is overwhelming for students, I know it was for me. So I would use research Dr. Christie’s information about evaluating web sites and teach my students how to properly assess if a site is a legitimate source.

I feel Dr. Alice Christie's web site has tons of useful information for not only teachers but also for students and their parents. I believe Dr. Christie has lots of initiative ideas to improve the classroom and I most definitely will use them in my classroom.

Wikipedia

NPR Article on Wikipedia


My teachers have always told to never use Wikipedia but they never told me why. After reading this article, I now know not to use Wikipedia as a source for anything I could possibly search for in college. The article explains that Wikipedia is an open source of information that anyone can post on any subject they want to. This allows certain information that might have already been posted to be edited by a small degree or possibly be erased completely to have new information posted in its place. With the problems created by loose restrictions on editing, there has been a solution created. Although California Institute of Technology grad student by the name of Virgil Griffith created a program called the Wikipedia Scanner that follows IP addresses that users used to log into Wikipedia to be followed back to the location of where the user posted the information. This is a step in the right direction but i feel Wikipedia still has to many imperfections. I mean yes every edit can now be traced back to the computer the edit was made but the editor could have used a computer at the library, school, work, or even wi-fi at any public location. I now understand why my teachers tell me that Wikipedia is not a good source for information because as you can tell, it is not a school trusted source.

I believe Wikipedia started off as a good idea. I use Wikipedia all the time to get a quick definition of a term I am unfamiliar with. I also use Wikipedia for brainstorming; it helps me find subtopics to expand my research on. As a teacher I would not tell my student to completely avoid Wikipedia I would just tell them to be cautious of what they are looking for. Some topics are okay to search on Wikipedia such as noncontraversal facts and nonpolitical. I would also tell my students to back up any information they found on Wikipedia with more reliable resources.

I think Wikipedia is a resource center of the future that just has a few more kinks to work out. If the rules for editing Wikipedia were tweaked a little it would be the most successful resource center. If people could simply send a suggestion about a topic to Wikipedia research teams where they could further research the suggestion and make changes instead of random people being able to edit it. This will allow collaboration of bright minds across the world with little inconvenience to them.

tiny url practice

This is a practice:Cherry Blossom (tiny url practice link)

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture
Randy and his family

I watched Randy Pausch’s last lecture and I thought the video was very good. He seemed so happy even though he had cancer. He showed the audience that he was in good health by doing some pushups quite a few times. He also told the audience not to feel sad for him because that was not what he wanted from anyone. He showed them what he was not going to talk about because he didn’t find the topics important and wanted to have a fun time for his last lecture.

During his lecture, Pausch talks about his dreams as a kid and what he did and did not accomplish. He wanted to be in zero gravity, play in the NFL, write an article for the World Book encyclopedia, be Captain Kirk, win stuffed animals, and be a Disney Imagineer. He had a lot of dreams and accomplished a few but not all of them and he was fine with that. Since he did not get everything he wanted he said he learned many great things. From not playing in the NFL he learned even though you may not get as far as you want, you still learn many great things to use through life such as teamwork, discipline, sportsmanship, and fundamentals because without these things, he wouldn’t have got to where he has been.

He said a few things in the lecture that meant a lot to him, “Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted”, “Wait, and people will surprise you,” and lastly “Don’t bail, the best gold is found at the bottom of barrels of crap.” He also talked about being self reflective because this can be the best thing for someone to learn how to use. It can help a person to better his or herself to be able to get along better with as a co-worker and a person. This can help many, many people accomplish many great things in their lives and help other accomplish much, much more. He also states you could be a Tigger or a Eeyore, and with this he meant you could be energetic and fun or sad and depressed and apparently he was a tigger because he never seemed down on himself.

His lecture makes you think about what he wants you to use in your life: be happy no matter what, have as much fun as you possibly can, help anyone any chance you can, be a good or better influence on a person, be prepared for what can happen. He also wanted people to know that you need to be good at something because that makes you valuable to someone else. These are some great things to know for anyone to use in their life.

The last few things that I enjoyed were that he didn’t do this lecture for himself or the audience but for his children. He wanted to leave them a lesson to learn from and to live by in their lives. The other was even though this was his last lecture; he didn’t leave all of the focus on him but rather shared it with his wife by bringing out a birthday cake for her and sang her happy birthday along with the rest of the audience. These are the reasons why I enjoyed this video and thought the Randy Pausch was a good teach and a better person to every person he has influenced in his life.

Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

I agree with Karl Fisch, a teacher must be technologically literate. Technology is our future so our future leaders, children, should be taught about it. Often times teachers that do not understand technology will not use it in the classroom to familiarize his or her student of new advancements. I believe you can relate this back to what Mr. McClung talked about in his post. Teachers should not be afraid of technology and should never stop learning. Technology changes every day so teachers should stress about knowing everything because no one does but at the same time they should not be afraid to try something because they do not know how it works.

I have encountered several teachers with narrow minded thought about technology. I remember when I was in elementary school there were only two computers in the class and you could only use them if you finished your work early. I did not have a single computer class in middle school. My freshman year in high school I was forced to take a basic computer typing class. My teacher was out on maternity leave so we had a coach fill in for her and he did not care what we did as long as we did not bother him while he did his online shopping. I did not take my first real computer class till my freshman year of college. It was an introductory to Microsoft 2007 and although it was the most informative computer class I have had it did not teach me about the internet.

Technology is changing the way we live, so why not the way we teach. I don’t believe teachers need to know everything about technology but they should have a basic concept and be open to learning new things. I believe I am technologically literate but I also know I still have a lot to learn.

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today

A Vision of Students Today

Being a college student today is extremely tough and Michael Wesch’s video “A Vision of Students Today “exposes that to its audience. The video discusses the effects of large classrooms on a student. It is hard for students to focus on the subject being discussed if they cannot see or hear it from their seat. It also makes it harder to ask your professor a question because they are often times too busy to care about his or her students. I personally have not experienced this because I elected to attend Faulkner State Community College before transferring to the University of South Alabama. All of my classes have been relatively small and my teachers knew my name by the second week of class.

Money issues were also covered in the video. I can relate to these problems being a nineteen year old young woman on her own trying to put herself through school. School only allows you to go to work twenty five hours a week so money is tight to cover bills and gas to get to school but on top of that you have other test you have to take such as the APTT and shell out more money and time. Sometimes you cannot buy groceries because you have to buy your text books, other referred readings and computer software. This stress in return makes it harder to focus on your scholarly duties.

Wesch’s video also discussed technology and its effects on the classroom. People are glued to their phones and laptops. I do not use my cell phone in class other than to check the time or mark important due dates in my calendar. Some students on the other hand text, play games, and surf the internet on their phones in class. I find that in appropriate, I am paying for this class which is continuously interrupted by the sounds of cell phones. I do not bring my laptop to class but I know a lot of students that do and I believe it adds to the many distractions in the classroom. Students often times bring their laptop to class to surf the net and chat with people rather than to take notes or research the topic being discussed. I think technology can enhance the classroom if used correctly but often times it is not used appropriately.

"What I've Learned This Year" by Mr. McClung

What I've Learned This Year

I recently read Mr. McClung’s post titled “What I’ve Learned This Year” in which enlightened me to several things. In his post he discusses the things he learned in the classroom during his first year of teaching. Mr. McClung covers seven main topics: how to read the crowd, being flexible, communication, being responsible, not being afraid of technology, listening to your students and never stop learning.

Mr. McClung spoke volumes in a few short paragraphs and I completely agree with his advice. Teachers should focus their lesson plans more on their student rather than their colleges. If a teacher is focused more on making a good impression on their colleges than on the student, then the student is often left struggling to keep up. A teacher should also try to be flexible because nothing ever goes exactly to plan. As a teacher you must also have good communication skills in order to solve all the problems that will be presented to you. Teachers should also have a certain level of responsibility. Set expectations and have goals for your students but do not punish them if they fall short instead encourage them to try again. Technology is a way of life and teachers should not be afraid of it but they do not have to be masters of technology. I believe one of the most important things for a teacher to do is to listen to his or her students. I believe this effects the student more than anything. It shows the student that you care about he or she and it forms strong bonds of trust. The final thing Mr. McClung discussed was how a teacher should never stop learning and I completely agree. I believe no one should ever feel they are intelligent enough to stop learning because new facts are discovered every day. A teacher can learn on a day to day basis by so many different forms like their students, colleges, workshops, news, and the internet.

Mr. McClung’s post gave me as a future teacher a better incite to what to expect in my first year of teaching. No matter how many classes you take to prepare for teaching it still is not the same as hands on learning experience. I think that is what his post covered, the topics that you are not taught in the classroom but the ones you learn when you are placed in your first classroom.

The Technologically Literate Teacher

As I watched last semester’s EDM 310 class video cast called Tech Literate Teach I thought about what I could do different. I thought the videocast was put together very well it just needs to be smoothed out around the edges.

The first thing I will do to improve the quality of my videocast is connect more with the audience. The students did not look at the camera when they spoke and I felt this made them seem distant and boring. It was hard to focus on the speaker because I could barely tell which one was speaking. If the students would have simply been aware of where the camera was at all times and looked at it while speaking instead of turning away from the camera I feel it would have improved the video a lot.

The students also lacked charisma. I believe that is because they were reading from their papers most of the time. I did not feel the student’s passion for the subject which in return did not ignite my passion for the subject. The students spoke in a block like format that showed little emotion about the topic being discussed. I believe if the students would have spoke freely and reacted with each other the video would have show more raw emotion about the subject.

I also believe the show could have used a better hook to grab their audiences’ attention. I am not saying the show should be so overwhelmed with special effects that the message is drowned out but there needs to be a good balance. I think simply sound effects can be used to enhance the videos’ appeal. They could have used a clapping sound effect for introductions. Also the camera could move to focus on the current speaker and show different angles to keep the viewers eyes intrigued. Overall the videocast was a great beginner videocast it was very basic and straight forward which can become boring to watch but with a few slight adjustments can improve its appeal to the audience.

I also viewed The benefits of podcasting in the classroom to enhance my knoldge of podcasts and better prepare me for creating my own.

I truly enjoyed reviewing this podcast I found it to be very informative. Hearing the many advantages of using podcasts in the class room was astonishing. Teachers can make a podcast of all their lectures and post them on a class website. Students can use this feature in several different ways. If a student is home sick he or she can still view the class lecture so they do not fall behind. The student can also use the podcast to isolate different areas of the lecture they did not understand the first time it was presented. The podcast can also be used as a review for tests.

Teachers can take the podcast one more step and allow the student to make the podcast for the lecture. This will sparks creativity and higher levels of thinking. The podcast make learning fun and interactive which intrigues them to continue learning. Students can engage in role playing to create impressionable podcast for their classmates. This teaches students more than just the lesson being discussed it also teaches them computer skills and instills them with confidence.

In conclusion podcast are a wonderful way to enhance the classroom if used properly. The only down side I see to it is not every family has a home computer with internet access. Growing up as a child in my parent house we did not have a computer. I believe more people have computers now but not all families can afford them. This can make it really difficult for those children to keep up with the material in the classroom and ultimately succeed.

Podcast

When I first read the instructions for this post I was terrified I had never heard of a podcast before. After researching podcast I learned it was nothing to be afraid of, a podcast is merely a digital media file. Once the fear was gone I plunged into the assignment head first and listened to the six podcast listed below:
SmartBoard Lessons Podcast
KidCast
ConnectLearning
EdTechtalk
MacBreak Weekly
This Week in Photography


The podcast were very informative, I learned more than just the information being discussed. By listening to each podcast I received a deeper understanding of what a podcast is, how it is made, and how to locate them. Each podcast was different in its own way yet they all fell into a general mold. The podcasts were set up like radio talk shows minus the commercials. Every podcast had attention grabbing introduction, a discussion and a question and answer segment. Audile podcast allows the listener to be in control unlike radio talk show. The listener can listen to any episode at any time any were and since there are no commercials the listener has more time to listen and learn about what is being discussed in the pod cast. That makes podcasts a wonderful advancement for the fast pace world we live in today.

One of my favorite podcasts was the SmartBoard Lesson Podcast because it delivered great information in an easy to follow format. I liked the way they discussed relating math in movies to math in the class room. Movies often times have mathematical references that the subconscious picks up. If a student does not understand something the teacher can connect it to a movie the student is already familiar with and help form a deeper understanding. This information stuck out to me because it was easy to follow and relate to. The talk show hosts made smooth transactions between topics and did not draw on one topic to long which I believe keep the information flowing and fresh.

My least favorite podcast was MacBreak Weekly I found it to be boring. This podcast gave a lot of in depth information that I found hard to stay focused on. It was probably hard for me to focus because they did not discuss anything that interested me. This podcast would be very informative for a person that already has a strong understanding of computers and computer programs. Personally it is like listening to a foreign language because I am computer illiterate. This podcast was at a level higher then my understanding and I believe I would profit more from one at an intermediate level.

In conclusion I found podcasts to be a remarkable way to keep up with our rapidly changing life styles. A podcast is an easy and effective way to learn numerous things. I believe all podcast follow a certain format but some are easier to follow. If a podcast flows smoothly to subject without over evaluating a subject the listener is more likely to stay focused as I was. I also believe podcasts deliver information at different levels like math, you cannot master calculus before you can solve long division, and you have to build a foundation of information in which you can build from.

Media Rich Post

Michael Jackson


Michael Jackson (CNN) -- The Los Angeles coroner has concluded preliminarily that singer Michael Jackson died of an overdose of propofol, a powerful sedative he was given to help him sleep, according to court documents released Monday. Los Angeles' coroner Dr. Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran reached that preliminary conclusion after reviewing toxicology results carried out on Jackson's blood, according to a search warrant and affidavit unsealed in Houston, Texas.
The affidavit outlines probable cause for search warrants of the offices of doctors who are believed to have treated Jackson.
The Associated Press is quoting a single law enforcement official, who says the L.A. County Coroner has ruled Michael Jackson's death a homicide. The Los Angeles County Coroner's office told CNN they had "no comment" on the report. An LAPD spokesman says the story did not come from their department.
The 32-page warrant said Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson's personal physician, told a detective that he had been treating Jackson for insomnia for six weeks. Murray said each night he gave Jackson 50 mg of propofol, also known as Diprivan, diluted with the anesthetic lidocaine via an intravenous drip.
Worried that Jackson may have been becoming addicted to the drug, the Houston cardiologist said he attempted to wean him from it, putting together combinations of other drugs that succeeded in helping Jackson sleep during the two nights prior to his death.
But on June 25, other drugs failed to do the job, as he recounted to detectives in an hour-by-hour account that was detailed by detective Orlando Martinez of the Los Angeles Police Department:

Next Generation Learning

In the "Next Generation of Learning" video, Henry discusses how his school uses technology through a program called ICT. The program inserts technology into the classroom in more than just the form of computers. Students do hands-on activities to keep their minds alert and active in what they are learning. Technology is not the only in the classroom but as home as well. The ICT program gives students the advantages to learn at home.

At school students have several interactive educational activites to explore. Every classroom has an interactive white board that doubles as a computer. Students can use this to do a presentation and group research. The school also has Wii brain training activities to keep the students on their toes. Henry's school even takes tests different; they use voting systems that allow testing together. All of these advancements allow the student to stay active rather than just sitting in a desk all day. It also helps shy children interact and become social in a safe environment. This new way of teaching and learning motiviates children to be creative and different.

ICT does not end when the bell rings everyday. The school allows students that do not have home computers to check out a labtop to take home. This is wonderful because every family can't afford a computer but it does not mean a child should have to suffer academically. The school also has a website in which all homework can be done and parents can check on their child's progress and more. The school on line is a very convenient way for parents to stay connected with their children about their studies.

The ICT is a wonderful program for the child, parent, and teacher. This program allows students to be free active thinkers. The student that go through this program will have an advantage over other students because they will have a much greater understanding of technology and will know how to be creative thinkers. All schools should adopt this program or atleast give all children the opportunity to join.

Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

In this video, teacher Vicki Davis talks about teaching through technology. She exposes her students to every kind of technology to teach them to be self thinkers. It is very important to embody the classroom with technology. Davis strives to introduce them her students to many different kinds of software programs. This is an extrodinary way of teaching because it not only familiarizes students with different technology but also gives an alternate way of learning for students that are visual learners.

Davis is teaching students more than reading, writing, and arithmetic. She is giving them skills to expand their knowledge. This program inspires children to think critically for themselves. A student is allowed to tinker with new programs and teach themselves new concepts that they can teach to others. This gives students an extreme boost of confidence and self esteem which encourages them to continue learning. This hands-on-process of learning keeps students focused opposed to just listening to a lecture.

In Davis' class, students are exposed to different software, networking sites, and much more. In today's world almost everything is electronically done and to succesfully funtion in a society, a person must be technologically inclined. Even though software programs are constantly changing, this teaching method does not just teach students about technology but also teaches them how to learn about technology. Along with teaching themselves, the students interact with other students from around the world to collaborate on classroom assignments to learn about new programs and software. Davis' teaching method is allowing her students to interact with other students around the world, learn about the latest software, and inspire them to continue learning.

Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity

Sir Ken Robinson speaks out about the way he feels public education is affecting the children. He believes the public classroom is stripping children from their creativity in order to fit them in a mold that was created during the industrial boom. Educational systems were created to give students the skills they would need to acquire a job which meant language and mathematics was the most important subjects. Sir Robinson also believes the job market has changed due to technology that was created by the people that thought outside the box. Robinson questions if the job market changes, should the educational system should change as well to better prepare the children for the jobs of the future.

In his speech, Robinson stresses the fact that all children are creative and they grow out of it as they become adults. Children are pressured to follow the academic plan set for them rather than encouraged to explore their creativity. If a child seems to stray from this academic plan, they are labeled with having a learning disability. All children learn by different methods and the school systems are set up only to cover one method they deemed right. A child can only reach their full potential if they are allowed to explore every inch of their creativity. Therefore the school systems are not allowing children to reach their full potential that will allow them to suceed in life.

Robinson also talked about the change in the career market. Several jobs used to be located in factories but technology has changed that. People now have the time to explore arts and athletics as serious careers. In the past, it was nearly impossible to be a successful musician, it was consided a suicide career. In the world today musicians, dancers, actors, and athletes have the best paying jobs. The job market is craving for more creative minds to create and entertain.

The world around us is changing due to technological advances and the school systems should change as well to better prepare the children for their futures. Majority of jobs are no longer located in factories and college proffesors are not the only people that succed in life. Children should feel free to express themselves through different outlets without the fear of being different. If children do not embrace their gifts and abilities, they will lose them. Great inventions were created beacause someone strayed from the path and blazed their own. Education systems should embrace creativity beacuse without it, society will never make any progress.

Did You Know? 3.0

The video “Did you know? 3.0“ is an eye opener for its viewer’s eyes to the reality of the future being the present. The video discusses several controversial topics that challenge the viewer to think critically about the impact of technology on the world. Technology is rapidly increasing and changing to better fit the needs of the future and this has positive and negative effects.

The rapid increase of technology is a positive advancement for several reasons. Technology is creating new jobs for billions of people. Jobs are created to research, build, and maintain technological advances. These new advancements also allow people to connect with other people around the world by a simple press of a button. People can now learn about the diverse communities around the world on a day to day basis due to this instant connect system. New technology gives people better access to all the information they need to succeed in life. People may search for an answer through billions of resources in a couple of seconds. The new advancements in technology are positively altering the way people live.

These advances may seem to be all positive but the fact of life is every positive has a negative. Technology may be creating new jobs but it is also increasing populations. Although there may be billions of new jobs, there still will not be enough jobs for everyone. The new advancements that allow people from all over the world to connect can also be a negative. Social networking sites open the doors for several crimes such as: cyber bullying, money scamming, and online sexual predators. Information is becoming easier to access but due to the way technology is so rapidly increasing it is hard to stay up to date on all the new information. New facts are being discovered and distributed faster than people ever thought possible and it is estimated that it will continue to increase.

The world is rapidly changing through technology and with that comes positive and negative effects. People should broaden their perspective about technology and view both sides equally. Every advancement should be thoroughly analyzed to weigh the positive and negative effects it will have on the world. When this is done then people can use technology to find new ways to help decrease the negative effects. People will never be able to work out all the kinks in technology but with proper analysis they can smooth out the rough edges to better enrich the future for people.

First Post

Hello, my name is Sarah Elizabeth Denahm and I am truely excited to be studing elementary education at the University of South Alabama. I grew up in a family of four in Robertsdale and graduated from Robertsdale high school in 2007, a couple of months after my seventeenth birthday. After I graduated I decided to go straight to college. My family was extremely proud of my decision to further my education. I just recently graduated from Faulkner State and can not wait to get in the class room. I am a young women trying to survive on my own and put my self through college. At times it may become tough to bare but press forward and strive for the best.
This pass summer i worked at a summer camp in Loxely where i realized my true pasion for teaching children. Seeing the sparkle in their eye's when they unlock one of life's mysteries made going to work a blessing. Every child is different and learns in their own way at their own pace and it is amazing what you can learn from them.